The Age of Empowerment for Female Solo Travelers
They say if there is a future… it will belong to us women!! Hell yeah! Right now we’re at a crucial point in history. Never before has the fight for equality been so relevant and visible. More and more mass social movements are coming to life across the globe as we protest against our struggles as women… Our fight to end discrimination is UNSTOPPABLE.
On this road to empowerment, us ladies that love to travel will, sooner or later, come across one social obstacle in particular. Oh yes, friends, inequality has even made its way into the wonderful world of traveling.
Why the hell are there so many setbacks for women who decide to travel on their own? Why is it so much more common and easier for men to go enjoy trips away by themselves? Why should you have to deal with your mom’s worried look when you tell her your plans to travel solo? Why is it that an uncle who decides to travel alone a daring adventurer and an aunt who does the same is a weirdo? It’s about time we put an end to all this BULLSH…!!!!!!!!!!!!
It’s all good. Deep breaths… We got this. The reality is that, little by little, the Female Solo Travelers movement is becoming a consolidated trend that even has its own hashtag on social media: #SheGoes
Another survey carried out by Booking.com revealed that 34% of the 20,500 surveyed females in 2018 said that their solo trip was “the best trip of their lives”.
Our mission
Even though things are looking up, it’s clear that we need to really focus on changing everyone’s mind when it comes to us girls traveling by ourselves. Even today, people can get easily caught up in taboos, fears, and insecurities when they think of us flying solo on our adventures.
Here at Cats Hostels, we’ve made it our MISSION to motivate and encourage all you lovely ladies to grab your backpack/suitcase, slam the door, and go travel the world, experimenting new sensations in each new city and getting lost in nature’s wilderness.
And to help you make up your minds and take the plunge, we not only give you some tips for traveling alone, but we’ve also come up with a little list of ten reasons why girls fall in love with traveling solo. Go for it!
1. How convenient!
Let’s face it. No one other than yourself knows exactly what you desire to discover most on a trip, the exact amount of time and money you want to spend, etc. Imagine how easier and convenient it would be not having to depend on others to organize the trip of a lifetime, just how you like it.
Paloma in Morocco
2. Your own little bubble
Sometimes it can be almost impossible to have a few minutes alone between work, family, classes… Everyone needs to take a break and have some time to think from time to time. Traveling by yourself gives you the freedom to chill alone whenever you feel like it, while you enjoy discovering new places! This makes your experience ever-so enriching.
Jodie in Squamish (Canada)
3. New friendships
You may start off the journey by yourself, but more than likely you’ll cross paths with fantastic people along the way, and end up making some friends for life. Meeting new people is one of the TOP reasons why you should embark on this type of experience. In each destination all kinds of wonderful people await. Cats Hostels understands the concept of traveling as a social experience, so all our establishments are always packed with open-minded avid travelers. It’s up to you!
4. Facing your fears
Things can seem impossible until you just get up and do them! Your biggest challenges can be magically transformed into unique (and vital) personal experiences. Before accomplishing great things, it’s normal for uncertainty and insecurities to bother you. But hey! When you overcome those doubts and let your hair down, you’ll be surprised by how much your self-confidence soars! No matter what life throws at you, YOU GOT THIS!
Macarena in Hoi An (Vietnam)
5. Safety and common sense
Ok fine, let’s address the elephant in the room, shall we? We can be easily put off traveling by ourselves as women because of the fear of feeling unsafe in certain places. It’s important to be cautious in new surroundings and situations but ladies, C’MON! Us women have proved time and time again that there is nothing we cannot face and that, with common sense behind us, we’re unstoppable! We can do anything!
6. Your own agenda
Time is oh so precious, especially when you’re on an adventure. Nobody wants to waste time on plans that aren’t really their thing. What a DRAMA. Going solo means you get to choose every last detail of your entire trip, so you can be doing only the things that you love best, exactly where and how you want to. BLISS.
Sorana, Head of Reception at Madrid Cats Hostel, in Bilbao (Spain)
7. Don’t worry be happy
We all know that tensions always seem to arise on given moments between you and your pals on vacation (almost as much as they do between married couples on trips to IKEA). Forget about all that nonsense and go forth onto your solo trip filled with peace. You don’t have to deal with anyone or anything you don’t want to on your path to happiness.
8. Personal space
Tourist destinations are catching on to the solo traveling trend more and more, and now offer many more rooms designed to satisfy these new visitors’ needs. Women are now being offered way more single, independent accommodation options than years ago. Cats Hostels has the best selection of specific rooms for you ladies that want to chill by yourselves. We just love the fact that you can kick back and enjoy that sense of independence and freedom in our cozy rooms.
Mayte at the Grand Canyon (USA)
9. Ideal budget
Like we said, being able to decide on a budget that suits you perfectly is a luxury in itself. Forget about having to adjust your spending to other people’s needs. Luckily you can always count on Cats Hostels to offer top-notch quality and a vibrant social atmosphere at a sensational price…
Marta at Berlín (Germany)
10. Cool social image
Even if we do say so ourselves, solo traveling experiences are so damn cool. Just the idea of venturing out by yourself in the world is actually amazing. All your traveling stories will become a party piece to tell your friends and family for years and years to come.
As you can see, our Cats Hostel ladies have already embarked on their own solo adventures! It’s time to take the bull by the horns, do away with those restrictions, and experience the wonderful world of solo travel. And, of course, you can always count on Cats Hostels for anything you need!