I planned a dream vacation for me and my partner — then we broke up and canceled the trip. Years later, I took it solo.
Two years later, I dug up my itinerary and just went on the trip by myself.
Adjusting the plans were easy, and the experience reminded me how much I enjoy solo travel.
Two years ago, I planned a trip to El Salvador for my then-boyfriend and me to celebrate both of our birthdays.
I poured my heart into arranging every detail of the holiday. After all, this was one of the few destinations neither of us had visited before, which is rare because we're both well-traveled.
I booked flights and hotels, reserved a rental car, and meticulously crafted an itinerary that covered Mayan archaeological sites, volcano hikes, and cultural heritage museums while giving us ample time to relax along El Salvador's volcanic black-sand coast.
But two weeks before the trip, our relationship ended. I canceled the bookings and forgot about visiting El Salvador … until I decided to visit my 95th country earlier this year.
At first, I wasn't sure where to go — I mostly wanted to visit a country that wouldn't be too expensive to get to from Uruguay, where I'm currently based.
Once I realized I had enough travel points to cover a flight to El Salvador, I booked my ticket.
It felt empowering to reimagine a couple's getaway as a solo travel adventure
Ecstatic that I'd selected a destination I'd already researched, I revisited the itinerary I'd carefully arranged two years before.
It felt empowering to book my "revenge vacation" as it was a destination I had once dreamed of visiting with my ex-boyfriend. Now, it would be a place I'd get to explore on my own terms.
I needed to tweak the itinerary a bit now that I was traveling solo, but I was relieved that I'd already done the bulk of the planning beforehand.
Throughout the trip, I found ways to troubleshoot and adjust my plans without sacrificing what I wanted.
The hotels I had previously selected were now out of the question on my one-person budget, so I rented more affordable Airbnbs operated by locals. I liked being able to support the tourism economy — and, luckily, my rentals were quite nice.
I no longer felt comfortable renting and driving a car, but navigating local transportation between the destinations I wanted to visit in El Salvador seemed like a headache, and Uber availability was limited.
So, I booked transfers on the Daytrip app, which connects travelers with local drivers. While heading from the coast to the city, I was able to add sightseeing stops, including one at a series of natural spring water pools.
I also served spots on group experiences to more easily visit the sites I wanted to see.
I was worried I'd have to pay for a minimum of two guests, which I've seen many tour operators require, but I was able to find tons of single tickets on travel marketplace GetYourGuide.
So, without paying fees for being solo, I joined a tour of Mayan archaeological sites and a guided hike up El Salvador's tallest volcano, Santa Ana.
This trip helped me fall back in love with traveling by myself
Going alone on a trip I'd initially planned as a romantic vacation helped me fall back in love with solo travel. It reminded me of my tenacity to immerse myself in a destination.
I enjoyed the freedom to plan my days as I desired and make last-minute changes, such as quickly leaving a so-called "artisanal" market when I realized it was an overpriced tourist trap.
I spent lazy days on the coast, reading for hours, swimming in the Pacific Ocean, and grounding myself in the pitch-black sand.
Solo travel has always been my modus operandi. I'm glad a breakup didn't stop me from eventually visiting another of my dream destinations.
