There has been a recent change in mentality regarding traveling. Once seen as a luxury, traveling has become a regular aspect for many people. Whenever I meet older people, especially older women, and tell them about my travel adventures, they marvel at the courage young people and young women have to travel and experience different countries and cultures. Their sentiment stems from the sentiment that they were not allowed to dream that big when they were young. Traveling was for the rich and famous, and it was also for men.  Because men were breadwinners, they would travel to other cities, countries, and continents for business. Some men went abroad because they were in the military and could Cy the world. Women had to contend with listening to stories from their husbands’ adventures, reading magazines, or watching the news. From my conversations with older women, I gathered that they wished they did not have to wait until they became widows, divorced, or old to realize their bucket list. They wanted society to make it acceptable for them to explore the world. 

Today, women are exploring the world more than men. They have more independence to say they want to travel and Cy the World. Statistics show that women, whether married or not, are traveling more than men. Women use traveling as a liberating tool, and travel companies, like many other industries, cater more to women travelers than men because they are the decision and planning agents when it comes to traveling. Some married women who travel alone state that they travel alone because their husbands are either busy or not interested in traveling. Others say that their husbands do not want to spend money and are not interested in some of the activities travel agencies offer. Therefore, more women are choosing to travel alone, making them the most prominent solo travelers, which requires us to analyze the importance of solo travel. 

The Importance of Solo Travel

It seems as though the phrase “solo travel” or “solo traveling” has become a pop culture or Instagram trend. Regiondo states that “solo travel” has increased in popularity since 2009. Businesses and travel agencies have seen an uptick in solo travelers, and Instagram accounts have made it cool for people to embark on solo trips. However, solo traveling or traveling alone has been done throughout history. Whenever we now think of solo traveling, we think of Instagram influencers backpacking through Europe to find themselves. When we imagine solo travelers, the picture we have is of a young white female choosing to go abroad for leisure, making us jealous on social media. However, people used to leave their homes alone to travel to other lands since the beginning. They went to seek a better life: some left work, others to study, and others for love. The goal for each solo traveler was to seek a change in their life, whether romantic, financial, or educational because solo travel evokes change in a human being’s life. 

Solo traveling is vital because every man, whether men or women, needs to experience a time of self-discovery. Self-discovery gives us the time to reflect on who we are, meant to be, and want to be. Self-discovery allows us to heal from our past, analyze our present, and plan for the future. It is a time for every human to take the time for themselves and reflect without distractions. Unfortunately, when we are among those who know us or our everyday normalcy, we do not have time to take the time for ourselves. America’s famous slogan is “Time is money.” As Americans, we are always “chasing the bag,” looking for the next bag. No wonder some young Americans like traveling to Europe because the culture is a bit laxer than that of the United States. 

Through traveling, we leave our comfort zone and the environment where we fear being ourselves because of judgments. Travel teaches us to care for ourselves and utilize our voices and self-agency. Some people are afraid to speak up for themselves in their daily lives, but they gain courage post-traveling because when they were abroad, they had to speak up every day to ensure a smooth experience. Being in a foreign land allows you to test yourselves in ways you did not in your mundane life. That is why one of life’s most significant advice is to leave your comfort zone. Even in the Bible, those told to leave their comfort zone, like Abraham, received God’s blessing when they moved to. Hence, it is important to see (cy)the world. 

However, traveling solo is another beast that brings even more blessings. Unlike traveling with family or friends, solo travel is the perfect tool to realize your self-discovery. Solo traveling gives you the proper channel to be yourself and experience self-agency. It allows you to grow and understand yourself truly. When we travel with our family or friends, although their company helps us grow as a group, individually, we are limited. Sometimes, you can do what you want or express yourself, but with constraints. You can still face judgments. You may be in a new country or environment, but your familiar entourage is a tool to hold you back. For example, when I went to Barcelona, I traveled with my mother. Although it was a life-changing experience for both of us, and our relationship grew, I could not do everything I wanted because I had to wait for my mom. Since she could be better with directions, I had to always be with her, foregoing some things I wanted to do. 

