Adventure Travel Alone?

Absolutely. You just need to use some good ol’ common sense

By Isabel Eva Bohrer

When I proudly proclaimed to my family and friends that I was going to travel to South America alone, my enthusiasm was met with questioning looks and more than one objection. “Why?” was the general response. “Do you really think that’s a good idea?” “Isn’t it dangerous there as a 21-year-old blonde, alone?”

But my thirst for adventure was not to be stopped. Moreover, as my travels unraveled, I began to realize that I wasn’t the only girl going abroad by herself. In fact, solo female travel is a phenomenon that has been around for quite some time. Heather Gibson, a professor in the recreation, parks, and tourism department at the University of Florida, explains that “many 19th-century travelogues recounted the expeditions of pioneering women in their big skirts traveling across the British Empire to Africa, India, and other faraway places.” In recent years, these tales have attracted both popular and scholarly interest, she adds.

Back in 2002, Gibson conducted a research study with Fiona Jordan, a senior lecturer in the School of Leisure, Tourism, and Hospitality Management at Cheltenham and Gloucester College of Higher Education in the United Kingdom. Together, they interviewed 50 women aged 20 to 63 from both the U.S. and the U.K. Unanimously, the women reported that traveling alone was empowering rather than frightening to them.

Nora Dunn, a solo female traveler known for her blog, “The Professional Hobo,” explains that “the feeling of accomplishment for planning and successfully executing a solo trip as a woman is very empowering.” Looking back on my own solo travels, I agree. After making my way through the cities and mountains of Argentina by myself, I returned to Europe with an increased sense of independence, feeling empowered to confront new and challenging situations successfully.

However, precisely this freedom can also be a potential source of danger. On my first day in Brazil, I came down with terrible food poisoning and a very high fever. That day, I happened to be the only guest at the hostel—it was low season—and it is only thanks to the hostel owner, who took me to the nearest hospital, that I am alive today.

Recalling situations like these, I can clearly understand that some women still see solo travel as daunting, if not impossible. Psychologist Heidi Smith Luedtke, Ph.D., affirms that personality and upbringing determine whether traveling solo is exhilarating or anxiety-provoking. “For women with low levels of anxiety, the idea of traveling alone is often exciting,” she explains. In turn, women who have more anxiety on average “have trouble tuning out the ‘what if’ worrying that occurs in their minds.”

This “what if” can be termed synonymous with the fear of the unknown, which travel psychologist Michael Brein, Ph.D., recognizes as being the cause of the deep-rooted fear of travel, be it alone or with others. “Not knowing how to deal with the disorder or disarray of a host of situations” can cause this kind of fear, explains Brein. For this reason, “those who crave or demand complete stability or organization of their environs loath travel,” he adds.

For others, the fear can translate into excitement. As Brein notes, “‘Adrenaline’, ‘danger’, or ‘adventure’ ‘junkies’, in the extreme, crave experiences in which they test themselves to the limits of their abilities in relatively unknown situations.” If I think about it honestly, I might place myself into this latter category; trying just about every adventure sport from rappelling to extreme mountain biking, I saw my gap year abroad as a way to test my limits. Fear only entered my mind when I began suspecting that I was going too far. My common sense, however, always prevailed and I can knock on wood that I survived both food poisoning and getting lost hiking in the Argentine Patagonia while on my own. I literally turned around just in time to find my way back.

With respect to female solo travel, there is a further factor at play: social restrictions. Tradition has it that, in the U.S. and other Western countries, women are domestic and sedentary figures, dependent on men to take care of them. Traveling alone is, at least historically speaking, not part of a woman’s life. Psychologist Susan Fletcher, Ph.D., explains that traces of these customs remain today as women “may be told they aren’t capable of taking care of themselves or that they’ll be taking unnecessary risks by traveling alone. Controlling parental figures and spouses or significant others can send powerful ‘stay put’ signals either directly or more subtly.”

However, Brein observes that this dynamic is changing. “In America, women are no longer considered the ‘weaker’ sex.” Traveling alone is thus becoming more and more of an option in some countries, according to Brein.

So if you do decide to travel alone, what are some precautions to consider? Brein advises that “activities surrounding physical exertion and duress in wilderness areas should not ordinarily be undertaken alone—by men or by women.” Having worked as a mountain guide in Mendoza, Argentina, I agree. Especially in rural, desolate, and undeveloped areas, you cannot count on signs that will indicate the way back. Similarly, you may never meet a fellow hiker. Better to be safe than sorry: Go with an authorized guide.

Dunn says that she always gives copies of her identification and travel insurance information to a trusted person back home, in addition to traveling with a small pouch concealed underneath her clothes. “In it, I keep enough local currency to get me to the nearest consulate, and a USB stick with photographs of all my identification, my travel insurance policy information, and credit card numbers with phone numbers for the banks in question,” she explains. With a little bit of planning and common sense, traveling solo can turn into an incredibly rewarding journey of personal discovery.

6 Resources for Female Solo Travelers

1. The website safecheckin.com prides itself on being your “Guardian Angel” on the road. Upon leaving the house, you “check out.” If you don’t “check back in” when expected, your emergency contacts and/or the local authorities are informed of your overdue status. safecheckin.com
2. Finally, an online travel resource just for women is the slogan journeywoman.com runs by. Here, you can find packing guides, travel love stories, and cyber guides covering everything you need before going abroad.
3. Behind sololady.com stands Lea Lane, author of six books, including Solo Traveler: Tales and Tips for Great Trips. Her website includes tips on traveling solo, traveling solo as a mom, and living alone in general.
4. After 26 years of touring the world as a flight attendant, Sharon B. Wingler is convinced that traveling alone offers a more enriching experience. In her book, Travel Alone and Love It: A Flight Attendant’s Guide to Solo Travel, she explains ways of overcoming the fear of traveling solo.
5. Eleanor Berman’s Traveling Solo: Advice and Ideas for More Than 250 Great Vacations is one of the most comprehensive solo travel guides out there. No wonder Berman’s book is already in its sixth edition.
6. In addition to Wanderlust and Lipstick: The Essential Guide for Women Traveling Solo, now in its second edition, Beth Whitman has created an entire empire under the name “Wanderlust and Lipstick.” Visit wanderlustandlipstick.com for travel stories and to book a WanderTour with Whitman herself.

All photos courtesy of Isabel Eva Bohrer