Ladies, don't let fear stop you traveling

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Ladies, don't let fear stop you traveling

By Tiara Lin (Global Times) 16:19, November 28, 2013

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Travelling alone is not as terrible as it might sound. Just try dragging abroad a bitchy friend who only eats Chinese food and you will soon see what I mean.

All these years my female friends keep complaining how much they want to travel abroad but they can't seem to find anyone to go with them. What worries them the most is safety abroad and the language barrier.

Yes, it is a scary world out there, filled with crime, attacks and rapes. When I was young and wanted to travel solo, my mother, a professional worrier, often warned me I would get kidnapped and forced to be the wife of a gangster. Thanks to her, I did not set foot outside the country until I turned 27.

Since then I've travelled solo through more than 15 countries from Turkey to Egypt, Sri Lanka to Nepal, Japan to the United States. The trips have been incredibly amazing and rewarding. Of course I have to send photos to my mother all the way to prove that I have not been kidnapped.

My point is, if a woman can travel intelligently and responsibly, many problems can be avoided and solved.

For example, avoid eye contact and provocative dress in some countries that might provoke aggressive behavior. My rule is not to engage. Be polite, ignore and keep moving.

I met this solo travelling Chinese girl in Sri Lanka last month.

She was probably a nobody at home, but definitely got universal attention there. Wherever she went, she was greeted with big smile and bigger question: "What is your phone number?" The next thing she knew, she was getting calls from all the men she met on the road on a daily basis.

After solo travelling all these years, I am still nervous about setting off on my own. But I think being nervous is a good thing as it keeps you alert. I rarely go out alone in a foreign country. One night I was out to meet a girlfriend at a restaurant in Cairo, Egypt. As I was walking down a street, I noticed a group of young Egyptian men walking towards me. I turned around and walked back to my hotel immediately.

The best way to avoid this is to partner up with other female travelers. I met Christine, an American international school teacher, while travelling in Halong Bay, Vietnam in June. By the time we got off the boat, we were fast friends.

But then my female friends argue, "That is because you speak good English." Understanding a foreign language is a plus, but you don't have to speak good English to travel abroad. When I was travelling in a southern town of Turkey where nobody seemed to understand English, I was surprised many of them could speak Japanese.

Now get out of your comfort zone, grab your passport and go travel. Wear a fake ring if it makes you feel safer.

The ideas expressed are those of the author alone, and do not represent the position of the Global Times nor People's Daily Online.