Hi, I’m Gemma
Welcome to my blog, dedicated to solo female travellers. I know how daunting it can be when you're about to set off on your own.
I’m here to help. I’m passionate about solo travel and the benefits it can bring to your self-confidence, how rich life can be and the unexpected doors it can open, when you take the leap and book that ticket! I hope my blog can help answer some of the following questions, whether you’re an aspiring first timer, or an experienced traveller…
Can I even afford to travel?
How do I even start planning my trip?
I'm looking for inspiration and destination guides to help me decide
I’m desperate for adventure but I don’t know where to start
I need practical advice on safety
I’m a little apprehensive (but also excited ;)
Why I set up GirlsThatTravel.com
Aged 23, I had a great job in a lovely design agency in Newcastle, in the North-East of England. Things were going great; a great job, great friends, a great apartment… but having never really ventured far, I started to feel the urge to get out and explore. As it happens, I met a project manager through work, an experienced traveller, who would tell me about her past adventures and eventually help me decide on where to go, as I had NO idea!
I would spend my lunchtimes, eating at my desk, plotting my round-the-world route on various travel websites. I saved and saved, then when the company did well, and we all received a bonus, I leapt at the chance, and spent it on a plane ticket to Australia via South-East Asia. And boy did I have NO clue what I was doing!
But it was honestly the best thing I have ever done for my confidence, and for my life experience. I felt so free and alive. Since then I've been on many more solo trips, but what I would have loved, was a resource for solo female travellers, who were ‘normal’ people. Not super fit, not super brave, but ready for an adventure, like me.
Why would I want to travel on my own?
I remember having the urge to explore on my own, even as a young girl, growing up in the tiny city of Durham, in the North-East of England. I would beg my Mum to ‘Pleeeease, let me go to Newcastle on my own?’ (Note, this was only 14 miles away, but Newcastle was a larger city, and to me, felt like a huge metropolis, waiting to be explored!). She eventually agreed and I’ve been hooked ever since.
When I later went on to book my first solo backpacking trip, I had a lovely comfortable life (maybe a little too comfortable ;) and I certainly received a few raised eyebrows when I quit my ‘secure’ job, gave up my apartment and left my boyfriend at home to go travel on my own. I had SO many people repeat this line to me ‘you’re going on your own!? - is that even SAFE?’. And of course I was scared! I’d only left the UK a few times in my life, and now I was heading to the other side of the world! I was even worried about whether or not I knew what to do at the airport!
My only wish, is that I had done it sooner. Being the unadventurous type in my past, I would never have even dreamt that I would one day be hiking an active volcano in Guatemala, or zipping through the streets of Vietnam on a motorbike - trust me, I was always the scaredy cat! I’ve got to be honest, I had last minute nerves. In fact I still get nervous before every trip - almost to the point of not wanting to go! But I now acknowledge, that those nerves will come, and they will go. It’s all part of the ride.
Maybe you’re looking to get away for a weekend, just by yourself, without having compromise on what YOU want to do. Or maybe you’re planning a year long trip and need some inspiration on where to go, safety tips, or how to even get started with planning?
I always felt the need to explain myself as to why I wanted to travel alone. I would back up myself up by saying things like ‘I’m going on my own.. but, I WANT to go on my own, I LOVE being on my own’. Nevertheless, I’ve still received a few puzzled looks from people who just didn’t get it. But thankfully the stigma of being on your own is slowly lifting, and more and more people are choosing to take a solo trip.
I know it can be scary and overwhelming when it comes to planning a trip, but I totally get you, and I’m here to help.
I hope you find my blog and podcast useful. I’m always keen to hear from you too - if you have any questions, feel free to email me.
Happy travels!
Gemma x
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