Solo Female Travel Through Southeast Asia
An ancient ruin in Siem Reap, Cambodia
Hey there! I decided one day I wanted to solo travel through Southeast Asia, and here is my unfiltered genuine experience. This was my first time visiting Thailand, Cambodia, and Malaysia. In this blog I will talk about the decision behind solo traveling, the goods, the bads, and my recommendation for others. Spoiler alert, I LOVED it.
I wanted to go Southeast Asia, so I did.
Wat Pho in Bangkok, Thailand
The motivation behind doing a solo travel through Southeast Asia was simple: I wanted to. My friends were all iffy about going and were giving me wishy washy answers, so I thought: I’m still going. I have heard amazing things about Thailand, so I built my itinerary around Thailand. The flights between Thailand, Cambodia, and Malaysia were only around one hour, making it very easy to travel between them.
Was it dangerous?
I visited night markets before it was completely dark.
This is the question that comes up for most people when “solo” and “woman” is in a sentence. It may also be a big factor that prevents a lot of people from traveling altogether.
The short answer is no, I came back unscathed, unmugged, and un-kidnapped. Most Southeast Asian countries are miles (or kilometers) safer than major US cities such as Los Angeles or Baltimore. I definitely felt like my life was in danger within 10 minutes of walking around Baltimore, but I did not feel unsafe at any point during this trip in Southeast Asia.
The long answer is, if you stay in touristy and populated area, the risk of violent crime is very low. However, you still need to be diligent of pick pockets, scams, and date rape — just like any major city in the world. If you leave your iPhone 15 in your shallow back pocket walking through a busy night market, you will probably be pickpocketed.
Check out my guide on how to stay safe on vacation!
Is it enjoyable alone?
As a linguistic nerd, I stared at this ancient script for 15 solid minutes.
Absolutely!! I would even argue it could be even MORE fun than traveling with a group. Imagine this, you can eat breakfast at 4am, 10am, or skip breakfast. You can walk down the street, realize you forgot your wallet, and turn around without annoying anyone. You can ponder at a museum at your own pace. Going on a hike? Take as long as you want and no one will be upset at you. There is so much freedom! Solo traveling allows you to do whatever you want at the pace you want. Personally, I am a history/museum buff so I spent an entire day in Malaysia going through different museums, which may be an absolute snoozer to someone else.
Now I must caveat, night life may be harder to explore alone as a solo female traveler. Generally, I don’t recommend staying out too far from your hotel past 8pm, which may limit some of your night time activities. As for food, you can order as much as your stomach can handle, versus if you had someone with you, you could try a spoon of their dish.
Does solo travel get lonely?
Visiting a village with my tour group, featuring my two new German friends.
It could, but it does not have to. I personally found that I was able to connect with more of my friends through Instagram, since I’m posting a lot more on vacation and it’s an easier conversation starter than my normal story of me walking my dog. Also, I joined in on day tours were I made a few international friends! Just because you are on a solo vacation, doesn’t mean you cannot get any human interaction.
My advice for any ladies who are on the fence of solo travel:
Didn't feel like putting on make up or dressing up fancy, no one to judge me, no one to impress.
Do your research, do all the due diligence, pack your bags, and do it! Do not let your gender stop you from seeing the world. There are cities where I would absolutely not recommend a solo travel for ladies, but that is not the case for most of the world. Again, research the place, stay vigilant, read my guide on safe traveling, and live your dreams. I’m not a motivational speaker, I’m just a person who loves traveling.
