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How Solo Travel for Women Changes You

Solo travel for women is something many of us try at some point in our travel lives - striking out on our own for a length of time.

But those of us who have spent time solo on the road often don't realize just how much it changes us.

After a time, you may look at things differently. Here are just a few discoveries you might make as you travel the world on your own:

1. You will become more self-sufficient.
If you lacked independence or self-confidence, solo travel for women will make you more self-sufficient. You will cope with situations you hadn't even dreamed of before, like finding your way out of a hostile place or being lost and not speaking a word of the language. Even if you don't know a word of the language, you'll find a way to communicate. You'll use your arms and hands, pull out your high school French or hand over a map. You'll find a way to get your questions across. You'll learn to cope because you'll have no alternative. And if you get into trouble, you'll find a way out. You'll trust your instincts more.

**Who says women don't read maps?**
Photo: The School House via Flickr

2. You'll learn to relax and take things as they come.
You'll become far more flexible. Instead of getting upset when things don't happen as they should, you'll go with the flow. Many cultures have a saying: No Worries, or something similar. You'll learn to make that motto your own.

**You'll look at things differently**
Photo: mackenzienicole via Flickr

3. Your sense of proportion will change.
Little things won't bother you anymore. No bus? No problem. Travel tomorrow. Or next week. No money? No problem. Something will work out. And how badly did you want to carry that heavy hardwood chair on your back halfway across Africa?

4. You'll become stronger.
You'll learn to push your limits and step our of your comfort zone. Solo travel for women isn't always easy - but you'll overcome problems more quickly. What upset you back home may just slide by on the road.

5. You will learn a lot of things.
You'll be learning new things every day - words and phrases of a foreign language, the way people live, what they eat... Perhaps you'll use your travel to stretch yourself in other ways - by joining an ashram or kibbutz or learning to meditate or do yoga. Your learning may be more mundane - accepting to try new foods or wear different clothes. Politics, history and sociology will become real for you rather than something you read on a page or watch on TV.

**You'll try plenty of new foods**
Photo: flydime via Flickr

6. You'll learn to take care of yourself.
If you used to run to the doctor every time you experienced mild pain, this will change. You'll learn to take care of your own health, especially in rural areas where medical care may be non-existent. Don't neglect your budget travel insurance or first aid kit checklist, but learn a few basics about how to take care of yourself when no one else is around. You'll feel more empowered if you know you can face illness with knowledge and confidence.

**Another bus will come...**
Photo: Alan Cordova via Flickr

7. Time will shift.
Our everyday lives tend to be filled with impatience - when the bus runs a few minutes late or the restaurant table isn't ready on time... solo travel for women changes all that. In other societies, chunks of time are in hours, days or weeks, not in minutes. As you travel, your sense of time will change. If someone's late, they probably had a reason. You'll find out in due time. If you miss the bus, another one will come tomorrow. Rather than concentrating on what you don't have, you'll be focusing on the day, on 'what's next'.

**A billion people live on under $1 a day**
Photo: Chrissy Olson via Flickr

8. You'll have greater empathy.
You've often heard that poverty means living on less thand $1 a day. Solo travel for women means you'll understand the word poverty in a whole different way. Rather than watch it on television, you'll be breathing the stale air of indoor fires or watching children vie for food. Rather than an abstract concept, you'll witness the daily fight of millions just to stay alive. And that will change you forever.

9. Solo travel for women helps you meet new people.
Whether you're a loner or a social butterfly, you'll have no choice - you'll constantly be meeting people. They might be fellow travelers in your hostel lobby or local people on the bus, but each day you'll add to the number of people you've met. And it will feel as natural as stepping outside. Some of these people will remain passing acquaintances - but others will become lifelong friends.

10. You'll be more open to the world.
If you're an outgoing or extroverted person, you'll put those traits to good use and stretch them. But if you're the slightest bit quiet or shy, solo travel for women will change all that. You'll enjoy the similarities you share rather than focus on the differences, and learn how to accept what's around you more easily.

11. Little things will take on more value.
Your life may become more filled with the little things. The smaller gestures - a smile, a helping hand - these are the things you'll be exchanging with people on the road. You may not have had much time for these small gestures back home. When you experience solo travel for women, these are the things that will take on new meaning and take place more often.

**Little things, like a smile**
Photo: Patricia Low via Flickr

12. You'll learn to love your own company if you don't already.
I've never been much of a loner but there's nothing like solo travel for women to make you enjoy your own company. Part of it is the empowerment of traveling on your own but also the sheer number of people you meet. Women who worry about loneliness shouldn't - it's usually a question of too many people rather than not enough. While I love meeting people when I travel, I equally relish the time spent on my own.

**Can you live without shopping malls?**
Photo: Janet Morrell via Flickr

13. You can do without the extras.
You may have thought they were essentials - television, computer, theater, cellphones, shopping malls, regular nights out, a car... Once you get used to living without many of these things - and you will - you'll genuinely adapt, and start appreciating what you have as opposed to missing what you don't.

14. You'll be less fearful.
You may find that what once looked daunting will become commonplace. If you've been afraid of things - creepy crawlies, unusual food, rickety planes and leaky boats - you'll probably find these fears will subside. After a few rides on antique planes, anything with two working engines was OK by me. Same with small reptiles. Those harmless little green geckoes that run across the ceiling never actually did fall off - but they ate all the mosquitoes so in time I actually learned to like them.

15. Many of your prejudices will disappear.
I never gave prejudice much thought until I joined the solo travel for women brigade. On my own out there, I was no longer part of the majority. Being white in Africa or black in Eastern Europe will give you a different perspective on prejudice and minorities. It's easy to ignore this stuff when you're surrounded by people like yourself but you'll be amazed at how things look from the other side of the fence.

16. You'll appreciate what you left behind.
If you left home because you weren't happy with things there, you may find a lot of the bad memories disappear with time. Perhaps you hated your job - but at least you were able to have one. Your rent might have been high - but you had a roof over your head. You may have disliked certain foods - but there was always a supermarket around the corner where something else was available. Whatever your complaints back then, you'll probably start appreciating some of the things you left behind.

These points may not all apply to you - but there's no question that solo travel for women will change you!

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