Editor’s Letter: 3 Lessons From the Edge of My Comfort Zone

Travelista’s Editor Jessica Ruth Gibson tells the honest story of how 3 particular travel experiences this year helped her to unlock new levels of confidence, particularly around solo travel and driving abroad.

If you were to take a first glance at Traveista’s social accounts, I probably l look like the ultimate adventure girl, taking on each trip with abundant confidence and zero fear. But the truth is, I still feel plenty of fear. I just seem to find a way to feel the fear and do it anyway.

I have had 3 particularly poignant travel experiences this year. Each one of these experiences pushed me out of my comfort zone in different ways. I have written about them all separately, but now I am linking all three together. This is because, without realising at the time, each one each one was seamlessly linked to the next, as they all build my confidence to take on the next challenge. Here is the story of how 3 tips to Italy, Thailand and Canada ended up being the most empowering sequence of travel I have ever experienced.

Driving from Milan to Trentino, Italy

First came Italy. A four-day itinerary through the alpine valleys of Trentino where, despite not travelling alone, I was the sole driver. My travel buddy and Travelista contributor @emily-hope, didn’t feel comfortable driving, which I had to respect. But this meant the driving was all on me, which added an extra layer of pressure. I remember sitting in the car in the hire car depot at Milan Bergamo Airport, clutching the keys to the hire car and trying my best not to feel totally overwhelmed. Mind over matter I told myself. My heart was racing, but I did it. By day two, I was cruising calmly down winding mountain roads with Taylor Swift playlist and a real sense of pride.

Due the geography of Trentino and the fact that there is minimal public transport, getting a hire car for this trip was pretty much essential. I didn’t find the confidence to take on this driving challenge, I simply would have missed out on the opportunity to work with Visit Trentino. This trip, exploring the concept of Alpine Wellness in Trentino, was such a liberating and wholesome experience. It felt so good for the soul, and so aligned to Travelista. Pushing myself to drive unlocked the most incredible experience that I will never forget.

Travelling solo to Bangkok, Thailand

Then came Thailand. There was no driving challenges in this trip. Instead, I had to travel completely solo. This was a campaign with Trip.com and the commercial agreements meant that there was no budget for me to bring a plus 1. But I wasn’t going to let that stop me, and decided to see it as a personal challenge. I thought to myself, how incredible will I feel knowing I have the capability and confidence to travel to South East Asia alone?

Whilst I have done a fair bit of solo travel during my career, I had never travelled solo as far as Asia before, and my solo travel skills had become a bit rusty in general since becoming a Mum. I remember sitting on the runway at Heathrow airport feeling a cocktail of excitement, anxiety and Mum guilt. But like all daunting concepts, I soon remembered that the thought of it is always worse than the reality.

Within 24 hours I was scaling the streets of Bangkok like a seasoned traveller; ordering street food, negotiating with TukTuk drivers and exploring with a silent sense of peace and happiness. I explored new corners of Bangkok, wandered temple complexes in Ayutthaya, and learned to enjoy my own company again in a way I hadn’t realised I’d missed. I could design my days however I pleased, with nobody else to consider or answer to (as a Mum, this is so rare). As I began to navigate Bangkok smoothly, I realised that it never left me. Becoming a Mother changes you in profound ways, but I realised that my travel skill set and the joy travel brings me never left. This was one of the most empowering realisations of all 3 trips combined.

Travelling and road tripping solo around Nova Scotia, Canada

And then came Nova Scotia. My final challenge. This is where both of my fear factors of the two previous trips combined. Not only did I have to solo travel, but I also had to pick up a hire car and drive around the coast of Nova Scotia for 7 days, entirely on my own. I have driven in North America before with a friend on a Deep South Road Trip. But without having done the two previous trips this year, there is truly no way I would have felt capable of this.

I drove over 900km of coastal roads along Nova Scotia’s famous Lighthouse Route. Starting in Halifax, I drove the loop coastal road, stopping through the likes of Peggy’s Cove, Lunenberg, Summerville Beach and on to the whale-filled waters of the Bay of Fundy. I felt more confident with each day that passed and driving the quiet ocean roads truly is one of my favourite memories of this trip. Somewhere along those long open roads, I realised I was doing something that would have felt impossible at the start of the year.

The Lesson

The lesson is this – say yes to the opportunities – even if they scare you. By leaning into your fears, you will slowly build your confidence and unlock experiences you would never have found within your comfort zone.

Each trip, in its own quiet way, taught me something about courage. Italy reminded me that fear and excitement can coexist. Thailand showed me that solitude doesn’t have to mean loneliness. And Nova Scotia proved that confidence isn’t something you magically have — it’s something you build, one shaky step (or drive) at a time.

These 3 travel experiences have become the personal highlights of my 2025 – not because they were easy and carefree, but because they pushed me. They reminded me that growth never happens inside the comfort zone, and that the moments we resist the most often become the ones that define us.

So, if you need a reminder today: courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes it’s just the quiet decision to keep showing up — to book the flight, take the keys, or walk into that café alone. The next time you feel the pull of fear, try leaning into it just a little. Bit by bit, you’ll meet new versions of yourself you never knew existed.

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Jessica Ruth Gibson

Jessica Ruth Gibson is the Founder and Editor of Travelista and an award-winning travel content creator of 10 years. She lives in York, UK with her son and has travelled to over 50 countries; her favourites being Italy, Canada and Vietnam.

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