Hello! Welcome back to The Gibbons House. If you are new here, thanks for stopping by!
Travelling alone is daunting, but it can be the most rewarding thing you'll ever do. It's not for everyone, but if you are reading this, I assume you are planning a solo strip, or at least considering it.
Make sure you do your research about the location so you are aware of the local laws and customs. Every culture is different,
I have traveled as a solo female (with my dog, Anayah) twice now, and I definitely plan on doing it again. I loved the experience, the thrill. There were times, however, where I felt unsafe or unsure, being alone.
Having my dog with me (A German Shepherd/Husky cross) helped a great deal with my confidence, but I know that traveling with a dog isn't an option for some people or some countries.
Here are the things I learned whilst traveling alone as a young woman.
Keep reading for more information about each tip!
Trust your gut
I cannot express this enough. If something doesn't feel right, it probably isn't.
I have turned up to a few places I had planned on staying the night and they just didn't feel right, or made me anxious or jittery. I always left and found somewhere else.
If a situation doesn't feel safe, leave. Your instinct is a powerful thing, never doubt it.
Once I parked up at a place I didn't feel safe because I was too exhausted to carry on driving without causing an accident. At 3 am I was woken up by some local hooligans knocking on the van, blasting their speakers and revving their little Vauxhall Corsa. I stayed in the van, knowing full well that they couldn't get in, and me leaving the van would have been asking for more trouble. I pretended I wasn't in there and that the van had been abandoned over night. They soon got bored and left, but I didn't sleep at all for the rest of the night. I know that this situation could have been a lot worse. That taught me to always leave somewhere that doesn't feel right, even if it means having a quick power nap and then moving on. Trust your gut!
2. Talk to people, most people are nice
Traveling alone can be lonely at times, it can feel isolating. Especially when you don't have signal to contact you're loved ones when you need to rant about something or just tell them about the awesome day you've had.
Most people, depending on where you are traveling, are friendly and are up for a chat. I have met many people on my travels who I have formed a connection with, some of which I am still in contact with now. If you are staying on campsites, then you find like-minded travelers, if you are parking up in random car parks, you'll meet locals who are up for a good chat. Some of the most stunning places I have visited were because a local had told me about it. Being sociable is a huge part of my mental well-being, so making those connections is important to me.
In Ireland, towards the end of my trip, I had parked up at Cork Beach for the night, and we were next to a camper van with a small dog. The dog was the reason I started talking to the couple as I asked if I could pet him, and we sat on the beach as the sun set over the water talking about life. They were on the trip of their lives, having packed up their entire world into a camper van, selling their house and just driving to wherever they wanted to go next. They hadn't even planned on going to Ireland, but they found themselves at one of the ferry ports and just jumped on the ferry, thinking why not! We exchanged contacts and it inspired me, following their journey on social media. Every time I travel I try to adopt their "Why not?" attitude.
Making connections around the world is a special thing, I highly recommend it.
3. If you encounter someone who isn't nice, leave or call for help
As nice as most people are, there are those out to cause trouble, either intentionally or not. It's a horrible experience, encountering someone who scares you when you are alone, man or woman (or however you identify). Or if you stumble upon a tense situation between other people.
If you are able to do so, leave as soon as you can. Get into your vehicle and lock the doors and drive away, or walk away, however you are traveling.
Find a built up area with houses or shops.
Find someone else around and ask them for help.
If needed, ring the police and tell them you are a lone female and you feel unsafe.
Do not stay, do not engage.
I've been in a frightening situation! I drove to a harbor to stop for lunch and there was a man there with his two large breed dogs who were barking aggressively at Anayah. He yelled at me, telling me to let my dog off the lead so that his dogs could teach her a lesson at how to behave as she was nervous of his dogs.
I explained her situation to him, saying she was a rescue dog that can get anxious.
He shouted that I was abusing her, that she wasn't in the right type of setting and that he would "sort her out" for me within no time.
I had already began walking back to the van at this point, and put Anayah in her crate so she was safe. As I did, this man pulled down his trousers and showed me his bare below, then turned around and slapped his own bum, saying "Take a good look love, this is the only full moon you'll see tonight."
Even though this situation, looking back at it now, wasn't as bad as it could have been, it was enough to put me on edge and make me emotional. My mum advised me to get the local Guarda involved, which I did and they were incredibly helpful.
4. Keep your phone charged and on your person
If you do find yourself in a situation your not happy with, or get lost or disorientated, your mobile device can be your saving grace. I know there are maps and other communication devices for if you are going off grid traveling, but as a solo female traveler, a phone is an important tool.
It can be access to a map, to contacts if you need to ring someone, a source of money should you loose your card or it stops working.
There are many ways to keep your phone charged, I use a solar panel whilst I'm parked up, or if your staying in a hotel charge it there. Power-banks are super useful to have, and you can always stop in a pub for a meal and charge it whilst your eating.
