Assumptions vs Realities of solo female travel

When I decided to go travelling around South America alone, it wasn’t because I had no one to go with – it was because I wanted to go alone! Still, only a few people believed that, the rest thought I would be lucky to come home alive. Obviously I had a ball – so much so that I’ve written a book about it – but I had to deal with a whole lot of negativity prior to jetting off, and a lot of people telling me all the reasons why it was so dreadfully dangerous…

It was all bollocks.

In this article for Hostelworld, I discuss the assumptions made about women who travel alone, and divulge the reality.

Here’s a little excerpt…

“I found it made people want to help me – I had my hair stroked by an old lady all the way from the Chilean border to the first stop in Peru, purely because I told her I was on my own, and she thought I might need some motherly love. She was right. Another time, a lady clutched my hand and called me ‘strong’ for travelling on my own every five minutes on another bus in Ecuador. The kindness I felt radiating off strangers as they shared their blankets with me on icy-Bolivian buses, or laughed in wonder at how white and hairy my arms were, far outweighed any negativity I felt. Of course you can’t float around thinking everyone wants to buy you dinner, bung you a fiver, and give you a hug – we’re not living in Disney World, but keep your suspicion at a healthy level, most people are good humans.”

Click here for the full article.