An empty nester who felt “lost” when her daughter left home - sold everything she owned to backpack around the world alone on a midlife gap year.
Rachel Stump, 49, always knew she wanted to do “something big” when her daughter, Wynter, 20, fled the nest to go to the University of Hawaii in August 2021.
The recovered alcoholic had been putting money she previously used for booze aside into an envelope since getting sober nearly 14 years ago in May 2009 – saving $10,000 for her trip.
After roughly planning her travels, and selling everything she owned, Rachel set off to Spain in April 2022.
She’s since hopped around Europe visiting Italy, Sweden, Albania, Lithuania and Bosnia – before heading to India and Vietnam.
Rachel immersed herself in culture – experiencing the pyres of Varanasi – a ritual in India where the community cremate the bodies of lost ones on the side of the Ganges river.
Rachel hopes to inspire other “empty nesters” to solo travel and “live your best life”.
Rachel, a waitress, from Louisville, Kentucky, US, said: “I knew once I got her raised I wanted to do something big.
“I found every time we went away together I never got homesick.
“The months leading up to my daughter leaving were so hard.
“I felt lost when she was gone.
“I would go to the grocery store and wouldn’t know what to just get for me.
“Planning my trip was a nice distraction.
“It was terrifying leaving but I’m living my best life.
“I’m on my midlife gap year.
“I hope to inspire others facing this.”
Rachel is “best friends” with daughter Wynter and the pair have taken month long trips together every since Wynter was in high school.
She said: “We’ve always been barebones travellers.
“I never felt the urge to come home.
“I felt I could be away for a year.”
Rachel is 14 years sober in May and had been putting money aside since recovering towards her travels.
She said: “For the last 20 years all my focus has been on raising my daughter.
“Being the best mum.”
The mum-of-two found it “so hard” when she knew Wynter would be leaving to pursue her studies at the University of Hawaii.
She set her hopes on her travel plans as a “distraction” and set off in April 2022 on the anniversary of her grandma, Lillian Frances Stump’s, 61, death.
Rachel said: “My grandma raised me.
“She wanted to travel when she retried but she passed in a car crash just weeks before her 62nd birthday.”
Rachel spent the first few weeks of her trip in Spain before meeting up with Wynter in Venice, Italy.
From there she hiked in the Theth mountains in Albania which she says was “spiritual”.
