About me
Hi, I’m Caleigh!
I’m a solo female traveler and photographer from Long Island, New York. I made this blog, Caleigh Captures, to share my photos and travel experiences, and to encourage other women to solo travel the world!
My Solo Travel Story
Growing up I knew I wanted to travel the world, but always saw it as something I would do in the distant future- when I had enough money, when I had the time, when I had someone to go with me…
In Summer 2022 I realized that I did have enough money, I did have the time, and I didn’t need someone to go with me. It was mostly just fear and hesitation holding my back. I quit my job and used the money I had saved for a one month solo trip to Europe. I was TERRIFIED. It would be my first time staying in hostels, eating out by myself, and traveling between countries alone. But after the first few days of the trip, I was THRIVING on my own, and realized solo travel isn’t as scary or lonely as it seems. It’s actually fun and empowering! I went to Portugal, Spain and France by myself, felt so safe, and met people from all over the world.
Over the next year, I embarked on some short trips to Peru and Costa Rica, and spent 6 month working to save up for my next adventure, a two month backpacking trip in Asia and Australia with my best friend. We checked off 6 bucket list countries in what we called our “trip of a lifetime”. It was the farthest and longest I’d ever been away from home, but the trip solidified my love for travel and adventure. I realized I didn’t want this trip to just be once in a lifetime, I wanted to be able to travel often.
In April of this year I embarked on my biggest solo adventure yet- walking 175 miles of the Camino De Santiago between Portugal and Spain. Once again, I was SO nervous to go on this journey solo, but I had no one to go with, and I wasn’t going to let that stop me. The Camino was a huge physical and mental challenge, but I learned so much about myself and what I value in life.
The Camino solidified my love for solo travel and showed me that I can accomplish anything by myself. It inspired me to start posting on my Instagram, @caleigh_captures, and start this travel blog, so I can inspire other women to get out of their comfort zones and solo travel the world.
A few more facts about me…
- I’m usually either traveling, or working to save for travel. Currently, when I’m not traveling, I work as a school photographer, taking pictures of kids at Picture Day.
- I’m vegetarian and one of my favorite things about visiting a new city is checking out the local vegan and vegetarian restaurants!
- I used to work at Walt Disney World as a photographer, and it’s what inspired me to learn more about photography and pursue it as a career.
- I consider myself a “bougie backpacker”- I travel on a budget but I also like to splurge and will spend more money for comfort and privacy! I stay at a mix of hostels and private rooms, and spread my food budget between local food markets, supermarket snacks and fancy restaurants.
- I’m an introvert, and I think this is the reason I love solo travel so much! Read why I think solo travel is PERFECT for introverts here.