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Travel + Leisure
3 days ago
- Travel + Leisure
I'm an Atheist—but Going to Mass at the Sagrada Família Changed My Life Forever
From its inception, the Barcelona trip I took in March 2025 felt antithetical to who I am as a person (that is, type A). My friends and I booked everything the week of, dropping a few hundred euros on an Airbnb and budget plane tickets from Paris, where we were living at the time. Other than those essentials, we planned nothing for our weekend, eschewing my usual detailed itineraries for some level of slightly uncomfortable spontaneity. At this point, it was much too late to book tickets to any of the top attractions; Parc Güell, the Picasso Museum, and Sagrada Família were all sold out. All the same, we decided to wing it. The Friday morning of our trip, I sacrificed six of my precious eight hours of sleep to take a 3 a.m. Uber to Paris Orly Airport. By 10 a.m., my two friends and I were in the heart of Barcelona, where we'd be for the next 50 hours. The first day was long, hot, and exhausting. Running on about two hours of sleep with our huge, mildly dorky backpacks in tow, we hiked up Montjuïc hill; spent a few hours in the Joan Miró Foundation; and took a long, winding journey back down (albeit with spectacular views). When it was finally time to check in to our Airbnb, we struggled deeply with the janky lock, but the fight was ameliorated by a delicious meal of black paella at Restaurant Palermo. Afterward, I was more than ready to turn in for the night. My friends, however, were determined to see the Basílica de la Sagrada Família—so, outvoted, along I went. Walking through the Jardins de Laribal in Barcelona. Angela Lian/Travel + Leisure Construction on Sagrada Família began almost a century and a half ago, in 1882. Catalan modernist architect Antoni Gaudí took over its design the next year, and from 1914 until he passed away, it was his only project. The church, easily distinguishable by Gaudí's signature nature-inspired style, is still under construction—a project that has taken over 140 years to complete—but it's set to be done in 2026, the centennial of his death. When I visited, Sagrada Família was missing its tallest central spire, the tower of Jesus Christ. And yet, it was still a formidable sight: a stone behemoth in ivory and beige, impossibly intricate, breathtakingly tall. Honestly, American churches had never interested me. But the Gothic, stately, exponentially older European church was a different beast—and Sagrada Família was in league of its own. That night, we spent an hour walking around the entirety of the church, breathing it in, letting the unanticipated cold seep past our inadequate layers. Despite our best efforts, pictures captured nothing. We began in front of the Passion façade, a skeletal, shadowy construction centered on the cross and, just under it, the crucifixion scene. Then, after walking around the unfinished Glory façade, we reached Nativity. The exterior of La Sagrada Familia and a pitcher of sangria. Angela Lian/Travel + Leisure This side of Sagrada Família was darker, rounder—as if stained and eroded with time. With rippling shapes and mosslike florals, it's ornate, organic, and acutely Gaudían. We spent most of that hour in front of the Nativity façade: three upward-tilted chins, six unblinking eyes. As a lifelong atheist, I was mostly ignorant of the stories behind the biblical imagery on each of the church's sides, yet their raw, historic power struck me all the same. The unfinished nature of Sagrada Família only added to its effect. After all, there I was, witnessing something great in the long process of being made. We knew we wanted to go inside. But the question was, how do we actually do that? Standard tickets were long gone and last-minute tours were far too pricey for our college student budgets. After a bit of digging, we found a possibility. Every Saturday at 8 p.m., Sagrada Família holds an international Mass. All are welcome, and it's free. (There's also Mass on Sunday mornings, but we had a plane to catch.) Frankly, I didn't care much about the Mass aspect of it all. I just thought the outside was stunning and wanted to see the much-talked-about interior before leaving Barcelona. So, the next day, the three of us made our way to Mass. The plan wasn't set in stone. That night after our exterior tour of the church, we had a sangria-fueled late night out, naturally. Then on the day of, we took ourselves on an extensive walk through the Parc de la Ciutadella to Somorrostro Beach, where we sat for probably too long (entirely inappropriately dressed for the beach—I, for one, was in a black leather jacket and jeans, and none of us had brought sunscreen). Ultimately, we agreed that it would be okay if we did not have time for the Mass that night. 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The interior was somehow more impressive than the façades. It spiraled upwards, with deceptively simple, tree-like columns and dizzyingly high ceilings. It felt like an enchanted forest of white stone, all warm lights and arches and rainbow-dappled glass, not a right angle to be found. I had the sense that the basilica was growing, and I with it. As we took it in from our folding seats, heads raised, lips parted, a hush fell over the crowd, and Mass began. To be honest, half the time, I had little to no clue what was going on. Some parts were spoken in English and French, but many elements of the Mass were in other languages, too. Add on the fact that I didn't have much foundational knowledge of the story being told to begin with—which, as my friend later told me, was of the parable of the prodigal son. But it was enough to simply exist inside the church, in a space that extended so far above and around us and seemed to buzz with