Today we’d like to introduce you to Sondra Holtz.
Hi Sondra, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
When people hear that I decided to leave my 9-5 corporate life to move to Italy, they assume I am fearless.
The truth is, I was terrified.
For years, my life revolved around helping people through some of the hardest moments of their lives. I was a 911 dispatcher, and every shift required calm under pressure, quick decisions, and the ability to carry the emotional weight of emergencies long after the phone call ended. It was meaningful work, and I’m incredibly proud of the years I spent serving my community.
But somewhere along the way, I realized I had become so focused on helping everyone else live through their biggest moments that I had stopped creating my own. I was starting to feel the burn out of constantly hearing the worst moments of some peoples lives – and I realized that I want to spend my life on my terms.
I started my travel blog, Curves and a Carry On, in 2018 and would document all of my destinations that I used my three weeks of annual leave to take. I model part time and was turning modeling gigs into content opportunities for my blog.
Travel had always been the thing that made me feel most alive. Every trip reminded me how much there was still to learn, how many people I wanted to meet, and how much the world had to offer beyond my comfort zone. Italy, in particular, had a way of calling me back. The culture, the slower pace of life, the sense of community, and the belief that everyday moments – sharing a meal, lingering over coffee, walking through a neighborhood – are worth savoring all resonated deeply with me.
So I made the biggest decision of my life.
Last year, I left a stable career, packed up my life in San Diego, and moved to Italy. I got a TEFL certification teaching English to Italian children in summer camps, and returned after the summer on a student visa to study Italian and teach English. It wasn’t an escape from my old life – it was a step toward the one I had been quietly dreaming about for years.
Today, I teach English to Italian students, from children taking their first steps in a new language to professionals preparing for international careers. Watching someone’s confidence grow as they realize they can communicate in English is incredibly rewarding. Teaching has reminded me that connection is universal, whether you’re helping someone through an emergency or helping them find the words to introduce themselves in another language.
I wake up in a beautifully simple apartment overlooking olive trees and vineyards, and I come home to San Diego a few months out of the year. My dreams became a reality, and I started thinking about how I actually had the time and opportunities to share the possibilities with others.
When I first started sharing my travels, I realized something was missing. As a plus-size solo female traveler, I wanted practical advice that went beyond curated Instagram photos. I wanted honest guides that answered the questions real travelers ask: Is this destination walkable? Is it worth the money? Can you comfortably explore it alone? Where do the locals actually eat? How do you slow down enough to truly experience a place?
And it’s about more than me; People who feel limited by accessibility, or concerned for their safety, or finding safety as LGBTQ+ travelers – I can help them, too! I am passionate about travel and cultural immersion being a reality for everyone I know.
That’s become the heart of my work.
Through destination guides, social media, and storytelling, I hope to encourage women, especially those who have been waiting for “someday,” to realize they don’t have to postpone their dreams. Whether that’s taking a solo trip to Europe, learning a new language, or simply saying yes to an opportunity that feels a little scary, I want people to know that it’s never too late to rewrite your story.
Looking ahead, my dream is to create immersive small-group retreats in Tuscany that combine everything I love: incredible food, local wineries, hidden villages, meaningful cultural experiences, and the confidence that comes from exploring somewhere new alongside a supportive community. I want women to leave with more than beautiful photos. I want them to leave believing they’re capable of so much more than they imagined.
If there’s one lesson this journey has taught me, it’s that life rarely changes all at once. It changes through one brave decision, followed by another, and then another. Mine started with buying a one-way ticket to Italy.
I can’t wait to see where the next one leads.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I deal with Italian bureaucracy, American economic challenges, and finding the balance between trusting myself to build this life without completely isolating myself in a new place where I don’t have the same support system (yet) as I do at home.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I create FREE travel guides and itineraries for all of the places I’ve traveled on my blog, with an emphasis on solo female travel and Italy.
I think what sets me apart is that my ultimate goal isn’t monetizing – it’s making travel less intimidating, more accessible, and exponentially more rewarding.
I started a monthly newsletter my community can opt in to with snapshots of where in the world work takes me, and I have a monthly postcard lottery where readers can opt in to receive postcards from me around the world (it’s completely free, and a fun way to connect with the amazing people who have been kind enough to follow my journeys since long before they lead me to life abroad!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.curvesandacarryon.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/curvesandacarryon
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/curvesandacarryon
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/ingleseconsondra
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@curvesandacarryon
