Away and a Broad

Today I’m sharing some highlights of my week-long trip to Mexico City. I stayed in Roma Norte and mostly toured around the Condesa, Polanco, Centro, Coyoacán and San Angel neighborhoods. My favorite things about the trip were being warm (a nice February escape from the midwest cold), seeing the Frida Kahlo museum, eating such good food, visiting so many bookstores, reading a ton and sending postcards from Palacio de Correos. I’m so glad I finally got to see more of Mexico and practice my Spanish! Also, the Notion app helped me plan this trip. I wish they were a sponsor — I’ll be using them from now on!

I actually finished a new years resolution! Usually I don’t make these as I tend to reassess goals around my birthday or even Springtime when life feels a bit more fresh and new but I wanted to challenge myself to a daily ritual of taking a film photo every day on my new medium format Yashica camera to try to embrace the winter season. It’s less about winter appreciation but more of a struggle to find joy and creativity in combating the SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). I’m proud of sticking through something, seeing all the gems of images I collected over the past 3ish months (not every day was a winner!) and now I’m looking forward to replenishing my film development fund. It’s made me wonder if I should start developing and scanning rolls myself but we’ll see. I’ll be posting more photos later this week on substack and likely a little roundup on my Instagram page. Stay tuned!

Today I’m covering a few favorite books that I’ve read so far this year. I’m proud to be well on my way to meet my goal of 50 and even providing some cushion for when I inevitably hit a reading slump. Here are the titles I cover today: The Great Man by Kyra Davis LurieI Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline HarpmanPerfection by Vincenzo LatronicoGood Girl by Aria AberWe Do This ‘til We Free Us: Abolitionist Organizing and Transforming Justice by Mariame KabaNo One Writes Back by Jang Eun-JinFind my full lists on Goodreads!

I’ve been thinking about San Diego for quite a few years and I feel like I’ve been saving a weekend trip there for a rainy (or snowy day), which finally came in December 2025. Literally as I was riding in my Lyft to the airport, Minneapolis was getting a snow falling that I was thankful to exchange for warm and balmy California. Even though people on TikTok said they were depressed because of early sunsets and chillier weather, I’m not convinced I wouldn’t be at least 10% happier living there year round. At least you can bike or walk outside without dealing with wintery elements! Please. It was fun to see Christmas/holiday lights on palm trees and in people’s yards as they prepared for the holiday. I’m not sure I could get used to that. Listen in for a recap of the most perfect weekend in California of bookstores, good food, museums and sunsets!

Traveling through South Korea (Incheon/Seoul), Vietnam (Hanoi) and Japan (Kyoto/Tokyo), it reminded me how much I believe in traveling as an Investment in Future Connection. It felt so good to finally visit a friend who has made Korea their home, and visit places that I’ve heard so much about to see it for myself. Listen in on my initial thoughts of the various cities through culture shocks, mild disappointments and highlights. Book Recommendations: Pachinco by Min Jin Lee (Korea)The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai (Vietnam)The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See (Korea)

I met Ruslan at a Spanish meetup group a few months ago and we recorded an episode in September 2025 as I wanted to know more about what brought him from his hometown in Russia all the way to the midwest. We chat about the emotional side of moving and how important it is just to trust yourself when choosing where and where to live. Maybe it’s the long awaited springtime but I’m catching a new wave of motivation to update you on more recent trips. I have a lot to fill you in on with my trip to Asia in October, San Diego in December and Mexico City this past February. I can confirm the warmer climate trips have made a huge difference in making it through the long midwest winters. Stay tuned!

A break from my typical travel content to share finale thoughts of Dancing with the Stars, season 34. I've been watching the show for over 10 years and wanted to share my theories of why the show results happen the way that they do now. Also, to share brief responses to the the Call Her Daddy Episode featuring Mark Ballas and Whitney Leavitt. I didn't feel strongly towards Whitney one way or the other but I share some surprising thoughts and emotions that came up for me with my own relationship to ballroom dance as I watched her journey and "final bow."

