Going Solo: Life on the Road

Weaving in the sacred Urubamba Valley
Photo: Chany Crystal via Flickr

Life on the road for women going solo will be different depending on who you are, and where you are.

But most of us tend to go through similar kinds of experience, even when the situation or outcome are not the same.

Who hasn't experienced coping with culture shock?

Or felt alone while traveling? Managing travel loneliness is a skill many of us need to acquire. How do you celebrate your birthday on the road when you're on your own?

Who hasn't wondered what they were eating - and hoping no one would tell them?

Who hasn't felt a little intimidated when solo dining?

What about unwanted male attention? This is common in many countries, for women of every age.

What about our love life? The relationships we leave behind? The ones we start?

Who hasn't had experiences with travel scams?

Who hasn't struggled with foreign languages?

What about stereotypes? Don't we all have them, at least to some extent?

How do you deal with the ins and outs of international pet travel if you want to take Fido along?

What about the art of haggling? Can we? Should we?

And what about street beggars? Can't we help them, just this once?

What do you miss most in your life on the road?

I'd be surprised if you haven't experienced at least a few of these situations while you've been on the road.

Sunset in Moscow
Photo: lifeforweb via Flickr

Like everything, there are ways to deal with situations as they arise.

Most of us travel because we love it - but that doesn't mean we don't love our home or those we left behind. It doesn't mean we don't want to try new things or learn new cultures - but at times it's not that easy.

We often take baby steps into new cultures and places, and our life on the road can only be enriched as we reach out to new experiences.