Life as a female and adventuring solo in a van is not all skinny dips in waterfalls and booty shots on mountain tops. The reality is a lot grittier, I am always thinking about my safety and striking a balance between documenting my adventures with actually experiencing it. This blog focuses on three areas the balance of reality of expectations vs vanlife and real life responsibilities, travelling smart and safely, and the loneliness of travelling solo.
a balance of reality
Over the past 5 years since I put myself on a plane to Asia and Japan on my own. I have been all over the world from New Zealand to Norway sometimes with friends, sometimes with a partner or on my own. I love travelling solo and really enjoy the challenges it can come with being independent, but I do struggle at times too. I personally find blogging whilst adventuring solo stressful. It can be exhausting being chief driver, navigator, photographer, mechanic, chef, adventurer and document it all in real time. Therefore I have stopped doing that and now just blog it all after and have it as something nice to remember and reflect upon. The reality is it is more important to focus on yourself make sure you get enough rest and not worry about your next post, where has 3g signal, or that your insights are dropping. Instead over years of experience I now give myself the opportunity to meet people and share experiences and stories, whilst fulfilling realistic expectation of paying my bills, doing the food shop and working all at the same time. Balancing the vanlife expectation of wake up with an amazing view, an areo press coffee and surrounded by beautiful tanned people. That is definitely the expectation, however the reality is that sometimes you also wake up at the back of Aldi car park and are just waiting to get your fresh pastry at 10 am when it’s open.
Prioritising the next insta banger doesn’t leave much time to speak to your family and friends, make new ones and enjoy those moments, because keeping mentally healthy and recharging your body is essential. I try not to prioritise those bangers, I know I was there and that what matters to me so I don’t need to take picture of everything. If I don’t want to spend ten minutes setting up a selfie photo on my DSLR that is cool, but sometimes I would rather call my nan and talk to her sharing the view then I would rather do that it is all about balance.
Some days I shower out the back of a van and poop in a portable loo it’s not all glamours all the time, but it all allows me greater access to wake up and live in the wild. To spend time enjoying the most resplendent views and activities outside. I love to hike, sup, surf, swim, climb and enjoy outdoor activities and by travelling in the van I get to do it in some of the most incredible places across the world. When the roof starts leaking or there is a breakdown I remember in those stressful moments that I am still grateful as I get to be inspired by the best of the nature. I am grateful to anyone and everyone who enabled me to be this ever bolder and braver version of myself.
I asked the vanlife community as well as women and men I know who travel solo their opinions and experiences on travelling around the world on their own.
Being safe
I want to open up the discussion about the importance of feeling safe when travelling on your own. What sparked this article was that I had someone ask me today are you hiking alone recently? It made me instantly feel unsafe, we had exchanged no dialogue to be passing someone on a trail and asked a question like that out the blue when I was not in distress, it spooked me. I felt cautious to disclose any information. I don’t think that was their intention, but it made me think none the less. I used to travel in a van with my ex but on now on my own at times I am more cautious. So what are the things I do to feel safe when out and about camping? Here are some of my travel safety tips when I am sleeping in the van.
1. I don’t post in real time and don’t broadcast my live locations. I share them after I’ve moved on📍
2. I always share where I am going and ish how long ill be there with a family member or friends, even if its for a few days with no signal.
3. I have a dead bolt on the van doors and i don’t sleep with the windows down.
4. I keep the keys and my phone in bed with me, incase I need to make a swift midnight getaway.
5. If I have a GPS tracker on my phone which I turn on at all times.
6. I use park for the night to find my night stops and read the reviews, to know more about a sleeping spot before I arrive.
7. I don’t tend to tell people I am travelling alone when I met them.
When I posted the question what do you do to feel on my instagram other people also shared some great tips and ideas.
tonysvan
Great trips. Just started my van journey. I made the error of posting real time without thinking. I definitely won’t be doing that again. 🙌 I think making sure I can access my drivers seat from my van will be something I’ll prepare for at night. For that swift exit! 🤘👍
ken.graham.aka_madman
Stay in touch wherever you go , you are never alone with a phone
vanmonkeys
Such an important post! Great tips all round. Our friend jojo was a solo van traveller through necessity. She told us some great tips – dog bowl outside the van to give the impression a dog is inside and a pair of mens workboots on the passenger seat. Little things like that definitely help!
annie_in_the_great_outdoors
I am constantly looking for exit points and making mental notes of nearest towns etc. I feel better knowing that if I ever need to get away quickly I’ve already scouted potential escape routes.
overlandingsophia
I love all these tips 🙏 Not surprised that comment gave you the creeps! Who would ask that 😢 Safety on the road is something I think about a lot even with Ben, but it’s so much more to think about when you’re on your own. Not sharing live locations is a big one for us – once we’ve moved on then we’ll share on stories etc. Keeping the driver seat clear at night too, so we can get away quickly if we needed to. So many great ideas in this post, thank you for sharing xx 🤍
rathrjack
Always keep drivers seat clear so if anything happens, can jump in the front and drive off!
suziwill295
I solo wildcamp and never post anything in real time, I mix my journey up, people must think I took a strange route! 😂 I also let home know where I am or where I’m expected to be (timings more or less) and I have my little sidekick with me too 🐕
beachy_becks
Sometimes I don’t upload my stories in real time – I think I’ve watched too many horror movies 😂
Loneliness
tonysvanGreat trips. Just started my van journey. I made the error of posting real time without thinking. I definitely won’t be doing that again. 🙌 I think making sure I can access my drivers seat from my van will be something I’ll prepare for at night. For that swift exit! 🤘👍1 likeReply
I always get asked do I feel lonely when travelling around on my own. The answer is no, not really. I have a phone and keep in daily contact with friends and family. I also meet lots of people travelling, hiking and from the vanlife community so I have friends everywhere all over the world. I deliberately plan trips to incorporate some time to see friends or have the opportunity to make new ones. When hiking or visiting places with popular trails I always end up chatting and making friends with new people even if it is pleasant small talk.
So there are very few days without some kind of interaction even in foreign countries. Most places I try to learn a few phrases and most folks have some pigeon English. Japan was the most isolated I have ever felt immersed in a foreign landscape, culture and a language but everyone was generally very friendly, I was often stopped hiking for a photo as you don’t get many blonde western women scaling the hills out there. So I was happy to stop for a photo and some heavily gestured chat.
This brings me to my next point I feel I have more random adventures on my own. I think it is because I want to interact more, or I feel braver I open myself up to more opportunities on my own and then end up having a fun time.
I have had some really random times from meeting people in a car park and joining with their jam in the middle of a car park at the Falls of Bruer in Scotland last year.
To getting let in to a mansion to use the bathroom after falling off my bike outside their house in Norway. Or stumbling across a full acid rave in the woods and having the French dancers tap on my window asking me if I would like a beer and joining them.
I have made some truly awesome and lifelong friends, who just happened to be in the same place and time as me with the same mindset and it is hard to feel lonely when you fill your life with folks like that. A big shout out to facebook to instagram and facebook as platforms where I could meet alot of these friends and share our love for the outdoors.
wyeexplorermarkOn top of it all there Luci. Lovely.1 likeReply
the_overweight_photographerI’ve got a bulkhead in my van, so there’s no quick escape. But also no windows so your pretty safe. That said, I usually rely on being a very large man for my saftey. Sorry to see the lengths so many female travellers have to go through, although I’m glad that they do.
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