7 Things You Should Know Before Your First Solo Female Travel Experience
Welcome to She Thrives with Stef Barti, a podcast dedicated to empowering women to live their best lives and thrive unapologetically.
This blog post is based on Episode 32 of my podcast, She Thrives with Stef Barti. If you prefer to listen, you can check out the original podcast episode.
Hello, beautiful souls!
Today, we’re diving into one of my favorite topics—solo female travel.
My goal is to empower my fellow women to be fearless and go discover both their inner self and the amazing world out there.
As women, we often feel the pressure to travel with a partner or group.
But the reality is that traveling alone can be one of the most empowering, liberating, and transformative experiences you can have.
But let’s keep it real: traveling solo isn’t always glamor and Instagram-perfect moments.
It’s a journey that’s as much about self-discovery as it is about adventure.
If you’re thinking about embarking on your first solo trip, here’s a no-BS guide to what you can expect.
The Excitement and the Fear: A Rollercoaster of Emotions
When you first decide to travel solo, it’s exciting. You’re about to step into the unknown, break free from the routines, and take full ownership of your experience.
There’s nothing like the thrill of going somewhere you’ve never been before—without anyone else tagging along.🤭
It’s just giving “Master of your own destiny” vibes 😅
But let’s be honest: it can also be scary.
You’re navigating unfamiliar territories, and sometimes, fear creeps in.
There’s the fear of being in a new place alone, the fear of not knowing where you’re going, and even the fear of the unknown people you’ll meet along the way.
But here’s the kicker: it’s worth it.
Every second of it. I promise you, once you push past that initial discomfort, you’ll realize that you’re stronger, braver, and more capable than you ever gave yourself credit for.
Finding Your Flow: The Learning Curve
One of the most important lessons I’ve learned from solo travel is that it’s OK to go with the flow.
When you’re traveling with others, you tend to follow their schedules, check off the touristy to-dos, and move on to the next thing.
But when you travel alone, you get to choose what’s next—and it’s up to you how you experience the trip.
For example, I love traveling to Riga, Latvia, and Belgrade, Serbia—two of my favorite cities.
When I’m there, I don’t feel the need to see every major landmark or go to every popular restaurant. 🤷🏽♀️
I’ve stopped feeling guilty for not doing “all the things.” Instead, I simply enjoy living like a local, blending in, and soaking up the vibe of the city.
Your first solo trip will help you discover what you enjoy. It’s your time to make the trip your own.
If you’re a beach person who loves reading and sipping coffee, go for it! If you want to explore hidden gems in a city or just wander around aimlessly, that’s perfect too.
This is your adventure, and there’s no one to answer to but yourself.
If you need some help to embody your magic, I created the perfect self love course to ignite the goddess in you ✨“Unleash Your Wild Feminine” ✨
The Realities of Safety: Not to Be Ignored
While solo travel is empowering, let’s be real: as a woman, safety is a concern.
I’ve learned this the hard way, so I want to emphasize it here.
There are some things you just need to be mindful of—like prioritizing daylight hours for arrivals and avoiding traveling at night when possible.
One of the biggest mistakes I made was catching a late-night bus to the airport in Athens.
Let me tell you, I was on edge the entire time.
It’s a great story now, but in the moment, I was scared. The bottom line is: trust your instincts.
If something doesn’t feel right, don’t take unnecessary risks. Safety should always come first.
And no this is not paranoia because things often happen.
The proverbial 💩 does hit the fan occasionally.
I’ve had moments where I was followed or made to feel uncomfortable by a stranger—both in Albania or Nazareth.
Unfortunately, it’s part of being a woman traveling alone. But, here’s what I’ve learned: you get really good at setting boundaries.
When I was younger, I tried to be polite and kind to everyone, even when I felt uncomfortable.
Oh sweet summer child!
Now, nope if someone makes me feel uneasy, I trust my gut and get out of the situation asap.
It’s not always easy to be tough, but it’s necessary to protect yourself.
Don’t feel bad about setting boundaries.
The Frustrations: Not Every Moment is Perfect
Let’s be honest—solo travel isn’t always sunshine and rainbows.
There are days when you’re frustrated, lost, or exhausted.
I had a memorable meltdown in the Krakow train station when I was overwhelmed by the size of the station and the language barrier.
I wasn’t having a perfect travel day—and that’s OK.
This is all part of the solo travel experience.
Sometimes you’ll feel drained, and other times you’ll question why you ever left home.
But trust me, those moments pass. And in hindsight, they become funny stories or learning experiences.
The beauty of traveling alone is that you get to go at your own pace and do what feels right for you.
The Connections You Make: Both with Others and Yourself
One of the unexpected gifts of solo travel is the ability to connect—both with others and with yourself.
When you’re alone, you become more approachable to others, and they’re more likely to offer help or even become a friend.
I love doing free walking tours in new cities. It’s a great way to meet other solo travelers and locals, and sometimes, I end up staying in touch with these people, traveling together again in the future.
