One way to prove how capable you are as a woman is to take yourself on a little solo holiday. A step further is to make that impulsive decision to solo travel for months on end. Which is precisely what I chose to do, and perhaps naively, I don’t yet have any regrets.

Some people, sometimes slightly irritatingly, have called me brave. Content creators sometimes link solo travel to self-love. Yet, I don’t know what bravery means, and I couldn’t define self-love for you. But if solo female travel does reflect self-love, how could anyone have an issue with it?

Solo Female Travel: Definitely on the rise

According to Solo Travel Statistics, Booking.com, Skyscanner, and World Nomads have all seen increases in demand from solo travellers. Meanwhile, ‘over a third of Brits prefer to travel alone’ according to Norwegian Cruise Line. Men are slightly ahead, with 63% embracing solo travel compared to just 54% of women. Yet, there has still been a considerable rise in searches for solo female travel content.

The benefits of solo travel

The Travel psychologist argues that solo travel gives people the opportunity to focus on themselves and to break the habit of prioritising others’ needs over their own. 

When I decided to travel, I ‘put myself first’ even though I was worried about the potential commitments I would be neglecting at home. Yet, I have managed to keep on top of anything necessary whilst choosing to live a life that is mine. Ironically, I now have no choice but to decide what I want to do each day. This has made me more attuned to my needs, increased my confidence, and enabled me to have more space to support others, simply because I am happy with my own life.

Being able to care for one’s needs is also vital for supporting others because of the negative impacts of self-neglect, according to certified holistic coach Kirstein. How is anyone supposed to have the energy to sufficiently support others when they don’t give themselves anything? Plus, the underlying reason why some are hurtful towards others is that they have low self-esteem. 

Downfalls of putting yourself first

Erica Suter, Youth Female Athlete Coach, claims that putting yourself first can be isolating if you become disconnected from the community. Moreover, helping others is fulfilling in itself. I think that solo travel can sometimes feel isolating, because it does entail being in different places for short periods rather than being somewhere you can call home. 

Yet, I have made authentic connections with people whom I would never have met if I hadn’t chosen to travel. This reinforced my sense that everyone is connected, despite distances and differences in backgrounds. And thanks to technology, I have managed to maintain contact with those I’m close with back at home. 

Respecting your needs and choices does not entail forgetting about others. In fact, when your life aligns with the life that you want, you are more likely to meet people with whom you authentically connect. This means that a better mutual understanding is expected to develop, meaning any support is likely to be better.

Solo Travel and Female Empowerment: Why we still need feminism

Being attuned to your needs, whether solo travelling or not, is indispensable for good self-esteem. But how could it be empowering? 

For those who think that women’s issues are ‘fine now’, a survey conducted by Fidelity revealed that just 45% of women in the UK feel financially independent, which is a significant reason why many women feel they cannot make their own decisions. 

Women’s safety is also in peril with around 85,000 women experiencing ‘rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault’ each year in England and Wales. And around the world, the UN estimates that 1 in 3 women experience sexual violence.

Still shrugging your shoulders?

In recent years, the Taliban has been eroding women’s rights in Afghanistan. These have included a ban on girls attending secondary school, and a ban on women ‘singing’, ‘reading’ or ‘laughing outside their homes’. 

This isn’t just a petulant issue in some developing countries. 

Instead, the US recently failed to recognise the CEDAW agreement, which commits to ending discrimination against women. According to WAVE (Women against Violence Europe), this reflects a ‘broader political agenda’, where Trump’s administration has ‘framed gender equality as a matter of individual responsibility rather than structural support’ and who interpret gender issues as ‘biological essentialism’. 

This is not the first or last problem that has occurred in ‘developed countries’, with the rise of the manosphere, the rollback on US abortion rights, and the weaponisation of women’s safety to undermine trans rights.

Self-Love and Feminism

Feminist Wire argues that self-love is elusive because multiple societal institutions instil the opposite. Just think, even as girls, we are taught to be as pretty as possible, to be inordinately polite, and to handle even the most difficult situations as elegantly as possible. This way, self-love is inherently radical because we are actively defying this. 

Greater levels of confidence also enable women to speak up more, identify their needs, and support one another. This is because when we dislike ourselves, we often project this onto others, which explains why women can sometimes derail one another.  

But not only is this valuable on an individual level, but it also enables us to recognise our social and political needs. And when we are supportive of one another, we are more likely to achieve more together.

Where does travel fit into this?

By making a choice that aligns with what you want, you are prioritising your needs and boosting your confidence. But in the long run, solo travel should entail just as much self-growth as it does learning more about the world around you. 

This should foster stronger compassion and encourage a stronger global community. Hence, we become more attuned to speaking up for the needs of those around us, as well as our own needs.

Should we ‘put ourselves first?’

The narrative of ‘putting yourself first’ is often used to tune into your needs whilst remaining empathetic.  As we have seen, self-neglect can lead to the poorer treatment of those around us. So, framed in this way, we absolutely should put ourselves first!

If there is one or two who believe it entails forgetting about those around you, then no. Self-prioritisation and community can, and should go hand in hand.

So, is Solo Female Travel Empowering?

Because solo travelling entails putting yourself first and building your confidence, solo female travelling is empowering. Particularly considering that women are often taught to compromise our needs for others, and we usually lack confidence internally, particularly when speaking up.

Nevertheless, it is essential to be aware of some common myths about solo travel, be mindful of your privilege, and know how to practice responsible travel. The following post in this series will debunk some common myths about solo travel, and the last post in the series will discuss all things travel and privilege.

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