ABOUT ME
I used to design buildings. Now I design happiness.Solo travel helped me build a life that feels like freedom. Not escape.
SOLO TRAVEL DIDN’T JUST CHANGE MY SCHEDULE
… It changed my entire life.
I’m Nicole, an Architect turned full-time solo traveler who traded burnout for border crossings. Five years into my solo travel journey, I’ve built a life rooted in self-trust, with more freedom and ease than I ever thought possible.
Through SOLO BY DESIGN, I help women do the same: travel with confidence, calm and clarity; whether it’s your first solo flight or the beginning of a personal reinvention. Because when you stop waiting for the “right time” or the “right travel partner”, you realize you’ve always been ready.
IT ALL STARTED WITH A
CAREER BREAK
Actually, it started long before that!
All I ever wanted was to be an Architect & travel the world. But once I became 1 of just 500 Black female Architects in the U.S. (out of 120,000!), I somehow found myself in an incredibly unfulfilling job. Unfulfilling job, not profession.
I love architecture. But I knew I was meant for something other than consistent 50-hour workweeks, with pictures pinned inside my cubicle, until I retired. I was burned out, and I needed a break. I’d checked all the boxes… Then the boxes started to feel like walls.
I’d checked all the boxes… Then the boxes started to feel like walls.
Years of navigating racism, sexism and exhaustion in a field I once loved, masked by a big paycheck, left me questioning everything, including myself. I was booking trips whenever I could, borrowing next year’s PTO and planning a make-believe trip around the world that I would take “someday”.
Once I ran out of excuses not to go, I hit send on my resignation letter, effective immediately, sold my dream car and booked a one-way ticket to Costa Rica!
What started as a one-year career break, has spanned 4 continents, just as many years, and became a complete life realignment. Somewhere between the Andes and Andorra, I stopped measuring my life by deadlines and productivity and started building it around peace. Freedom became my foundation.
Solo travel stripped away everything that wasn’t me, everything that was built on titles and accolades. All that remained was a woman who designs her own life, on her own terms. Now, I want to help you design your perfect life.
MY TRAVEL APPROACH
Travel with intention. Live by design.
My mission is to rewrite the narrative of travel for women, particularly Black women; transforming fear into freedom and hesitation into self-discovery, one journey at a time. To help women see solo travel as an act of confident reclamation. A way to return to yourself. To move through the world freely, boldly and without apology… And to look good while doing it.
I believe solo travel isn’t about escaping life; it’s about creating space to fully live it… To move to your own rhythm… To feel safe, seen and capable wherever you land. Whether that means a week away to catch your breath or a year abroad to start over, you get to choose. My travel philosophy is simple: Design the life you want, one journey at a time. Because the world doesn’t belong to the fearless… It belongs to the women who go anyway!
SOLO BY DESIGN PILLARS
FREEDOM
Move through the world on your own terms; no waiting, no permission. Freedom is the foundation of self-trust and every journey.
CONNECTION
To the cultures you explore, the people you meet, and the version of yourself that emerges when you’re outside of your comfort zone.
DESIGN
Because a beautiful life doesn’t happen by accident. You create it with clarity, care and one intentional choice at a time.
WHY TRUST ME?
Because before I built a platform,
I built a life I genuinely wanted to live.
Real miles. Real lessons. What started as just a deep need for rest, turned into mastering visa applications, safety tactics and logistics alone. I’ve been the one navigating unfamiliar places and languages, and realizing how capable I already was. That’s why everything I share, from safety checklists, guides and group trips, is grown from lived experience.
SOLO BY DESIGN isn’t theory. It’s built on thousands of hours navigating the world as a solo Black woman. I’m not just another storyteller, I’m a trusted expert. The lessons are tested, the tips are proven, and the perspective is hard earned. So when I tell you that you can do this… Believe you can!
Continents
Countries
Lessons
WHAT MAKES ME, ME
Fun facts about me, because why not!?
- My Background: I’m the fourth of six siblings. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, I’ve also lived in Ohio, Texas, Colorado and Washington D.C. My career break led me to living in Colombia for 2 years. Currently working on my next visa. I’m thinking Portugal!
- My Regulation: Pancakes! The first thing I do when I arrive in a new city is find the best pancakes (my sixth sense) because I need breakfast after sleeping in on Day 2.
- My Palette: Color is definitely the spice in my life! I always spend a little time looking at the best photo spots and plan my attire accordingly. The photos are always worth it.
- My Happy Place: The beach!… Even though I don’t know how to swim anymore.
- My Secret: Everything adventurous that you guys see me doing… I am absolutely terrified. BUT I do it anyway!
- My Occupational Hazard: My brain is still a full-time Architect. I critique floor plans and finishes for fun, and I call out design flaws and code violations everywhere.
YOUR NEXT CHAPTER STARTS NOW
If you’ve ever thought, “I wish I could travel like that”, you can. You just need the right tools, support and reminder that you’re already ready. SOLO BY DESIGN was built for women like you: ambitious, capable and ready to create a life that feels like yours. Whether that means planning your first solo getaway, joining a group trip, planning a career break… This is about designing a life that fits you. We got this!