By Catrina Walker

In the summer of 2024, I packed my bags and crossed five European countries alone. What followed wasn't glamorized wanderlust — it was real: poorly-timed travel days, transformative conversations, intimate landscapes, and the quiet, unexpected work of personal renewal. I started blogging about my travels to share with friends and family for the above reasons. I want to encourage my younger relatives to get out of their little corner and explore. Upon my return I decided to write a book about my experiences as a solo female traveler.

This book would simply not exist without Servas. The journeys, the connections, the doors opened and the tables shared — all of it traces back to the remarkable network of human beings that is Servas. From the very first home I was welcomed into as a traveler, to the hosts and guests who became lifelong friends, Servas has shaped not only how I travel, but how I see the world.

It felt only right to dedicate this memoir to US Servas and Servas International — because in so many ways, you are its co-authors. The stories on these pages belong to all of us.

I should mention that a small portion of the memoir ventures into, shall we say, more “adults-only” territory — because life on the road is full of surprises, and not all of them are suitable for the dinner table. Consider yourselves warned... and perhaps intrigued.

I hope my book serves as a small testament to what Servas has always stood for: the belief that when people open their hearts and homes to one another, something extraordinary happens. Peace, understanding, and friendship across every border.

I would be deeply honored if you would read it, share it, and see a little of your own story reflected in its pages. Note: except where approved, names have been changed to protect the innocent.

Editor’s Note: Catrina has been a world traveler since her youth. As an adult she formerly was a Servas traveler and host and traveled with her young daughter at that time. Family demands interrupted her Servas years. She rejoined in 2021 to return to making meaningful connections with like-hearted people. Also, other notable Servas women have written about their solo travels, notably, Rita Golden Gelman who published Tales of a Female Nomad in 2001.