As a woman, travelling alone overseas is an incredibly freeing experience. Photo: Stocksy
As I write this, I am seated on a high-speed train headed towards my final stop on my long-awaited holiday in Germany. Thus far I have had a wonderful two and a half weeks seeing the sites, eating the food and experiencing the culture in three very different regions of this country. Though I am travelling solo, I have met a number of interesting people along the way.
One night, I got talking to three British men who were on a working holiday. In between hearing about their antics and just how many drinks they had consumed that night, one of the men said to me "you're travelling alone? You've got much bigger balls than I have. I could never do that". He then went on to ask me if I felt safe doing so, and was I afraid, particularly of walking around by myself at night.
If the presence of "balls" is the marker for the potential of a person to undertake courageous and independent acts then no wonder the world is in trouble. That aside, this is not the first time I have encountered the idea that as a woman, travelling by myself overseas is an act of courage or it's a sign that I'm lacking something in my life (like a partner, perhaps). Not even a day earlier, an attendant at a health spa I visited expressed pity when I mentioned I was travelling solo. Several other people have enquired as to whether I will get "lonely". Friends and family back home have also expressed similar sentiments.
If I were a man, I wonder if I would get so many invasive enquiries. The idea that men can take up space in the world yet women have to continually fight for that same entitlement is a constant theme in society. The phenomenon of "victim blaming" comes from this idea - that a woman could have avoided incident if she modified her behaviour rather than blaming perpetrators for choosing to harass, attack and dehumanise other people. The idea, therefore, that a woman is taking some sort of unnecessary risk travelling alone, that she's almost inviting trouble by doing so, seems to be wedged in the minds of many. The perception that the "big bad wolf" is out there on the streets of the world waiting for us, rather than in our own homes, does not seem to be going away any time soon.
Yet when it comes to the raw statistics, men are most at danger at being victims of random assailants while on the streets. Of the approximately 1000 Australian tourists who die overseas each year, two thirds of them are due to illnesses and natural causes – a risk which can be mitigated by regular health check-ups and taking the proper precautions. Gaining gender breakdowns of these overseas deaths is difficult, yet in 1995 it was recorded that men outnumber women 4 to 1.
Additionally, the recent report released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows that injury rates for Australian men leading to potential death are almost triple what they are for women. We can therefore assume this trend continues when we travel overseas.
As a woman, travelling alone overseas is an incredibly freeing experience. Perhaps this partially has something to do with flouting social rules by doing so. More though, it has to do with the amazing experiences you can have worldwide.
As an Aboriginal woman, this feeling of freedom is amplified. Time and time again while travelling, when telling locals about my background, I have felt their acceptance of this background in ways I never get at home. I never get asked "what percentage?". I never have to justify my cultural knowledge. Unless they show a particular interest, I never have to discuss the political issues. It's a refreshing and regenerating experience.
I'm on no Eat, Pray, Love experience. I'm not travelling because I crave meaning or enlightenment in my life. I'm not in a process of rebuilding. Mainly I'm here because I've always wanted to go to Germany and so I booked a plane ticket and went. I am thankful that I have the means and opportunity to do this because across the world many women don't due to poverty or because they don't have the freedom to.
When considering this, there is nothing brave, or for that matter sad and lonely, about my solo travels. I want all women across the world to have freedom of movement and experience. Until men worldwide recognise that women have a right to this, then I feel we need to challenge these gendered ideas of safety and ownership. The world awaits us.
