Traveling alone as a woman
Carmen Rohrbach, 54
Biologist and author, has traveled the world for 27 years, again and again. through Namibia, Mongolia, Peru and Ecuador. Most recently she was in Yemen and wrote a book about it: "In the Kingdom of the Queen of Sheba", published by Frederking & Thaler Verlag.
That's why I traveled alone: My first trip alone I have actually made out of necessity. I was a student and wanted to go on a long tour abroad, but none of my friends had such a long time. Since I did not want to stay at home, I just went off alone.
That's how it was before the first trip ... I was mainly concerned with organizational matters: how do I take care of myself? How can I protect myself from the rain? I do not know how many times I have unpacked and unpacked my things. But I also thought about the risk. That's why I chose a country that is relatively safe for my first trip: Scotland.
... and after that: After Scotland, I realized that the benefits of traveling alone outweighed it: firstly, I have everything in my own hands and I do not have to pay attention to others. And second, I get closer to other people. As soon as you travel in pairs, you form an island that is self sufficient. On the other hand, one is much more open to external contacts.
My best experience ... ... I had in Namibia: I took a walk through a dry riverbed when I suddenly heard a rustling and saw something big red in the bushes in front of me. The next moment he was already in front of me: a giant bull elephant, which had apparently rolled in the red river mud. We met each other's eyes, and at that moment a feeling of intense closeness came over me. As if we were on the same level. We looked at each other for a while, then the elephant turned and slowly walked away.
A scary situation: The biggest danger for women traveling is men. In Ecuador, I was ambushed by two masked gangsters in the Andes. They threatened me with knives and wanted to rob me. I followed a spontaneous inspiration and pretended that I was not alone, shouting men's names into the forest. This irritated the men. They just snatched the photo bag from me and ran away.
My most interesting acquaintance: In Mongolia, I met a young woman whose power and unruly energy impressed me a lot. In general, the women in Mongolia have enormous power, while the men are rather phlegmatic. I still have contact with the Mongolin today.
At that moment I felt lonely: I was traveling in Spain, reaching a larger city for the first time in weeks in rural areas. I wanted to do something good and visited a nice restaurant. But when I sat in the middle of the other guests, most of them families or couples, in front of my trout, I felt incredibly lonely. I love to roam through nature alone, but I need company while I eat.
I would do it differently today: On my first trips, I often hitchhiked. Today I only do that in emergencies.
That should not be missing in the luggage: A diary.
My most important finding about solo travel: It makes you more confident and tolerant.
My personal tip to other women: Listen to your inner voice. Not everyone is suitable for solo travel. If you feel anxiety, you are not ready yet.
Susanne Arndt, 46
Editor at ChroniquesDuVasteMonde.com and book author. Her first trip took her to Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. Her second to Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador and the USA.
That's why I traveled alone: There is nothing more exciting than being spewed out of the plane at the other end of the world. In addition, you can decide (almost) everything yourself on the way.
That's how it was before the first trip ... I was full of anticipation for a long time, but when it started, I got scared. I would have liked to undo everything.
... and after that: Life in Germany became relative after I realized that people in other countries live completely differently than we do. That has kept to this day: the awareness that our way of thinking and living is only one of many. My best experience: Crossing the Green Line between Guatemala and Honduras with a Canadian - with a trolley, a boat, on foot. We stayed with a family in the rainforest. The march lasted two days.
A scary situation: To go to jail 24 hours - because of the missing visa.
My most interesting acquaintance: A filmmaker from Cuba who had not returned from a business trip to the island. In the summer he lived in Oslo or Paris, spending the winter traveling.
