Solo travel as a woman. There are lots of us out there. All ages. All stages. For a wide range of reasons.
Who would have thought that solo travel as a woman would be a movement in the travel industry? It currently is.
Solo women? Out in the world? Unthinkable? Think again.
For those of you considering solo travel as a woman, even for a weekend, I invite you to ponder these questions:
- Are you good with your own company?
- How open are you to serendipity?
- Can you roll with the unexpected?
- How good are you at talking to strangers?
- Are you open to learning about yourself?
- How are your problem-solving skills?
- Do you think solo travel will change your perspective on the world?
- How connected do you feel to your global family?
- Why are you going?
The Answers To The 7 Questions I Am Asked All The Time:
1. Why Are You Going Alone?
“When you’re (travelling) with someone else, you share each discovery, but when you are alone, you have to carry each experience with you like a secret, something you have to write on your heart, because there’s no other way to preserve it.” Shauna Niequist
Why travel solo as a woman? Suddenly you find yourself single, with a spouse/ partner who isn’t interested in travel or with some free time and no one you know is available to join you. The idea of travelling keeps popping into your head. You keep studying world maps, googling blogs, finding yourself standing in the travel section of your library, and suddenly unbelievably the country you are musing about keeps popping into your daily life.
Should you go?
I think you know the answer.
Solo Travel As A Woman: Be Prepared
Many people will question your decision to travel alone. Those are the naysayers. Their fears about venturing outside their own comfort zone will be tossed your way disguised as careful guidance. Carefully weigh the advice, but don’t let it cloud your intuition and decision-making skills.
Before I left on my last solo trip to South America, it crossed my mind to cancel. The naysayers had gotten to me and I questioned my decision with all kinds of negative thoughts, “It was the rainy season, I should go in the spring.” “There wouldn’t be many other travellers.” “It’s too dangerous to go solo…”
As soon as I arrived in Lima, I told myself, “I’ve got this. This is where I am meant to be.”
A German man I met on a walking tour in Valparaiso was shocked I was travelling solo. He wasn’t sure what to make of me. Why is there such a sexist attitude towards female solo travel?
Read More | All my posts on Solo Travel right here!
2. Solo Travel As A Woman: What are the Benefits?
Solo travel as a woman has many benefits. It’s an invitation to be YOU and just YOU. You make the plans and follow through. It feels fantastic! You can go at your own pace. Being solo you are more open to meeting other travellers and locals. Read about all the benefits in this post on Say “Yes” to Pushing Your Boundaries.
Solo Travel As A Woman: Be Prepared
You will get asked a lot by locals if you are travelling solo. Usually, with a grin, I answer in the affirmative. Sometimes my intuition kicks in and I say that I am meeting a friend. Sri Lanka wins with the most DIRECT question on a very crowded early morning train. Chatting nose to nose with a businessman, he looked inquisitively at me and queried, “And your husband is….?”
3. Solo Travel As A Woman: What About Safety?
Anybody, of any age, that travels solo requires courage, awareness and a healthy dose of intuition. Solo travel as a woman, unfortunately, requires those qualities in bounteous amounts. I draw on those resources all the time.
The female travel tribe is strong and well connected and when things go sideways, we take acute notice.
Certain precautions taken can increase safety while travelling. Here are a few:
- Arrange travels and pay extra for a flight, train or bus that arrives in daylight.
- Make sure activities are 100% safe to do solo. I felt perfectly safe in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile but couldn’t decide if I should rent a bike and cycle into the Atacama Desert by myself. On my guided tour, seeing the cyclists pumping up the hills in the sweltering heat, I decided it was overrated anyway!
- Pay for a tour.
- Evenings – many young girls I’ve met told me that they, like me, do not go out much at night. Not unless there is a group of them.
- Take an Uber or a cab in the evening. I was ushered into an Uber and told not to walk to my hotel at 9 pm in Medellin, Colombia. Note taken.
- Tips from other travellers can be invaluable – While in India, this savvy traveller called ahead to her hostel saying she was on her way back in an Uber. She followed this up with, “Please can you tell the driver in Hindi exactly where the hostel is and tell him that you are expecting me in ten minutes,” as she put the phone on speaker. Make sure you have a SIM card so that you can make that call.
No matter how much you prepare, the unexpected happens to all travellers and also when you travel solo as a woman. Recently upon arrival in Medellin, despite my research I got off at the wrong bus stop and found myself in a chaotic Sunday morning market, the majority of the people apparently homeless and high. When a man, with the longest arms ever, reached in through the cab window screaming at me and trying to grab my phone, I was left completely rattled. So…situations happen. Tons of people have been pickpocketed all over the world. Read here about very common scams you will find in Europe.
