My first thought was "What a big adventure"! Women were in short supply across there and there would have been many advertisements by vicars, doctors, schools, ladies needing companions or chaperones, not to mention widowers needing help with children, etc. in newspapers and posters on the town hall or market place. I know some archives still hold old newspapers but "The Scotsman" is the only newspaper I know of offering online digital images of news and where I've found my ancestors adverts. I have been astounded at the amount of exports to America from the late 1700's by mills in small villages who themselves sent 7 ships a week of metal goods such as nails, timber, etc.
Unlike these modern times there were "ladies only" rooms provided by stagecoaches, some lodging houses only catered for ladies and when railways came along every station had a 'ladies only' waiting room. There were German and American travel agents for shipping lines even in those days and every port and large town had an amazing amount of consulates. All as can be seen in the English Historical directories http://www.historicaldirectories.org/ which is a digital library of local and trade directories for England and Wales, from 1750. Some agents offered escorts between overland and sea passage. I should think your ancestor may have organised a travelling companion or she could have helped a couple look after their children in exchange for the protection of the husband. Somebody in your ancestor's area will have sent letters home and word would have got around of respectable households who took in lodgers. The church and missionaries played a greater role in those days than they do now and catered to the needs of travellers.
Some of the great houses in Britain still have old diaries which describe the travels of lone women who did the 'grand tour' which became the thing to do from mid 1800's. This being to travel down through Europe to Egypt, apparently they would make friends with and attach themselve to others at the start of the tour.
As for the silver and linen. It's what is known as a 'bottom drawer'. Every spinster was expected to take something to the marriage. I started to collect for my bottom drawer when I was thirteen when I bought a beautiful china fruit bowl set, bits and pieces such as my grandmother's silver cutlery were added which I still have over 50 years later 
Good luck,
Rena in England