Finding Her Center: An Interview With Solo Travel Author Barbara Weibel of Hole in The Donut



Barbara Weibel, Author

 After years of working 70-80 hours per week at jobs that paid the bills but brought no joy, a serious illness made Barbara Weibel realize she felt like the proverbial "hole in the donut" - solid on the outside but empty on the inside. After recovering her health, she walked away from her successful but unfulfilling career, sold or gave away most of her material possessions, donned a backpack and traveled around the world for six months to pursue the only things that had ever made her happy: travel, photography and writing.

Because Weibel believes that the better we know one another, the less likely we are to want to kill one another, she immerses into the local culture wherever she travels. Four years later she is still on the road, more convinced than ever that we are all more alike than we are different and that travel is one of the most effective tools in the quest for world peace.  You can check out her site, holeinthedonut.com, here.

1. How would you define your travel ‘style’?

In a word: unstructured. I travel perpetually, returning to the U.S. once or twice each year for brief stays with family and friends. With each new long-term journey, I set out with a vague notion of the countries I might like to visit, but I never make concrete plans because they always change. I usually arrive without reservations (or with only the first couple of nights booked) and then find my way around a country. Then, when I learn about undiscovered, must-see places from in-the-know locals and other intrepid travelers, I am free to pick up and go on a moment's notice.

Barbara in Puma, Nepal

2. If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be and why?

Had you asked me that question three months ago I could not have answered it. I enjoy almost every place I have visited, but am always ready to move on to new experiences. However, I arrived in Nepal two months ago and the country captured my heart, not only for its stunning scenery, but also because of the gentle, smiling Nepali people. I initially intended to stay about three weeks but have already been here two months and just extended my visa until after the first of the year, so I have to say there is absolutely nowhere in the world I'd rather be at this moment.

3. What was your best travel experience?

I've never been able to narrow down my travels to a "best experience" or "favorite destination" because it is such a subjective question. Some places I love for the food (Malaysia, Thailand), while others provide amazing wildlife experiences (Tanzania, Botswana) and still others offer breathtaking natural beauty (New Zealand, Bali). And then there are places that have the most gorgeous beaches (Australia, the Caribbean) and wonderful culture and history (Italy, Mexico). For me, there's just no way to pick an all-around favorite experience.

4. What was your worst travel experience?

I'm tempted to say China, where independent travel was incredibly frustrating, but I have to say that being robbed in Hawaii some years ago was the worst travel experience of my life. In the middle of the night, my tent was sliced with a razor while I was asleep inside. The thieves took all my money, identification, credit cards, glasses, camera, etc. This was a year after 9/11 and it was almost impossible to get a hotel room without ID and/or credit cards. Yet, I managed, and it taught me some valuable lessons, like never keeping all my money in  one place. Looking back, I often think it was something I had to go through to make me a smarter traveler.

5. How do you feel now about your decision to abandon your career and travel solo around the world?

I couldn't be happier. I spent a lifetime making decisions based on the needs of others or worrying what they would think if I walked away from my career. In my previous life I was successful and financially independent, but miserable. Recreating myself as a travel writer and photographer meant losing most of the material things I had worked so hard to accumulate, so it was scary, but it turned out that the material possessions were just weighing me down. These days I wake each morning filled with joy and a sense that I am finally contributing something positive to the world.

In Dugout Canoe, Chitwan National Park, Nepal

6. What is your best travel advice for the TravelPost community?

As a solo female traveler, the question I am most often asked is, "Aren't you afraid?" My answer is always a resounding, "There is nothing to be afraid of." Especially in the United States, there seems to be a widespread belief that overseas travel is dangerous. Certainly, bad things can happen anywhere, but I personally believe that travel is no more dangerous than driving on a busy Interstate during rush hour traffic. In general, people the world over are good and usually happy to help. So, get a passport if you don't have one and experience a bit of this fascinating world we live in.

7. What have been your greatest challenges and rewards of travel writing?

My greatest rewards have been the emails I've received from readers who tell me I have given them the courage to change their lives. The biggest challenges are always technology related, since I am often in third-world countries where communication and Internet access are limited or poor quality.

Bonus Questions: Anything you can't resist buying from a minibar?

Minibar? What's that? I don't think they have those in hostels.

Where will you never return to?

There is no place in the world that I would not return to, however there are so many places I have not visited that I usually prefer to pick new destinations rather than returning to places I've visited previously.