18-to-Thirtysomethings travel diaries: Katy’s South American adventure after burnout

Meet Katy, a 33-year-old traveller from the UK who decided it was finally time to press pause on her finance career and chase a lifelong dream: travelling the world. After years of working in London and reaching a point of burnout, Katy took a career break and embarked on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure across South America with G Adventures on our Great South American Journey: Quito to Rio Adventure.

Having travelled independently before, Katy wasn’t new to exploring the world — but after a challenging period in her life, she wanted a way to experience incredible destinations without the pressure of planning every detail herself. From sleeping deep in the Amazon rainforest and trekking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, to watching the Milky Way light up the Bolivian Salt Flats, the journey gave her the perfect balance of adventure, connection, and unforgettable experiences.

Now, Katy shares how travelling with an 18-to-Thirtysomethings group helped her step outside her comfort zone, make lifelong friendships, and discover a new confidence for future life and travel adventures.

Why did you choose an 18-to-Thirtysomethings travel tour instead of travelling solo or independently?

Hi! I’m Katy, a 33-year old ex-finance girlie from the UK. After being signed off work from stress and burnout, I decided to take a career break to finally fulfill my dream of travelling for a year. Having lived in London on and off for a decade, and working in finance that whole time, I was exhausted and not happy with how my life was going, but thankfully having some savings behind me for the trip of a lifetime. Given my burnout, I thought a group trip would be much more my speed and a massive weight off my shoulders in terms of the admin of it all.

What were your expectations before joining an 18-to-Thirtysomethings trip — and did the experience meet or exceed them?

I had done a similar trip before… back in 2018 I took part in the Central America trip from Mexico down to Costa Rica over 5 weeks, so I knew something of what to expect. However, I knew this time I would be on the older end of the travellers, but was pleasantly surprised at the mix of ages. It was also much longer (the Great South American Journey is nine weeks in total). I was expecting a packed agenda of great experiences and the trip far exceeded my expectations! We ticked-off so many once-in-a-lifetime moments: staying in the Amazon rainforest, hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, seeing the Milky Way from the Bolivian Salt Flats, horseback riding in Argentina, and meeting Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro up close. I thought the pace was a good mix of slower beach days and exciting adventure.

What was your favourite memory from your 18-to-Thirtysomethings trip?

There were so many amazing memories but my top memory would have to be the Bolivian Salt Flats. We had an afternoon with a photographer (whilst we were all lowkey dreading it, we got some great pictures!), watched the sun set with charcuterie and wine, then saw the full Milky Way for the first time in my life. Truly a life-altering moment for me and one I will never forget. I even shed a few tears (which could have been down to the wine, but I like to think it was the atmosphere of it all, especially as we had lots of Hans Zimmer on the speaker).

Why is 18-to-Thirtysomethings group travel a great option for people in your age range and life stage?

It’s a great way to do a lot in a shorter space of time, perfect for when you only have a a few weeks off work for a holiday, especially if it’s difficult for you to find the time or mental capacity to plan out an itinerary before you go away (I know this was something I struggled with when I worked in finance!). I think it’s also nice to have the comfort of knowing everything is sorted for you, and you have an expert on hand to help with recommendations and a group to explore with. I actually met up with someone from my group a few times around South America, and have stayed in touch with many of them.

Was there a moment you felt outside your comfort zone — and how did the group dynamic help?

The Inca Trail was definitely way out of my comfort zone. It was my first ever multi-day hike (and most likely my last…), and as someone with Osteoarthritis in both knees I knew it was going to be a challenge but wow was it tough. However, we’d been on the trip about three weeks already before doing the hike and doing it alongside people I felt like I’d known forever made all the difference. We really encouraged each other to carry on to the next break, and the four of us at the back of the group had a laugh (when we could manage to catch our breath for long enough…).

What surprised you most about the people you travelled with?

That there were so many experienced solo travellers. On my previous G-Adventure trip, it was very much the majority who were new to travelling and/or travelling with someone else in the group. You also become very close, very quickly given that you are with each other so much for the time and clearly have the desire to travel in common, which means I certainly met many of my kind of people. I have definitely made friends for life off the back of it.

An added bonus is that someone from my first G Adventures trip was booked onto the last 2 weeks of The Great South American Journey with me (who’s wedding I went to a couple of years ago).

Why was this the right time in your life to take an 18-to-Thirtysomethings trip?

I have always been a confident solo traveller, but I was truly broken with my burnout. I had done a couple of months interrailing around Europe in the summer before this trip and wanted to continue to travel further afield, to complete a round-the-world adventure, but didn’t feel mentally able to cope with all the related admin.

In that sense, the fact all I had to do was book on to the tour and make the odd decision about the optional activities meant that I had the opportunity to travel to places I hadn’t been before without the stress of organising everything myself. I also got to meet so many great people without having to go out of my way to do so, they were simply already there.

Did this experience change how confident you feel about travelling now?

I wouldn’t say it changed my confidence in travelling as a whole, but it certainly has made me more confident when considering exploring more of South America or maybe some more rural travel destinations. It also gave me the confidence to expand the types of activities I do when travelling: hiking, spending nights in the desert, trying a witchetty grub (probably wouldn’t repeat that one though), throwing myself down a sand dune on a wooden board, taking a speedboat INTO a waterfall, and so, so much more.

What’s one misconception about 18-to-Thirtysomethings trips that this experience proved wrong?

It’s not just for first-time solo travellers, a number of people in my group (myself included) had done a lot of solo travel in the past and many actually had this trip as part of a longer solo round-the-world adventure. Although the itinerary can be pretty full-on, there are plenty of free days to go out and explore on your own or join others for optional activities. I think it’s a great mix when you fancy a break from full-on solo travel (and the accompanying admin!). We were a mixed group from all different walks of life, and with our CEOs as well, I met so many fantastic people that I had a lot in common with and now I have a sofa waiting for me around the world now.

I have now done a five-week and nine-week trip with G Adventures and I think another common misconception is that it’s the same group of people you travel with the whole time, which is not the case. The longer trips tend to be trips of different lengths combined together, so people come and go every few weeks, as do the CEOs, which means you get to meet more people and refreshes the group dynamics.

Would you book another 18-to-Thirtysomethings tour — and where would you like to go next?

Absolutely! I would love to book onto one of the safari trips in Africa (ideally the Ultimate East Africa tour) and of course the dream trip is to go to Antarctica. It’s back to the UK for me for now, to save up for the next adventure and hopefully another G Adventures trip in the not too distant future.

Read more:

18-to-Thirtysomethings travel diaries: Michelle Myer's adventures across Africa, Japan, and beyond

18-to-Thirtysomethings travel diaries: Ritesh's 200+ days around the world

18-to-Thirtysomethings travel diaries: Reginald's Galápagos adventure