‘Why I’ll never stop travelling solo’

AUSSIE traveller Leah McLennan has had some terrifying moments while solo overseas. But here’s why she’ll never let those experiences stop her.

‘Why I will never stop travelling alone’

WHEN I read the horrifying story this week of two young women backpackers who were raped and murdered by two men in South America, it made me question whether I should continue to travel alone.

And if I do embark on further solo adventures, should I limit my itinerary to only countries that share values similar to Australia? Should I strike places such as India and Egypt off the list, and only visit the likes of England and Canada instead?

The two Argentine women, Maria Coni, 22, and Marina Menegazzo, 21, did as many backpackers have done before them. While in Ecuador they reached out to their friends for help with accommodation and were put in touch with two men who offered them a place for the night. By morning they were dead.

It wasn’t long after this shocking event that the Internet lit up with a debate about travel safety for women, especially those who go solo. Disappointingly, as details of the crime emerged, the victim blaming raged.

Misogynists started to ask why the pair was travelling without a male companion and why their parents had allowed them to travel independently.

Paraguayan student Guadalupe Acosta then took to Facebook to defend solo travel. She lambasted those who asked “useless questions”, such as “What were you wearing?” rather than condemning the two men responsible for the murders. Her post, shared over 730,000 times, inspired the hashtag #viajosola (Spanish for ‘I travel alone’) to trend on Twitter.

“Backpacking solo in Colombia was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life,” wrote one. “Fear should not keep us at home,” wrote another.

Marina Menegazzo and María Coni were murdered.

Personally, I have wonderful memories from trips I’ve taken alone to Bhutan, Greece and Mongolia. Happy memories from these jaunts are numerous: the sense of achievement I felt after hiking up to the Tiger’s Nest monastery in Bhutan; the elation of bartering my way to a fair price for a jade snuff bottle in Ulaanbaatar; and savouring the taste of my first souvlaki while dining alone in Athens.

The butterflies of excitement that I felt on these journeys were addictive and I often find myself dreaming about my next independent trip. But while I have plenty of blissful travel memories from these adventures, there are also recollections that make me shudder.

Leah solo in Iceland.

There was the time a sleazy staff member at my hotel used the master key to enter my room in Paro, Bhutan. Fortunately, he left when I yelled at him, but I hardly slept knowing he had that key.

Then there was the night I decided to visit a Mongolian friend in Ulaanbaatar. A creepy man started to follow me and I ran through foreign streets in the dark searching for Enki’s house. Luckily, I arrived safely.

And an incident in Greece when I was younger horrifies me when I recall how trusting I was of others when I was a university student. I accepted an offer from a burly taxi driver to show me around Athens for free.

She will keep travelling solo.

Rather than see the Acropolis he drove to a deserted car park. I became terrified. After asking several times, eventually he drove me back to my hostel. Thank goodness nothing happened, but the experience left me looking like I’d just seen a ghost.

Fortunately, I can easily recount these travel stories as none of them turned into an assault.

But although these travel experiences were unpleasant, the good times trump the bad.

I have decided I will not let these negative experiences keep me at home. Besides, violence against women is present in every country in the world, including here in Australia.

Don’t let fear stop you.

That said, based on reports from Human Rights Watch and crime reports in the media, women should be extra cautious in countries, such as India, Brazil, Egypt, Colombia and Mexico. Travelling to especially risky countries requires heightened attention and common sense.

Ultimately, there’s no one secret to staying safe while travelling, it’s a process of being wise, planning ahead, conducting thorough research and keenly listening to your instincts.

While random and shocking, the murder of the two Argentine backpackers should not hold us back from living life to the fullest and exploring whichever part of the globe we choose.

Travelling alone has taught me so much about myself. It’s made me stronger and more independent. The day I said to myself, “Hey, I just caught a train from Beijing to Ulaanbaatar by myself and I’m fine”, is a day I’ll never forget.

These kinds of experiences make you ask yourself, “What can’t I do by myself?” It turns out, very little.

I salute those women taking to Twitter to share their experiences of travelling solo in this wonderful world.