In 2017, Jen Ruiz was a practicing attorney mourning the end of her 20s. She was 12 short months from turning the big three-oh, and a nagging feeling told her that, while her career was successful, she wasn’t truly living. “I was confronted poignantly with the passage of time and realized that in making excuses and waiting for the perfect circumstances, I was robbing myself of life experiences,” Ruiz said. “Time was passing, and I was just waiting.”
Ruiz recalled she always wanted to see the world but always found reasons not to. “Some of my favorite excuses were, ‘I have no one to go with me,’ ‘I don’t have any time off work,’ and the ever reliable, ‘I’m broke,’” she joked. But, with that milestone birthday looming, she knew it was time to stop waiting and start living.
“Work, money, and companionship were always going to be recurring themes. I didn’t want them to stop me from making the most of my years and marking the time meaningfully,” she said. And so, Ruiz concocted an ambitious plan, challenging herself to embark on 12 trips in 12 months, all before her 30th birthday. She’s since dubbed it her “Year of Adventure,” and the now bestselling author, multi-time TEDx speaker, award-winning travel writer and solo travel maven, says it taught her a lot about herself and navigating the world as a woman. Here’s how her journey began.
A Year of Adventure
As someone who “only ever allowed herself 24 hours to celebrate her birthday,” Ruiz said inspiration struck when she wondered what it would be like to instead celebrate with a trip every month. Thus, the Year of Adventure began, and it was liberating. “It all started with a trip to Athens, Greece,” she remembered. “When I was there, I realized that I wasn’t worrying about work or being 29 turning 30; I was just in the moment.”
After that she was hooked, and Ruiz recalled ways she became resourceful to keep the momentum going. “I took a second job teaching English online. I started learning about credit cards and using points and miles … I got creative with my PTO … (and,) most importantly, I learned how to find affordable flights and went where the deal took me.”
When that momentous birthday finally came around, Ruiz had taken an impressive 20 trips, crushing her initial goal. And while she enjoyed the highs of getting serenaded at an opera in Florence and treating her parents to a meal prepared by a “Chopped” champion, she shared there were some lows, too, like double booking trips over Veteran’s Day weekend and losing her rental car keys in Mexico. “Those were some costly and difficult lessons to learn, but mistakes I won’t make again,” Ruiz said. Overall, it was worth it. “My self-proclaimed ‘Year of Adventure’ taught me that even if you’re traveling solo, you’re not really alone. You can meet people and have experiences along the way that spark a true sense of connection and belonging where you least expect it.”
The Power of Going Solo
Today, Ruiz is leaning into her passion for solo travel, and she wants more women to join her. “I think every woman needs to travel solo at least once so they know what it’s like to prioritize their needs first,” she said. “As women, we’re programmed to nurture and provide for others, often before ourselves. Solo travel allows you to ask the question, ‘what do I want to do today?’ … it’s a delightful feeling of indulgence and one that is well deserved.”
Ruiz recognizes traveling alone can be intimidating, but she says it often isn’t as scary as it sounds. “If you are living alone, you’re already doing all the same things you’d do abroad. It’s not much different, just a different setting.” Regarding safety, Ruiz recommends always carrying a cell phone and backup battery in addition to doing research and connecting with locals in advance. She also loves guided tours for exploring at night or discovering parts of town she doesn’t feel comfortable visiting alone.
However they decide to go, Ruiz wants to continue inspiring people to stop waiting and start living. No more excuses.
Originally appeared in the Summer 2025 issue of The Compass magazine
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