Five solo female travellers to inspire your next adventure!

It takes a special kind of bravery to step out into the unknowns of solo travel, especially for female travellers! Sadly there are still many stigmas keeping women from taking that first step. While there are real dangers women face when travelling alone, instead of just staying at home, we have shown time and time again how capable we are to fend for ourselves and get out of sticky situations! Here are 5 inspiring solo female travellers that show us just what we can achieve if we put our mind to it: 

The woman who stepped into the unknown and ran away with huskies 

Imagine if, one day, you decided to give up the normal way of life you’ve always known, and swap it for an unknown path that’s completely new?! This happened to Marije when she decided to sell everything, leave all the fuss of city life behind her and head off to a sled dog farm in Alaska with 40 beautiful huskies surrounding her!

If it all sounds like a dream, the Dutch Workawayer definitely felt this way… She fell in love with it all and ended up staying there for two years!

What made her take that leap? A desire to walk her own path: 

“I can’t explain where that feeling came from, but the idea of travelling on my own fascinated me, probably because it gave me a feeling of freedom and independence.”

While it does gets quite intense to train 40 dogs on top of living in the remote, icy wilderness,

“I learned that being out of your comfort zone is how we can grow. You never realize how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.”

One way to know how strong we are is when we face ‘impossible’ challenges and manage to overcome them. Marije inspires us to step into an adventure no matter how challenging it seems, and realize how strong we truly are.  💪🏼

The woman who travelled to challenge the world’s misconceptions 

Travelling the world is easier said than done… And being a twenty-something in this world you’re often wondering to yourself, what’s next? Where do I begin? How do I want to live my life as I am finally coming into adulthood? Well, Ayse decided that getting out and seeing the world will help her find herself! 

Raised in a conservative family and cultural background, she found herself having to reassure her worried parents about taking a solo trip. Despite the difficult conversations, struggles with visa and money – she went for it!

After a two year trip around the world she returned to her home country of Turkey as a Workaway Ambasador and as a traveller who loves diversity, Ayse was happy to visit hosts in her own country. Ayse views her country through the lens of a world traveller and gives us a glimpse into Turkey, 

“…I can easily say that Turkey is actually very safe as opposed to the general idea of what the media tells you. People are very welcoming when it comes to foreigners; they love to give them a ride, host them and help them as much as they can, especially in rural areas.”

By embarking on eye-opening adventures around the world, Ayse got the chance to not only explore new countries and culture, but also to re-discover her home and herself from a brand new perspective!

The woman who journeyed in search for a more meaningful life 

Sometimes buying that one way ticket is what we need to get out of a rut- you’ll know it’s all worth it once you’ve done it! Feeling bogged down by her office job in the big city, Daniela made up her mind and went onto a Workaway trip in Argentina as she tells us, 

“I thought to myself – it is now or never – so I quit my job.” 

It certainly seems like a frightening move to give up your financial stability just to see what else is out there, but Daniela hasn’t looked back since. Her passion for kiteboarding has led her onto a whole new adventure. After her first Workaway at a kitesurfing school, she has been travelling all over the world and making incredible memories!

When asked about the takeaway from her journey, she told us how she came to realise what truly matters in life:

By helping others, I am helping myself as well. I not only learn to understand others but most importantly to understand myself. […] I have learnt to put my dreams forward. When I work for money and under a contract, I feel I am losing my freedom – losing myself. I have learnt to be patient, to slow down and value ordinary things around me that come for free. The most important thing I have learnt is that I need less than I think.

That’s such a beautiful reminder! We often thought we need a lot more to be happy, but once we removed the material factors and start to simplify things in our world, we’ll be surprised by how little we actually need to live a good, fulfilling life.

The woman who shares her travel wisdom to those following her path 

There are often assumptions that solo travelling and backpacking are exclusively for someone young, but we know that’s not true! There are so many inspiring stories from mature travellers, and Leyla is one of the many examples that show that age is just a number, and wanderlust is timeless!

A traveller in her mid-60s, Leyla is still taking the world by storm with a strong desire to travel that never quite quelled. She’s travelled most of her life even taking her first solo trip at age 15 – a daring and rebellious trip to Morocco from Spain which sparked the flames of her wanderlust. 

“I still remember sitting in a café by the sea sipping mint tea, watching the ships come in, and feeling as though I owned the world. I managed to stay an entire day before my father tracked me down and marched me back.”

Now though, aware that information and preparation IS what helps women to stay safe – she makes it her mission to educate women by giving them access to all that she has learned from her travels. 

“Because I’ve been around the world on my own several times and I didn’t have the hands-on information I needed to stay safe, travel smart or simply get from A to B.”


Being a brave woman means that you get to pave the way and help other women start their own journeys!

She runs a blog dedicated to solo female travellers, where you’ll find lots of safety travel tips for women, as well as useful advice on travel gear.

solo female traveller in the forest
from her facebook

The woman who spreads wanderlust and self-love

Apart from the bravery and perseverance that are needed to go onto that dream trip, there’s also a need for wonder. Glo doesn’t only have all those qualities, she also writes like that- filled with enthusiasm and curiousity about everywhere she goes and those she meets along the way!

Her journey started with small funds and an internship – she played semi-pro basketball, travelled a lot, and the work eventually paid off as her blog grew tremendously! Now she uses her online/ offline platforms to spread the message that we can do anything we set our minds to! 

Currently in full recovery mode after a health scare, she shares her valuable lessons by reminding women to travel more mindfully and to take extra care en route. We love what she does as a talented female travel blogger representing women of colour, and the rest of us who are equally brilliant, determined, and ready to take on the world as a solo female traveller!

As she reminds us, 

“You are alive. You are loved. You are valuable. If you can’t find joy in that, you won’t find it with anything else.” 

solo-female-travel-blogger-freedom
from her instagram

As an individual woman, we’re all beautiful and strong in our own way. And as a travel community made of wonderful people sharing the same vision, we are all here to connect and inspire each other to go even further. So here’s to all the incredible women who are putting themselves forward, challenging stereotypes and empowering others to do the same. 🧡

group-of-female-travellers-jumping-for-joy

If you also have an amazing journey to share, we’d love to hear it too! Let us know your story here or by commenting below!

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About Lois

Lois is a life-long learner and free spirit who loves to write and make stories come to life on a page. She dreams of adventure! Having grown up in an international community in Singapore and Chengdu,... show more...

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