tangible energy. Fifteen, 30, 45 minutes in, several groups of tourists got up and left. They, like us, probably just wanted to get inside for free—but we stayed glued the whole way through. We strained to hear speaking and singing in languages we couldn't understand, turned to greet our stranger-neighbors from different countries, and stood to watch a Eucharist we couldn't take part in. It wasn't how I pictured spending my last night in Barcelona. It wasn't something I'd pictured ever doing at all. I've always sought completeness, definitive knowledge, rigid structure. But that night, surrounded by a collective longing for faith and connection, I let it take me—the beauty of something unfinished, unanswered; the ever-unfolding realization of a centuries-old design. An hour later, it was dark outside, but inside—where we'd spent our whole lives, it seemed—the shadows glowed amber. Under the canopy of living stone, Mass ended. And so we went forth.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Uber sees higher Q2 2025 revenue, announces $20bn stock buyback plan
Uber Technologies has reported an 18% year-over-year (YoY) increase in revenue for the second quarter (Q2) ending June 30, 2025, and introduced a $20bn stock repurchase scheme. Revenue for the quarter reached $12.7bn, mirroring the growth rate on a constant currency basis. Trips also grew 18% YoY to 3.3bn, underpinned by a 15% YoY rise in monthly active platform consumers (MAPCs) and a 2% YoY uptick in monthly trips per MAPC. Uber CFO Prashanth Mahendra-Rajah said: "Today's announcement of a new $20bn share repurchase authorisation underscores our confidence in the business, following yet another quarter of strong top and bottom-line performance. "Our trailing twelve month free cash flow hit a new all-time high of $8.5bn and we remain committed to driving durable, profitable growth." Gross bookings for the quarter increased by 17% over the previous year to $46.8bn, equating to an 18% increase on a constant currency basis. The Mobility segment accounted for $23.76bn of the gross bookings, an 18% increase from the prior year, while the Delivery segment climbed by 20% to $21.73bn. Income from operations saw a substantial YoY leap of 82%, amounting to $1.5bn. Earnings per share for Uber advanced to $0.63 from $0.47 in the same quarter of the previous year. The net income attributable to Uber stood at $1.4bn, inclusive of a $17m net headwind (pre-tax) due to revaluations of the company's equity investments. The adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) for the quarter experienced a 35% YoY growth to $2.1bn, with the adjusted EBITDA margin as a percentage of gross bookings rising to 4.5%, up from 3.9% in the second quarter of 2024. Uber's cash flow indicators remained strong, with net cash provided by operating activities reported at $2.6bn and free cash flow at $2.5bn. The company's unrestricted cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments were recorded at $7.4bn at the end of the quarter. For the upcoming Q3 of 2025, Uber forecasts gross bookings to range between $48.25bn and $49.75bn, indicating a 17% to 21% YoY growth on a constant currency basis. The company's adjusted EBITDA is projected to be between $2.19bn and $2.29bn, representing a 30% to 36% YoY increase. In the field of autonomous driving, Uber has announced a partnership with Wayve to begin public-road trials of Level 4 autonomous vehicles in London in the following year. Furthermore, Uber has entered into agreements with Lucid and Nuro to initiate a "next-generation premium global robotaxi programme," with the launch of a robotaxi service in a major US city anticipated later next year. "Uber sees higher Q2 2025 revenue, announces $20bn stock buyback plan" was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
New York Times
5 days ago
- New York Times
Hailing a Ride on Uber or Lyft? Here's What to Know to Stay Safe.
Despite Uber's claims that it was one of the safest available travel options, the ride-hailing company received a report of sexual misconduct or sexual assault once every eight minutes or so between 2017 and 2022, The New York Times reported on Wednesday. Many riders, both in the article and in the comments section, said they had followed safety tips like those previously shared by The Times, such as making sure the license plate matched what appeared on the app. Even though these tips remain valid, many riders still found themselves in uncomfortable or unsafe situations, leading to questions about what safety practices they should adopt. 'A lot of the old rules still apply,' said Bryant Greening, a lawyer who works with accident and assault victims and is a co-founder of the Chicago-based law firm But, he added, many ride-hailing apps have added more safety features that can help mitigate your personal risk. Here are additional things to know about staying safe when using app-based ride services. Share your trip Most ride-hailing apps now offer a feature to share your trip with someone outside the car, Mr. Greening said. On the Uber app, this is called 'Share My Trip,' and it allows riders to select up to five people from their contact lists with whom to share their trip details as well as their real-time location. 'If you're in a car with somebody who's giving you any sort of bad vibe, and you make a casual comment saying, 'My wife is following the trip on the app,' that's going to provide some level of deterrence, some level of accountability,' Mr. Greening said. According to a blog post by another personal injury law firm, Sokolove Law, it can also be a good idea to send a screenshot of your trip details to friends or family. That way, if a driver cancels your ride and the trip information disappears from the app, there is still a record. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
