Travelling alone for a woman

mayblue

I'm considering taking 4 or 5 weeks off work this year and go travelling for a good part of it however, since I've never gone alone on such a long trip I'm wondering if there's any woman out there who's done the same who can give advice on where to go.
I've read plenty of blogs and checked other sites. I know that if I want I can get an organized tour but I'm also considering the "psycho" effect of finding someone that might just ruin the holiday and make it a nightmare.
The months I'm considering for my travel are Jul, Aug, Sep. I still havent' booked the time off, so I'm quite flexible.
Any suggestion on where to go during those months which will provide good sunshine but not over 30degrees?
Any suggestions on location and travel tips would be much appreciated.

Thanks

dearg lady

mayblue wrote: »

I'm considering taking 4 or 5 weeks off work this year and go travelling for a good part of it however, since I've never gone alone on such a long trip I'm wondering if there's any woman out there who's done the same who can give advice on where to go.
I've read plenty of blogs and checked other sites. I know that if I want I can get an organized tour but I'm also considering the "psycho" effect of finding someone that might just ruin the holiday and make it a nightmare.
The months I'm considering for my travel are Jul, Aug, Sep. I still havent' booked the time off, so I'm quite flexible.
Any suggestion on where to go during those months which will provide good sunshine but not over 30degrees?
Any suggestions on location and travel tips would be much appreciated.

Thanks

plenty of women travel alone, so it's certainly do-able, but I guess there's a few extra things to consider,

Lonliness-well this could potentially to any person male or female who travels alone. You could either join an organised tour or else hope to hook with like minded people along the way. For me personally I'd go with the second option, but then I hate super organised trips. If you decide to go it alone, and would like to meet people along the way, a backpacker trail is probably about your best bet, eg interrailing arounf Europe, travelling through India, SE Asia, S America. Most likely places to meet people are on public transport and in hostels/guesthouses, and just in bars and cafes too it's easy to get chatting.

Safety- like it or not, we women generally have to be a bit more cautious when travelling alone. I think if you keep your wits about you and don't do silly things, you'll most likely be fine. I've travelled a good bit around Europe, always felt safe, and in SE Asia the only place I felt a bit unsafe was Phnom Penh, and I think that was partly bad luck, having a crappy experience on the first day.

This sumer is actually the first time I'll be travelling on my own as well, and I'm excited and nervous in equal amounts!

dory

If you're looking for somewhere under 30 degrees for those months I would suggest South America. Asia, India and Central America can all get crazy hot.
It's totally fine to travel alone as a woman. Just have to keep your wits about you. No getting drunk on a mountain or anything. Don't go wandering around in the dark on your own. Go to a place that has hostels with common rooms (most tourist places except Thailand). That's where you'll meet people.

getz

mayblue wrote: »

I'm considering taking 4 or 5 weeks off work this year and go travelling for a good part of it however, since I've never gone alone on such a long trip I'm wondering if there's any woman out there who's done the same who can give advice on where to go.
I've read plenty of blogs and checked other sites. I know that if I want I can get an organized tour but I'm also considering the "psycho" effect of finding someone that might just ruin the holiday and make it a nightmare.
The months I'm considering for my travel are Jul, Aug, Sep. I still havent' booked the time off, so I'm quite flexible.
Any suggestion on where to go during those months which will provide good sunshine but not over 30degrees?
Any suggestions on location and travel tips would be much appreciated.

Thanks

japan is well known to be a very safe [for the lone female] and the people and country are very friendly

jimmypitt

dory wrote: »

If you're looking for somewhere under 30 degrees for those months I would suggest South America. Asia, India and Central America can all get crazy hot.
It's totally fine to travel alone as a woman. Just have to keep your wits about you. No getting drunk on a mountain or anything. Don't go wandering around in the dark on your own. Go to a place that has hostels with common rooms (most tourist places except Thailand). That's where you'll meet people.

Is it not their winter in June,July,August...

rebel10

getz wrote: »

japan is well known to be a very safe [for the lone female] and the people and country are very friendly

Yup I was in Japan, great great place. My friend lived there, bit of a ditz and left her wallet on 2 occassions on public transport. When she called into the police station to check if they had it, both times it was with everything still intact, not one penny missing. If that is anything to go by. Brilliant place. Think it can get quite hot though durin the summer.

dearg lady

jimmypitt wrote: »

Is it not their winter in June,July,August...

it would depend where in S America, close to the equator would be similiarly hot year round, I'd imagine all the way down at the bottom of Chile and Argentina get's pretty damn cold in Jul/Aug tho!

dory

dearg lady wrote: »

it would depend where in S America, close to the equator would be similiarly hot year round, I'd imagine all the way down at the bottom of Chile and Argentina get's pretty damn cold in Jul/Aug tho!

Yes, exactly. Mancora, Peru is a hot beach place all year round, as is a lot of Ecuador. I was in Peru during June, July and August. Was overcast in Lima but sunny everywhere else. In Argentina there'll be snow in parts, but that could be fun too!

mayblue

dearg lady wrote: »

plenty of women travel alone, so it's certainly do-able, but I guess there's a few extra things to consider,

Lonliness-well this could potentially to any person male or female who travels alone. You could either join an organised tour or else hope to hook with like minded people along the way. For me personally I'd go with the second option, but then I hate super organised trips. If you decide to go it alone, and would like to meet people along the way, a backpacker trail is probably about your best bet, eg interrailing arounf Europe, travelling through India, SE Asia, S America. Most likely places to meet people are on public transport and in hostels/guesthouses, and just in bars and cafes too it's easy to get chatting.

Safety- like it or not, we women generally have to be a bit more cautious when travelling alone. I think if you keep your wits about you and don't do silly things, you'll most likely be fine. I've travelled a good bit around Europe, always felt safe, and in SE Asia the only place I felt a bit unsafe was Phnom Penh, and I think that was partly bad luck, having a crappy experience on the first day.

This sumer is actually the first time I'll be travelling on my own as well, and I'm excited and nervous in equal amounts!

nice one lady, where are you travelling to?

mayblue

dory wrote: »

If you're looking for somewhere under 30 degrees for those months I would suggest South America. Asia, India and Central America can all get crazy hot.
It's totally fine to travel alone as a woman. Just have to keep your wits about you. No getting drunk on a mountain or anything. Don't go wandering around in the dark on your own. Go to a place that has hostels with common rooms (most tourist places except Thailand). That's where you'll meet people.

hahahaha your comment about getting drunk on a mountain is surely a good advice but made me laugh and I wonder... is there someone you know who did that?????

mayblue

getz wrote: »

japan is well known to be a very safe [for the lone female] and the people and country are very friendly

thanks getz...i heard is very expensive though!

mayblue

dory wrote: »

Yes, exactly. Mancora, Peru is a hot beach place all year round, as is a lot of Ecuador. I was in Peru during June, July and August. Was overcast in Lima but sunny everywhere else. In Argentina there'll be snow in parts, but that could be fun too!

thanks dory

mayblue

thank you all for the advice and suggestions...
i'm still considering different options but if i do take the big step i will make a thread of it to let you know how it went

dearg lady

mayblue wrote: »

nice one lady, where are you travelling to?

Hey, I'm headin to Se Asia this time around, and I'm very excited to be heading off on my own but I know I'll be a nervous wreck when the day comes around!

also, on Japan, it is very safe and lots to do, very friendly people. Expensive, maybe, i guess it's relative, transport is probably the most expensive part. Accommodation not as dear as Ireland and if you go for traditional accom, you can generally get better deals. I found eating out to be quite cheap(kaiten sushi, yuuum!!!) and many sights are free.