Solo Female Traveller 101

Empowering women to be the most confident versions of themselves while travelling.

Venturing into the unknown, embarking on a voyage of discovery, losing yourself and finding a 'new you'. Everyone has a different drive and motivation for travel, but whether volunteering or sofa-surfing one common desire is to try something out of the ordinary. A break from normal life to experience a new culture, taste different food, or learn a language.

Whatever the motivation, organising logistics and getting your bag packed can be nerve racking, and once on the road even the most experienced traveller can quickly find themselves further out of their comfort zone than they ever intended. The 24hr Tourist caught up with seasoned solo-traveller Amanda, whose unexpected experience lead her to create The Solo Female Traveler Network, a global travelling community of women sharing ideas, experiences, knowledge and support.

In 2016 Amanda was travelling through Mexico when she was robbed. Left in a country alone with no money she turned to Facebook to tap in to her social network for support. She created the group The Solo Female Traveler Network in search of someone who might be able to help and the response was overwhelming. There were thousands of independent, confident and ambitious women, like herself, travelling the world looking for a place to connect with like-minded people to share experiences and seek advice. After her ordeal the group continued to grow and offer each other support. Just four years later it has over 400,000 members, they run adventurous group tours for experienced travellers, and have six sister networks aimed at servicing specific needs for the 40+ age group and the LGBTQ+ community, among others.

The support on offer has been driven by this online community. Members post about everything from locations, destinations, and volunteering, to cultural concerns, loneliness and homesickness; the list is endless.

It's clear when reading some of the discussions that women have specific needs that aren't addressed in your off-the-shelf guide book. Questions around male-female relationships in different cultures, advice around specific language, having romantic relationships, and like Amanda, what happens when you're overseas and need to, as a women, deal with the authorities. These experiences will often impact men and women differently, especially women travelling alone, and there's rarely a textbook solution. The Solo Female Traveler Network offers wealth of knowledge, experience and moral support to help with and discuss these issues. It's there for members who are planning their first holiday alone, and others who've been on the road for years and fancy reaching out to make some new friends.

One universal problem that hit the world of travel this year is the covid-19 crisis - a global pandemic that's seen shut downs and restrictions in almost every country. Rather than grieving over being grounded, Amanda and her team quickly got to work embarking on the biggest project of the organisation yet - The Solo Female Traveler Network membership website.

Launching on the 9th May 2020 this brand new website will service the members in a way that simply hasn't been possible on Facebook. Live seminars, direct messaging, and a library of information. This content has been created for members by members in a spectacular global effort. With courses from travel gurus, to photographers and sex experts, no path will be left untrodden. The aim, to provide women everywhere with the information they need to become the most well-informed and successful travellers they can be through knowledge, support and networking.

With 24-hours to go until the launch we asked Amanda what her expert advice would be to any in-the-closet travel bugs stuck at home wondering if the travel thing is for them. She gave us three top tips:

1. Just do it - it might seem like simple advice, but I find myself saying this a lot. Everyone has to start somewhere. It's scary, but do it!

2. Be well informed - understand your chosen destination, but also understand yourself. What do you want to get out of the trip? How can you make sure you achieve those goals?

3. Remember there's a community out there - you can be the most confident and independent person in the world but anyone can feel lost, lonely, confused or unsafe. The Solo Female Traveler Network will support you.

The truth is - and experienced travellers know this well - that the world really isn't that dangerous or scary when you're out in it, but it pays to be clued-up and prepared. Planning and connecting with others not only keeps you safe, but it also allows you the freedom to push boundaries.

For more information and to check out their brand new service visit: https://thesolofemaletravelernetwork.com/

SPECIAL OFFER: The first 500 members will receive a special discount price of $15.99 per month, or $159.99 per year membership. This package price offers you access to all the seminars and conversations on the network.