You Go Girl
Women traveling solo, or with fellow compatriots -- they are everywhere! Look at all the soft adventure, extreme adventure, and spas that try to lure women. These companies are banking on the fact that women want to get away from it all -- to let their hair down, kick back, relax, learn a new skill all with a spirit of camaraderie and self-discovery that is important to us. And they are right!
Most of our mates are quite competitive, and desire a different experience when they travel apart from their female counterparts. I for one, have an extremely competitive husband who likes to do certain activities with me, but it's not the same as when I go out with my girlfriends. With my husband I know he wants to share his love of skiing, biking and nature with me -- but his competitiveness makes it hard for him to stop and smell the roses -- most of you girls know exactly what I mean.
When I travel with my girlfriends we have the best time. Most of us are noncompetitive, we are encouragers. Yes, we might be a bit emotional at times but we have the ability to laugh at ourselves and not take life seriously. For the most part we love having fun, we want to go on adventures but in a noncompetitive atmosphere, and God knows we love to eat and make merry!
I have many friends that travel all over the world together. They hike, backpack, cruise, explore far off destinations, relax at spas, go shopping and just have fun. In the beginning it might be a struggle to make the commitment to explore the world without our partner in tow, but as we challenge ourselves and go out of our comfort zones an amazing thing happens -- we grow as individuals!
My husband's grandmother was an amazing person and was quite ahead of her time. I was always eager to hear of her amazing adventures circumnavigating the globe. We have certificates on our wall noting that she was one of the first passengers to have traveled on a Trans-atlantic flight, she also was part of group of Americans that were first allowed into China as tourists. Nana, as she was affectionately known to her family, worked for the state of California and would take off several months every few years to explore places that many of us dare to only dream about. There isn't a country in the world that I know of that she hasn't traveled to -- and the amazing part is that most of Nana's adventures were solo, sans un ami!
Now, I have to say that traveling solo is not for everyone -- I for one, would have a hard time with this type of adventure. However, you could travel with other like minded individuals who want to learn a new skill, go on an adventure, explore different cultures, or sojourn in a country for awhile (only if you have a truly understanding partner!). The sky is the limit, there are no boundaries. Whatever your heart desires is out there waiting for you.
So, what are you waiting for?
