Kimberly harris: architect,Atist, solo traveler

Kimberly Harris is a lovely, creative, fireball of personality I have had the fortune and pleasure of knowing through the yoga studio we both frequent, Metta Yoga, in Phoenix, Arizona. When Kim got wind of my new business, 1 2 3 Go Solo! LLC, she KNEW she wanted to help those of you who could learn from some of her solo experiences!

Kim is an Architect and Artist. Solo travel mostly evolved from her desire to apply and participate in world-artist residencies.  Her motive for solo travel is her deep desire to share her experiences with artists from all over the world.

Q: I know you have an extensive list of solo travels, can you give us an idea of how many countries you have been to and the types of places you have seen? A: Canada, Mexico, Cuba, Jamaica, Brazil, Chili, Peru, Brazil, China, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Netherlands, Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, New Zealand

Q: What would you say defines an “easy” solo trip? Have there been challenges you faced on “easy” trips? Can you give us an example? A: Shit happens. Maybe I plan more for some of the challenges now. I just returned in September from hiking the Portuguese El Camino Portuguese Coastal Trek. I  planned well and arranged transportation. I set up luggage and hotel accommodations. But my luggage did not arrive. I was constantly moving. It was an easy trip except I did not have some essential things the first 4 days. A couple of things I did manage to prepare for were as follows: Had my hat, wore my hiking boots, brought an extra set of clothing in my pack, and had a raincoat. It's not so easy to replace a raincoat, hiking boots, etc in another country. I had a tooth brush and a few other essentials. I figured I can get sun lotion, shampoo etc. at the pharmacy.

Q: What would you say was a more involved solo trip for you and were the challenges any different? Can you give us an example? A: Maybe Greece, which was pretty challenging. I traveled to many well-known places, but I also went to many not so known or traveled places. The ferry was often not on time. It may be that the location they need to pick you up from is different from what was planned because of the weather. In that case, they cannot arrive at that port. Language is difficult.  Greece sort of felt like a third world country in many ways. I did a residency in Skopelos for 6 weeks and when it came time to leave, the ferry could not come to port in that Skopelos city due to weather. The ferry had to arrive on the other side of the island. My advice would be to be sure to leave some leeway in planning your transportation in places where transportation is more unpredictable. Bring things to entertain you. Remember things can typically be solved, but resolution usually costs money. Give yourself some grace time.

Q: What was the most involved solo trip you have taken and how did you manage logistics? A: China trip #1. I was clueless. I just made a round-trip ticket and nothing else. Crazy! No clue. I did the trip on the fly! It all turned out and it was a crazy adventure! Some things were amazing and some things were very challenging. It took lots of trust. The language was impossible. At the time I went, very, very few people knew English except in big cities and not really there either. Food was challenging in regard to not getting sick. Transportation was difficult as  rural areas were so foreign. I got sick, which was an adventure. China had different ideas on healthcare. Once in the country we found a friend of a friend to help us plan some of the adventure. This was before the internet, cell phone, digital cameras or anything. Needless to say it’s much easier to navigate these challenges now.

Q: I know you have said every trip comes with some level of anxiety and that you believe it comes from all of the unknown. How do you navigate this when traveling solo? A: While I do go with the flow, I mostly travel with some level of planning, to make things easier. I don’t need to plan every detail. But no planning can make things a lot more difficult, not fun and costly. 

Q: I know you have a unique set of travels when it comes to being an artist. Can you share some of those journeys?

A: A lot of my solo travel is a result of being accepted to artist residencies in many different places. There are always things you need to adapt to, in any place, including residencies in the US. Solo travel is an adventure. Meet people. Lean into it. Make the best of what is presented. Planning makes the experience more enjoyable. But  leave space for the unexpected. It may be the best experience you have on the trip.

A few challenges traveling as an artist in residence: Shipping materials. ( total rip-off in Greece. took 3 months and a scam, don’t do it. bring extra luggage if you need to for supplies). Really think about what you need and want in order to create your art. Bring it if you need it because it may not be available in other places in the world. Be adaptable to trying new materials, processes etc. Use what they have. Shipping your work can be a challenge! Sometimes it goes through war! Lots of work can be broken. If you can buy or bring extra luggage, it may be worth it. Remember all travel is a learning experience. 

Some takeaways from Kim’s solo travels: 

• “Easy” trips vary from person to person. To me an easy trip would be flying from Phoenix to San Diego. Kim went to hike the El Camino in Portugal. Allow yourself to define what is “easy”. Is it like Kim, where most of the logistics went smoothly? Or is it more like me, where easy means an hour flight?

• When taking bigger trips, far from home, and where you cannot access essentials such as Kim’s example of a raincoat, have your essentials in your carry-on bag (in Kim’s case, a backpack).

• Be prepared for a language barrier. Much of Kim’s travel took place prior to the internet and smartphones. Take advantage of Google translate and other helpful apps.

• Give yourself extra time and grace, prepared with self-contained activities (book, journal, etc.) when transportation is not always reliable.

• Know that food can be challenging. Please see Lorilee’s blog, Stay Healthy Through Your Solo Journey

• Healthcare can be a challenge. Please see Andy’s blog, Travel Insurance: Q&A with Andy Romero

• “No planning can make things a lot more difficult, not fun and costly.” But remember to “go with the flow” and lean into the unexpected.

• Always be prepared to adapt. Solo travel is an adventure!

  To view more of Kim's artwork, please visit her website: https://studiokphx.com/