Travelling seems to be everybody’s dream. And why not? Who has never dreamed of crossing borders, meeting new people, engage with drastically different cultures? But it is not accessible to everyone; money, adapting to a new world, safety…before leaving, it feels like many questions remain unsolved.
And the thought of being a solo backpacking woman will probably hinder you in taking that decision that will probably change your life. And it should not. I traveled through South-East Asia by myself, as an eighteen years old woman, and the comments that I got from most travelers were “You are so young. I would never have been able to do that.” And actually, yes you and everybody can!
South-East Asia is probably among the safest places where to travel and here are my whys:
- The people are incredibly nice and will always do their best to help. Of course, I cannot promise that you will never encounter any problems with the locals. But in seven months, I can assure you that I have never felt threatened by anyone.
- South-East Asia has great tourist facilities. You will not need to have everything planned out and organised in advance. I did not know which city my next destination would be until about day before. Whether you stay in hostels, hotels, guesthouses, it will be easy for you to ask for a bus to pick you up and take you to another place. The locals generally organise tours of the cities, help you get visas for your next destination, give you advice on where to eat; all in all, you can go with the flow.
Of course, there are some basic security advice that you need to follow:
- Dress properly, especially at night. Of course, the Asian never-ending summer will make you want to get out your tiny shorts and cleavages. But that is not usual there and people might not appreciate it, even more in the most remote areas. Linen trousers, shorts that are not to provocative, shirts covering your shoulders are probably the best things to wear; anyway, you cannot enter any temple if you walk with bare shoulders and legs. And honestly, what is south-east Asia without its temples?
- Basic – but probably still important to mention: be careful where you go at night. Stay in the touristic areas, they are safe to walk around alone, whereas other more remote areas are not; stay in busy places. It will reduce your anxiety and will reduce the chances of making bad encounters.
- Keep your passport and money in a safe place; if you carry them around with you, choose a backpack over a purse as it will be harder to take it away from you. But the best option is to leave them in a locker at your hostel.
Those are the few basic things that every traveller should be mindful of and do when moving around the world. If you adopt these habits, you will reduce the risks of having encountering problems, and you will feel more relaxed to enjoy the beauty of the culture that is surrounding you!
But also, you have to keep in mind that the beauty of travelling is also the unexpected and what that might bring – so do not be scared of socializing, interact with the local and try new things, trust me, that you make you happy and, most certainly, will make you laugh in a few years.