Solo touring - safe for a woman?

[ufkacbln]

A lot depends on you and whether you think you would worry or enjoy.

I think the most useless and yet sensible piece of advice is to trust yourself and your instincts.

If something does not feel right about a situation, place or event , then probably it isn't!

 

[Hebe]

I would encourage you to be brave. The world is not as dangerous as media implies

This, absolutely. I went travelling solo in my late 20s. My mother was worried sick that I would agree to carry someone elses luggage, my father kept his worries to himself. I ran into one nutter in Sydney, reported him to the police (who basically said what did I expect, what with being in the ladies loos in that part of town, ahhh, the joy of local knowledge, it was early-afternoon...). He was the exception to the rule however. An Italian chef offered to cook me whatever I wanted for breakfast, delighted to see someone before the morning rush. Business travellers chatted to me about their UK trips, Tahitian matrons asked if I would think about staying as they had many unmarried sons. The truly wonderful thing about travelling is that you're always moving on, so it's never long until you leave any suspect behaviour well behind. I find this far more reassuring than the way in which unwanted attentions can recur at home when you have a predictable daily routine.

 

[slowmotion]

Blimey Slowmo, that's a silly post! Women of the world know your place: you are only safe going touring on your own if you are too old and ugly for anyone to bother pestering you. Jeez, words fail me!

TMN, I think thats a slightly unfair interpretation of my post., but never mind.

 

[Ticktockmy]

A few years ago, i was cycling from along the East Coast of Malaysia, when I met a young Aussie Girl who was cycling from Aussie land to London by then she had island hopped through the Indonesian islands. Having carried out a few minor repairs for her, two broken spokes, I gave her my UK address, in case she needed any help when she got to the UK, 18 months later She phoned me from Newhaven ferry port, asking for somewhere to rest her head, from her stories she had had her scary moments but plenty of good moments. So I would say go for it, try a few trips around the UK to get a feel for touring check out http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/ for ideas, During my many years of cycle touring I have meet many ladies both young and old cycling by themselves.

 

[suffolkcindy]

As a woman who has travelled alone when young and not so young i do notice a difference in the way men behave but statistics suggest safety is more about vulnerability than attractiveness. As i said earlier...attitude is all. Be brave, feel brave but make sensible decisions and you will meet all sorts of amazingly kind people.
The only three horror stories i have all involve times when i was travelling with a companion and we were both in danger. Stupidity on our part mostly.

 

[jay clock]

I think that a lot depends on age, looks and location. Sorry, that's not very PC,

ignore the looks bit. The sort of person who decides to try it on/assault a woman camping on her own is the sort who just thinks "totty, mine, now". I have three daughters aged 20-23 and I would be nervous and proud in equal measures if they went off alone.

 

[lulubel]

Thanks for all the replies. I think it's something I'll just have to try and see how comfortable I feel. As people have suggested, I'll try out short tours at first, and go from there. I'll soon get a feel for how confident and comfortable I am.

I understand what slowmo's getting at, and I think he has a valid point. When I travelled in the Middle East, I dressed very conservatively, and carried a headscarf with me because I discovered very quickly that I could make myself "invisible" to men by covering my head. I was generally ignored by men unless I made eye contact when I was wearing the headscarf, but when I wasn't wearing it I did get a bit of unwanted attention - not in a bad way, usually just trying to sell me something, but it sometimes took a while to make it clear I wasn't interested. I'm not sure how this would translate to travelling in Europe, though. Well, let's face it, I'm not going to be particularly desirable to anyone who gets within a few metres of me if I've been cycling for a few days without any proper laundry facilities!

I have thought about getting a dog - I'd really like a dog anyway - but I know travelling with a dog brings its own complications. I may think more about that because it would be nice to have a companion, both at home and out on the bike, and the extra difficulties could be worth it.

 

[slowmotion]

I have thought about getting a dog - I'd really like a dog anyway - but I know travelling with a dog brings its own complications. I may think more about that because it would be nice to have a companion, both at home and out on the bike, and the extra difficulties could be worth it.

