Long-Term Solo Travel for Women
16 profound ways it will change
how you see yourself - and the world.
Solo travel for women. Traveling alone. Independent female
travel. Going round the world. Taking a gap year. Call it what you will. If
you've tried it, you know it can change your life. If you haven't, get ready
for the ride.
Those of us who have spent significant time solo on the road
may not realize how much it can change us.
After years of travel, everything began to look different. Some things
that had mattered before just fell off my radar screen. Others I hadn't even
thought of took a front-row seat.
If you travel for any length of time with only yourself for
company, these things might happen to you...
1. You will become more self-sufficient.
If you lacked independence or self-confidence, solo travel
will make you more self-sufficient. You will cope with situations you hadn't
even dreamed of before, like finding your way out of a hostile place or being
lost. Even if you don't know a word of the language, you'll find a way to
communicate. You'll use your arms and hands, pull out your high school French
or hand over a map. You'll figure it out. You'll learn to cope because you'll
have no alternative. And if you get into trouble, you'll find a way out. You'll
trust your instincts more.
2. You'll learn to relax and take things as they come.
You'll become more flexible. Instead of getting upset when
things don't happen as or when they should, you'll learn to go with the flow.
Many cultures have a saying: No Worries, or something similar. You'll learn to
make that motto your own.
3. Your sense of proportion will change.
Little things won't bother you anymore. No bus? No problem.
You'll travel tomorrow. Or next week. No money? No problem. Something will work
out. Someone takes your seat? Jumps the line? Too insignificant to matter.
4. You'll become stronger.
You'll learn to push your limits and step our of your
comfort zone. Solo travel isn't always easy for women - but you'll overcome
problems more quickly. Things that might scare you - like dining out alone -
will become second nature. Perhaps you'll use your travel to stretch yourself in
other ways - by joining an ashram or kibbutz or other unfamiliar environment.
You may even thrive on the challenge.
5. You will learn a lot of things.
You'll be learning new things every day - words and phrases
in a foreign language, how people live, what they eat, how they treat one
another... or learning to meditate or do
yoga or write or paint. Your learning may be more mundane - accepting to try
new foods or to wear different clothes. Politics and history will become real
for you rather than something you read about or watch on TV.
6. You'll learn to take care of yourself.
If you used to run to the doctor every time you experienced
mild pain, this will change. You'll learn to take care of your own health,
especially in rural areas where medical care may be non-existent. Don't neglect
your travel insurance or first aid kit checklist, but learn a few basics about
how to deal with illness when no one else is around. You'll feel more empowered
if you know you can face health issues with knowledge and confidence, at least
until you can get yourself to a doctor.
7. Time will shift.
Our everyday lives tend to be filled with impatience - when
the bus runs a few minutes late or the restaurant table isn't ready on time...
solo travel changes all that. In many societies, time is measured in days or
weeks, not in minutes or hours. As you travel, your sense of time will change.
If someone's late, they probably had a reason. You'll find out in due time. If
someone doesn't show up, you'll see them another day. Rather than concentrating
on what you don't have, you'll be focusing on the day, on 'what's next'.
8. You'll have greater empathy.
You've often heard that poverty means living on less than $2
a day. As you travel solo and pay more attention, you'll understand the word
poverty in a different way. Rather than watch it on television, you'll be
breathing the stale air of indoor wood fires or watching children vie for food.
Rather than an abstract concept, you'll witness the daily fight of millions
just to stay alive. And that will change you forever.
9. Solo travel helps you meet new people.
Whether you're a loner or a social butterfly, you'll have no
choice - you'll constantly be meeting people. They might be fellow travelers or
local people on the bus, but each day you'll add to the number of people you've
met. And it will feel as natural as stepping outside. Some of these people will
remain passing acquaintances - but others will become lifelong friends,
connected by moments shared.
10. You'll be more open to the world.
If you're an outgoing or extroverted person, you'll put
those traits to good use and expand them. But if you're the slightest bit quiet
or shy, traveling on your own will change all that. You'll enjoy the
similarities you share with others rather than focus on your differences, and
learn how to accept what's around you more easily.
11. Little things will take on more value.
Your life may become more filled with little things that
matter. The smaller gestures - a smile, a helping hand - these are the things
you'll be exchanging with people on the road. Perhaps you had less time for
these small gestures back home but on the road, they will take on new meaning
and happen more often.
12. You'll learn to love your own company (if you don't
already).
There's nothing like solo travel for women to make you enjoy
your own company. Part of it is the empowerment of traveling on your own but
also the sheer number of people you meet - you'll begin to appreciate your
solitude. Women who worry about loneliness shouldn't - it's usually a question
of too many people rather than not enough.
13. You'll do without the extras.
You may have thought they were essentials - television,
computer, theater, cellphones, shopping malls, regular nights out, a car...
Once you get used to living without many of these things - and you will if
you're on the road for any length of time - you'll genuinely adapt, and start
appreciating what you have as opposed to missing what you don't.
14. You'll be less fearful.
What once looked daunting may become commonplace. If you've
been afraid of things - creepy crawlies, unusual food, rickety planes and leaky
boats - your fears will probably subside. After a few rides on rusty planes,
anything with a working engine was OK by me. Same with small reptiles. Those
harmless little green geckoes that run across your ceiling in tropical
countries never actually fall off - but they eat all the mosquitoes so in time
I actually learned to like them.
15. Many of your prejudices will get a shakeup.
On my own out there, I was rarely part of a majority. Being
white in Africa or black in Eastern Europe or a woman on her own in a
patriarchal country will give you a different perspective on prejudice and
minorities. It's easy to forget these issues when you're surrounded by people
who share similar outlooks and standards but you might be surprised at how
things look from other perspectives.
16. You'll truly appreciate what you left behind.
If you left home because you weren't happy, you may find a
lot of the bad memories begin to fade with time. Perhaps you hated your job -
but at least you were able to have one. Your rent might have been high - but
you had a roof over your head. You may have disliked certain foods - but there
was always a supermarket around the corner where something else was available.
Your family may have nagged you - but you may miss them on the road. Whatever
your complaints back then, you'll probably start appreciating some of the
things you left behind.
Not all of these things will happen to you - but there's no
question that as a woman, solo travel will change you.
