Isabella Monaco 0:11 This is flying solo, the podcast about everything you may or may not already know about travelling solo. I'm Isabella. Youdon Tenzin 0:18 And I'm Youdon. Isabella Monaco 0:22 Hey Youdon! Youdon Tenzin 0:23 Hey, Isabella. Isabella Monaco 0:24 I'm so excited for today's episode, we have some amazing women speaking on their experience travelling solo. Youdon Tenzin 0:29 Yeah, I'm excited too, everyone we spoke to gave us some really great insight to their travel experience, and it's great that we can share their stories and experiences on today's episode. Isabella Monaco 0:39 Oh, totally. And you know, we really got some great advice from these women... and I don't know about you, but after speaking with them these past few weeks, I'm dying to travel again Youdon Tenzin 0:49 I feel the exact same way. We're about to hear from a woman named Ayngelina Brogan. 12 years ago, she left her full time job here in Toronto and began her journey travelling across the world. Ayngelina Brogan 1:03 So back in 2010, I left a job in advertising in Toronto, and I bought a one way ticket to Mexico. I had never been to Mexico before. And I actually didn't realise this, but I arrived during spring break, and I travelled overland from Mexico through to Argentina over a span of roughly 20 months. Isabella Monaco 1:25 This wasn't Ayngelina's, his first solo trip- she had experienced prior as a backpacker. But this wasn't the first time in her life, she took that jump to make travelling her new, full time job. Ayngelina Brogan 1:35 So luckily, this wasn't my first time travelling alone, I did have a couple of situations maybe a year or two prior where I left one job and went to take another but I had a span of two weeks. So I had already gone to Italy and England by myself. I was a backpacker. So I already kind of knew that once you go to hostels, you meet other people. And so I didn't have that fear. Isabella Monaco 2:01 It's so crazy to me that she was able to make such a huge step to leave her job and her family here and actually put herself first and prioritise her wants and needs at that point in her life. I remember thinking to myself when we talk to her like, wow, I really admire that a lot. Youdon Tenzin 2:15 Yeah, it's definitely a big decision to make. And it's scary to leave everything and everyone you're used to and pursue your dreams. Isabella, do you think you'd be able to make such a big decision right now in your life? Isabella Monaco 2:26 Hmm, that's tough to say, I'm really not sure if I could leave my parents and my boyfriend here. I think I'd struggle a lot with that decision. It's a pretty badass move if you asked me. But what I really liked about her discussion with Ayngelina was how she mentioned to us the empowerment she felt while travelling by herself. I think when people hear about solo travelling, women in particular, they immediately think of how it may be unsafe or not a very smart decision to make. And it was really nice to hear Angelina sort of debunk these assumptions. Ayngelina Brogan 2:54 I would say the advantages of travelling solo is that you meet so many more people. You know, I often see couples and they will say, you know, they didn't meet any people. They really had a very kind of like insular experience, because, you know, they're talking to each other all the time. If you're a couple, usually people think oh, they're oh- they're okay. We don't understand the language. We're just going to, um, you know, leave them alone. They seem fine. But I met lots of locals, you know, travelling the act of travelling just on buses and things. I would have women in Nicaragua, like wave me over to sit with them while I was sitting and waiting for the bus or bus drivers would always help me they would put me in the front seat, they would take my bag, I feel as a solo woman, this ability to meet more people, more local people have more true local experiences. Youdon Tenzin 3:45 That was some great insight from Ayngelina. But next we're going to hear from Heather Gibson. Heather Gibson 3:50 My name is Heather Gibson. I'm a professor in the Department of Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management at the University of Florida. And one of my longtime research areas has been actually looking at women who travel. So whether it's solo women, or what we call girlfriend getaways, where groups of women travelled together at different points in their lifespan. Youdon Tenzin 4:12 It is safe to say she has travelled a lot, both for work and personal reasons. She told us during our interview that many of these journeys have been by herself, she was also able to tell us some of the positive aspects of travelling, and how a big part of travelling is all about making memories that last a lifetime. Heather Gibson 4:28 I think that people really appreciate um when they're visiting somewhere new. I'm starting to get into the idea of how travel builds memories. Now, I've been there for quite a while but I don't think my thinking was solidified around it. That you know many of the memories that we have the vivid memories we have our vacations as a child or significant trips that we have. And so that idea of learning, seeing something new, the stimulation of meeting new people, I think it's very much part of travel. Isabella Monaco 5:05 I'm really glad that Heather brought up that point about making memories while travelling. I know that personally, some of my best memories have been made while travelling. How about you, Youdon? Youdon Tenzin 5:14 Yeah, same for me. I think that's what makes people want to travel. Isabella Monaco 5:17 I couldn't agree more. However, I do think that a solo traveller especially a woman has to be on constant lookout whenever travelling by herself. Youdon Tenzin 5:25 Yes, 100%. It is important to understand that travelling and exploring new places isn't always sunshine and rainbows. Women face difficult challenges when embarking on solo journeys. Isabella Monaco 5:36 That's why we decided to talk to our next guest. Rachel Dodds 5:39 My name is Rachel Dodds, I'm a professor at the Toronto Metropolitan University in the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. Youdon Tenzin 5:46 Rachel's work focuses on responsible travelling so naturally, we were keen to learn about her thoughts on the challenges women face when travelling, and her tips on becoming a more responsible traveller. Rachel Dodds 5:57 I think it's probably the biggest challenges that women face in general, is safety and security. And being treated properly. I don't think anyone is is unaware of the inequity issues that we face. And if you are a woman of colour, then that's even worse for you. So I think that we need to be cognizant that the world is not an equitable place, but we can try and do things to safeguard us and make it easier and make it safer for us. Isabella Monaco 6:23 While she detailed these challenges, she also provided us with some great solutions and precautions that we would like to share with our listeners. Rachel Dodds 6:31 I think some people when