About this ebook
About the author
Michelle Holloway is a travel safety educator, former international security consultant, and the founder of Safe Passage Travel, a training organization that has equipped more than 15,000 women with practical safety skills for solo travel since 2016. Over the past twelve years, she has traveled solo through more than sixty countries across six continents, including extended journeys through regions often considered challenging for women traveling alone — rural India, Central America, parts of the Middle East, and sub-Saharan Africa.
Michelle's background in security is rooted in her early career with a international humanitarian organization, where she managed safety protocols for field staff operating in conflict-affected regions. This experience gave her a foundation in threat assessment, crisis communication, and evacuation planning that she later adapted for the civilian traveler. She holds a certification in travel risk management from the International Security Management Association and has completed advanced training in personal safety, defensive driving, and wilderness first response.
After leaving the humanitarian sector, Michelle began leading small-group safety workshops for women preparing for their first solo trips. What started as informal weekend sessions in her hometown of Portland, Oregon, grew into a full-time training business, with clients ranging from gap-year students to retired women embarking on late-life adventures. Her methodology emphasizes practical, scenario-based preparation over fear-based messaging, and she is widely recognized for her ability to translate complex security concepts into actionable, non-intimidating guidance.
Michelle's writing has appeared in *Travel + Leisure*, *Outside Magazine*, and *Adventure Travel News*, where she covers solo travel, women's safety, and responsible tourism. She has been quoted as a safety expert in *The New York Times*, *The Guardian*, and *National Geographic Traveler*, and she is a regular guest on travel podcasts and radio programs discussing safety strategies for independent travelers. She also maintains a popular blog, The Solo Compass, where she shares destination-specific safety advice, trip reports, and reflections on the solo travel lifestyle.
When she is not traveling or teaching, Michelle lives in Portland with her rescue dog, Maple, and spends her weekends hiking in the Columbia River Gorge. She is currently planning a solo cycling trip along the coast of Vietnam and is at work on her second book, a destination-specific safety guide for women traveling in Southeast Asia. She believes that the world belongs to everyone, that fear should inform but not decide, and that the best travel stories always start with a deep breath and a step into the unknown.
