We were lucky to catch up with Christian Coleman recently and have shared our conversation below.
Christian, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
My mission is that people, especially women adopt the courage to travel solo safely and confidently. My goal is that whoever comes in contact with my Instagram sees that if you have the desire, you can solo travel whether you are a new traveler or a veteran. There are movies, news segments and horror stories that will convince people not to venture out in and explore the world and my passion is to tear down those fears and help people see the world. I took my first solo trip at 22 years old and at that moment I grew a confidence I never had, and I felt I could tackle anything. And that is the feeling I want to help others achieve.
Christian, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I started my solo travel journey when I was 22 years old. I took my first solo domestic trip to New York City. That trip awakened an independence and confidence in me that I never had. Having to navigate the subways and streets and the maze that is New York City was scary at first but by the second day I really got into the groove. I knew if I could master the melting pot of different cultures and languages of New York; I could take the next step and travel solo internationally. I took my first solo international trip to Mexico and decided to blog about my journey and thus my small Instagram travel page of under 1,000 followers was born. Fast forward to today where my page has amassed a following of over 7,000 followers who are cheering on my journey and or starting their own solo travel journey through my tips and tricks on how to travel the world safely and confidently. My main questions I get asked are why solo travel. And my response will always be why not. I give safety tips and create safety videos in the hopes that it can give travelers who are afraid to travel by themselves the tools that they can use in potentially scary situations. What makes me most proud about my work is that it feels amazing to be able to help people I know or don’t know start seeing this big beautiful world on their own at their own pace.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
I had to unlearn that travel is exclusively for people who are traveling with friends, groups, a significant other or family members. I only saw travel ads or commercials for destinations that highlighted codependent travel. I never saw any ads that catered or even highlighted traveling by yourself. I never knew or saw anyone who did that, so I didn’t know it was possible or attainable as a woman. Once I started to gain the confidence and travel solo, I was met with crticism and doubted myself. I got knocked back down to the thought of needing someone to explore the world and I had to build a community and unlearn that mentality. There is nothing wrong with traveling with people, but I encourage others to not make the mistake of thinking you have to and that it is unsafe not to.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
The most effective strategy for growing my clientele is being authentic, genuine and narrowing down my niche. I want people to know exactly what they are looking for when coming to my page. You will get safety tips, travel inspiration and confidence boosters curated for anyone who loves or is interested in seeing the world through a particular lense. Being genuine and letting people know that I was once scared and sometimes still have my fearful moments has helped me connect with other people who feel the same way.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: forever_christian