Would it be a huge "running alongside" type of dog, or a "sit in a basket" one?
[media]
]View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihi4PeOZHeY[/media]

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Well, Slowmotion has a point, TMN also, ime. Young, pretty, alone on tour attracts dangers just like older, faded looks do. Maybe (well, for sure I think) if you are attractive you face a different kind of unwanted attention than if you are just an older lady with a perceived fat wallet.
European guys usually take no for an answer, but they are a bit hard of hearing
What about taking some self defense classes before you set out, Lulubel?
Would a dog not make it harder for you to enter some countries, you know, you need to carry paperwork for it.

 

[lulubel]

Would it be a huge "running alongside" type of dog, or a "sit in a basket" one?

That's an impressive speed!

I'm quite torn on the whole dog thing. It will definitely take a lot of thought. A small dog would be easier from the point of view that I could just put it in the basket and go, I wouldn't have to worry about whether the dog was getting tired, it would be easier to carry food, and to find places to stay if I couldn't find a campsite. But how threatening is a Chihauhau, exactly?

I've also wanted a Dalmatian ever since I read 101 Dalmatians when I was a kid, and I know that particular breed could run alongside over good distances, as well as making a pretty threatening "guard dog" if needed. But it comes with all the big dog problems.

What about taking some self defense classes before you set out, Lulubel?
Would a dog not make it harder for you to enter some countries, you know, you need to carry paperwork for it.

I have done a bit of self defence, but it's mainly been about incapacitating your attacker for long enough so you can run away. I don't know what I'd do if I was in a remote location and there was nowhere to run away to.

Having a dog would restrict me to travelling in countries that are in the pet passport scheme, but that's quite a lot of countries now, and pretty much all of Europe, I think. It's much less of a big deal here in Spain than in the UK because rabies vaccination is compulsory (although a lot of irresponsible pet owners still don't get their animals vaccinated) and you're automatically issued a passport when you get the first rabies jab done. It was a real performance before we left the UK with our cats - the vets took weeks to process all the paperwork - but here in Spain, it takes about 10 minutes.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Lulubel, would you be stopping in places for work?

 

[lulubel]

Lulubel, would you be stopping in places for work?

This is another thing I'll have to spend a lot of time figuring out. Unfortunately, I can't leave my business behind, so I'm looking at using a small tablet on wifi where possible, 3G where not, and charging it through either a solar charger or dynamo hub, or more likely a combination of the two. I was originally thinking about using a netbook, but I think I'd have problems keeping that charged, so now I'm looking at a tablet with a keyboard accessory instead.

Basically, I can work from anywhere as long as I have access to a computer and an internet connection.

 

[MarkF]

Lulubel, I've just got back from riding Bilbao to Malaga. I met umpteen solo women (of all ages) travellers, pilgrims mostly, crossing Spain all over the place. What, exactly, is there to be worried about? I honestly can't think of anything, after all, people get hurt by strangers in their own homes............

All appeared to be having a great time and I spent an excellent evening with 3 women in an otherwise empty hostal in Fuentes de Campos. Nobody had ulterior motives, just a good time was had with "normal" like minded travellers.

BTW every single place I stayed in had wi-fi access.

 

[lulubel]

Lulubel, I've just got back from riding Bilbao to Malaga. I met umpteen solo women (of all ages) travellers, pilgrims mostly, crossing Spain all over the place. What, exactly, is there to be worried about? I honestly can't think of anything, after all, people get hurt by strangers in their own homes............

Well, I'm not only planning to travel within Spain. That would be a bit boring (and very hilly). My biggest concern is about wild camping, which I could end up doing if I don't plan the trip down to the last detail (which I don't want to do). I don't really have any concerns about staying in B&Bs, hostels or on camp sites.

 

[mcshroom]

One of the most inspiring things I read not long after joining this forum was HelenD123's solo ride across Canada which is written up here - http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1&doc_id=6892&v=c3

I've done a few tours (ok I'm big, heavy and male so not quite the same) and the only times I don't feel happy are when riding small streets through council estates. I have never had any hassle and if anything people seem to be friendlier to you when on a touring bike then just about in any other circumstance.

Always be aware of your surroundings of course, but in general I like to believe the world isn't as scary as it looks on TV.