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i travel alone all the time and i selected both good and bad. in most places, i felt fairly safe and no one hassled me. i have been all over the world and still prefer to travel solo. i found myself only hassled in 2 places. once in edinburgh,scotland i was followed leaving a bar. and the other time i was in jerusalem and got hassled MANY TIMES by arab men, and felt like i was going to get raped once in a store when one of the owners shut and locked the door.....
i dressed modestly too.
most parts of the world that interest me i would still travel to solo. however, it has always been my dream to go to egypt. based on women my own age who have traveled there solo or with another female, i would only go there with a man. there might be women here who went to egypt alone and had no problems, so thats great. i just heard otherwise and would only go with a man.
I am enjoying traveling solo more & more the older I get. There are some things I'd like to have a companion along so I could enjoy them more, but overall, I get the tranquility and battery recharging my body needs. I try to balance solo travel with family trips - it always makes me appreciate what each has to offer. I also hate to fly now & will only do so when there is no other option; thus long road trips are not favored by many, so I get my solo fix!
traveled to Ireland alone, but met up with a tour group. Did travel for a week to Arizona alone
went on 9 cruises 6 solo and had a great time. Also did Williamsburg and North Carolina solo. Spent
lots of time for work staying solo had hotels.
I've travelled all over the world, mostly by myself, occasionally with one other person. But I like travelling by myself because as others said, I get to do exactly what I want to do. I can see whatever sights I want or do whatever I want--or I can just stay at the hotel and rest.
I do occasionally meet other travelers and have remained friends with a few, but mostly I like to be by myself.
I've only had one really bad experience, on a train ride in Poland, but it wasn't just me, and it wasn't just women and it wasn't just foreigners. The train conductor woke everyone up halfway through an overnight trip and tried to demand all of our money. We all refused though and he eventually left us alone.
China was a hard trip for me. Nothing bad happened, it just wasn't very relaxing. I wanted to see a lot, in a short time. Everywhere else I'd been, the alphabet was familiar and even without speaking the language, I could make out a few words or guess at them. But not in China. So there was some stress and work involved in the trip, more so than other trips I've made. Still enjoyable though and I'm glad I went.
Do any ladies here often camp alone, in a tent or other lodging other than a hotel/motel, or inn type setting? What have been your experiences?
I backpack & camp alone all the time. I spent 5 weeks last year backpacking & camping alone in Denali National Park.
I like being able to march to the tune of my own drum so to speak. I hike my own pace. Stop to make camp when I want.
Almost all of my experiences have been great. I experienced things like grizzly bears fighting off wolves in the early morning hours! Pretty exciting!
The only scary experience I have had is a thick fog rolling in while I was out of my tent for a call of nature. That was a tense time finding land marks to get back to my tent. Fog is pretty disorienting.
I'm not sure if it counts as "travelling alone", since I was technically with a group from school, but when I went to a summer program in Spain I didn't know anyone. I did spend a lot of time walking around Bilbao on my own and met a lot of people. Other than that, I don't travel alone, but purely because I just don't like going out or on a trip by myself (not because of safety). It's easier in some countries than others, so do a lot of research on what's appropriate. I've heard about tourist women getting hassled in Morocco if there isn't a man with them, but at the same time I've heard that it isn't particularly dangerous as long as you know what you're doing (I also read that if you make a huge scene out of it, they'll leave you alone....but I don't know if I want to try it...). When I went to Peru we met up with two women who were each travelling alone and loved it. Both felt completely safe and had a great time, though one minded the extra male attention more than the other.
As far as language, wherever I go I at least try to learn basic phrases to get by. First off, because not everyone speaks English (I've run into this wherever I've gone outside of the U.S. or England), so it's useful. Also, I think it's rude to walk up to someone in their own country and not at least try to speak to them in their own language. I've found that most people appreciate the effort and are more likely to help you out if you go up and try.
yes, I have traveled solo. In fact, I mostly do so. It takes some planning and I have found, if it is an extended trip, I need to find some way to connect with other Americans, even if it's a coffee or lunch. I usually try to find some women's group who meets or whom I could call and either drop in for a chat or participate in an activity. It helps when traveling solo to have such checkpoints. I went to China solo and many other places as well.
Location: Big Island- Hawaii, AK, WA where the whales are!
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mekia02 Do any ladies here often camp alone, in a tent or other lodging other than a hotel/motel, or inn type setting? What have been your experiences?
Yes I do it often in the Western US and did some driving back from Alaska this year.. Although I do take a dog. Sleep to the most part in a hard shell canopy in the back of my truck. For saftey in the beging years ago- I did bring a gun while tenting but in Alaska no go with going through Canada no guns. So I had a can of bear spray and flare gun. Thinking a flare gun would do more damage close range than a gun. Again always use my gut for a place to stay, hang out with people. It was no worries the people met were great and every one looks out for everyone else on the Alcan for the most part.
When I ride my horse in the woods, sleep with a tent or just on the ground with a tarp. No problem in woods usually way out where no one is. Only on long trips do I take a gun and it is just in case I need it if horse gets really injuried.
Knock on wood I have never had a problem. Again just be smart. Even in towns when meeting people I usually find a local that knows everyone and points out anyone to stay away from. Now I don't go to big towns and go clubbing or anything again that would put me in harms way. You don't go into a bar, tell every drunk your camping at this spot by yourself etc.
I prefer at this point in my life to the most part traveling solo. No dealing with what does someone else want to do. And I find people are more friendly on the most part if you are alone. Have fun and just go with it!!
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women camping alone, in a tent ...