For me, this incident definitely put Medellin in a position to redeem itself. We are still working on our relationship.
The flip side of safety is to be frozen by fear and not go anywhere.
Read here about how to reduce fear and follow your travel passions.
Solo Travel As A Woman: Preparation
Pre-trip preparation is critical. Read here about how to plan your travels.
Before you leave is scarier than actually being there. Knowing you are prepared adds a sense of confidence.
4. How Do You Travel Solo?
There are 2 ways to travel solo as a woman – independently and with an organized tour company.
Independent Travel: This entails making your own plans, booking your own airfare and accommodation and the freedom to change course throughout the journey.
Independent travel can be whatever you want it to be. You can join walking tours, day tours and overnight tours to add to your experience as I did in Peru when climbing Rainbow Mountain and in Bolivia taking the Salar de Uyuni Salt Flats tour.
Be Prepared: If you are planning independent travel, check here for my planning steps to organize your trip.
Book a Tour: There are many tours now geared toward single women of all ages. When everything is organized you can sit back and embrace the journey with peace of mind. Depending on your preference, find a tour that leaves you lots of free time or alternately is fully scheduled.
Note the single supplement and search the internet for tour companies that have specials. This site shares companies with reduced single supplement rates.
Be Prepared: Read the itinerary carefully to be sure it suits you. Are there other solo travellers? What is the single supplement?
Wondering how to pack light? Read this post from a former overpacker.
5. How Do You Keep Your Valuables Safe?
Number One Rule: Don’t flash around your valuables and leave the bling at home. Although it seems that every human has a cell phone, they are easy targets to be stolen. No matter where you are travelling, you really do not want to stand out. No matter how much you think you blend in, such as looking fashionable in Paris, as foreigners we are dead giveaways.
When I travelled to Austin, Texas in 2018, my hotel room was robbed. That experience made me carefully examine my travelling habits with my most valuable items. Are your most valuable items insured? Make sure you have a travel insurance policy that covers personal items as well.
Put your passport in a safe spot. Don’t keep all your money in one place. Divide it up. Lots of travellers use a money belt such as this one. I prefer something smaller like a bra stash, (my favourite) or a neck pouch/wallet to tuck away valuables. I do not access my stashed away funds during the day. I keep a small amount of cash handy in my backpack. Some women prefer to carry a purse. This one has lots of hidden pockets.
Don’t use your pockets for money nor your cell phone. Never leave valuables in the outside pockets of your day bag. In crowded situations, I wear my day pack on the front.
Solo Travel As A Woman: Be Prepared
It is much wiser to have thought this out thoroughly before embarking on your trip.
6. Solo Travel As A Woman: Are You Lonely?
I think the questions are, “How comfortable are you in your own skin?” If you don’t meet people how will you handle that? How many days can you go without a buddy?
Over and over again you will hear “Travel solo but never alone.” I think this is very true for younger people staying at hostels. If you are older and choose not to stay in hostels, you have to be a bit more resourceful when it comes to meeting people. It really pays off to be proactive.
Walk: Walk. It’s a great way to get to know a new place and you never know who you might encounter. Exploring with my camera in Peru one evening, I ended up meeting Norma and Adriana two lovely gals from Mexico. We ended up spending time together over the next few days.
Tours: Take an organized day or overnight tour. It is amazing who you will meet. Don’t worry that only solo travellers will talk to you. On a recent tour to Lake Titicaca, I chatted to a group of Peruvian ladies, made friends with a couple of other Mexican ladies, befriended a young German traveller and chatted to a Dutch couple.
Language School: If you have an interest in learning another language, attending school is a great way to build your community. If you choose to live with a family, you get an automatic “home away from home.”
A Class: Sign up for a cooking class or a wine tasting experience
Meet Ups: Air BnB offers groups outings. I signed up for a jazz evening in Paris but unfortunately, it was cancelled. Google Meetup and see what groups are in your area. I ventured to a Travel Bloggers meetup in Medellin.
Facebook Groups: Go to Facebook and in the search bar write “Groups in (your location)” You might be surprised what you find.
Be Open to Serendipity: I took a public bus in Peru one day and ended up meeting Sebastian from Switzerland. We shared a cab to get to the ruins in Pisac and ended up hiking together. An unlikely meeting and a wonderful day!
Chatting to the Family and Friends: Make sure you have your phone working so that you can contact family and friends. For a shorter trip figure out the travel and roaming plans with your provider. Long term travellers, get a SIM card for the countries you are travelling in. That way you can be in touch as much or as little as you choose with loved ones.
Have a Project/ Hobby: Think ahead about how you like to spend your free time. Do you like writing in a journal, editing photos, watching Netflix or reading on your Kindle? It’s good to have these handy, even if you rarely use them.
