Being alone has never been so cool. Feeling daring to follow the craze?
2018 could be the year of women. Feminism is climbing the charts in our society, especially after campaigns like the #MeToo movement and the Harvey Weinstein affair. The year began with the Golden Globes’ all-black attire and its “Time’s Up” pins, and February marked the centenary of the women’s vote in the UK. With Women’s International Day looming over our agendas, Ulysses Magazine talks through the empowerment of women in the travel industry and the increase of adventurous solo travellers.
As Aristotle famously said: “Man is by nature a social animal; an individual who is unsocial naturally and not accidentally is either beneath our notice or more than human.” He believed that human beings were created to live as part of a society. Yet, the self-centred and individualist world that we live in today offers a more narcissist perspective of the individual. Selfies, the increase of divorce rates or the evaporation of the stigma around being single are some of the features that predominate in our society.
As a result, the tourism industry has experienced a rise of solo travellers. According to the marketing firm MMGY, approximately one in four people will travel alone this year. Google Trends shows a 40% increment in the number of searches for ‘solo travel’ in the past two years, with the search “solo female travel destinations” being in the lead.
What is significant about this growing trend is the rising number of females daring to embark on a trip without a companion. Although Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love was released 12 years ago, it is now that women are preferring individual travel over shared experiences. Top blogger, Marybeth Bond reports on her site “The Gutsy Traveler” that 73% of travel agents note that more female travellers are choosing to travel solo compared to their male fellow travellers.
But, why the sudden interest? “I think it is part of the moment that we live in. Women, luckily, are becoming more independent, freer and count with a bigger power of decision to do whatever they want,” says David Moralejo, editor-in-chief from Condé Nast Traveler in Spain. “Travelling solo, whether you are a man or a woman, has become a trend pushed by the rise of the “single” status and the vanishing of taboos related to making plans without a partner.” The socio-economic situation that our society has now, with more women being economically independent, has also prompted females to try things that were previously done only by men.
“I got the travel bug and none of my friends could meet me, so I just decided that I did not want to let that stop me.”
With this said, if ‘travel’ was among your New Year’s resolution but you are struggling to find that like-minded friend or accomplice to do it with you; why not bring a little adventure to your plan and travel solo? Gaby Galvin, writer at US News & World Report, was on a year abroad in Australia when she decided to travel around Europe on her own for seven weeks. “I got the travel bug and none of my friends could meet me, so I just decided that I did not want to let that stop me.” She admits feeling more confident after she dared to travel solo and uses some of the lessons learnt from her experience in her everyday life. “I felt like I wanted to do it more and more. It made me feel like I don’t need anyone, if I want to do something I’m just going to do it. I am not going to wait around for someone to do it with me. Not just in terms of travel, but life in general.” So, are you going to let your friend’s agenda stop you from travelling?
Stepping out of your comfort zone can be tough and risky but will also provide you a feeling of independence that nothing else can. Travelling solo brings you the opportunity to design your experience just how you want it. Spend the whole day shopping without a bored boyfriend complaining about it, or choose your itineraries without clashing opinions on what to do with your travel buddy. Be the writer of your own destiny!
Voluntarily putting yourself in an unfamiliar place with no one else to rely on but yourself is a big challenge. It can be a tiring life test. However, this will help you know yourself better and it will boost your personal confidence and self-esteem. Gema de los Reyes is a 46-year-old woman who has been travelling the world alone since the age of 22. Her passion for photography and literature motivated her to document her adventures on her blog www.viajandoconmicamara.com. And, although she now travels with her husband most of the time, she still enjoys her solitary travelling. “You get to know your possibilities, you face your fears and your limits. I think that gives you a feeling of freedom and helps you grow personally.”
“This solitude is nourishing, you do it because you want to.”
But, why would you travel solo if you can share your experience with others? Travelling alone will force you to try and learn other cultures different from your own; and you will interact with societies and individuals in a way that you probably wouldn’t when travelling accompanied. It is important to bear in mind that this lonesomeness is a result of your own compromise to travel with no one but yourself. “This solitude is nourishing, you do it because you want to. Enjoying your own company is a process that needs learning but that eventually will feed your inner self,” Gema adds.
Climbing on the female solo travel bandwagon can make you feel a little apprehensive at first. “Would I make any friends? Who would I speak to if I need help? I’ve never gone out for a meal by myself!” could be some of the possible thoughts eating your brain. We live in a moment when everything is socially shared. You tell people what you are doing and who you are doing it with on all our social media networks. “It is embarrassing the first you have to, for example, ask for a table for one in a restaurant. But you get used to it, you learn that the next time you’ll bring a book with you, or you use that time to plan your next activity,” says Noemi Martin Zaplana, who is studying a masters in International Hotel Management at Les Roches Jin Jiang, in Shanghai. The availability of Internet connection everywhere you go also reduces the feeling of loneliness and helps in the “moments of homesickness” throughout the journey, she adds.
Visiting a different country can be intimidating and scary at times when travelling on your own as a woman. Although females are feeling more confident and independent, it is true that depending on which country you are travelling to, women can still be seen as the weak sex by some cultures. For instance, it won’t be the same to travel to a country in Europe like Italy or Switzerland and travelling to Morocco or India. Not because of you, but because of the perception that the different cultures around the world have of women. This can explain why some of the challenges presented to travellers throughout the journey are not the same when you are a man.
“I often felt a bit nervous when on my own in an unknown place with no purpose.”
Sophie Malandrinos, textile student living in Bath, had a feeling of uncertainty that she believes men do not feel when travelling alone: “I often felt a bit nervous when on my own in an unknown place with no purpose. For example, while standing waiting for a train or standing in the street looking at my phone. There is definitely a vulnerability that women feel when alone that fewer men feel when travelling.” Moreover, she thinks this feeling of vulnerability is reflected on the parents’ reluctance when their children express their desire to travel alone. “My parents definitely worried a lot more about me than they did about my brother when we went on very similar trips.” While safety concerns are one of the main reasons restraining women from travelling solo, there is no need to travel to exotic, hard-to-get places to experience the real solo travel adventure.
“Solitude is fine but you need someone to tell you that solitude is fine,” stated Honoré de Balzac already in the 19th century. If you are a female willing to explore the outside world but you are lacking a courageous travel buddy, now is the time to follow the craze of female solo travelling. And remember, “being alone isn’t the same as being lonely.”
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