What happens when the carefully made plan falls apart and all you have left is your instinct?
Mary Howley has never been interested in living a small life. When the pull to travel across Europe took hold, she planned it meticulously—researching routes, mapping contingencies, preparing for every possible outcome long before the internet made it easy.
She and a friend set off together, but the trip changed early. Her travel companion decided to stay in London leaving Mary to continue the planned trip alone.
What began as a shared adventure became solo travel through unfamiliar cities, each step demanding more instinct than planning.
In Athens, Mary got into what she believed was a taxi to her accommodation. Instead, the driver continued far beyond the expected route, taking her away from the safety of the city streets and into a situation that quickly felt wrong.
In that moment, everything came down to intuition.
Relying on her instincts and a steady kind of courage, Mary made choices that ultimately helped her escape a situation that could have turned fatal.
And yet, for years she told no one. As the daughter of immigrant parents who had never wanted her to travel, she carried the story quietly, not wanting to add to their fear or confirm their worst worries about the world.
This is a story about solo female travel, intuition, and the constant, invisible negotiation women make with safety everywhere they go.
For more information about Mary, visit her website: https://www.maryhowley.com/ or follow her on instagram @maryhowley_
⚠️ Our episodes contain conversations about difficult life experiences. Some episodes include coarse language and themes such as childhood trauma, sexual assault, infant loss and references to suicide. Please take care while listening and prioritise your wellbeing.
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Production assistance from John Hresc at Sydney Sound Brewery
