So, is travelling alone as a solo female traveller hard? Travelling by yourself is always going to be more difficult but it can also bring about incredible experiences too.
This post will be about the not so thrilling parts about solo female travel. Not to be negative, but because I believe those who want to embark on a solo adventure should know that it will not always be the dreamy experience you may see on Instagram. Insta of course only shows you the best of the best. The fun, exciting and beautiful parts of travel.
You rarely see the downsides – the long bus rides, the delayed flights, the grotty dorm rooms ad everything else in between. After travelling the world solo many times, here is why it can sometimes be hard to travel alone (and how to overcome those things) …
Travelling alone gets lonely
You will inevitably feel loneliness at some point. It is not necessarily a bad thing; you should hopefully be able to learn how to enjoy your own company! At times though it can get sad when you see friends or couples travelling together, having fun, and making memories together.
So many times, I have wished to be travelling with friend from back home, to be able to share new experiences and incredible moments with. Someone that you know well can make all the difference and make travelling less scary!
In this situation video calling or messaging home is always a good idea and can put you back in good spirits.
Making friends can get tiring
As much as it is easy to make friends when travelling alone, it can also become quite exhausting at times. If I am in a place where it is not the safest to be walking alone for example, then I know I will need to make some friends to walk around with. This means putting in the effort when, honestly, sometimes you just don’t feel like it.
It means having to ask the same questions over and over and in turn, answer all the same questions, like “where are you from?”, “where have you been travelling already?”, you get the picture. If you are travelling around for several weeks/ months, this can get tiring and sometimes you do just wish for a friend from back home, who you can just effortlessly be with.
That being said, if you do put the effort in, making friends can be a great way to beat loneliness so it is worth giving it a go. The great thing about travelling alone is that you can also learn to be with yourself and this can be quite nice also, so my advice would be to embrace it and if you do find yourself getting lonely, put in that little extra effort, as it can go a long way.
Getting ill
Yep, we have all been there! (I am sad to say I have been here many a time- oh dear). Food poisoning is every traveller’s worst nightmare. Getting ill in a foreign country, in a dirty hostel room and alone is not a fun place to be. Everyone else seems to be out there having fun, and you are stuck in bed like “why me?!”.
Sometimes when you get sick abroad it can feel a lot worse than it might be in reality and when you look back on it, it really was not that bad. My advice would be to accept that it may happen, be prepared with medication before you leave home and if you do get ill, just take it easy for a few days, keep hydrated, rest and you’ll be back on your adventures in no time!
Solo travel can get boring
This does not just apply to solo female travel; any travel can be boring at times. Those long, bumpy, dusty bus rides, the being told “5 minutes” which turns into an hour, and sometimes just continuously being on the go can get tedious. The constant packing and unpacking of belongings, your backpack looking as though its been through a tornado, and the upheaval of just getting settled somewhere before you have to leave again.
Sometimes if you feel like this and your plans are flexible, take a few extra days in whatever place you are in, and take it easy for a while. A good rest, massage, lounge day at the pool, is all you need to feel refreshed again.
Planning everything yourself
When travelling alone, you are the one who has to do all the planning. You are responsible for everything and that means a lot of effort planning out your solo trip. You’re the one in charge of booking your flights, making sure you get to the airport on time, taking care of accomodation bookings and ordering transport. This is when it can be nice having someone else to travel with to share the load a bit!
On the other hand, although planning can be time consuming and tiring, it does help you learn to organise and keep on track of bookings, etc, which can all be useful in life skills, so not always a negative!
Being harassed
Unfortuanlty harassment can be common for women travelling alone. I think as women we can agree that this is not always when travelling abroad and can happen anywhere, although in some countries women simply do not have the same rights as men or it’s unusual for them to travel alone, etc.
This can often lead to unwanted attention which can get incredibly frustrating. The best way to deal with this is to keep your cool. Just be polite but firm and head into a crowded place if need be. This is something that can happen but please don’t let it spoil your trip. For more tips on harassment when travelling please read Being harassed: How to politely say NO.
Missing home comforts
Yes, travel is about embracing new cultures and experiences, a different way of life, and that is great, but sometimes you just crave those home comforts you cannot get anywhere else. For me, I miss the good old English fry up (you just can’t beat a good bit of bacon haha). I also miss baths which can be hard to find when travelling on a budget. And sometimes I do actually miss the British weather- yes, I just said that.
Sometimes you can find these things depending on the country. I once paid $7 for a 30 min bath in Thailand! It was just what I needed though. For food related items you could maybe (depending on customs) bring along snacks with you from home that won’t go off. These little things can make a big difference.
I hope you enjoyed this post on the hard parts of travelling alone as a woman. Did I miss anything? Tell me in the comments, what do you find hard when travelling alone?
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12 Comments
You have listed down some very important points and being harassed is the one that stood out for me. I dont know why men just cant be bothered to behave themselves the world over. I recently invested in a safety alarm key chain which I can easily carry with me at all times. Do you have any tricks about this too?
I have another post in my solo female section about this, but I don’t carry anything like that with me. I think that is a great idea though for peace of mind. My best advice is to go with your instincts and if something doesn’t feel right, then get yourself out of the situation (eg, call a taxi or go to a busy places, etc).
As you said, there are positives and negatives to being a female travelling alone. But I think the positives outweigh the negatives.
I totally agree! 🙂
I appreciate your honesty! I’ve only traveled solo a couple times, and it does have its ups and downs.
It does but think of all the incredible stories you can tell from it!
I hear you! I have experienced all of these. I also think it is hard to deal with people who keep asking why are you traveling alone or making unsolicited comments about people who travel alone. I mean, people can get really mean and annoying. Sometimes, I just remain silent but it can get exhausting after a while.
I agree but I guess it must seem strange to them if it doesn’t happen in their culture. Sometimes bitting your tounge is the best way haha!
This is a lovely post 🙂 thanks for sharing — a lot of good insights here and things to keep in mind. Your blog is awesome.
thank you!!
No question about it, there are many reasons that you sighted which keeps me from travelling solo. I can do it once in a blue moon but for the most part, I am a social animal. Kudos for doing it yourself!
I think when you’re younger it’s very easy to make friends in hostels, or if a bit older then you could try day tours in order to get that social interaction! 😀