“Go there, on your own, as a woman? It is too dangerous!”. If you are tired of hearing this when you talk about your solo travel dreams, keep reading! I’ve personally heard this sentence so many times, since the first time I packed my bags to go to Mexico on my own. Spoiler: nothing bad has ever happened to me in any of my travels.
If you are still wondering “Should I travel alone?”, the short answer is yes, you should! And if you don’t know where to start, this guide will help you conquer your fears of traveling solo as a woman. Believe me, once you get started, there’s no way back as you will feel more confident and secure in your ability to handle anything life throws at you.
I had my fair share of unexpected difficulties during my travels but I surely learned a lot of important lessons that I would love to share with you so you can make the most out of your solo travels.
Whether you are a seasoned traveler wanting to go solo or it is your first solo trip, I hope these important tips I’ve learned while traveling on my own as a woman will inspire you to take that big leap of faith.
1. Realize how self-confident and capable you already are
Self-confidence develops when you know yourself well and you are fully aware of your strength. Solo travel helps you in that aspect and gives you the freedom and opportunity to always look out for yourself without help from others, get out of your comfort zone, and take your own decisions.
Since you’ll be doing things on your own, you’ll also discover your capabilities. You’ll realize you have the ability to do many things on your own like getting around even when you don’t know the language or organizing a full trip by yourself. If you do things on your own more often, your decision-making skills develop, ultimately making you more confident.
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2. Get out of your comfort zone by eating on your own
“Table for one, please!” is clearly something I’ve said a lot during my travels. Sometimes, you’ll even be asked if you’re waiting for someone, which can make things awkward pretty fast. Just answer: “No, I’m not waiting for anyone, I’m on my own”, knowing that you’ve taken the first step to getting out of your comfort zone on a regular basis.
There is nothing wrong with eating alone or going against any kind of social convention. But I do acknowledge that feeling awkward is one of the reasons aspiring solo travelers want to scrap the travel plans altogether. Standing up for yourself or telling others what you want without hiding behind a group can feel daunting at first. I felt that way too: I was socially anxious about doing stuff on my own at first and it was hard to answer to people who were asking me where my friends were.
But the more I travel, the more I become comfortable with being alone and doing things on my own. Besides, eating alone is an opportunity for me to really focus on my food and enjoy the sensory experience. After all, food is one of the most fun aspects of traveling, isn’t it?
3. Take some time to discover yourself
One of the benefits of solo travel is that you get to do anything you want. You don’t have to think about what your travel partner wants, you just can do anything. Traveling solo as a woman is empowering because of the sense of freedom you get. You aren’t bound by anything or anyone. You can do whatever and whenever you please. No compromises.
And since you’ll have no partner to tell you what you should or shouldn’t be doing, you’ll be compelled to try out new things. Solo travel is also a way to explore aspects of your personality, which you feel you want to change or develop.
For instance, if you’re shy and you want to overcome that, traveling solo can help you. At some point, you’ll be forced to come out of your shell and talk to locals or tourists. The more you do it, the more you get used to it and become comfortable with conversing with other people.
Another thing you can try is picking up a good habit or letting go of a bad one as you will be in a different environment. I find that particularly helpful if you have a physical activity goal or want to start learning a new skill. As a yoga teacher, I first found it stressful to not have access to my favorite studios, until I started a strong home yoga practice that I can do anywhere during my travels. You can download my free guide to create yours here. This habit makes me feel confident and more relaxed during my travels as I know I can rely on myself to practice a good self-care routine.
In general, I have to say that if you want to know more about yourself and what you truly enjoy doing, solo travel is the way to go.
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4. Learn how to just make things happen.
Traveling solo made me learn how to be resourceful. Since you have no partner or friends to rely on, you will just have to tap into your own power and make things happen. That means you get to find solutions to problems on your own: like what happens when you don’t know where to go or your Airbnb cancels last minute? Don’t worry about it, you will find a solution!
For example, I’ve spent a lot of time asking for directions. I have learned that although downloading a Google map in advance works most of the time, sometimes, asking a local to write the address you are going to in the local language and showing it around is the way to go!
In turn, you will feel confident in your capability to do things on your own and we’re back to tip #1. Basically, when you’re on your own, you will make the most out of any situation.
5. Be prepared but not too much!
A good way to avoid running into issues, especially if it is your first time traveling solo, is to spend a bit more time planning. It is one of the best things you can do to make your trip as smooth as possible. Whether you’re a seasoned solo traveler or a newbie, it helps if you do your research before you head for your target destination.
If it’s your first time, you might want to plan too much, but just know that you will never be able to plan for everything and you might want to have a bit more flexibility. It helps if you have some general knowledge of where you’re headed. You can plan the details during your first few nights. But don’t sweat it too much. Once you get settled, you’ll find that what you want to do or where you want to go will then depend on your mood or recommendations you get from locals or travelers you meet along the way.
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6. Do normal things the local way
When you’re in a new place, it’s fun to do things you naturally do at home but the local way. You can also go to a local market, get a haircut, or just hang out at a coffee shop in a local area.
My favorite experience was working out in parks in Vietnam. Everyone was working out there and it was a fun way to meet new people. I really enjoyed the fitness equipment that was present in the parks as well as the many different dance classes that were happening there.
7. Meet other incredible women
It is always fun to connect with other solo female travelers or locals in your destination. It’s a great way to make friends and share tips or get some advice from like-minded people.
One of my favorite ways of making new friends abroad is to use Couchsurfing, a website that connects you with locals to sleep at their place or just hangout. Don’t worry about safety, there’s a review system which helps you vet who you are going to meet.
You will get to experience a really awesome sense of solidarity between women who are open to meeting people from different cultures.
8. Understand the culture around gender norms and expectations
Each culture has different norms of what is acceptable or not for different genders. Knowing about these norms can really help you while traveling.
For example, I was surprised to learn that while in some countries, you have to cover your whole body to go swimming, in others, you’ll be expected to be fully naked in a mixed environment while enjoying a hot spring or a sauna.
Another aspect of this is how men and women are supposed to interact, this can differ a lot from country to country and it can help to observe locals to better understand how you are supposed to interact depending on the gender you identify with.
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9. Let go of fear
But use common sense, please! Everyone, especially your parents or older relatives, will tell you that going to other countries alone as a woman is dangerous. This is just a question of perspective. Just ask them why they feel scared for you? I know I have everything I need to travel safely (tip #4!) and I have never been afraid when I’m traveling because I use common sense: I try to blend in as much as I can with the locals, avoid walking around at night or carrying large amounts of cash on me.
Start slowly and be well-prepared. The more you prepare by doing research, the safer you’ll feel as you will know what is considered common sense where you’re going. Researching helps you familiarize yourself with your destination. Join forums or social media groups of solo female travelers and ask around for tips if that will reassure you that everything will be fine.
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10. Just do it!
Sometimes the best way to start something is to just get started. So go for it and book your next trip now. Take these tickets and plan the trip later.
Ask any female solo traveler you know and you’ll likely get more or less the same answer: “It’s the most rewarding and life-changing experience I can give myself.” You don’t need more reasons or tips to start traveling solo, you just need to do it.
Wrapping up
I hope you enjoyed these 10 tips to start traveling solo as a woman. I cannot recommend enough you get started today and let go of your fears! Tell me in the comments, which destination do you want to travel solo to?
This is a post by guest contributor Lucile from Nomadicyogablog.com
Lucile Hernandez Rodriguez is a Yoga Teacher who loves exploring the world while living a mindful lifestyle. Visit her Nomadic Yoga Blog for concrete resources on conscious travel ideas, mindful habits that stick, and of course all things yoga.
