Problematising Women Solo Travellers
Author: Jessica Fowl
1 Commentries
Abstract:
This discussion paper looks into women solo travellers and the benefits, problems and barriers they face when travelling alone, whilst also highlighting counter arguments and debates underpinning why solo travel is not easily accessible for all women.
Key Words: Women solo travellers, solo travel, socioeconomic class, culture.
Discussion:
Solo traveling has gradually transformed from being a very niche travel option to becoming a very popular phenomenon and trendy travel option amongst individuals (Yang, 2021). Solo travelling contributes to a large amount of the tourism market due to its rapid growth and popularity in recent years. A solo travellers desire is to be able to have the ability to travel at their own pace and time without having the worry of pleasing other people.
Solo travel amongst women has significantly grown in recent years due to more women wanting to seek out experiences that provide them with opportunities to become more adventurous, knowledgeable and sociable. Many women have become more motivated to venture outside of their comfort zones to develop a sense of individuality in the world (Wilson and Little, 2008).
The ability of being able to solo travel independently as a women has provided women with many benefits. Solo travel allows women to challenge themselves and overcome any obstacles and fears they face, leading to increased self-confidence. Solo travel also provides women with the opportunity to escape from their everyday life and the social pressures they face within their own home environment. Many women participate in solo travel as travelling alone allows for personal growth to find a sense of identity and improve social interaction.
Even though solo travel provides many benefits for women travellers, they still face a significant amount of constraints and barriers when wanting to travel independently. Women tourists are more likely to be victims of sexual harassment due to the lack of safety in certain destinations and are likely to be judged for wanting to travel alone as it is viewed as unsafe. Fear is the number one contribution to stopping women from taking solo trips. The fear usually resonates within external parties such as friends and relatives who perceive the idea of female solo travel as dangerous, usually labelling women who want to travel independently as reckless and irresponsible.
To conquer these barriers women put a number of strategies in place to ease the worries and fears family members may have. Women solo travellers tend to make sure they are alert and vigilant at all times, removing themselves for situations that put them on edge or make them anxious, always are seeking out public areas that are safe and sometimes changing the way they dress to divert attention. By women constantly having to worry about their own personal safety whilst abroad decreases their ability to explore, experience and enjoy a destination.
Despite the increasing numbers of women partaking in solo travelling, there are still many women around the world who do not have the ability to do so. The women who participate in solo travel usually fit into a specific socioeconomic class such as middle and upper class. This is because solo travel is usually only accessible for women with a higher economic status. Women of middle or upper class have more access to better education and employment opportunities compared to women in lower class. Meaning women of lower socioeconomic class simply cannot afford to or do not have the knowledge required to take part in solo travel.
A women's religion or culture can be a limitation for them being able to participate in solo travel. Amongst certain cultures and religions, women my not be allowed to travel alone due to traditions and without family approval. Within patriarchal Muslim societies in Iran, men have the power to influence and make decisions for their whole family including their wife and daughter (Moghadam, Knudson-Martin and Mahoney, 2009). This makes women of certain cultures to have restricted freedom when wanting to be able to travel solo. Therefore the culture or religion of women can limit them to being able to travel alone as they are faced with a number of constraints when wanting to immerse themselves in tourism activities.
Even though the majority of women in the world have the accessibility to solo travel, many women may never have that luxury. They will never have the chance to feel the empowerment solo travelling brings for women due to things they have no control over. There needs to be more conversation around the fact that not all women are easily accessible to independent travel and limitations such as socioeconomic class and culture can significantly reduce and limit their chances of seeing the world.
References:
Moghadam, S., Knudson-Martin, C., & Mahoney, A. R. (2009). Gendered power in cultural contexts: Part III. Couple relationships in Iran. Family Process, 48(1), 41–54.
Wilson E. & Little D.E. (2008). The solo female travel experience: exploring the ‘geography of women’s fear’. Current Issues in Tourism, 11(2): pp.167– 186
Yang, E.C.L., (2021). What motivates and hinders people from travelling alone? A study of solo and non-solo travellers. Current Issues in Tourism, 24(17), pp.2458-2471.
