What It Is Like to Be A Solo-Female Traveler

I had the great honor of writing for a great travel blog Travel Lexx about what it feels like to be a solo-female traveler. I had so many feelings when I was writing this because at points I feel like it doesn't matter, then other times I'm rudely reminded of my gender and the limitations the world puts on women. Being a solo-female traveler adds a whole other dynamic to traveling, but I also believe that the world shows us different sides of itself because of our gender. Nevertheless, I want women to feel like they can go out and take on the world, and to not let the stories that we put on ourselves to limit our precious lives.

Here is an excerpt from the post!

Me in Bocas del Toro, Panama, taking on the world.

________________________________________________________________________________________

I feel like sunlight when I travel alone. I love nothing more than standing on a train platform at some god-awful hour in the morning. My face is untouched by makeup and my money and passport are stuffed down my sports bra. As I stand with my home on my back, I wait in anticipation for the train to come to carry me off to…. wherever. I am radiant, and I am free.

It is freedom from societal presumptions, from beauty standards, and from consumerism. It is freedom from the chaos of the world and daily dramas. It is freedom from my anxieties around my life. It is freedom from expectation. It is freedom from myself.

I can strip it all away, like peeling bark off of a tree.  I can see my tender core, my humanness when left with a few possessions and no cover-up.

But, why do I have to do it alone? Because I’m selfish. Because I didn’t want to compromise. Because I wanted to make a left or a right turn at the whim of my curiosity. I wanted to hike mountains, volcanoes, and pyramids at my own pace.  I wanted to stop on the streets and have everlasting conversations with street vendors. I don’t want to be curbed by the wants, needs, and goals of another.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

I want to encourage women to travel the world, to show the world our strength and abilities.

Thank you so much Lexx for giving me an opportunity to share my story and voice!

Please visit his blog which provides stunning photography, travel tips, and places to discover!

_______________________________________________________________________________________

If you want to read more of my interviews and learn how to be a solo female traveler, check out my post with the awesome solo-female Muslim travel blog, God+ Wanderlust.