Read More| Survive the Lows and Embrace the Highs of Solo Travel
7. What Are The Best Destinations For Solo Female Travel?
Well, what captures your fancy?
I think the best place is the place that you have been dreaming of. You. Your ideas. Your passion. Maybe that’s a trip to Cambridge, England, hiking Rainbow Mountain in Peru or seeing orangutans in Borneo.
If your heart and soul are ready to explore this place you have in mind then just do it. Do the research. Use your common sense and intuition. Plan it out or book a tour.
Are you ready to embrace solo travel?
“I heard a whisper, the soft calling of the road, I rose to answer.”
Tyler Knott Gregson
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you are the coolest lady ever- so brave, so inspiring and so adventurous.
Thanks, Robin! I hope I can inspire a few other ladies to try travelling solo!
What an amazing read. You covered so many items. Very helpful and full of inspiration. You set the bar on travelling solo. Keep enjoying what your doing and be safe. ❤️☀️
Thanks, Kelly! You go, girl! Hope to see you out on the solo travel trails one day soon!
You should write in french too ! It is so inspiring ! When are you going To propose trips for women ??
Thank you for sharing ??
Merci Lolo! That made me smile from the inside out!! Thank you for the question. I think of running trips all the time but need to put a date in the calendar and just go for it! xx
This is so on-point, thank you. A lot of people who try to cover this topic do it in a pretty surface level way in my opinion; it’s not one size fits all, everyone’s preferences and individual concerns have to be taken into account, and every location is so different. Some things have to be judged on a case-by-case basis. Like you can’t plan for that guy reaching in through the cab window, who would ever anticipate that? So I love that you said incidents happen, and noone is 100% fearless, but it’s important to press on and trust yourself, your common sense and preparation.
It’s so creepy to me when men are shocked about a solo female traveler, because that just goes to show where their own mind is. When they express that kind of concern they’ve now revealed something about themselves to me. They’re also attempting to put a mental burden on me that I wasn’t carrying myself; like I’d rather just not think about men’s intentions at all (besides a healthy level of precaution, like not getting schwasted and walking home alone at 2am etc), but they keep trying to put it in my head. It’s like the naysayer thing you talked about; I don’t get that, I would never go out of my way to try to make someone extra fearful and keep them from living their lives with a clear mind.
One question I get a lot involves hiking/camping; people ask me if I have any weapons of any kind to protect myself (I don’t know why they don’t ask me that about city life, I’ve been attacked by people in cities but never by animals or people in the wild). Curious about your thoughts on that? I never used to carry anything besides the occasional bear spray (and some pepper spray that a TSA agent took from me), but lately since so many people have asked me it’s kind of psyched me out and now I carry protection. It’s 50/50 on giving me peace of mind vs now I have a whole extra responsibility on my mind about how to safely store and carry a weapon.
Hi Claire, Thank you for your thoughtful response. I love how you said that the man’s response totally revealed something about himself. So true yet I hadn’t thought of that. It definitely brings up so many issues, this solo female travel. Exactly. Now you have to worry about storing the weapon and knowing me, if I had one, when & if I needed it, it would be buried in the bottom of my backpack. I have not camped solo yet and as far as hiking goes, I guess it depends where. I would do the Camino de Santiago solo but as I head off into coffee country in Colombia it is on my mind to hook up with others before I venture down some winding trail solo. That’s the truth. But I also will check out the lay of the land and make my decision with a hefty dose of intuition. I gather you hike solo.
Thanks for the quick response! Ah yeah, if you don’t intend to solo hike very often than I guess it wouldn’t be much of a concern. It also sounds like those areas don’t have much to worry about in the way of bears or pumas (I’m not super familiar with the wildlife of Colombia, maybe there’s jaguars?); when I go abroad later this year I’m excited to hike in places like Scotland where there aren’t any predators! I bet I won’t worry about this kind of thing as much; it might solve itself. But definitely for now the extra concern of making sure it’s on me somewhere where I can reach it is a whole *thing*. I guess if a cougar ever jumps out at me I’ll be glad I went through the hassle though lol. Knock on wood.
I am not like you. I would be scared traveling solo. I travel with my husband, BFFs or kuds. You are so brave!
Thanks, Carol! I love travelling with my grown children and friends too but somehow solo travel has become my thing! People always say I am brave, but really it’s just what I love to do!
I’m too intimidated by the thought of travelling solo. I’ve only ever travelled with my family, as that is the only way I feel safe and comfortable. I’ve often thought about solo travel, though, since that seems to be the only way I can explore the world as much as I want to, without having to worry about everyone else’s schedules. This is such a great post – so informative, eye-opening and inspiring! 🙂
I’m so glad you liked the post! You never know, one day you might explore the world solo!
