Stepping out of your comfort zone with a solo trip can be daunting as a woman, but it’s also deeply rewarding as illustrated by the stories in Lonely Planet’s latest book, Women Travel Solo. In an extract from the book, Jeannette Ceja reveals how stepping into the unknown can transform you

The first of my many solo trips began as a US college student in Sicily, Italy. Growing up, I was introduced to major Italian cities like Rome, Venice, and Florence through travel shows and movies, but I didn’t know much about Italy’s biggest island. I chose Sicily because I wanted to travel somewhere that no one I knew had travelled to before.