This discussion paper looks into women solo travellers and the benefits, problems and barriers they face when travelling alone, whilst also highlighting counter arguments and debates underpinning why solo travel is not easily accessible for all women.
Key Words: Women solo travellers, solo travel, socioeconomic class, culture.
Discussion:
Solo traveling has gradually transformed from being a very niche travel option to becoming a very popular phenomenon and trendy travel option amongst individuals (Yang, 2021). Solo travelling contributes to a large amount of the tourism market due to its rapid growth and popularity in recent years. A solo travellers desire is to be able to have the ability to travel at their own pace and time without having the worry of pleasing other people.
Solo travel amongst women has significantly grown in recent years due to more women wanting to seek out experiences that provide them with opportunities to become more adventurous, knowledgeable and sociable. Many women have become more motivated to venture outside of their comfort zones to develop a sense of individuality in the world (Wilson and Little, 2008).
The ability of being able to solo travel independently as a women has provided women with many benefits. Solo travel allows women to challenge themselves and overcome any obstacles and fears they face, leading to increased self-confidence. Solo travel also provides women with the opportunity to escape from their everyday life and the social pressures they face within their own home environment. Many women participate in solo travel as travelling alone allows for personal growth to find a sense of identity and improve social interaction.
Even though solo travel provides many benefits for women travellers, they still face a significant amount of constraints and barriers when wanting to travel independently. Women tourists are more likely to be victims of sexual harassment due to the lack of safety in certain destinations and are likely to be judged for wanting to travel alone as it is viewed as unsafe. Fear is the number one contribution to stopping women from taking solo trips. The fear usually resonates within external parties such as friends and relatives who perceive the idea of female solo travel as dangerous, usually labelling women who want to travel independently as reckless and irresponsible.
To conquer these barriers women put a number of strategies in place to ease the worries and fears family members may have. Women solo travellers tend to make sure they are alert and vigilant at all times, removing themselves for situations that put them on edge or make them anxious, always are seeking out public areas that are safe and sometimes changing the way they dress to divert attention. By women constantly having to worry about their own personal safety whilst abroad decreases their ability to explore, experience and enjoy a destination.
Despite the increasing numbers of women partaking in solo travelling, there are still many women around the world who do not have the ability to do so. The women who participate in solo travel usually fit into a specific socioeconomic class such as middle and upper class. This is because solo travel is usually only accessible for women with a higher economic status. Women of middle or upper class have more access to better education and employment opportunities compared to women in lower class. Meaning women of lower socioeconomic class simply cannot afford to or do not have the knowledge required to take part in solo travel.
A women's religion or culture can be a limitation for them being able to participate in solo travel. Amongst certain cultures and religions, women my not be allowed to travel alone due to traditions and without family approval. Within patriarchal Muslim societies in Iran, men have the power to influence and make decisions for their whole family including their wife and daughter (Moghadam, Knudson-Martin and Mahoney, 2009). This makes women of certain cultures to have restricted freedom when wanting to be able to travel solo. Therefore the culture or religion of women can limit them to being able to travel alone as they are faced with a number of constraints when wanting to immerse themselves in tourism activities.
Even though the majority of women in the world have the accessibility to solo travel, many women may never have that luxury. They will never have the chance to feel the empowerment solo travelling brings for women due to things they have no control over. There needs to be more conversation around the fact that not all women are easily accessible to independent travel and limitations such as socioeconomic class and culture can significantly reduce and limit their chances of seeing the world.
References:
Moghadam, S., Knudson-Martin, C., & Mahoney, A. R. (2009). Gendered power in cultural contexts: Part III. Couple relationships in Iran. Family Process, 48(1), 41–54.
Wilson E. & Little D.E. (2008). The solo female travel experience: exploring the ‘geography of women’s fear’. Current Issues in Tourism, 11(2): pp.167– 186
Yang, E.C.L., (2021). What motivates and hinders people from travelling alone? A study of solo and non-solo travellers. Current Issues in Tourism, 24(17), pp.2458-2471.