There is a phrase that exactly sums up what you feel after visiting another country or when you find a deserted and inhospitable beach: traveling is the only thing you buy that makes you richer. Discovering the world helps you connect with nature, come across different cultures, face fears and open your mind to new things. A revitalizing path that many women undertake alone, some of them behind the wheel of a camper or motorhome. On the occasion of the upcoming 8M commemoration, we bring the testimony of some of these adventurers, in order to awaken the confidence you need to live the experience you deserve.
The first challenge is insecurity. Traveling alone, being a woman, implies taking on responsibilities that, hopefully, we should not take into account. However, your dream awaits you and fear cannot be a barrier. A few months ago, SportsCover Direct insurer published a study with the safest destinations to travel alone.
In the ranking, Spain came out very well as the third best valued country. Destinations such as Austria, Ireland, Portugal, Switzerland, Croatia, Norway and France are also included, along with countries further afield such as Canada and Singapore. Of course, taking a camper there will involve many expenses.
Social networks have changed our society, opening the eyes of the world while connecting people regardless of distance. They have also created social pressure, certain standards that men and women must comply with in order to fit in. However, you can also find authentic and inspiring profiles of solo female travelers, like Bea Amat, who discovered vanlife from a couple living in a Kangoo. She first began traveling as a couple; however, “When my relationship ended, living traveling in a camper was already my lifestyle and I decided to continue alone, although I had never done it before.”
“I think I have learned to listen to myself and ask myself what I need at all times, to stop when I have to stop and to follow my intuition at all times. And I also believe that traveling alone is something that we should all experience at some point in our lives, ”explains this adventurer, who shares many tips and experiences through her ‘Green Inside’ profile on social networks. As can be seen in her recent posts, she is currently en route to Argentina. This time, she is in good company.
Anna Bourgeret has traveled by motorhome all her life and, as she tells us in a Roadsurfer blog, after a study trip to Australia and New Zealand she considered getting her first campervan. Hedwig, that’s the name of her house on her wheels, is a Harry Potter-inspired Volkswagen Caddy that allowed her to take her first six-day solo trip through Berlin and Saxon Switzerland.
However, it is common for doubts to come true before your first trip alone. Anna Bourgeret tells it on her blog: “I felt terribly alone that first night seeing all the families and couples and I wondered what the hell I was doing. The next two and a half weeks, day after day, being alone, suddenly seemed somehow terrifying and I crawled into bed with a very strange feeling.
To this day, she knows that she must respect certain risks, such as choosing a parking space consciously: “I would never spend the night alone on the side of the road, and even less in the rest areas of the highway.” To find the best areas to spend the night, use Park4Night, an ideal application where you can find information, location and comments from previous users. Another trick that has always worked for him is to take all valuables “I open the glove compartment and other storage compartments so everyone can see that there is nothing to take.”
In relation to fear, Bea Amat has a recommendation for first-timers: “That they investigate how other women who travel alone do it, and they will see that we all travel with fears and doubts. Thanks to fear we learn to protect ourselves and moving forward even with doubts makes us realize that we are capable of more than we think”. In addition, she herself recognizes that you are rarely completely alone and you can always find help when you need it.
Corina Randazzo finds herself on a journey through the Canary Islands, behind the wheel of a “van” and accompanied by her inseparable mate. Her Instagram profile speaks from the heart of those who have learned to be alone, also on her journeys. A situation that may not seem idyllic, but that also provides precious moments of self-awareness and courage.
Marta wanted to travel alone for practicality: “I didn’t want anyone to complain, I wanted to change the plan… I wanted it my way.” In any case, in her adventure aboard a camper she is not totally alone; she is accompanied by her inseparable dog, Athena. She was never afraid to travel alone, “not for a second,” she says. In her traveling experience, the only change that she has been forced to make to herself was to change the vehicle, because it was too old and that ended up giving her many reliability problems.
