Embracing the Single Childfree Life: Travel, Community, and Living Unapologetically
Meet Angela Gentile—speaker, educator, podcast host, proud single child-free woman, and Type 2 Travel podcast guest!
When I started the Type 2 Travel podcast, I knew I wanted to have conversations that went beyond just travel tips and destination guides. I wanted to explore how our life choices shape our adventures and how travel can be a form of self-discovery and community building. Angela Gentile brought exactly that energy to our conversation.
Angela is a speaker, educator, podcast host, and proud single child-free woman who's built something truly special: a community for people who've chosen a path that society often questions. Her story isn't just about travel—it's about living authentically, finding your tribe, and creating the life you actually want, not the one everyone expects you to have.
The Reality of Being Single and Childfree
"I am so many things," Angela told me as we settled into our conversation. "I'm a speaker, educator, podcast host, and a proud single childfree woman who creates communities."
But behind that confident introduction lies a journey that many can relate to—the process of figuring out what you actually want versus what you think you're supposed to want.
Angela's path to embracing her childfree status wasn't immediate. Like many women, she spent years listening to the familiar refrains: "You're young; you have time," "You just haven't met the right guy," or "You'll change your mind." But as she watched other women in her life become mothers, she realized how inequitable parenting can stereotypically be between genders: "I would 100% be a dad where I get to wrestle and have zero responsibility and still get all the perks of being a parent, but none of the responsibility and emotional labor."
This honest assessment of what motherhood actually entails—beyond the Instagram-worthy moments—is refreshing in a world that often romanticizes parenthood while glossing over its realities.
Building Community From Necessity
Angela's Single Childfree Network began as what she calls "a happy little accident." After a particularly frustrating therapy session where she felt unheard about the unique challenges of being single and childfree, she recorded a rant on her phone and posted it to TikTok. The response was overwhelming—thousands of people saying "I feel so seen" and "there has to be more of us."
What started as one viral video has grown into a global community with nearly a thousand people on a spreadsheet organized by city, and a paid membership community offering co-working sessions, workshops, and virtual meetups. The need was clearly there; Angela just had to create the solution.
"If you need a ride to a colonoscopy—you can't take a cab—if you don't have a default caretaker in your life, what do you do?" she asks.
It's these practical realities that partnered people often don't consider, and they highlight why community is so crucial for single child-free individuals.The Travel Freedom Myth
When I asked Angela how being childfree shapes her approach to travel, she was quick to debunk some common misconceptions. "I think one of the assumptions people have about single childfree folks is that we are all out here just spring breaking it, crazy as a motherfucker, Samantha Jones every single weekend. I wish that was my life sometimes. I'm tired. I don't have the time."
The reality is more nuanced. Yes, there's freedom—the ability to pack one bag and go, to make decisions based solely on your own preferences, to take opportunities as they arise. But that freedom comes with significant challenges:
Financial constraints: "Even just living in an apartment, a one-bedroom I live in by myself, I'm covering all the costs. If I had someone else to split costs with, I would be saving $1,000 [per month]."
Decision fatigue: "You are constantly on, constantly making every single fucking decision with your head on a swivel, ping-ponging your brain between chores and work and safety... You get burnt out and exhausted."
Safety concerns: "Who has your back? I could go and fuck off and I'd be wondering how long would it take for someone to be like, girl, you all right?"
These aren't complaints—they're realities that come with the territory of choosing an unconventional path.
The Vulnerability of True Freedom
One of the most powerful moments in our conversation came when Angela talked about the isolation that can accompany single, childfree life. "I could be dead on the floor in my apartment and how long would it take for somebody to know?" It's a fear I've expressed —the realization that there's no default person checking on you, worrying about you, or even noticing if you disappear.
This vulnerability extends to travel. Angela makes sure a friend has her credit card information and passport details before every trip. It's the kind of safety net that partnered people often take for granted.
Morocco and Building Chosen Family
Which brings us to why Angela and I decided to collaborate on a group trip to Morocco specifically for single childfree women. "I've always wanted to go to Morocco," she explained, "and I know that there are women who are looking to connect on a deeper level and to be able to do that through a shared experience of travel."
The trip isn't about excluding anyone—it's about creating space for people who share similar life experiences to connect without having to explain or justify their choices. "I don't go to mom entrepreneur groups and be like, why isn't there space for me? Because it's not for me," Angela pointed out. "There are specific lifestyle choices and situations that we've experienced together that we need a space to feel safe in."
The goal is to create what Angela beautifully described as the opportunity "to sit arm in arm with a woman that you just met three days ago and you are now soul connected through this shared experience... watching a sunset—dude, that lights up my soul."
Advice for Finding Your Tribe
For anyone looking to connect with others who share their values—whether around being childfree or any other life choice—Angela's advice is clear: you have to put in the work.
"You can't just say I want to join this group and sit back with your arms crossed and expect connection to happen. There is a level of vulnerability that has to be involved in order for you to feel connected and to find people to be connected to."
This means showing up to meetups, asking questions, initiating conversations, and being willing to be vulnerable. It's the same energy required for any meaningful relationship, but it's especially important when you're seeking community around choices that mainstream society doesn't always understand or support.
The Power of Living Authentically
Perhaps the most inspiring aspect of Angela's story is her comeback. Just two years ago, she described herself as "$500 in my name, I was broke, I had no place to live, my dog was dying, I had no job—I had hit the bottom." Today, she's building communities, planning international trips, and living life completely on her own terms.
"To be able to have a comeback story of passport stamps and community and connection is beyond my wildest dreams of what I thought was possible two years ago," she shared.
Her journey is a reminder that there's no one "right" way to live life. Whether you're single, partnered, have kids, are childfree, or anything in between, the key is being intentional about your choices and finding or creating the community that supports the life you actually want to live.
Looking Forward
As our conversation wrapped up, Angela shared her immediate travel plans: a reset vacation at an all-inclusive resort ("the only decision I want to make is do I go to the pool or do I go to the beach?"), followed by a trip to Spain for her birthday, then Cuba with me for New Years, and finally, Morocco in April 2026.
But beyond the travel itinerary, what struck me most was Angela's commitment to living authentically and helping others do the same. In a world that often pressures us to follow a prescribed path, her willingness to chart her own course—and help others do the same—is both refreshing and necessary.
Whether you're single, childfree, or simply someone who's chosen a non-traditional path, Angela's story is a reminder that your choices are valid, your community is out there, and your life can be exactly what you make it.
Angela is a speaker, educator, storyteller, and host of The Empowered Millennials podcast. As an enthusiastic elder millennial guide, she's passionate about celebrating the epic lives of single and childfree individuals through adventure.
She believes that single and childfree people deserve spaces where their lifestyle choices are celebrated, not questioned. That's why she's created extraordinary travel experiences like her Morocco trip – adventures designed for people to invest in themselves and connect with other SINKs who understand this beautiful, unique lifestyle.
After her own journey through grief and transformation, Angela discovered the power of choosing your own joy and surrounding yourself with like-minded community. Her travel adventures create spaces to release limiting narratives and embrace just how powerful you already are. Her mission is simple: grab life by both hands and GO BE EPIC together!
Instagram: @theangelagentile
Website: theangelagentile.com
