A very smart, red-shoed young lady once said, "there's no place like home," and goddamnit, she's right.
The world is an evil and scary place, and the excitement of adventure, exploration, and self-discovery is not outweighed by the perils of traveling alone… as a woman.
Men can go right ahead but women, as we all know, are too fragile and weak for this kind of exertion. Here are 12 terrible, horrible, mind-bendingly awful things that happen to women who travel solo.
You'll get lost.
Nevermind that we've got inventions like Google Maps, Waze, or even regular old paper maps — there's no way you'll be able to find your way around a new place by yourself.
You'll miss technology.
You CAN'T go without Facebook for a few days!!! What will happen to your email?!?! How will the world survive without your Twitter updates??? Everybody panic!!!!
You'll starve.
American food is the only food, full stop.
You'll get murdered.
Everyone is out to get you and no one can be trusted. That old woman? Murderer. That baby in a stroller? Murderer. Those teenagers taking selfies? Double-murderers.
You'll get sick.
If you're not within walking distance of a hospital, you're not safe. Foreign air is unclean air. Who took my hand sanitizer?!?! *hyperventilates*
You'll have culture shock.
What IS this language? What ARE these religions? What IS this food? What ARE these buildings? Go back to bed and never come out.
You'll get raped.
You don't know how to keep yourself safe and make smart choices, and you're more at risk out there than you ever were in your home city, right?
You'll be lonely.
Tú sólamente hablas inglés, y no puedes viajar sin traductor, ¿verdad?
You'll be defenseless.
You have no self-defense skills, and as a woman you're too weak to fend off anyone who might mean you harm. Obviously.
You'll get homesick.
WAAAAAAHHHH, CAN'T ADULT!!!
You'll definitely regret it.
Traveling alone is a god-awful experience and the worst thing you'll ever do for yourself.
Seriously, though. Traveling — especially alone — is an empowering and incredible journey (literally). Just be safe, do a little research beforehand, and get a sturdy backpack (and a selfie stick) and you'll never regret a moment.