At that moment I felt lonely: Every now and then - especially on Christmas Eve in the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia. I had little money in my pocket because I did not know that in the Muslim country the banks would be closed over Christmas. It was pouring with rain, and when I arrived in the mountain village where I wanted to stay overnight, there were no rooms left: Holiday Season. I was offered to sleep in a guesthouse that a Chinese clan had completely rented. However, the Chinese did not make me feel welcome. I begged a driver on the street to take me to the next village. There I met a Berliner in a restaurant, who invited me to dinner. We then traveled together to Singapore - she flew from there to Australia, I to Sumatra. We visited Germany more often.
I would do it differently today: Nothing
That should not be missing in the luggage: music
My most important finding about solo travel: You experience much more and much more intense than a couple, a third, a fourth ...
My personal tip to other women: Trust yourself, it's worth it!
Svenja Bary, 40
Painter and single mother of two children. Traveled alone through Kenya, Israel, Morocco, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia, Iberian Peninsula, Greece, Barbados, Egypt, Venezuela, China, Pakistan.
That's why I travel alone: That's the only way I'm free to make my own decisions, not compromise, and really spontaneous. Once a year I want to travel without children. I owe that to the children and myself.
That's what happened to me before my last trip ... Before the trip, my everyday life was very uniform. Every week went by routinely, almost like the week before. I had to get out. I wanted to meet people who had different values. Every difference seemed better than this self-satisfied mediocrity.
... and after that: As an artist, traveling as a source of inspiration is important to me. I love the letting go, the uncertainty, the sense of space. This feeling has never completely disappeared after the return. It also pops up unexpectedly. How many times has this sultry, rainy summer already reminded me of the rainy season in Bali!
My best experience: The feeling I had last autumn on my journey to the indigenous people of Sri Lanka: how all my senses have opened, how I have absorbed the many impressions that have been pouring in on me. I felt incredibly alive.
A scary situation: In Egypt, I once witnessed a religious ceremony outside of Luxor. Men in long white robes and with black kerchiefs on their heads approached me in unison, swaying in the street. They sang. The women made shrill sounds. Dull drumming accompanied the march. When I was seen, the women began to scream and pointed at me. The train turned in my direction. I will never forget the concentrated aggression. I ran as fast as I could back to the city center.
My most interesting acquaintance: Tom Broadbent, whom I met in the Chinese city of Kashgar. Together we traveled from China via the Karakorum to Pakistan. He had made this route several times to collect material for his book.
At that moment I felt lonely: On my first trip I had decided to drive from Malaga through Portugal to Pamplona. Somewhere near Faro I came across Germans and spoke to them spontaneously. I had not heard the sound of the language for such a long time and thought that a common language meant automatic affiliation. Polite, they smiled at me and walked on.
I would do it differently today: Nothing.
That should not be missing in the luggage: A handful of pens. First, I always need something to write and sketch, and second, they are great gifts for kids, as well as balloons.
My most important finding about solo travel: Gestures dominate any language.
My personal tip to other women: Carpooling makes travel flexible, but also dangerous. At such moments try to break out of your purely feminine role and face the driver on a different level - as a buddy, daughter, or sister, for example.
Kinga Jarzynka, 29
Student. Traveled through four continents for a year and a half with the Round The World ticket. She traveled alone in these countries: Myanmar, Bangladesh, India, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, USA, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua.
That's why I traveled alone: It was not planned that I travel alone. First of all, I started with a friend, which gave me security, especially in the first phase. After three months, she flew back to Germany for the time being, and I traveled on my own. And that very much.For one thing, my way of traveling has changed, I suddenly had other goals, I let myself drift more, instinctively decided where the wind should blow me. On the other hand, I was much more open and open-minded to other people and was also perceived differently.
That's how I felt before the trip ... Before the trip I was mainly concerned with precautionary measures. When I think of packing or the first-aid kit alone. What I had everything in the pharmacy turn me! In the end, I did not need 99.9 percent of the whole card.
... after that: I developed a confidence that everything will be fine; learned to trust my feelings. I realized that unexpected situations in life are part of it, at some point you just do not get the right exit.
