TSWF - Travelling Solo While Female

Here's a scary thought: a woman, travelling alone to a country where she doesn't know a soul. That's asking for trouble, most will say! I think not...

I didn't decide that I was going to become a solo traveler. It just happened. I was getting tired of people showing initial excitement to the idea of going on a trip, only to back down with some really good excuses when it was time to actually plan the trip. And so I thought 'Screw you, I'm going alone!'

Then the 'what ifs' started to pour in:

-What if you get robbed or attacked? A major concern as a woman. The truth is that it can happen right here in the streets of my hometown. Violence against women is not limited to specific parts of the world.
-What if you get lonely? I don't mind loneliness, it gives me time to think. Besides, you're never alone when you travel.
-What if you get kidnapped? I have a (male) friend who felt the need to constantly remind me to not get kidnapped.
-What if...? 

The true is, you don't usually get a warning that something bad is going to happen. Bad things happen any where at any time. Travelling (alone) does not necessarily enhances or decreases the chances of such thing to happen. Granted, you might be an easier target, but with that in mind, one must take proper precautions (and no, being locked in your room is not one of them!). But I cannot or will not let the fear of 'what if' stop me. If any thing, my biggest fear would be to wake up one day, old, and realize I never even tried to do anything I wanted to do because I was too afraid.

“How much I missed, simply because I was afraid of missing it.” - Paolo Coelho

During my last trip, I encountered 2 types of women: those who thought like me and those who (not so secretly) thought I was crazy! Strangely enough, I met most of the latter women in Colombia, like the women I met during a guided tour to the Totumo volcano. I was chatting with our tour guide (female) and when I told her that I had been travelling alone for the past 3 months, I thought her eye were about to fall off their sockets! She said that in Colombia, it is rare, if not unheard of, to see a woman travelling on her own, that she would love to do the same but doesn't feel courageous enough. She also admired the fact that I was visiting South America despite the fact that Spanish is not my first language. The older women in our group gave me the same spiel. 'Aren't you scared? Don't you miss your family?' they asked. If I let fear control me, I would never leave my bed, and as far as missing my family goes, there's always Skype and Facebook!

I'll be honest here. As much as I endorse solo travelling, there are parts of the world that I simply do not see myself going to on my own, primarily for security reasons (See? I'm not completely nuts!)

Ultimately, I think that travelling solo as a woman is very important. It strengthens the sense of self and identity, which is especially important in a society that perpetuate the degrading of women (did someone say rap music?!). It made me realize that I am capable of anything that I set my mind on.  I learned to listen to and trust my gut feeling. Now, more than ever, I feel proud of myself and my accomplishments. Without a doubt, there are many other ways to achieve such a sense of self, but doing it while travelling is just so much fun!