5. Have reset days
Reset days whilst traveling are beneficial for multiple reasons.
On these days, I tend to travel less distance, or not at all, and take time to recharge my own battery and cook a decent meal. Some days are just so busy or I am too tired by the time I park up that I have a lazy meal, but eating well is important for your body and mind.
On these days, I reset the van. I'll get all my bedding out and shake it to remover built up dog hair, dust and sand or other earthy products that accumulate, then I'll remake my bed. I'll have a tidy up and sweep out the van, and do some shopping if I need to.
When I travel. I get into the mindset of "Go go go!". Reset days allow me to rest and organise my thoughts and life.
If you are hostel or hotel jumping, then have a day in and do your laundry, get rid of any rubbish you've stuffed in your bag and read a book or whatever your calming pass time is.
If your camping, air out your bedding, sweep out your tent and cook a good meal for yourself.
6. Slow down, It's not a race
As I mentioned in the point above, I get into the habit of trying to get to the next place now, and see as many places as I can in a day.
But then I become exhausted, and stop enjoying it. It becomes a chore rather than a pleasure. When I catch myself doing it, I will force myself to slow down and remind myself it isn't a race. I will make myself a hot drink at every stop, even if I don't want one, just to make sure I stop long enough to rest and enjoy the place I'm at. It also means I know I'm having fluids, because I forget to drink sometimes!
7. Have people at home who know roughly where you are and your plan for the day
When I go off travelling, I will tell my mum and my boyfriend my rough route for the day and where I plan on stopping. They also know that sometimes I won't have signal to contact them I'm safe, so they wait until the next day before they are allowed to start worrying if they don't hear from me.
Your route might change on the day, and your destination might change, and that's alright, so long as you let them know as soon as you can. This way, if anything was to happen to you, they know where you were last in contact with them and when, and what your rough direction of travel was. It's for your safety, and everyone's peace of mind. As much as my family love the fact that I travel, it also puts them on edge knowing I'm alone.
8. Don't plan everything, leave some things to chance
This is something that took me a while to get used to. It freaked me out just getting in the van and driving in a general direction, not having anywhere as a planned destination. But when you stick to a strict schedule or route, you miss hidden gems! It also takes out the adventure part of the trip if you know exactly where you are going to be at exactly what time.
I plan a rough route, and I know which direction I am travelling, and sometimes I'll have certain places I want to see, but if the route changes or I see something cool that I want to explore, that's all part of the journey too.
There was a walk I did in the Cairngorms National Park that I stumbled upon because I needed to stop and use the toilet at a country store. The walk was hidden behind the shop and it was an incredible walk following a river over 3 waterfalls and back down the other side. It was exhilarating, and it was by chance.
9. Keep a travel journal
You've probably heard other people suggest this, and I did a trip to France with my University that I didn't journal and I wish I had, because now I can hardly remember much of it. But for my two solo trips, I wrote in my journal at the end of every day, about where I went, what I saw, anyone I met and other random information that, at the time, may seem silly to write down, but when you read back through it years later, it takes you back to that very moment and the memory is sealed forever in words. Did something smell nice in a shop you visited, or a museum? Did the moon reflect perfectly in the ocean one night whilst bats called overhead? Little things make the memory come alive again.
I also kept things like car parking tickets, receipts, maps or leaflets and flyers.
I have made a scrapbook for my solo journeys, and in them I write what I wrote in that journal, along side photos, which brings me to the next point...
10. Photograph everything
Take photographs! Or draw/paint things you see on your journey. However it is that you capture memories, do it. All the time, and of everything. Photography is one of my passions, so being able to photograph places I've been and freeze that moment is important. Even if it seems silly to photograph it and you feel like a proper tourist, do it! Silly thing's I've photographed is a packet of dog treats a lovely old guy gave to Anayah because he bought his dog the wrong ones, a hole that Anayah dug on the beach, a mountain goat that had stood in the middle of the road, causing a traffic build up on a main A road in Scotland. Things that you think you'll remember, photograph them anyway! And when you get home you can put a book together, or a scrapbook or a photo album with all the pictures, the memories. Even something as simple as your footprints in the sand.
Bonus tip - Leave no trace!
Adventurers often get a bad reputation and in turn a not-so-welcoming greeting in a lot of places, and that's because we can cause disruption and mess. I always take the time to clear up after myself, I don't leave any litter or food around, I don't play music stupidly loud or disturb the locals and i don't park your van or set up a tent in a place that is going to be in the way of people going about their daily lives. It's their home, you are visiting. Be respectful and we'll be welcomed back.
So many campsites or free parking places have been shut due to misuse, disruption and bad behavior which then ruins it for the rest of us.
"Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, kill nothing but time." - Aliyyah Eniath
I hope you enjoy your solo travel as much as I have in the past!
Where are you planning on going? Or have you already been somewhere? Let me know in the comments or connect with me on social media!
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