My best experience: The most beautiful experiences were usually the little things. These feelings of happiness; Being in the right place at the right time, fleeting encounters that suddenly had great significance.
A scary situation: Did not exist. If I had a bad feeling about something, I just did not do it. I have always felt very well looked after in the world.
My most interesting acquaintances: In Myanmar, I got to know a Burmese on the roadside when the bus gave up the ghost again. I swung myself with him on the moped and cruised with him for a week through the mountains. We searched for a secret diamond city until we were caught by the police.
At that moment I felt lonely: In New Zealand, I wanted to stay in a Buddhist center on the Coromandel Peninsula for a few days, but I was denied access because of residents preparing to visit a lama. Since I felt offended. I continued driving until the road ended and I looked out to the sea. I saw a house that was open. I entered and found a note on the table. "Make yourself at home. I want to see you later." It was a small cottage intended for stranded people. I stayed there for five days, thinking about the meaning of life. I did not find an answer, but the question of staying in the hut seemed superfluous to me. That was a very nice encounter with myself.
I would do it differently today: Nothing. Everything had its justification and reason. Well, maybe one: I should have taken my favorite shorts!
That should not be missing in the luggage: A favorite style of clothing that makes you feel good.
My most important finding about solo travel: The route is the goal.
My personal tip to other women: Only courage! Dare!
Anna Benitz, 27
Self-employed physiotherapist in Emden, writes short stories and poems. She traveled around New Zealand for a year, and her experiences have been published as a book by the Mana publishing house: "New Zealand addicts! Traveling with the Working Holiday visa".
That's why I traveled alone: I have long dreamed of going abroad alone for a long time - and then as far away as possible. There was a lot of adventure behind it, I wanted to experience something completely new and unique! That's how I felt before the trip ... I searched for a suitable country long before my planned travel date, did research on the internet, read travel reports and looked at maps in Atlas. Finally, when the destination was set and the visa was applied for, the euphoria and daydreaming was filled with sadness, first farewell pain and fear of the unknown. The different feelings came and went, but the positive ones retained the upper hand.
... and after that: Dreadful! I had fallen in love with New Zealand and New Zealander, hated everything that was not New Zealand, and just wanted to go back. Only after three years did I really get back to Germany. At the distance, the relationship with the New Zealander has broken, the desire to go back to New Zealand lives on today.
My best experience: Of course, getting to know my New Zealand friend was very nice, just like any other newly-formed friendship on this trip. A very impressive experience was a meeting with a whale!
A scary situation: Shortly after my arrival in New Zealand, I became very ill, which worried me and unfortunately severely limited me for the rest of the year. Luckily I never had any fear of attacks or attacks.
My most interesting acquaintances: A Maori named "God", who wore colorful striped stockings, smoked marijuana and played guitar in front of supermarkets. Or Ian, the toothless organic herbalist who spent years and years traveling the country with his housetruck, a self-built camper. For a few weeks, I lived with Roydn, a wildly curled Maori, in a leisurely round of the crackling fireplace of his underground organization who planned the expulsion of all European-born people from New Zealand.
At that moment I felt lonely: I was lonely sometimes during my illness.I was bedridden for a long time and very far from the adventures I had dreamed of.
I would do it differently today: My journey was partly strained by family issues that I thought I could leave behind and forget. That was an important lesson: you always take yourself and your problems with you, no matter where you go. Since I'm back in Germany, I try to clarify many things. So that the next big journey can become more free.
That should not be missing in the luggage: The right clothes. It must be light, high quality and functional. Plus: photos or letters from loved ones for lonely hours.
My most important finding about solo travel: When you let life flow, the most wonderful things happen to you. The world is full of breathtaking areas and wonderful people. Compulsion and hecticness are the surest means of not knowing all this!
My personal tip to other women: At first, one can be frightened by the idea of traveling alone. But believe me: one never stays alone alone. I had so many a bunch of other travelers around me that I soon longed for more loneliness.
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