The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
THE SOLO BLOGGER
YouGov poll revealed that 46 per cent of people like the freedom to choose their itinerary, while 37 per cent say they find it easier to unwind when alone (there’s nothing like spending all day in a hammock reading a book with no one else to interrupt). Millennial women (41 per cent) say they like to travel alone because it boosts their self-confidence. Adventure is also a big driver, with 72 per cent of women (according to Culture Trip) saying that “it’s worth taking a few risks”.
This is especially true for modernday explorers such as Sarah Outen, the first woman – and the youngest person – to row solo across the Indian Ocean. It took her 124 days. How did she cope? “Out on the ocean I talked to the fish and the stars and the boat,” she says. “So I never felt lonely. Except when I was terrified in some of those big storms. When times were hard, I often imagined an invisible peloton of all the people I know and love around me, pushing and pulling me on.”
One of the main concerns about travelling alone as a female is safety, and there are some sad stories of gap years gone wrong. Violence against women is real, but for most, with a degree of caution and planning (luckily, my groupie experience was wholesome enough – apart from all the beer), solo trips are hugely rewarding. Kristin Addis launched Be My Travel Muse in 2012 as a “diary of sorts” for her travels around south-east Asia after quitting her job in finance and booking a one-way ticket to Bangkok. “When I started, ‘influencers’ didn’t exist and I figured the best possible outcome would be a book deal. Over time, I started to realise that I could make it more meaningful by helping other women to do the same thing I had done.”
Now, the site is a resource for women looking to travel the world alone, with advice, guides and even adventure tours for sale.
When asked what she loved most about travelling alone, Addis replied: “The freedom. There’s so much room for serendipity when you don’t have to consider the needs of others. You don’t have to plan and can follow your whims from moment to moment.”
She has hitchhiked solo across two provinces of China and backpacked in Peru. “I made lifelong friends,” she says.
She was once pickpocketed in Berlin, but she doesn’t dwell on it, focusing instead on the good things. “When women travel alone, we build our self-agency, independence, problem-solving skills and confidence.”
Kristin Addis, CEO, Be My Travel Muse (bemytravel muse.com)
In a time when women are enjoying more liberation and empowerment than ever, it makes sense that many are seeing solo travel as a vehicle for new experiences and self-discovery. “Don’t let the fears of others get in the way of your own courage,” Outen says.
More travel companies are organising group activities and tours for those looking to meet other likeminded women. This year, Dawn Simone launched Elle Voyage, which specialises in experiential trips for solo women to destinations such as Jordan and Mexico. Como resorts in Bali offer women-only surf retreats, while Intrepid Travel is selling female expeditions to places such as Nepal.
In the age of social media, you have to ask, are we ever really alone? With thousands of followers for company, privileged Instagram influencers such as Kiersten Rich (@theblondeabroad) have not only turned posing in exotic locations into a profitable enterprise but are inspiring a new generation of girls to pack up and go. But there is a definite self-awareness and commodification that has come as a result of travelling for an audience. With concerns about its impact on mental health, over-editing, fake accounts and reckless selfie-taking, there may well be a counter-trend emerging for “anti-social” travel.