Since the 1990s, I鈥檝e been a journalist whose beat is out-of-the-way places. I鈥檝e reported stories in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Colombia, Tasmania, Brazil, the Marquesas Islands, and the Falkland Islands, to name a few. While most of these trips have been mind-expanding in the best possible way, I鈥檝e occasionally found myself alone in some interesting situations. The partial list includes jumping out of a truck as the driver stopped at a village intersection in northern Patagonia, because the four men inside it freaked me out, and running daily down a lonely road lined by land mines while waiting for the once-per-week flight out of the Falkland Islands.
I鈥檓 lucky that I鈥檝e returned home with nothing more than a few scares and some stitches. I still maintain, however, that it鈥檚 a good thing to go it alone on occasion, whether camping in the wilderness, road-tripping cross-country, or flying across the world.
The reasons to go almost always outweigh the reasons to stay home. For one, the freedom is intoxicating, and the majority of people you meet are good human beings, as witnessed by one of my many overly enthusiastic journal entries, this one from a solitary run while in New Zealand in 2003:
Wellington! Botanic gardens, pastel cottages, and a steep climb into 61 acres of dwarf conifers. A muddy path took me to a forest full of chirping birds and a bench that overlooked the sailboats on the bay. I got lost on the way back into the city, but when I finally hit pavement a few hours later, I passed a gentleman walking two terriers. 鈥淕ood morning, Lovey,鈥 he said. What stranger in the U.S. greets you with the 鈥淟鈥 word?
Traveling solo also trains you to hypertune your intuition. Any woman who has traveled alone knows that primal chest-tightening, stomach-churning, bodily red alert when something is not quite right. By now聽I鈥檝e learned to trust those instincts. Most importantly, when I鈥檓 alone, there鈥檚 no one else to carry my pack when it鈥檚 heavy, find a hotel or campsite when I鈥檓 tired, find me food when I鈥檓 hungry, or consult with on the wisest path forward when I鈥檓 lost鈥攑hysically or emotionally. That has taught me two important things: to take responsibility for my own actions鈥攁 good lesson to learn early, because it applies to everything in life鈥攁nd that when there is someone else to help carry the load, ease the hardships of travel, and share the joys, it makes me appreciate that person exponentially more.
It鈥檚 tricky to find the right balance between safety and freedom while on the road, but my formula includes the following:
- I enroll聽in the U.S. State Department鈥檚聽, a free service that allows travelers to register their trip with the nearest consulate or embassy.
- I always have at least one form of travel insurance. If traveling remotely, where helicopter rescue might be necessary, I use聽. Otherwise I use聽鈥檚 annual Business Traveler plan.
- I heavily research my destinations before I go. I use Google Alerts for recent news from the country. I read U.S.聽 and balance those out with the United Kingdom鈥檚 often more temperate . I interview travelers, specifically women, who have been where I鈥檓 going and ask them what they feel is culturally appropriate behavior for women. And I read books鈥攈istory, literature, and even fiction鈥攆rom authors in the country.
- I err on the conservative side when packing clothes. I generally avoid outfits that bare a lot of skin unless I鈥檓 going to the beach in a Western country.
- I give at least two people at home my full itinerary鈥攆light and hotel reservations if I have them;聽planned destinations;聽a copy of my passport, health insurance and travel insurance;聽times I know that I鈥檒l likely be off the grid and out of touch;聽and a general sense of where I will be at all times.
- I stay off as much as possible while traveling. First, for safety. As a general rule when traveling alone, it鈥檚 wise not to advertise your whereabouts to total strangers.聽I also tune out for mental health. It is becoming increasingly soothing to distance myself from the constant聽social-media grind in order to have the time and space I need to experience the present and every detail immediately in front of me.
- While on the road, I try to be kind聽but not naive,聽open to the kindness of strangers聽but not a sucker, either. The only way to gauge that fine line is to feel each situation out and follow your gut. If it doesn鈥檛 feel OK, it probably isn鈥檛 a good situation.
- If I start to panic, I take a few deep breaths, which goes a surprisingly long way toward聽clearing my head and finding a solution.