Roam Sweet Roam

I was pretty young when I caught the “travel bug,” and when my family and friends realized that I, a small, young woman who has far too much trust in the goodness of people, had every intention of exploring every corner of the world mostly by myself, they were obviously pretty worried. I’m sure they had in mind the horror stories they had seen on the news of a girl who left home and never returned because she got kidnapped, or some other terrible catastrophe that happened to a girl who was a lot like me. I tried to reassure them that I was just as safe traveling the world as I was walking the streets at home, but they still worry (and I can’t say I blame them – I worry about my loved ones, too).

For anyone – especially young women – who dreams of traveling the world, this post is for you. I hope to offer a small bit of encouragement that can help you decide to follow your dreams, because everyone should be able to do that. I would never have started traveling if I hadn’t seen all of the blogs assuring me that it was safe (and not scary!) to do so, so I hope this can be one of those blogs for you.

Know that the world is NOT a scary place.

It’s so easy to buy into the notion that the world is terrifying. It seems like catastrophes are the only thing that the media covers, but I assure you that far more good things happen in our world than bad things. Everywhere you go (or at least everywhere that I’ve visited), the vast majority of people are so kind and helpful. I’ve been to lots of countries and been submerged in an array of cultures, and I’ve felt just as safe (if not safer) in every single one of them as I do at home.

If you’re trying to plan a trip soon to a new place, I encourage you to read blogs and travel forums for advice from people who have actually visited the countries. You’ll find that there are very few horror stories from people who have actually been to these places, and most of the “horror stories” that exist consist of non-violent crimes that are just annoying rather than dangerous, such as being pick-pocketed.

Have a lot of self-confidence – it goes a long way.

It took me a few trips out of the country before I felt truly comfortable exploring foreign places. Sometimes I still struggle to be confident when I’m traveling, but I’ve learned that it goes SO far. Just walking with my head held high instead of slouched a little like I usually do makes me feel so much more secure when I’m alone in a new, strange place.

When it comes to being confident when you first start traveling, I’ve learned the key is to fake it until you make it. Just acting like you’re confident (even if you’ve never felt more unsure of yourself!) can help to convince both yourself and people around you that you do, in fact, know what you’re doing – and I can almost guarantee you know more than you give yourself credit for. People will be far less likely to pester you if they assume you know what you’re doing/where you’re going.

Don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself.

This advice can easily be applied when you’re at home, too, but I think it’s especially important for when you’re traveling. When you’re in a new place, it can be easy to be overwhelmed – especially when you’re traveling solo – and sadly there are some people who take advantage of this. It’s pretty common for taxi drivers or street vendors to jack up their prices for tourists, so don’t be afraid to call them out on it. Sometimes they still won’t lower their prices, but I always feel better about it if I at least tried to get them down to a fair price instead of just willingly handing over more money than necessary.

Last, but certainly not least, remember that practice makes perfect.

As with anything in life, when you first start traveling solo, it can feel like you really don’t know what you’re doing, and it can be discouraging to look around and see other people who seem to have it all figured out. Don’t worry – I think everyone feels that way when they first start traveling. After a few trips, you’ll feel like you’ve finally gotten the hang of this international adventuring thing, and then you can be the one to encourage someone else to take the first leap into the wonderful – and not scary – world of solo traveling.