Solo Traveller

To wrap up a successful first season of Hello Zafigo, Marina Mahathir speaks to Mei Mei Chu and Priscilla Patrick about life on the road as solo female travellers.

There is daily, horrific violence that happens to women in India. Sticking to my guns may have been what saved me.

Bird droppings, snakes, sake, getting beaten with twigs – people have interesting (read: unusual) ways of unwinding, and these are just some of them.

Sexual harassment or assault is something that happens to too many women but there are a few things that every woman travelling alone should know or equip themselves with.

In a continuation of our #ZafigoStories: Humans of Lockdown series, we reached out to our community of travellers from around the world to share their unique experiences, to show you that while your life might not be comfortable right now, there is still much to live for and look forward to.

Instead of feeling down about missed travelling opportunities, why not invest the extra time you may currently have into upskilling yourself for the next adventure?

While the world is busy practising social distancing, we are doing the opposite. We are physically distancing, but still reaching out, and staying socially connected with our community of global women travellers through #ZafigoStories. This is the Humans of Lockdown edition.

My previous host, Tanya, told me about this riverside paradise in Quito, Ecuador, owned by her parents-in-law and said if I wanted to camp there, she could hook me up. I thought, why not? In my mind, I was about to head to a magical mountain land in an area called Pachijal Forest.

The tiny island of Belitung which is located to the east of Sumatra, Indonesia is the place to be if you’re looking to put a pause on your busy life as you know it and just take things as they come.

There are a variety of online jobs you can earn from right now. This will allow you to work and save from the comfort of your own home, but also, once the lockdown measures have been lifted, you can earn while you travel too.

Of course, you can still enjoy the white sands and crystal waters, but there’s so much more on offer in Phu Quoc, Vietnam’s largest island.

Like with everything else in life, it’s really all the little things that count, and these are the things we’re most looking forward to when we eventually start travelling again.