What an inspiring article! Honestly, I did not ever travel alone – always with partner, friends or family. Its so cool that you can do traveling by your own – may I also should give it a try 😉
I am glad you found this post inspiring. I think everyone should do at least one solo trip! Go for it!
Solo travel is something we all need to experience once in our lifetime. Great tips! I’ve done it. One word, courage.
I agree – everyone should experience at least once. A healthy dose of courage comes in handy!
I think you have really hit the nail on the head with your thoughts and suggestions on assessing whether or not someone would enjoy solo travel as a woman. So often, these kind of posts consider just one question, that of personal safety, and while that’s hugely important, it’s not the only question to be considered. Great to think about the other aspects of travelling on your own.
I am glad you found the post thorough. Yes – there are lots of things to consider before heading out to explore the world solo.
I love that solo women travelers has become a big deal in the travel industry. My one attempt at traveling solo was a bad experience but when I ask myself “why did you go solo?” it was because none of my friends wanted to go on that specific trip haha. It was a tour package that wasn’t what I expected.
So interesting when things don’t go as expected. Darn those expectations. Maybe you should try another solo trip! The second time you might love it!
Solo travel for women is getting very popular, and I’m sure its a wonderful experience for those who prefer to be on their own. You have made some very important observations in this post, especially the safety tips. One can never be too careful.
Yes, there are many things to consider before heading out solo and safety is one!
Thanks for the excellent tips! I try to plan ahead and often join guided tours like city walks. I also avoid staying out late in a foreign city. Listen to your instincts is pretty much my mantra when I travel solo. If you feel unsafe, it is best to get out of that place as soon as you can.
Totally agree! Intuition plays a huge part in successful solo travel!
My sister travels solo and loves it. I on the other hand have lived in foreign countries solo, but prefer not to travel solo. Solo female travel seems to be increasingly popular these days 🙂
Solo travel definitely isn’t for everyone. Living on your own in another country also takes courage and would be an amazing experience, which I still hope to do!
I have never traveled solo but your post has convinced me and raised confidence to do it once in a lifetime. I agree that if women are traveling solo then they have to book flights which reach on daytime. Now wandering around at late nights is also good option.
Great! Yes, I think that everyone should go solo at least once. And you’re right no wandering around late at night!
Thanks for sharing these 7 pointers about solo travel. I’m curious about the one that was robbed, as what do you do with your possessions is always something I struggle with. Though luxury travel is my method of traveling, I’m curious to know if that happened at a reliable hotel or one that is more budget-friendly. I hardly ever hear of hotel rooms being robbed in the USA and would like to know from someone it happened to.
Hi Melody, I think it was quite a rare occurrence and I am not sure if it was a coincidence or not but other people attending the conference were staying at an Air BnB and also got robbed. I was staying at a Country Inn and Suites, while a far cry from luxury, it is still part of a chain with a decent reputation. No? I had the police come and filed a report and thank goodness my travel insurance covered it. But I do notice that the experience has left me carrying my laptop around with me A LOT !
Very inspiring!! Love this. Your advice and practical travel tips make me feel completely supported for solo travel. Not only that, you’re giving me the confidence to do it!! Thank you. XO
Ah.. so good to hear! You just need a little nudge of confidence to go out the door and then there is no looking back!
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Thank you! My goal is to provide worthwhile information and tips for travellers but at the same time to provide a sense of place. For me, feeling the place is what entices me to actually go there!
This was really helpful and interesting. I’ve flown to a few Asian countries by myself before and am now planning an extended stay for some more adventures in the new year. I liked the tip about the bra stash pouch! Do you have any more tips for not losing cards/money/passport? I’m hoping to go with just a rucksack. I’m wondering about how I’ll keep my things secure while I go on trips like swimming or climbing. Someone suggested to me to get a bike chain and lock.
Hi Sabrina, Sorry for the delay. It definitely is tricky being solo in this department. Obviously you can lock things up at a hostel/ Airbnb/ hotel and bring the bare minimum on a day trip. I find swimming tricky. it is best to buddy up with someone you have met. I first started travelling in Costa Rica on the Caribbean side and the rule was to bring nothing to the beach but a towel and book. I personally would not leave any valuables on the beach and go swimming. You could look at investing in the Pacsafe Backpack and Bag protector as it goes around/protects the entire bag. You could then attach your day pack to a bike rack or a log! As far as tips for not losing $, I always use the bra stash for an extra credit card and a bit of cash and usually I have some other money stowed somewhere tricky – rolled and stashed n an old makeup container. You just have to remember WHERE you stashed it!! I am excited for you!