I blame Dan Brown for sparking that traveling bug inside me. It all started when I read his books The Da Vinci Code, and Angels and Demons; and I just couldn’t help imagining what it would be like to visit The Vatican City, roam around in those Parisian streets and visit each museum that the author had described so vividly and intricately.
Since the Internet was not that common during those days, books were my only escape from reality, and Dan Brown enkindled a wanderlust inside me that I couldn’t tame anymore. So, after years of daydreaming and summoning the Law of Attraction by putting up pictures of Paris every place I could find on my wall and desktop, I began trying to figure out a way to make my wishes come true.
As it often happens with most people, I couldn’t find a traveling buddy to accompany me on my trip. Not that I don’t have any friends, but bringing on everyone on the same page has always been a daunting task.
There was this option of traveling alone (I was finally old enough!). I scoured the Internet and read all the tips for traveling alone. But since I haven’t done that before, I couldn’t muster up the courage to pick up my bags and just leave. Also, being a very social person,ti the idea of traveling alone didn’t appeal to me a lot.
So, I turned to the answer to all our problems: Google. And I came across these amazing communities that have been founded only for the purpose of helping solo women travelers like me to fulfill their wishes.
Ever since I came across them, I couldn’t contain my excitement so I decided to share these, and inspire some hopeless aspiring travelers, like me, to pack their bags.
1. Wanderful
I was surprised to see that Wanderful has grown into a huge community of women, who share their love for traveling (40,000 women in 46 global chapters, to be precise). This community holds global events as well as local meetups for women so they could get to know each other.
Once you sign up on this platform, you get access to home-sharing with other women who have been verified by Wanderful. Other than that, you become a part of an online community, and you can participate in their global events.
Wanderful hosts offer you accommodation all around the world. Just log on to the website and search where you want to go from a number of listings.
If you have a room to spare, then you can sign up to be a hostess on the site and earn some extra cash for your next trip.
The website is full of itineraries and guides about various destinations for you to take inspiration from.
You could say that Wanderful is a lot like Airbnb; it is just that this place this dedicated especially for women so that they don’t have to hesitate in traveling alone.
2. The Solo Female Traveler Network
Have you ever wanted to visit Antarctica and see those penguins walk on the snow and splash in the ice-cold water? Well, I have always wanted to see that, but the idea of getting lost in freezing cold used to send chills down my spine. Then I stumbled across this place and oh my! I fell in love because they will take you to see the penguins, the walrus, and those igloos (I am getting goosebumps while writing this!).
Solo Female Traveler Network designs various meetup tours across the world for women, who share the same interests and a passion for traveling. All you need to do is sign up for their tour and they will take care of the rest. Upcoming tours include a trip to India, Egypt, Bali, Iran, and Morocco (Tempting, isn’t it?)
Planning to travel to Bali? Stay at the Network’s guest house for only $15 per night, if you want some privacy you can get a dorm room for $35 per night. The guest house has all the amenities that you can think of, plus it gives you a chance to bond with the women, who are staying there and have fun with them.
3. Girls Love to Travel
Girls Love to Travel is yet another group that brings together aspiring women that love to see the world. It started off as a Facebook group that now boasts around 900K members, which has developed into a community that travels and makes some amazing memories together.
Just like the Solo Women Network, Girls Love to Travel arranges getaways to various places such as Morocco, Antarctica, and Thailand, etc. All you need to do is sign up online and get travel buddies to go see the Northern lights or the Great Pyramids.
You can also check out the subgroups of this community. There are various groups of likeminded people that are not related to traveling only, such as GLT Fitness, GLT Moms, GLT Foodies, etc. Join these groups and make new friends online.
4. Unleash your wanderlust
The availability of high-speed internet has brought the world closer; you have the entire world at your fingertips and nothing seems impossible. AT&T internet has one of the best internet plans and bundles that are pocket friendly and gives you signal strength in ways unexpected.
I have been pretty excited and happy to see that women around the world are supporting other women in achieving their dreams and fulfilling their passions in life. These are some of the great initiatives taken by women with a vision to empower their fellow species with independence and freedom that couldn’t have been exercised before.
5. Tips for solo travelers
Not interested in traveling in groups? If you are someone, who enjoys their own company and are perfectly comfortable in exploring the world by themselves, or who wants to design their own tours; then here are some apps that you can use apart from these platforms:
1.Solotraveller
2.Backpackr
3.Chefsfeed
4.Tourlina
5.Travello
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