Planning to travel solo but feeling nervous? Find out what it’s really like to travel the world as a solo female traveller.
Since I started travelling, a lot of people have asked what it’s like to be a solo female traveller. As a girl, if you tell people you’re going off to Mexico or South America on your own, they think you’re crazy. They assume it’s impossible to go to these places and not end up in Mexican jail, trafficking drugs, or worse!
Before university a lot of friends disappeared off around the world on gap years. It didn’t appeal to me, partly because I was so career-focused, but also it seemed very daunting. Then, a few years into my working life, I reached a point when I wanted to see what was out there and gain some life experience.
I booked onto a group tour run by Trek America. In reality, while I did go ‘on my own’ in that I didn’t go with anyone I knew before, within a few hours of arriving in Mexico I was in the safe hands of an experienced tour leader. As I was working full time and only had limited holidays, it was the simplest way to guarantee I’d see the best places, get from A to B safely, and make some new friends along the way.
