Beyond satisfying wanderlust, turns out travel does a whole lot of other really good things for women. For one, it makes us stronger.
It may have just been International Women’s Day last week, and this month may officially be Women’s History Month, but if we’re all being honest with ourselves, every day is a day to celebrate women and all that we are and do. But since we’re paying extra special attention to womanness right now, I figured it was a good time to talk about women and travel and what transpires when the two get together.
More and more, women are picking themselves up and going places without their families, significant others or even their friends. Solo has been the M.O. lately and whether you’ve embraced it or not (read more about why you might want to here), it seems to be doing a lot for the ladies.
A new survey out by global guided vacation company Trafalgar, which is on a mission to empower women through travel, found that one in three women feel like they can accomplish anything after traveling. And I’d add that doing things like taking yourself on a self-guided tour through Shanghai when you speak no Mandarin and the overwhelming majority of people that are helping you get from point A to B aren’t speaking your language either and you can only show the cabby directions to your destination in Chinese characters and you don’t have wifi on the road because, fees—does have a way of making you feel like you can do anything.
But back to the Trafalgar survey, 73 percent of women said travel made them feel more independent and 69 percent said it made them feel more inspired. My favorite stat though, was the 73 percent of women who said traveling has made them stronger (insert flexing bicep emoji).
This all means the next time someone bothers you about going on another trip, refer them to these facts, which are clearly evidence that travel is vital to your health, and without it, who knows what state you’d be in.
And though we’re fierce and free and ready to embrace both traits, 76 percent of women prefer to travel with their family or significant other, over the 10 percent who are about that solo travel life. However, I suppose it depends on who you ask, because a recent Bookings.com survey said 65 percent of U.S. women are adventuring without their other halves.
Either way, I can’t help but think the numbers are as they are because a lot of women haven’t yet tried traveling alone to determine whether they’re into it or not. I know that it can sound daunting if you haven’t done it, but there are so many things about it that are worthwhile. I’ve shared my tips for loving solo travel before, but the most important thing is that you’re not alone—you’ll meet and talk to people you might never have otherwise encountered if you were busy being comfortable with people you’re already comfortable with. Travel isn’t about comfort zones, it’s about new experiences, and sometimes the sweetest ones come when you’re solo and focused on all the feels.
There’s also really something to be said about planning a trip that only includes what you want to do when you want to do it.
In the last couple years, I’ve traveled to Rio de Janeiro and Beijing alone, and while each had me a little pensive at the outset, I did my best to plan in a way that I would stay safe while still doing all the things I wanted to do, and both experiences were just as memorable as some I’ve had on trips with people.
Try it, decide for yourself. I feel like solo travel is one of those things every woman owes it to herself to experience at least once. And whether you’re down for solo travel or not, just don’t wait for the world to come to you because one, it unfortunately doesn’t work that way; and two, you could be missing out on half your life.
In the words of someone who was obviously onto something:
Never did the world make a queen of a girl who hides in houses and dreams without traveling.—Roman Payne