When I go on solo trips, I move to the beat of my drum. I do not have to wait on anyone. I do not have to ask someone else whether my plan for the day was okay with them and their plans. I do not have to argue over what to do, where to visit, or what to eat. I leave when I want and come back when I want. Experiencing solo traveling and wandering around Paris allowed me to discover Le Jardin de Luxembourg without planning to visit the garden. If I had waited on my family members when I lived in France, I would not have dined in Saint Sulpice in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, a beautiful hidden gem of Paris. Through solo travel, I not only had the time to do what I wanted or discover places I never thought I’d discover, but I grew as a person, which many women, especially young women, do not have the liberty to do. Hence, this is the reason why young women should travel. 

Why young women should travel

I would argue that women travel more than men because women, unlike men, have never had a normal development transition in life. Being a young woman is not easy. Women have the most complex life transition cycle. Unlike boys, girls physically become women at the age of 10, when most of us get our menstrual cycle, and our bodies start to change physically. I remember having a pregnancy conversation at ten years old, and I recently had a body conversation with my 3rd-grade student because she experienced her menstrual cycle at eight years old. I felt horrible having that conversation and felt like I was taking away her “girl phase” and was trying to make her understand she was a woman the same way someone did to me. 

Because nature and society intended for girls to grow up very fast, we constantly had to think of ourselves in relation to others. Our behaviors and everyday life are always concerning our interaction with other people. When we pick our clothes, we must consider whether it may get us in trouble, for example. If you were raised in an African family like mine, your mother started teaching you to cook and clean at the age of 6, not for yourself but because she had to prepare you for your husband that you will not meet for another two decades. So, as women, we are constantly being robbed of having a normal transition where we can think about our well-being, happiness, and our interests. For that reason, traveling became a pivotal aspect of my development. The statistics show that 64% of travelers globally are women, and 85% of solo travelers are women. Although women earn less than men, they embark on worldly adventures because traveling gives them the independence to think and care for themselves for once. 

As a young woman, experiencing life outside of the constraints of my family or my normalcy allowed me to discover who I was meant to be. Going to countries like China, where the culture varied immensely from my Congolese-American background, I found new joy in things I did not think I’d ever like, such as museums. I cannot think of a time I willingly went to a museum outside of school excursions. However, when I went to Shanghai, I visited the museum to learn about Chinese culture and understand the society I called home for five weeks. That act of discovery, going out of your way to know and understand the communities we want to integrate to live in commonality with others, is a skill that helped me in every aspect of my life. Young women should travel because it benefits their self-growth, discovering themselves not solely in relationships with others but for themselves. It brings them lifelong benefits in their personal, professional, and every relationship, whether friendships, business, family, or romantic. 

The benefits of young women going on solo trips!

Although most solo travelers are women, the average woman solo traveler is 47 years old. As mentioned earlier, women do not have the luxury of a proper life development transition. After all, as young girls, we are taught to think of ourselves in relationships with others. However, as young women, we should not wait until we are in our 40s to start experiencing the benefits of solo travel. The benefits of young women’s solo traveling are vast, and we shall benefit from them as we transition into adulthood. As young women, we are rarely told about self-care, mental wellness, and the need to put ourselves first. Young girls are more likely to be insecure and have self-esteem issues because they define themselves in comparison to others. That is why many brave ones go on a backpacking tour in Europe or Asia to “find themselves.” Through college or other incentives to teach abroad or do an apprenticeship abroad, young women can benefit from solo traveling. Here are the benefits of young women going on solo trips. 

When young women go on solo trips, they gain tremendous life benefits. They hone who they were born to be and give themselves the quiet space to think and analyze their lives and make good decisions. Young women who travel and experience the joy of self-discovery hone their gifts and abilities. When they travel, they learn to speak up and speak out when things bother them. They learn to wait for no one and be content with being in their own company because they understand there is no greater peace than inner peace. By being abroad and navigating legal and social integration processes, they learn to become active citizens in their host countries and when they return to their home countries. They become civil diplomats, representing their cultures abroad and being spokespersons for foreign cultures in their domestic countries.

Moreover, the benefit of having young women who are happy with themselves is great for society overall. Happy young women make better decisions at work, relationships, and communities. They are not brash in their deliveries because they understand compromise and exchanging different ideas. They are better professionals because they love what they do. When something does not make them feel good, they speak up for themselves and others because they gained the confidence to do so. For all those reasons, not only young women but society benefits from young women going on solo trips. 

Thank you so much for reading! Please let me know in the comment box below about your solo adventures as a young woman or whether you want ambitions to embark on solo trips. 

Until next time, dare to discover the world solo!

Xoxo,

Cy