The connections you make on the road are often deeper because there’s no distraction from group dynamics or family obligations. And people tend to get straight to the point due to time scarcity.
It’s just you, the people you meet, and the experiences you share.
But, more than that, traveling alone forces you to tune into yourself. You’ll start listening more closely to your instincts and intuition—whether it’s picking up on when something feels off or following a hunch that leads you to a hidden gem.
The self-reliance you develop is incredible, and you’ll learn to trust yourself in ways you never imagined.
Is It Worth It? Absolutely.
After everything I’ve shared, you might be wondering if it’s worth all the challenges and frustrations.
My answer? 1000% yes. Despite the occasional bumps in the road, solo travel will change you in ways you can’t predict.
You’ll learn to adapt, trust yourself more, and experience the world in a whole new way.
In the long run, the more women who travel solo, the more normal it will become.
It’s time to pave the way for future generations of women to explore, experience, and grow. We are strong, capable, and deserving of the freedom to go wherever we choose.🫶🏾
So if you’re on the fence about solo travel, just know: you’ve got this.
And if you’re still unsure, I’ve got a dance retreat in Malta, coming up soon, and I’m also planning a group trip to Serbia!
Stay tuned if you’re looking for a safe, empowering, and fun way to travel with other like-minded women.
Until then, be brave, be bold, and keep thriving.
Stef Barti
Host of She Thrives with Stef Barti Podcast
Feel free to share this post with anyone who might benefit from it. And remember, you are a unique, beautiful creation, worthy of love and joy every day of the year.
Follow me on Instagram
If you’re a woman looking to connect with a community of like-minded souls exploring wellness, somatic healing, movement and dance, spirituality, and adventure, come join me on Instagram!
My profile is private as I’m hoping to create a safe and supportive space for us to grow together. You’ll find me @StefBarti—let’s embark on this journey together. 🌿
✨ Get my Free “Solo Female Travel Safety Checklist “ ✨
Thriving Girlies Newsletter✨
✨ Join the Thriving girlies newsletter for all things wellness, women dance and self love retreats, spirituality, self improvement and more ✨
More Wellness Resources
- Women Choosing a childfree life
- Best ways to romanticize your life as a women
- My favourite activity to help you increase your self love
- Self care routine to implement daily
- Add those Wellness activities to your routine to be happier
- Trust your gut & make better decisions
- This one thing can really change your life today
- Podcast episodes for Childfree women
- Best podcasts for Solo female travellers
- Best podcasts for ADHD women
- Best podcast episodes for women struggling with loneliness
- Podcast episodes for women empowerment)
- Best podcast episodes for women to change their lives and start thriving
- Listen to these podcasts to help you have better female friendships and sisterhood
Additional Resource to help you slow down
Feminine embodiment & Self Love Practice
I created my “Unleash your Feminine Power” to help you really start diving into your own unique power.
In this course, you will learn to connect with your body through some very sensual movements.
There is no fancy choreography to worry about. I really wanted to make this as simple as possible.
The goal is to give you a somatic practice that you can implement into your daily routine in order to start embodying your authentic self.
It is high time we start prioritizing our relationship with our own body too.
Because in order to be truly happy and content in life, I really believe you need to strike for a balance.
That means feeding your soul, your heart, your body.
And this is the goal of my ” Unleash your Feminine Power“.
The beautiful thing is that once you start getting in touch with that fire within, it only grows from there.
This energy will go on to light up your path, simultaneously guiding you through life.
So in a way, it is your own inner guiding compass. 💕
Get in Touch with your feminine today through the self love embodiment practice
ps. Don’t forget to join the conversation over on the podcast and the girlies club so you don’t miss anything 🫶🏾
More Feminine Energy Resource
What is Feminine Energy and How to Activate it?
More ways to activate your feminine energy
Women Self Love Wellness Retreat
I am so passionate about women empowerment. Everything I do is based on this. I want to see more women embrace their authentic selves. Trust me life gets so much better.
That’s the main focus of my self love women retreat. In this Wellness retreat, we go deep. I really love to connect with my fellow sisters.
That’s why I only do small groups of 10-12 women.
This retreat is an invitation to embody your feminine and to dive into radical self love. Growth and shedding past limiting beliefs is the focal point.
We do this through various workshops, wellness practices such as breath work and lots of somatic movement.
As a dance teacher, of course we will also be using the power of dance and music to process, release and shed things that are holding us back so we can be born again.
Welcome to our transformational retreat where the focus is all on YOU.
Not only that, but we do it in style and comfort.
Our next retreat is in a breathtaking villa on the beautiful island of Gozo Malta. We will be staying in our own private villa.
And did I mention our own private chef? with our own private pool 🤭.
It is the perfect time to slow down and prioritize yourself.
Also, don’t forget to stay in touch for my Bali self love women wellness retreat, for pure feminine embodiment and lots of dancing also.
Join me on Socials
- My Instagram for Women Self Love & Dance: @stefbarti
- TikTok: @stefbarti_