Solo female travel has grown significantly over the years, with an increasing number of young women choosing to travel and intern abroad independently. What was once seen as a risky way for females to grow personally and professionally has now shifted towards women seeking not only leisure but also meaningful opportunities, such as internships. Solo travel pushes people outside of their traditional comfort zones and gives them the opportunity to experience independence, confidence, cultural & practical experience for career growth. However, safety is still one of the biggest concerns for women considering solo travel and internships abroad.
Smart preparations can help ease these worries and transform solo travel into something deeper – offering structure, purpose, and support to ensure that women enjoy the freedom and impact of solo travel.
Essential Solo Travel Tips for Women
Planning your trip with confidence
The key to enjoying your experience is preparation, as this will help you to feel confident, safe, and ready to enjoy your internship.
Firstly, make sure you research your destination thoroughly, such as checking government websites and travel advisories, blogs from other solo female interns in your internship destination, and cultural etiquette guides. Check out the partners that Roots operates with to identify internships that match your travel goals.
Secondly, create a budget breakdown to plan your fixed costs, such as accommodation, flights, and insurance, then daily costs, food, activities, and local travel. After that, create an emergency fund to be fully prepared in case of any unexpected expenses. Roots’ placements always include a safe housing option so you can rest assured that we’ve got you covered on this front.
Finally, ensure you share your trip and accommodation info with your family and friends and give them details about your internship placement for your and their peace of mind. During your placement, try to balance your internship duties with exploring new surroundings – this is the best way to gain both meaningful work experience and personal and professional growth abroad.
Staying safe while travelling alone
Safety is a major concern for women travelling alone, but with the right solo travel tips and the support network that comes with an internship placement through Roots, you can explore the world stress-free!
It is always important to be aware of your surroundings, stay alert in crowded public spaces, and keep valuables secure. It is also important to use trusted transport such as pre-booked airport transfers, licensed taxis, transport contacts that have been recommended from your accommodation or host organization, and share your location with family and friends via apps like Find My iPhone or Life360. With a Roots internship, our team will provide local knowledge and emergency contacts, giving you extra support.
Making the most of your journey
Solo travel is fantastic because you can expose yourself to connection, growth, and discovery – and the experiences you have can help your career.
To make the most of your solo adventure:
- Engage locally: Attend cultural workshops and community events that allow you to connect with local people. This can help you to develop cultural understanding as well as building global networks.
- Embrace challenges: Language barriers, delayed transport, and other unexpected changes can feel overwhelming at first, but they strengthen your independence and problem-solving abilities.
- Connect with women: Make an effort to speak to local women to learn about their daily lives, successes, and challenges. Learn about the different economic, political, and cultural contexts that women experience in your internship destination and broaden your global perspective.
- Celebrate shared womanhood: By learning from each other’s experiences, you will contribute to a more inclusive and understanding world.
Why Combine Solo Travel with an Internship?
Building Skills Abroad
Solo travel can come with a learning curve and is a development experience on its own, but combining it with an internship will give you the chance to build career-ready skills whilst travelling the world.
Completing an internship abroad will allow you to develop transferable skills like communication, teamwork, adaptability, and leadership through real-world experience, and give your travels a focus. In doing so, you will contribute to meaningful projects which follow the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, not just sightseeing. As well as this, you will also have a planned structure for your travel experience, which can reduce your travel stress, while giving you freedom to explore and discover the local culture, with the added benefit of the professional framework of internships.
As a woman, this combination will build confidence in both the challenges and responsibilities of travel, to help you grow personally and professionally.
Expanding your Global Network
One of the hardest parts of solo travel is worrying about making friends and how you will connect with other people. With travel, you will always meet like-minded people, but with an internship you will also plan how you connect with local members of the community and professionals who share your passion for making a difference and contributing towards projects that make an impact. Meeting new people through your internship host organization and in the local community you are working with will also allow you to learn different perspectives and cultures, which include nuances and details that you can’t read about or watch on TV.
Empowering Experience for Women
Travelling solo as a woman is empowering and can allow you to develop self-resilience by managing travel responsibilities such as making decisions on your own, solving unexpected challenges, and learning how to navigate different cultural expectations.
Before travelling, it is important to research the country’s religion and customs to understand what is expected of women, from how to dress and how to behave in public places. We recommend talking with your host organization, including both male and female staff to help you understand local norms and safety precautions.
Here is a list of our recommendations:
- Research local customs: learn what is and isn’t appropriate for women in public, especially around dress, behaviour, and communication styles
- Dress modestly: avoid low cut tops, short skirts, or clothing that shows shoulders or midriff in conservative cultures
- Avoid flashy jewellery: this can attract unwanted attention and might make you appear less approachable or more vulnerable
- Be mindful of drinking and smoking: In some cultures, women who openly drink or smoke may be judged negatively
- Understand gender dynamics: In certain cultures, friendly behaviour towards men may be misinterpreted, so it’s important to stay aware of boundaries and trust your gut instincts.
These expectations might feel a little intense, but being aware of them and adapting to your environment is a key part of ensuring your safety and showing respect for the host community and culture.
By approaching your travels with openness and awareness, your experience will be more than just an adventure, and instead becomes an opportunity to build confidence, connect with new people, and learn how to navigate the complex realities of gender and culture abroad. This mindset allows you to challenge stereotypes about women travelling alone by showing that independence, adaptability, and respect are not limited by gender. The empowering moments and difficult lessons you might experience will develop your self-awareness and resilience, making your travel experience more meaningful.
Why Roots is a Great Option for Women Travelling Solo?
For women looking to combine independence with solo meaningful travel, Roots offers tailored internship placements that make solo travel safe, supportive, and enriching.
Safety and Support
Roots specialises in safe and supportive internships abroad, which have been designed for all travellers, no matter what travel experience you already have. There is a careful vetting of accommodation, transport, and local partnerships, taking the stress away from interns to sort of these logistics. As well as this, interns receive guidance and advice before, during, and after placements, giving extra confidence and reassurance while travelling solo.
Personalised Support, Local Partnerships and Cultural Immersion
Roots provides personalized support that helps women choose and plan placements to match their skills, interests, travel goals, and needs. By participating in a Roots internship, you will collaborate with trusted local organizations, which will allow you to engage meaningfully with communities and encourage cultural immersion through local events and community interactions. These experiences will allow women to explore destinations responsibly and respectfully while gaining hands-on experience for a meaningful cause.
Confidence and Purpose
Roots helps solo women travel with confidence, combining exciting adventure with structured and purposeful experiences. Adding an Internship to solo travel will also give you a sense of achievement and professional development, as well as create memories that balance independence with impact.
Next steps…
If you’re ready to travel solo with confidence, gain real-world experience, and immerse yourself in a new culture, click here to check out Roots Internships and complete this Match Me form for a member of our team to get in touch and help you plan your unforgettable experience.
This blog was written by Faye Johnson
