Here are tips for women travelers to get you ready. Just because you start out alone doesn’t mean you’ll stay alone all the time. You’ll discover there is a treasury of companionship out there.
On a beach in Bali, I asked an American woman to watch my bag while I went swimming. After a short conversation, we became friends and explored the island together. Later, I met a Swiss woman on a plane to Delhi and ended up renting a houseboat with her in Kashmir. This voyage taught me that women connect easily when traveling and rely on each other for advice and companionship.
Here are a few proven solo travel tips that make it easy:
Buy a guidebook geared to women travelers
Do your homework. Buy a guidebook or research accommodations, hang-outs, and restaurants that are women-travel friendly and also good for solo travelers. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to join a variety of people for an afternoon of exploring the bazaar in Kathmandu, eating a meal together, or even traveling for a day or a week together. (I met my husband while traveling in Nepal.)
Check out the independent travelers meeting places
Some guidebooks (such as the Lonely Planet series) will list them. Many cities have well-known meccas for solo travelers, from bookstores to cafes to youth hostels with bulletin boards and calendars of local events. These provide a treasure trove of listings for inexpensive tours, travel companions or rides wanted, free or almost free lectures, or social gatherings you can join. A morning jog with the running group “Hash House Harriers” in Singapore or Kathmandu can lead to local friends and social invitations. My hand-written note posted on a message board on a tree in the cafe courtyard of the Old Stanley Hotel in Nairobi led to a safari with dynamic people and some wonderful friendships.
Start smart
Even if you want to be unstructured, book at least the first night’s accommodation in advance. It may cost more than you want to spend for lodging the rest of the trip, but this makes it easier to get your bearings and ensures you don’t start the trip fatigued, trying to get it all together right when you step off the plane in a foreign country.
Avoid power plays and unwanted attention
Advances can be thwarted by silence, no eye contact, and quickly moving away from the source of irritation. Always trust your instincts. If you are really being pestered, go into a store or hotel and explain that you are a tourist and there is a person annoying you, that you are afraid and don’t know how to handle it. Can they help by calling the police or telling the obnoxious person to go away? It works every time! Other safety advice for solo travelers is to dress conservatively so as not to draw attention to yourself, and take cues from the way local women are dressed.
Do talk to strangers
Some of the most meaningful travel experiences come from spontaneous invitations to join a person, family, or group for a dinner or activity. Communicate with women, children, and elders. Even if you don’t speak their language, a smile goes a long way.
Wine and dine yourself
Eating alone comfortably when you travel alone is a skill you will quickly develop. Choose a lively cafe or bistro with lots of people. Consider sitting at the counter and watch your food being prepared. Take along reading and writing material. Enjoy watching people and the fine art of eavesdropping. Again, use that smile to reach out and make contact with the diners around you. Your conversations with them may be the highlight of your evening.
Avoid romantic destinations
Ask yourself if a destination is perfect for honeymooners. If it is, then avoid this location (unless you are a romance voyeur).
So be brave and take the plunge – try solo travel, you may become a convert.
Remember, it is better to be alone than to wish you were alone.