they travel, think that the rules are different. And I think there's something to be said for being mindful and being considerate. You know, I wouldn't walk through dangerous neighbourhood by myself at night at two o'clock in the morning. So why do I think it's okay to do it when I'm travelling, certain things like that, but we just do some silly things, you know, you should never count your money in public, you know, be mindful about keeping your money into two different places, generally, making sure that someone has an itinerary, or at least your copy of your passport, and all those kinds of things at home, it's always good to let someone know, but having your wits about you is, is one thing. And also, even if you don't feel confident, acting confident is a big thing. So, you know, I've had some stories of you, people pretending to talk on the phone, to their parents, on the way, walking down a dark street at night, for example. It just shows that someone lurking nearby that you have someone on the other end of the phone, and they know where you are those kinds of things, I think are just being a little bit more cognizant of the fact that you are alone, but I don't think it should put people off from travelling. Youdon Tenzin 7:34 That was some great advice from Rachel. Of course, we had to pose the same question to both Ayngelina and Heather. Ayngelina Brogan 7:41 We need to be aware of alcohol not only because there are people who are looking to just take advantage of tourists that maybe are going out to the bar and have a lot of cash. So it's common for people to get robbed on their way home. I don't think anyone should do drugs in another country. If you want to do recreational drugs, do that at home. Going out at night by yourself is dumb. Don't do it. I think taking Ubers and different rideshare services is smart, because at least you can track who the person is, I always take a picture. And usually actually take a business card of where I'm staying. If you take a business card because someone has stolen your phone, then at least you can give it to the taxi driver. If you forget where you are. I actually when I take out money from an ATM, I take it out first thing in the morning. I never take it out at night. Because I feel like anyone who's gonna rob you is probably not awake at 7am. Everywhere that I check in. The first thing that I ask them is what are the neighbourhoods that are not safe that I cannot walk in? Or where more people get robbed? And then I also ask them what is the most common way for people to get robbed? So those are the things that I always ask as soon as I get in. And if I feel nervous, or something's going on, I always duck into a store or a shop. And so even though I'm alone, you know there's enough people around me that I feel okay. Heather Gibson 9:04 All travel should involve research before you go. You should think about where you're going to stay, how you're going to get to different places, what time you're going to arrive. For example, many of the budget hotels around the world that many of the solo women travellers choose to stay in, still have a hotel, a front desk and having a front desk person who knows you and knows you coming and going is also obviously somebody friendly to talk to when you are travelling solo, but they can also just keep an eye out for you. Some of the other strategies they talk about are knowing where you are in a city you know if you're walking around looking and as we do sightseeing, just know where you are. And then also just be aware of the time of day, unfortunately, they like to nighttime tends to change the nature of space. And so, if you are out at night, just be aware of your surroundings and where you are. If you do have contact as you're walking around, because some people do that for safety, they talk to a friend or family member, as they're walking back to the hotel, for example, just again, know where you are, and be aware of your surroundings. So we need to just be mindful- mindfulness is just being aware of who's around you what's around you, you know, be aware be, you know, not afraid to interact with the locals, because often the locals are going to be the ones that will be the helping hands when you actually need them as well. Youdon Tenzin 10:44 Ayngelina said something really interesting while giving safety tips for men during that interview that really stuck with me Isabella Monaco 10:50 I think I know where you're going with this one. Youdon Tenzin 10:52 Yep! Instead of me explaining it, shall we let Ayngelina take the floor? Ayngelina Brogan 10:57 A lot of people asked me for solo travel tips for females. And I don't know any tip for a woman that I would not give a man. And so I would say that men have unique experiences and threats that they probably aren't aware of. For example, in Latin America, it's very common for men to be drugged and robbed. It's very common in Colombia. They'll go on Tinder, and the woman will say, Oh, you know, I'll come to your hotel, and let's just have a drink. But they don't know that Colombian women don't do that. They they date and they don't just, you know, come to your house. And oftentimes, you know, the man will have some beer, and then scopolamine gets put in their beer, and they wake up the next day, and they're totally robbed. I think the act of violence toward men is much higher in many countries that you don't quite see for women. I actually feel safer as a solo female traveller. And I know that sounds crazy to a lot of people. But that has just been my experience. I don't think there's a single tip that I would give a woman that I wouldn't also say to a man that they also need to follow. Isabella Monaco 12:05 You know what, Angelina made some very good points, because we tend to put so much focus on women and solo travelling, it never occurred to me that men are also prone to dangerous situations. Youdon Tenzin 12:15 Me too. It was really eye opening to hear Ayngelina's take on this topic. I feel like I've learned a lot of new things through these interviews. How about you, Isabella? Isabella Monaco 12:27 I agree. Something else I think we should touch on is how we found a common theme when chatting with all these wonderful women. Youdon Tenzin 12:33 And what is that? Isabella Monaco 12:34 They are all able to discover their passions because of travelling. Like we see how whether it was a food blog or educating others on sustainable tourism. It all stemmed from the same thing, which is an interest in travelling both solo and with other people. Do you get what I'm saying? Youdon Tenzin 12:49 Yeah, I totally do. And with that, we're closing off today's episode. A big thank you to our guests, Ayngelina Brogan, Heather Gibson and Rachel Dodds. Stay tuned for the next episode of Flying Solo! Isabella Monaco 13:06 This episode of flying solo was produced and edited by your hosts Youdon Tenzin and Isabella Monaco. We thank you for listening to this episode and hope you've taken away some valuable knowledge on flying solo. Thanks for listening and happy travelling!