Just over 10 years ago, Teresa Robertson found herself standing at the threshold of a changed life.
She had been widowed after her husband's shock brain cancer diagnosis; within 10 months of hearing the news that rocked them to the core, he was gone.
That, combined with the fact Teresa's children were grown, made her home feel too quiet.
So, when she saw an advertisement for a 30-day small group tour through Spain and France, the beckoning call of adventure proved too tempting to pass up.
Teresa booked the holiday with Bunnik Tours, a family-owned Australian business established in 1995, without hesitation.
Europe had always been somewhere she and her husband had wanted to visit together.
"My husband died just after my 60th birthday. It was very quick," Teresa told Mamamia, explaining the tour marked her first solo adventure.
"We always thought we'd go [to Europe]... but that didn't happen.
"I remember my daughters' faces at the airport, and they said to me afterwards, 'What have we done, allowing our mum to travel on her own overseas when she's only been to Bali and dad was there?' But I quickly made friends with people."
The second tour Teresa booked was 'Jewels of Dalmatia', which travels through Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Image: Supplied.
For Teresa, the trip didn't just offer adventure — it allowed her to honour her husband.
Standing on the beaches of Normandy, one moment still stands out clearly.
"I felt so connected to my husband, because he was very much into the war. He wasn't in it, but very interested in that," she said.
"One of the ladies on the trip, who I still interact with a lot, I remember her coming up to me that day and putting her arms around me, saying, 'We're all here for you, you know.'"
Teresa walked away from that 30-day tour with lifelong friends and future travel companions.
"It was sort of an intimate group," Teresa said, adding she booked her second tour soon after arriving home.
"I have been on four trips with three different lots of people who were on that first tour, and I still keep in contact with different ones when they're in Adelaide, because they're all Australia-wide.
"We keep in contact and send little messages to each other."
What started as a one-off escape quickly turned into a new way of life for Teresa.
She has since embarked on six other adventures with Bunnik Tours, venturing to far-flung destinations like Scandinavia, Japan, Croatia and beyond.
Teresa is hard-pressed to find just one highlight — there are simply too many standout moments.
There have been many highlights, such as strolling along Copenhagen's waterfront and visiting where Hans Christian Andersen lived. Image: Supplied.
For instance, when she travelled to Scandinavia, she stayed in a converted jail-turned-luxury hotel in Helsinki. She watched the Aurora Borealis dance over North Cape (Nordkapp) in Norway, which is the northernmost viewpoint in Europe. In Tokyo, she attended a dinner cruise and watched traditional sumo wrestling.
With every new destination came new friendships. New memories. New connections.
Teresa said one of the things that sets Bunnik Tours apart is the fact that groups are limited to no more than 20 travellers — and that all other expenses, such as airfares and tips, are included.
Image: Supplied.
"You don't have any other surprise expenses," she said. "I was a solo traveller, and they made me feel really safe.
"They have small groups of 20 or fewer like-minded Australian people of my age or similar, with big buses.
"Hotel check-ins were simpler. You could go off the beaten track a little bit and still feel completely secure."
Through it all, Teresa found comfort in the service the guides offered.
"They go above and beyond," she said. "It seems silly to say, but I lost a little teddy bear that was given to me by my husband. I had it in my luggage and I left it in the hotel room.
"I thought I'd never see it again. But they got it back. That was wonderful. It just meant a lot to me."
For other women considering solo travel, Teresa offered up some practical and heartfelt advice.
"I always go a day earlier than the trip because that way I can get my bearings more and I feel more secure," she said. "Touching base with the other people who are travelling on the trip, not being afraid to reach out to people — I think that's important.
"If you try to isolate yourself on one of those trips, you don't benefit at all — no one benefits from that."
Teresa at a calligraphy lesson, one of the many special experiences offered on the 'Japan Discovery' tour. Image: Supplied.
She has also got packing down to a science.
"I always use packing cubes. Everything is neat; it's all in your case, in individual little compartments. And I always use the safes in the rooms."
Now 71, Teresa shows no signs of slowing down.
"I've often thought, 'Where would I go next?' and I'm not sure. But I do know it'll be with Bunnik Tours. It might be next year or the year after. They've looked after me through all this time," she said.
"You feel like part of the family. They pride themselves on being a family company.
"Once you book a trip, you feel like you're part of the family and not just another customer."
For women contemplating their first tour, especially those going solo, Teresa's advice is simple.
"Make your first stop Bunnik Tours. They will look after you, especially being a solo traveller and a woman… they will never take you anywhere that you're at risk.
"You're part of the family there."
Touring isn't just about ticking off destinations.
For Teresa, it's about connection — to people, to places and to herself.
Ready to plan your own trip? Learn more about Bunnik Tours online.
Feature Image: Supplied.