Margaret Manning shares her journey of travel, detailing the spontaneity of her 20s which lead her to teach in Korea and meeting her husband in Australia, among many other adventures. Today, she continues to travel through teaching yoga with SoulFlow Journeys Yoga, celebrating friendship milestones globally and fostering family connections in London, which allows her to raise her sons with that same spirit of adventure and connection. She seeks to provide her family with a lifelong sense of belonging across cultures that began in her childhood.

Tune in for a few life updates - my Asia trip countdown, new clubs I’m starting (film photography and a journal club) and a few of my favorite things: Vibe Check Podcast, Good Things Cookbook x Samin Nosrat, and the rebranded podcast Good Noticings, formerly The Celebrity Memoir Bookclub. Also, a new connection Mike Montazeri shares his experience traveling through Wyoming, building communities in the places he travels for work and his unconventional advice — not over-planning a trip but leaving room for spontaneity.

This week, I had the absolute pleasure interviewing a friend of a friend, Olivia Ledbetter on all things Alabama, Austin, TX, creativity, travel budgeting and lessons on the deep south. TLDR highlights to add to your list of Goodreads or vacation spots: Experience the essence of the Deep South through a southern read, Strange Folk by Alli DyerBookmark this Poetry & Creativity retreat produced by Krista Tippett and Pádraig Ó Tuama. Check out others hosted at St. Columba Hotel A top recommended Alabama destination: Muscle ShoalsRelated to Olivia’s PSA on Alabama having the best beaches, I just discovered this article about a re-opened “Scenic Coastal Amtrak Route Connecting New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama.” This conversation certainly sparked a fresh curiosity about southern culture, appreciating family and community and the journey of finding belonging in a transient upbringing and through adulthood. I hope you are equally inspired!

This week is a quick little hello! I’ll be sharing some thoughts on my Asia trip 2025 plan and the timeline of the details my friend, Nadia and I have established to prepare for our travels together this fall including this day trip to Ha Long Bay and bookmarking this lunch spot that Obama and Anthony Bourdain ate at in Vietnam. I also did my first show recap of Solo Traveling with Tracee Ellis Ross. I actually do not recommend but let me know if you checked it out and what your thoughts were. It’s more on the entertaining side than educational/inspirational, IMO. Thanks for listening and following along, as always!

This week, my friend Eli Rooney shares his adventures of taking a solo birthday trip shortly after the pandemic, booking a sunrise tour in Bali right after the 25 hour plane ride and the “magic words” he learned while touring around Japan for 13 days: Kore o kudasai = this pleaseKore mo kudasai = this as well pleaseSore o kudasai = that pleaseSore mo kudasai = that as well pleaseThese phrases are good to know in any country you may find yourself in (in the respective language, of course). I thoroughly enjoyed his storytelling and hope you enjoyed as well!Eli is a visual content creator and his work can be found on most platforms @elirooney (IG | TikTok)

In this episode Sean shares the ups and downs of his last three years of solo travel as a way of life including his global community that keeps him company, moving forward and staying connected. We also recounted how we spontaneously met in person on the streets of New York, which is one of my favorite NY/travel moments ever!Follow Sean on IG: https://www.instagram.com/seanwithcats/

You might want to listen to this at 2x speed but here’s my entire chronology of living in New York and all the jobs and apartments I had. There’s so many aspects of NY living that I hope to share more in the future. In this episode, I talk about how I went from getting fired from an office job to ending up on a photo shoot of Michael Urie for the NYT with Gabriela Herman.

Away & a Broad's first guest featuring Jen Birkhofer! In this conversation, we discuss all things solo travel from how to budget before and during a trip, being prepared with key phrases in the language of your destination and the endless possibilities of all the places you could go. Follow Jen on her Instagram and Website.

Have you ever planned a trip centered around 1 event? I love booking a quick trip whenever I can since even 24 hours away can provide such a nice mental break in the daily grind. This episode, I'm sharing about how I booked a trip mostly just to see Ocean Vuong live for his new book, The Emperor of Gladness.

I'm Autumn and I'm excited to introduce a podcast about solo travel and all the things that go into it from budgeting, finding flights and booking tours. Also, sharing aspects of creativity along the way through writing, photography, sketching, reading and language learning!