Vacation For Woman Alone
Imagine this for a moment. You’ve saved up for ages for this dream vacation with your loved one. You have perfect weather, you’re staying in a resort, and you even have the luxury of doing nothing but lounging around the beach all day (ideal). However, while it’s not exactly what you pictured it to be, this is not very different from the average vacation a single woman has at times.
Have you ever taken a vacation for yourself, or were you the type of person who was always doing something for other people?
Wondering how to spend your solo holiday? Here are affordable ideas by destination.
Managing a student hostel is no easy task. Students often get on each other’s nerves and you end up playing the role of a mediator every other day. I remember one such evening when my roommate, Sarah, and two other girls were having a heated argument about who would get the room for a coming weekend. It was going nowhere and I felt like shouting at them to stop their meaningless arguing but Sarah was in no mood to listen. The best thing you can do in such situations is to take a deep breath and walk away so that they could resolve the issue themselves. My decision to go on a weekend vacation had nothing to do with being proactive but it worked out pretty well at that time.
Vacation For Woman Alone
Solo female travel just keeps getting hotter. According to the George Washington University School of Business, nearly two-thirds of today’s travelers are women. The Travel Industry Association reports that an estimated 32 million American women travel alone every year. And travel companies are seeing a big uptick in interest from solo female travelers.
Hostelworld, the largest online hostel-booking platform, has seen a growth in female solo bookings of 45% between 2015 and 2017.
So how are women making the most of solo travel and where are they going? I tapped into some accomplished travelers to get their top tips for traveling solo — and the best places to travel as a woman alone. Here’s what they had to say.
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Nikki Misurelli, the woman who has ridden a motorcycle around the globe.PHOTO COURTESY OF NIKKI MISURELLI
Who: Nikki Misurelli, an adventure motorcycle rider who has ridden around the globe. Follow Nikki’s travels on Facebook and Instagram.
Keep an Open Mind: It might be easy to go to the tourist areas where everyone speaks English and can accommodate you, but take the extra challenge to step out of your comfort zone and try the path less traveled . It has its risks, as does anything in life, but it’s a great way to experience a culture or region. It’s fascinating to see how people live their daily lives in a regular non-touristy community. Eat like the locals, sleep like the locals, participate in activities like the locals. A smile (and Google Translate) can go a long way, even if you don’t speak the same language.
Be Adventurous But Prepared: I got really (really) sick while traveling and it was terrifying. When I got home, I looked into a medical transport membership program called Medjet that the guys in my bike shop recommended. It’s super affordable, and when I found out they had a membership that also offered security response, I picked that one — MedjetHorizon. I feel a little more safe while being adventurous knowing they have my back (24/7 crisis response) and it makes my mom and grandma so happy that if something bad happened to me, they’d have someone to call.
Write in a Journal! When we travel, we think we will remember all the details, but in actuality so many new things are happening so quickly every day, and eventually the details will fade away. Even just taking five minutes a day to write down any major events or key memories will help to remind you of so much that you may forget over the years. I personally love going back and reading my travel journals. Photos are also a great way to capture the moments, but we have to be careful not to get completely obsessed over only taking photos and not actually taking in and living in the moment.
Nikki Misurelli in Morocco.PHOTO COURTESY OF NIKKI MISURELLI
Where to Go: Morocco was one of my favorite places to visit as a solo female traveler. It was a unique and culturally different experience, but I felt extremely safe and welcomed everywhere I went. The people were all very nice and helpful in all situations and everyone made sure I was happy, safe and enjoying my travels. One time I even ran out of gas and got stranded overnight in a small non-touristy town. No one could speak English, there were no hotels for hours, I didn’t have any Moroccan cash, only Euros (which no one could accept) and no gas stations or currency exchange offices were open. I sat down at a small local cafe late at night and paid for a meal with the last of the change in my pocket. Some friendly local residents sat down with me, gave me a free hot tea and we managed to communicate with Google Translate. When they heard of my adventures and struggles, they immediately welcomed me to their family’s home and gave me a warm blanket on the floor (the same way they sleep), more food and a locked place to park my motorcycle. Once I was able to get my currency exchanged, I tried to give this family money and buy them food, but they absolutely would not accept. I was shown the most beautiful compassion and kindness. This family (along with many others) will always hold a special place in my heart and memories.
