“May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears” 

Nelson Mandela 

People asked me why. People asked me how. People gave me high fives or expressions of concern. The truth is, I didn't need a reason or an explanation: I wanted to go to Thailand, and I was going. 

~ No compromises in what I wanted to do or when I wanted to do it. 

~My budget was the only one that mattered and I didn't have to adjust for anyone else. 

~An empowering adventure and test of independence. Some people say you "find yourself" but I am already pretty well acquainted, so it was more of a test of what I am capable of. 

Of course this decision didn't come without fears and reservations. I made a list of things that could "realistically" go wrong that were preventing me from traveling solo, and I came up with ways to mitigate that risk. Many of the concerns are real no matter who you travel with, but when you are responsible for yourself they become a lot bigger. 

I signed up for a lot of guided tours before taking off. This allowed me to search Trip Advisor reviews to feel comfortable. Of course I paid more than if I opted for some of the local tours, but this sense of security was worth it to me. I liked having an English speaking guide that could tell me places to visit and places to avoid. He described things like how taxi drives will try to charge you a flat rate (200 baht) rather than turn on the meter (53 baht) and where to see the best lady boy shows. 

I looked up terminals before hand so I had a general idea, but going through the lines in security in between international flights still had me rushing through the airport. Luckily, travel insurance had me covered if I missed a flight!

Lucky for me, Thailand is HOT and HUMID so the clothes I needed were fairly small. I took everything I needed in a carry on bag because I was so worried about losing my clothes and essentials. I had an outfit in my personal item bag just in case I had to check it, but I made it through. As a backup plan, my travel insurance covered lost luggage. 

I personally feel that limiting your nightlife as a solo female traveler is a good idea, or at least your alcohol intake. I met lots of people on Thailand tours I felt comfortable with so I ended up going out a bit, but you need to be extremely cautious. Plus, who wants to be hungover when you are in such an exotic place? I didn't travel 30 hours to stay in the dark with a headache! I also didn't wear anything terribly scandalous that would draw attention to myself and it is a good idea to respect local dress codes. In Thailand there were many temples that did not allow females to show their shoulders or legs, so you need to be respectful. 

This was my biggest concern with traveling solo. I wanted to take my DSLR camera and laptop, but was worried about losing them. This was my biggest reason for getting travel insurance so that it would replace my gear in case the worst happened. I also bought a few TSA travel locks, read Trip Advisor reviews to confirm security of hotels, ensured they had safes in the rooms, and brought cross-body bags that would allow me to keep my camera tucked away so I didn't flash my expensive gear. Pick pockets are the biggest gamble in Thailand so I was sure to split my cash up so it wasn't all in one place and kept my bag in front of my body at all times. 

The last thing I wanted was to be sick and all alone in a strange country. I made sure my travel insurance covered me for this situation, but prevention is the best plan. I took lots of vitamins, focused on a good diet before the trip and got all required vaccinations. I opted out of malaria pills but was sure to bring lots of bug spray to prevent the mosquitos. The best thing I packed was Pepto though, because I was victim to food poisoning. I was overly cautious and only drank bottled water, avoided fruits/veggies with the skin on and didn't eat raw foods, but on the third day I was feeling horrible. Half my group was also sick and we all went to different places, so it is just one of those things that happens. Best to prepare for it!

I typed up my full itinerary with addresses, phone numbers, confirmation numbers, flight numbers, travel insurance information, and copies of my passport just in case. This helped ease the fears of my family! FaceTime was also a blessing for worried family. 

I did a lot of research and got a real idea of how much things cost such as food, taxis, tips etc. You can take out the local currency from your bank, or you can usually get better exchange rates at the airport or hotel. Relying on credit cards and the ATMs are really the best way to go when traveling abroad. Just remember to split up your cash just in case something happens, you don't lose it all. 

Hello GoPro! Seriously the best invention ever. You can set it to take pictures every 5 seconds or so while it is filming, or you can take screenshots from the video footage you take. The wide angle lens makes it perfect for selfies. I always worry about asking someone else to take my photo because I am worried a) they won't know how to use my DSLR camera and the photos will be blurry or b) they will run away with my camera. Luckily there were other people on my tours that had DSLRs and knew how to use them. 

Selfies with the GoPro:

Photos taken by my tour guide: