It doesn’t matter where I am, North America, Europe, Africa, or Asia, mentioning that I travel solo is almost always received with surprise, shock, disbelief, and dropped jaws. The next thing that comes is often, “you’re so brave, ” which I’ve begun to detest because it insinuates that I must be afraid, but do so anyway. Why is it so hard to believe that I travel without fear? Why is so hard to swallow that women aren’t these feeble, weak creatures, that we’re capable and powerful, and why shouldn’t we travel the world?
I’m not naive, I know there are people, especially men, who can hurt me. I know that the vessel of my soul is human flesh, and it is not invincible, but my soul is, and it is everything. If I never venture out into the world, because I’m afraid of the possibility of being hurt, then they win, and nothing will change. That’s what they want, men who prey on and abuse women. They want women who are afraid, who tremble before them, they want to oppress you and have you play specific roles they’ve deemed are a woman’s place in society. You have to stand up, do what you love, no matter what they say, no matter what anyone says, male or female.
Statistically, I have more chances of being assaulted or harmed by people I know well, in a place I’ve lived and am familiar with. Crime is less random than we like to think. If people are so worried about my safety, shouldn’t they encourage me to get out of town, get away from people I know, get out of country? Yes, I could still be hurt, killed even, maybe one day I will be, but so far, in all my travels I haven’t, and I could spend the rest of my life traveling without any harm coming to me. It is less of a risk to travel, what fulfills my soul, which is more important than the body, than to take “what ifs?” to my grave.
If you want the world to be safer for women to travel in, then travel. Staying at home won’t change anything.