Coming Home Changed

A Solo Traveler’s Stories of Courage and Lessons from Around the World

Lisa Stone

Travel begins long before you board a plane.

The most meaningful journeys are not measured in miles but in moments of courage.

Lisa Stone took a chance and booked a solo vacation to Hawaii when she was in her twenties. She has traveled to more than one hundred countries and had wonderful adventures learning to cook Sri Lankan cuisine, drinking horse’s milk in Kazakhstan, and surviving an unforgettable bathroom debacle on Lithuania’s Pink Soup Train. Along the way, she has learned how to pack strategically, plan efficiently, and adapt quickly.

Part travel memoir and part practical guide, Coming Home Changed combines stories from her travels with practical lessons to help you travel smarter, safer, and with greater confidence. She shares the cultural surprises, unexpected friendships, and humorous mishaps that challenged her and ultimately changed her. And along the way, you will discover that travel isn't just about seeing the world. It's about seeing yourself through it.

Because in the end, the greatest journeys don't just take you to new places; they bring you home changed.

Lisa Stone is a global traveler, human resources executive, and storyteller who has explored more than one hundred countries across six continents. Through her journeys, she has discovered that travel is not just about crossing borders; it is about courage, curiosity, and the connections we make along the way.

Professionally, Lisa brings more than two decades of leadership experience in human resources and organizational strategy, having served in senior roles at organizations including Arcadis, DC Water, Freddie Mac, AOL Time Warner, and HSBC. She is the founder of Stone Collective, LLC, where people, places, and purpose meet.

A native Californian who now lives outside Washington, DC, Lisa is an advanced scuba diver who enjoys exploring the world both above and below the surface.

Her favorite travel companion is her four-legged road dog, Lucy Love—a Cavalier King Charles spaniel who enjoys adventure almost as much as Lisa does.

Through Coming Home Changed, Lisa shares lessons from solo travel around the world—stories of faith, humor, courage, and human connection that remind readers that the greatest journeys begin with the courage to take the first step.