Being a Woman and a Solo Traveler Trying to Make Friends

If you’re new here, my name is Liv, and I’ve been traveling since I was 18 years old. I’ve been to over 40 countries and visited thousands of cities, islands, and villages, all by myself.

Solo female travel has become a huge thing, and I’m so happy about that because it is empowering, life changing, and honestly one of the most beautiful experiences you can have.

I can’t imagine my life without it, and I can’t imagine where I’d be right now if my 18-year-old self hadn’t decided to just go for it and travel the world alone.

The Reality of Solo Female Travel

But the longer I’ve traveled solo as a woman, and the more I’ve matured in my relationship with myself and with others, the more I’ve started to notice the flaws too.

Before I get into the real point of this article, I want to be clear that I am not trying to discourage anyone, especially young women, from solo traveling. It is still one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life.

However, there is a downside that has become more and more obvious to me, especially over the past year as I’ve grown and changed a lot.

I’ve had some really uncomfortable, eye opening experiences in different countries that have shifted the way I see solo female travel, particularly when it comes to the social side of it.

Of course, this depends so much on where you are, who you meet, where you stay, and your own energy and boundaries. But I want to share my general thoughts on what I’ve personally found to be a growing downside.

The Uncomfortable Truth I’ve Discovered

I want to talk about the reality of socializing as a solo female traveler, especially when it comes to the opposite gender. This is not meant to put down all men everywhere. It’s just based on my overall experiences over the last four years of traveling alone.

When I first started, I found it incredibly easy to make friends. Girls, guys, locals, travelers, everyone. I’ve always been someone who gets along easily with people, and back then I never really struggled socially.

Starting Out: Carefree and Open to Everything

But I was also in a very different mindset at the start of my travels. I was more carefree, more reckless, and honestly just doing whatever I wanted with whoever I wanted. You can interpret that however you want.

I was going out all the time, drinking, partying, meeting random people, and just flowing through life without much intention or awareness. That made it really easy to socialize, because I was always in social environments and open to anything.

Now: Different Values, Different Priorities

Now, years later, I don’t really care to party or stay out late with random people. That’s just not my priority anymore when I travel. My values and intentions have shifted so much. And because of that, I’ve actually found it way harder to form genuine and fulfilling connections on the road.

Especially in the past six months, since I’ve been in a long-distance relationship with my boyfriend, I’ve noticed that most of the people who approach me or start conversations with me are men. And not always for the right reasons.