{"id":46897,"date":"2018-08-26T09:29:58","date_gmt":"2018-08-26T13:29:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nomadicmatt.com\/?p=46897"},"modified":"2024-09-13T15:30:59","modified_gmt":"2024-09-13T19:30:59","slug":"solo-female-travel-myths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nomadicmatt.com\/travel-blogs\/solo-female-travel-myths\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Myths About Solo Female Travel Debunked"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"A<\/p>\n

Kristin Addis from\u00a0Be My Travel Muse<\/a>\u00a0writes our regular column on solo female travel. It\u2019s an important topic I can\u2019t adequately cover, so I brought in an expert to share her advice for other women travelers to help cover the topics important and specific to them! She’s amazing and knowledgeable. This month, we are starting the year off with some of the common myths people have about solo female travel!<\/em><\/p>\n

Your partner thinks it would be selfish of you to travel without him\/her. Your parents are worried for your safety. Your friends want to go with you but they are all busy working on their careers. The mainstream media tells you the world is a scary place for women. The little voice in your head whispers worries about loneliness to you. <\/p>\n

Does any of this sound familiar?<\/p>\n

Just like you, I had a lot of misconceptions about traveling alone before I went overseas. I thought it might be dangerous, lonely, too much work, or make people think that I didn\u2019t have any friends.<\/p>\n

Plus, who wants to see all these amazing places completely alone? It sounded like a non-option, at least at first.<\/p>\n

Then I realized nobody had the time to go with me, and I couldn\u2019t wait any longer. I just had to go, or else I might never go.<\/p>\n

So I went alone and found out that all of my assumptions about traveling solo were dead wrong. I wasn\u2019t lonely, I didn\u2019t end up kidnapped, and, in a lot of ways, it was actually way better to travel by myself. The freedom it afforded me, the way it grew my confidence and all of the new friends I made were huge benefits that wouldn\u2019t have happened it I went with a group of friends.<\/p>\n

So for everyone who thinks that solo travel is lonely, dangerous, or boring, I am here to debunk a few common solo female travel myths to help give you the courage to get over your fears and go on an epic solo adventure
\n <\/p>\n

Myth #1: Solo traveling means being lonely often.<\/h3>\n

\"Solo
\nThe scariest thing about traveling by yourself is the thought that you might be alone for your entire vacation, right? Who wants to travel to the other side of the world only to have to be by herself while looking at the majestic red sunrise over Angkor Wat?<\/p>\n

I was really worried about this before I started traveling solo. Thankfully, I came to find that I made more friends in one week on the road than I had in a whole year back at home.<\/p>\n

The best thing about traveling solo is that you\u2019re not the only one doing it. More and more women are considering the concept of solo traveling to be realistic these days, and I couldn\u2019t believe how it\u2019s encouraging to see so many other solo female travelers out there traveling by themselves! <\/p>\n

Thanks to the power of social media and the sharing economy<\/a>, you can easily join online communities that are created specifically for solo female travelers, where you can gain and give support, share your travel plans, and connect with other like-minded solo female travelers. <\/p>\n

I also find that it\u2019s easy to talk to and meet other travelers<\/a> \u2014 they\u2019re friendly people! I rarely felt alone during my years of traveling thanks to this.
\n <\/p>\n

Myth #2: Solo traveling is only for those who are single.<\/h3>\n

\"Solo
\nBefore I started traveling and meeting people with all kinds of different stories and backgrounds, I figured that if you’re traveling by yourself, it must be because you don’t have a significant other. People who have commitments like a family or partner don\u2019t just go traveling on their own. <\/p>\n

It must mean there\u2019s a problem in the relationship or that they\u2019re escaping their commitments, right?<\/p>\n

Wrong. <\/p>\n

I came to learn that plenty of people who are in relationships travel alone<\/a>, and for all kinds of reasons.<\/p>\n

It could just be that they have different interests, something many relationship experts say is totally healthy. Maybe their partner can’t get time off from work, or maybe both parties made a conscious decision to do some soul-searching on a solo adventure, even just for a portion of the trip, and meet back up again.<\/p>\n

Many solo travelers are single, but there are many more who are in relationships too<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Just because you’re not single doesn’t mean you can’t have an awesome trip by yourself.
\n <\/p>\n

Myth #3: You must be extraordinarily brave to travel on your own.<\/h3>\n

\"Solo
\nA lot of my friends thought I was ultra brave and independent because I was going to travel alone. The honest truth is that I was incredibly scared and overwhelmed with the idea of traveling solo until I finally just got on the plane and went. <\/p>\n

To fear what you don\u2019t know is just to be human. It\u2019s in our nature<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Despite being terrified, I went anyway. Later I laughed at how scared I had been, after I realized that getting around, meeting new people, and finding things to eat was all way easier than I had ever thought it could be.<\/p>\n

You don’t have to be sure of everything and incredibly courageous to go traveling on your own. Those things may come as a nice benefit of traveling solo, but they don’t have to be prerequisites<\/a>. The hardest part is getting on the plane. After that, it’s surprisingly easy to get around language barriers, figure out timetables, and have an adventure. <\/p>\n

Plentyof locals speak at least some English, and Google Maps, translation apps, and cellphone connectivity have all made traveling so much easier than it used to be.
\n <\/p>\n

Myth #4: You can’t be an introvert.<\/h3>\n

\"A
\nI used to quietly watch the TV in bars or wear my headphones in public places so that I wouldn\u2019t have to talk to anyone. I used to feel pretty paralyzed in a room with someone with a strong personality. Basically, I was kind of awkward.<\/p>\n

But an incredible benefit of traveling by myself is that it has made me outgoing<\/a>. Even if you have trouble starting a conversation, in a hostel common room, chances are really good that eventually someone will reach out to you and bring you into a conversation. <\/p>\n

I recall that in the Philippines<\/a>, a girl tapped me and asked where I\u2019m from, and after chatting for a while, we became friends and hung out all week.<\/p>\n

You will probably also find that after a few times approaching new people \u2014 which will be incredibly nerve-wracking at first \u2014 they will be so much more open than you feared that it will be an encouraging surprise. It’s so easy to start a conversation by simply asking somebody where they’re from or where they just came from. <\/p>\n

I know those are clich\u00e9, but they also work, and before you know it, you have something to talk about.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to build up confidence around travelers \u2014 they\u2019re just really friendly people!
\n <\/p>\n

Myth #5: It’s dangerous to travel solo, especially as a woman.<\/h3>\n

\"Solo
\nYou\u2019ve seen the movie, Taken<\/em>, right? The one where Liam Neeson\u2019s daughter gets kidnapped in Europe and he kicks major butt and rescues her? <\/p>\n

Or what about Brokedown Palace<\/em>, where Claire Danes gets thrown in Thai jail when a handsome stranger plants drugs on her? <\/p>\n

This is our image of girls traveling the world (thanks, Hollywood!). It\u2019s no surprises that time and again, women are told that they should never travel solo!<\/a><\/p>\n

First of all, neither of the protagonists in those movies actually was traveling solo. Maybe if they had been, they would have paused and listened to their voices of reason and stayed out of trouble.<\/p>\n

Staying safe on the road<\/a> is all about trusting your intuition, behaving abroad like you would at home. <\/p>\n

Would you get super drunk alone at a bar at home? <\/p>\n

Would you walk around alone at night? <\/p>\n

Talk to the locals at your guesthouse about what you should watch out for, and practice common sense. What kept you alive at home and keeps you alive on the road, too.<\/p>\n

For more information, safety advice, and proof women can travel alone be sure to check out these blogs:<\/p>\n