There is a marked difference in how the modern woman behaves and carries herself as compared to the times of her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Gone are the days when she was perpetually dependent on her male partner for all her needs. And no mincing words here, but the more dependent she was on him, the more her sense of identity and self-respect was crushed and bruised. Today’s women are independent, confident and not fearful of taking up difficult paths all on their own. They literally fear nothing. Their confidence in their own abilities and prowess has grown by leaps and bounds.
Being confident is action-reaction based. Confidence allows you to take on bigger and more daring tasks, without fearing the roadblocks in your path. Conversely, you take strong, independent decisions and do big things all alone, and this, as a result, fosters your confidence in yourself. Travelling solo is one such activity that greatly enhances a woman’s courage and belief in herself. Something is empowering about booking your tickets, packing your bags, and travelling and exploring a new destination all alone. They say, “If you can travel alone, you can easily live and prosper alone.”
Why Should Every Woman Take up a Solo Travel Trip?
When you are unmarried and living with your parents, you are often told to put all your travel plans on hold till the time you get married. You can travel the world with your husband. For some reason, travelling alone is not considered very safe for a woman (this fear is not altogether unsubstantiated). People around also doubt a woman’s capabilities to plan a trip all on her own, managing the bookings, visas, currency, and all. We will be duped and will regret the bitter experience. Unless it’s work travel, we are seldom encouraged to take a trip alone or with friends. Once she is married, the couple does plan trips together, and a few with families. But what if the woman wants to experience the joy of planning everything on her own, be prepared for the surprises (good or bad) she encounters on the journey, and want to establish a deeper connection with herself as she goes on exploring the unchartered new destination?
When you are married, there is so much to look after, so many aspects to consider before you can make time to plan a solo trip – there is husband, kids, in-laws, work – the list is endless. And to top it all, it’s only a few families that encourage women (especially daughters-in-law) to travel alone, sans their son, her husband.
Coming back to why every woman should take at least one solo trip in her lifetime – there is a multitude of reasons. We enlist them below for your quick reference.
1. Planning a solo trip gives you the power to make choices – you can take decisions like the destination (local or international), mode of travel, hotel or resort, places to visit, cuisine to eat, and activities to pursue, all as per your liking and preference.
2. Travelling solo teaches you how to manage your finances better. You are held accountable for all the travel-pertaining spending decisions you take. You learn how to segregate your budget better when you allocate it for hotel booking, sightseeing costs, shopping, and other miscellaneous expenditures. Even managing your Indian rupees in international currency makes you better equipped with handling money. Bargaining and negotiating at a new place, with unknown people, gives you a sense of financial achievement.
3. Travelling solo pushes you out of your comfort zone. You learn new things as your travel. You learn new language phrases, new cuisines, and new cultural aspects, and meet people from varied backgrounds; as opposed to when you are travelling with a partner, and are still in your familiar support system.
4. Travelling solo strengthens your bond with your own self. It allows you time and space to introspect, reflect, and infer. For a lot of women, solo travelling gives them the courage and clarity to take major disruptive decisions in their life. They return with much more belief and clarity and are ready to change the courses of their life which have not been serving well.
Places That are Safe and Friendly for Solo Woman Travellers
There are a lot of destination options for women who are keen to travel alone. Of course, the safety and comfort of the female traveller should be the top priority of the official authorities and locals of the place.
Indian Destinations Perfect for a Women Travelling Solo
Whether you love beaches or mountains, India has a lot of destinations that a woman can explore all by herself, while having a great unwinding time herself.
- Goa
- Kerala
- Nainital
- Manali
- Shimla
- Bangalore
- Pondicherry
- Sikkim
- Udaipur
- Jaipur
International Destinations Perfect for a Women Travelling Solo
Internationally, there is no dearth of countries and cities where a woman can travel alone. From a four-night to a 20-day trip, you can take as much time off for yourself as you can.
- Iceland
- Singapore
- Dubai
- New York
- Paris
- London
- Denmark
- Germany
- Austria
- New Zealand
- Portugal
- Switzerland
- Japan
- Finland
- Bhutan
- Australia
- Sweden
- Norway
- Las Vegas
- Maldives
Things a Woman Should Keep in Mind When Travelling Solo
If you have already travelled solo, you might have a handy checklist ready with all that to take care of. But if not, we share it with you below. Bookmark it for the next solo travel that you plan. Undoubtedly, travelling solo, whether for a man or a woman, needs additional planning than travelling with a partner. If anything goes wrong or unplanned, you only have yourself to rely on. It is better to have researched thoroughly and be prepared well in advance to tackle any unforeseen situation as best as you can.
- Plan your entire itinerary from the moment you step out of your home, to the time you are back. Try to research and plan as many acute details as possible.
- Research well on the places that you plan to visit and make any prior online bookings that you may be asked for.
- Google is your saviour for everything when planning. Watch a lot of popular YouTube videos from trusted travel bloggers who have visited those places. Check for honest reviews, suggestions, and recommendations.
- When travelling internationally, keep enough exchanged currency in hand. Also, ensure to keep your local currency as well as credit cards working and valid. Increase your card’s daily spending limit on international travel, if needed. At a lot of places, only VISA credit cards are accepted, so carry all three – cash, a debit card, as well as a credit card.
- Check about the roaming numbers that are valid at that location. A few places only allow post-paid mobile connections and do not work for pre-paid numbers. Get your mobile account settings up accordingly.
- Pack light, you are going to enjoy the travelling experience and not flaunt your outfits. Have pieces of clothing that are versatile and can be styled and worn repeatedly.
- Carry your medicines and any medical assistance/equipment needed.
- Most importantly, keep one of your close family members/ friends updated on all your travel plans; your tickets, hotel bookings, daily itinerary and all. God forbid, if something goes South, at least someone back home should be aware of your whereabouts.
- All through the planning and travel, try to be as alert, cautious, and aware, as possible.
Women in recent times have more open-heartedly embraced the idea of travelling solo. They are financially independent and are more assured of what they want out of their lives. When you earn, you can decide how you want to spend your money. And if travelling is what gives you that high, then there should be no second thoughts about travelling solo. You will certainly be a more confident and focused person once you return.
Love,
Team LadyInRoseGold
