Travel diva extraordinaire, Beth Whitman, author of Wanderlust and Lipstick: The Essential Guide for Women Traveling Solo, graciously granted us an interview. Here's what she had to say.
diva: How old were you when you took your first solo trip, where was it, and why did you go?
Beth: My first “real” solo trip was a three month trip that I took when I was 20. I drove (from New Jersey) across country and back. I remember wanting to see the Arch in St. Louis but why I felt I had to go to California and back to do it, I’m not sure! None-the-less, it was an amazing time as I stayed with friends who were in colleges across the country and also in youth hostels where I met so many people from all over the world.
diva: What do you find is the most common reason women give to not travel alone?
Beth: They will be lonely. But that’s the furthest thing from the truth. You always meet tons of people on the road. That is unless you don’t want to.
diva: We all hear horror stories of how women traveling alone are treated, and as a frequent solo traveler, I've found them to be mostly contrived to keep women "in their place." Have you ever run into mistreatment while traveling solo?
Beth: Definitely not. And that’s coming from a woman who rode a motorcycle solo from Seattle to Panama. You are treated the way you treat other people and I’ve had nearly all good experiences (with the exception of having men expose themselves to me).
diva: What's the strangest thing that ever happened to you while you were traveling solo?
Beth: Speaking of being exposed! I was riding on the back of my friend Kim’s motorbike in Saigon. A man pulled up next to us and exposed himself. Kim was keeping her eye on the road and I was trying to tell her what was happening but didn’t know the Vietnamese word for “penis” so she didn’t know what was going on. It wasn’t until I started yelling at the man that it brought attention to what he was doing and he quickly sped off.
diva: What's your favorite thing about traveling solo?
Beth: Being on my own schedule and not having to worry about when and if my traveling companion wants to eat, what time I have to get up or go to sleep and where I’m going the next day or in the next hour. It may sound a little selfish but I love the flexibility of being on my own.
diva: Do you have a favorite solo destination, and if so where is it?
Beth: No favorites, though I have been to Vietnam seven times. I’ve been with other people and solo and both ways are awesome. I love that country and its people.
diva: Is there anything you simply won't travel without, and if so what is it?
Beth: My passport and access to cash. Oh, and I also like to bring an eye shade to shut out the light on airplanes and hotel rooms.
diva: Are there any words of wisdom you'd like to leave our readers with?
Beth: Don’t let your own fears or the words of others hold you back. Figure out how you CAN make a trip happen rather than conjuring up all the reasons why you can’t do it.
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