 you took the time to put facts to the problem. Makes it so much easier to prove those idiotic commenters wrong. 🙂
Stephanie did such a great job with her post, she captured exactly that feeling of frustration over this!
Thanks for your thoughtful post. I know that I personally feel much safer living abroad in some ways than I did while living in the United States. I have no fear of walking home alone at night here in Thailand. That being said, I have no illusions of safety anywhere in the world. Bad things can happen anywhere and at any given time, including in our home countries. We should not live in fear. We must be careful of our surroundings but enjoy our lives. Thanks, again Christine.
This is a really good one. #travel
Thanks for your real talk here! I’m from Chicago, which is infamous for its crime-rate. I feel like there’s a level of caution women have to take when being alone -anywhere-… and this is just an unfortunate fact. It sucks that it’s this way, but ignoring it will not make it untrue. Plus, isn’t it just as bad if a man dies? Isn’t it just as bad if a father is killed? How come if this kind of tragedy happens to a man, no one asks what business he had travelling alone? That’s the part that troubles me.
Traveled all over world, take precautions just like at home. Generally felt safer out there than in America.
Please read me. This is very well written.
Thank you.
Though I am not as beautiful a this woman. I grew up in urban America and learned to walk/look and dress like a male. While traveling, I look like a hoodlum (China, MX, Argentina, even in USA) and have fit right in. I don’t interact or make eye contact with anybody while out of the country. In addition, when I dress in business attire males have “eyed” the blonde female next to me with the same attire.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
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Thank you for such a thoughtful, fact-filled post! I’m still raging after reading the comments, especially the one from the man who “would not let his beautiful wife out of the door to travel alone”. Umm, THAT comment is scary. Like you, other bloggers have also mentioned that it is not the fact that women travel that is the problem, it is violence against women that is the problem, and that is a problem in the US and in Europe just like it is in Asia or South America. I think I will write a blog post on this, but I need to calm down a little first.
The Women Traveling Solo Question via @almostfearless #wegosolo
I never know how to take people seriously when they question how safe it is to travel to some of the countries I’ve been to. I usually remind them that I’m from Chicago, so that’s what I’m comparing it to! Thanks for sharing this article.
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Thank you, thank you, for getting this all down on paper. Those comments make me so enraged and are probably being made by people that have never traveled themselves.
this is fabulously written! Well said almost fearless;). my family has suffered tragedy overseas and like you, I continue to feel strongly about travel and the dangers and losses people face when they don’t travel!
This. “@legalnomads: “Don’t you realize how dangerous NOT traveling is?” @almostfearless on solo female travel”
Great post until the end – the 1.5% rape rate in Turkey is entirely misleading. Many rapes are not reported, especially out east, where Turkish women who have been raped/sexually abused/harassed could well become the victim of an honor killing if they report it. Istanbul/the Aegean/the Med and the tourist towns in Cappadocia — the parts of Turkey that most travellers visit — are not representative of greater Turkey. I would never tell a woman NOT to go to Turkey, nor would I tell her not to venture off the beaten path into its more conservative areas. But I would tell her to be extra aware of cultural differences and to remember that what goes over in Istanbul will not go over so well in Diyarbakir.
Statistics don’t always tell the whole story.
Otherwise — yes women, travel solo!
Okay I will clarify that in the post, thanks Gina!
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Great article – the last set of comments made me so furious – I live in the Middle East – I have to travel solo every time I go to work, return home from dropping my kids at school, go to the super market – I’ve travelled solo to many Muslim and Middle Eastern countries and Turkey would be the least of my worries – in fact my kids and I went there last year with no man to protect us!! Seriously, it’s a tragic situation, but not one for all this hipocracy and biggotry – no amount of travel will broaden the minds of people who think like that
Kirsty, yeah we lived in Beirut for a good portion of last year, which is not the same as Turkey, but still I’m constantly shocked by the open hostility towards Muslims that’s so casually tossed around these days.
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Write on, lady! I think so many people are naive to the somewhat surprising statistics about how common rape is in America & that it’s often by someone they know, as you point out.
People are so often surprised that I felt safer in other countries than I do in the US. Of course, I live in the murder hot bed of the US, but living in Asia I felt so much more secure traveling myself than I do in the US. It sure didn’t hurt that there’s a stronger community awareness & far fewer weapons. But most of that you have to travel to learn.
And the gross generalizations about Muslim nations & cultures are appalling. I hope that at least saying it in a public forum is a step to opening someone’s mind about it.
Love this post!! I have traveled extensively alone and rarely had a problem. I hate some if the victim blaming these types of incidents can trigger. There was a murder recently in my home city of a woman walking a couple of blocks home alone from a dinner. It sparked so many people saying how stupid that was that it made me so mad. This type of incident is rare in aus and to say a woman should never leave the house without a male protector is ridiculous. There is always a risk, but you shouldn’t let it stop you living your life.
The Women Traveling Solo Question LOVE this blog post!
amen! –> The Women Traveling Solo Question
[…]: […]
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[…] to cover old ground. For their perspectives, see Twenty-Something Travel, Katie Going Global, Almost Fearless, A Dangerous Business, C’est Christine and Adventurous […]
The Women Traveling Solo Question
As a solo woman living and traveling in Mexico I find the benefits far outweigh any risks, perceived or real.
Impressively documented and thought out. Jolly good.
A bright, blonde, young American female friend spent a year traveling around the world, alone. During that time, she reports a single instance she was uncomfortable: On a train in northern India, when a group of men gathered around her and gawked.
[…] it on herself as a solo female traveller, the solo female travelsphere exploded with tweets and fabulous blog posts about how travelling as a solo female is SAFE. It’s a topic that has enraged and […]
Loved the stats you provided to back up the facts of the matter. Traveling solo provides a rich experience and as women so many of us are shedding our fears to move more boldly in this world. Just think, they thought Freya Stark was crazy in the early 20th century, too, and she proved to be a smart and capable intrepid traveler doing what no woman in those days would dare. Ms. Sierra’s death is just a sad reminder that bad things do happen, but that does not mean we cower inside our homes in fear. Thank you for such an informative write-up, Christina.
Bottom line – whether at home or abroad, be aware and make smart decisions.
There is no better education or more pleasurable way to enjoy life, learn about yourself and others, than to travel.
Excellent post, Christine!
Real stats and figures? Thoughtful discussion? THANK YOU. The Women Traveling Solo Question via @almostfearless
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Great article – these myths need to be dispelled. The sad fact is that women are at risk from male violence everywhere in the world and what particularly turns my stomach is the victim blaming. Women have every right to walk the streets, wearing whatever they like, alone or with others without threat from male violence. One point though, when you