My friend Sri, whom I met and traveled with in India, is writing a guest post with tips and advice for women traveling solo. This is not a topic I can cover, and since I know there are many women traveling alone out there, I felt it was important to include an expert’s perspective. Sri explains, through her own personal experiences, why traveling as a lone woman is different from traveling in a group or as a lone man.
My male friends who travel solo have been invited to locals' homes for dinner just as often as I have. Like me, they have had remote and heartwarming experiences. We all return home with the same fascinating stories. We all have backpacks of the same size. We have family members and friends at home who worry about us. We face the same daily challenges while traveling.
In many ways, we are not that different.
So why do people make such a big deal out of solo female travel?
Because, like it or not, women and men have different concerns when it comes to traveling alone.
As a lone woman, I often don't have the freedom to travel without the local people. In many cultures, women do not have the kind of autonomy we have in the West, and seeing me on my own can be both concerning and confusing. At 28, I am considered quite old for a single woman in many of the countries I have traveled to.
In Africa, a woman approached me while her husband was fixing the flat tire on my motorcycle. "My sister," she said, "are you alone? Do you have no brother, no husband?" Her concern was genuine and appreciated, but I get this question often. Surely, I must have a husband somewhere. If not, don't I at least have a boyfriend? Where are my children? What on earth am I trying to do?!
Since giving answers like "I find being single quite liberating!" or "Actually, I don't want children" usually results in even more horrified looks, I have often just said my husband or boyfriend is "at home" or "on the road."
Worrying about personal safety on the road applies to both men and women, but some situations specifically target women. For example, while walking down a dark road just after sunset in a region of Nepal known to be "safe," I was groped. Even if I had been holding pepper spray, it wouldn't have mattered because it happened so fast that I didn't even see his face or have a chance to react. When I told a police officer, his first question was asking what I was doing alone.
Even after a year and a half of solo travel, this situation first made me angry, but yes, it reminded me that I am different from a male traveler. I cannot walk alone at night without considering the possibility of sexual assault. While this concern exists in your own country too, women travelers must be even more cautious in foreign countries.
Also, dressing differently is important. Although this might seem simple, it is a common mistake. Once, in Sumatra, Indonesia, I stepped out of a hotel room without covering my arms enough. Every man on the street stopped what he was doing and started shouting at me or making gestures. It was so intimidating that I went back to my hotel and didn't go out for three days. As a woman traveler, you must always be conscious of how you dress. This can be mentally exhausting.
Unfortunately, women must take these issues into account when traveling solo. In some countries, we cannot dress as we please, appear alone, or go out by ourselves at night. At best, it might be socially unacceptable; at worst, it could be dangerous.
Does this mean women shouldn't travel solo? Of course not! It just means we need to take a few extra precautions to ensure our safety.
Modern psychologists argue that women possess a strong intuition and the ability to read non-verbal communication cues. Our instincts and intuition are almost always correct. Listen to them.
(It is also important to remember that the outside world can often be safer than home. I am Indian, and armed crime, robberies, and violence are common there. Even though I grew up there, I would not walk alone at night. I don't want to generalize the world as a scary place.)
Men who travel solo have their concerns too, but we women have to worry a little more about safety, defend our alternative life choices a little more fiercely, and present ourselves in an assertive and dominant way in these cultures. That is why we make such a big deal out of solo female travel, and that is why I am writing this column—to give you advice on how to make your travels better and safer.
By taking the right precautions, doing a little research on traditions and safety before going to foreign countries, and listening to your instincts, solo travel can be safe, enjoyable, and extremely rewarding. In future blogs, I will talk more about the positive character development, development of fearlessness, and personal growth that solo travelers experience.
Solo travel doesn't have to be dangerous or scary; it just requires the right amount of preparation and attention.
Sri is a solo female traveler who encourages women to explore the world in an authentic and adventurous way. Having sold all her belongings and left the home where she lived with her family in 2012, Sri has been traveling the world solo for over five years, having explored the African continent very extensively. There is almost nothing she wouldn't try and almost nowhere she wouldn't explore. I am so glad we met. May your path be clear :)
