Top 5 trips a working woman must take alone

Amelia Earhart was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Laura Dekker successfully completed her solo sailing voyage of circumnavigation of the globe. Ida Pfeiffer travelled solo around the world and wrote numerous books on her travels.

Closer home, while the average Indian woman does feel unsafe with the thought of taking a solo trip, that hasn’t stopped a fair number of the new generation Indian woman from taking them. Ankita Mahabir an avid traveler once said that she started taking solo trips at the age of 21 and her first solo trip was to Thailand and Cambodia. (source)

Besides Ankita, there are several other women professionals who plan solo trips and get-aways depending on their interests. There has been a rise in the numbers of women travelers within India and outside. Groups of women travelers are also picking up. The WOW Club specifically organizes trips for women the world over. 

Poonam Rawat-Hahne is an entrepreneur with a deep love for travel. She once said that "traveling is like existence for her". 

In all seriousness, travelling solo cannot be everyone’s warm cup of tea, it involves stepping out of your comfort zone and while doing so also out of the perception zone of people related to you. It is no doubt a courageous endeavour and I use the word courageous carefully, because how often do we really have the courage to be confident in the vastness of solitude?

This is in fact just a meagre plea to make you consider to take the road less travelled. For, you will surely come back more resilient (when you miss a connecting bus or train), more flexible ( when you change your itinerary last minute to visit that place that a fellow traveller recommended), more confident (when you fight your fear of totally being lost when you are so far away from home but still managing all your aspects of survival) and lastly more free and happy ( when you truly understand that doing what you like is freedom but liking what you do is happiness).

These are our top 5 destinations women should take solo trips to and why

Gulmarg - Perched on Jammu and Kashmir, Gulmarg boasts of unlimited skiing terrain. Pack in your warmest woollens and take off to Gulmarg to learn how to Ski or Snowboard. If you do get the lungs going to do this, you come back a winner even if you’ve taken more falls than your share while learning.

Udaipur - With an unmatched setting in Rajasthan, this is the perfect place to fall in love with yourself. Admire beautiful palaces, bring alive the majestic lifestyles, visit the intricately designed temples and havelis and wind up the day in one of the countless cafes with a view of a lake that will keep you enthralled for hours.

Chasing the northern lights in Iceland - Witnessing the Northern Lights dazzling the night sky is  a most definitely a sight to behold. Some people make several trips to catch this incredible phenomenon which are so unpredictable. This is one trip you should make solo to not be bound by anyones schedule or instinct, for the lights best show when there is a combination of dark skies, clear weather and strong aurora activity and get affected by light pollution from cities. Let your instincts guide you as you venture out in pursuit of catching a glimpse. You can book a car on rent and take off or if this is a tad too adventurous you can be a part of the several organised group tours available.

Alaska - Alaska can proved a unique experience in all its grandeur,spectacular scenery and wild life sightings. Alaska should no doubt be experienced by air,sea and land to experience nature in its true element. Many solo women travellers embark on this trip of a lifetime and hence most certainly features on this list.

Ladakh and Chadar trek - This challenging trek that takes place over the frozen Zanskar river in Ladakh only in the months of Jan and Feb is sure to change a little part of you forever. Travel solo through Ladakh  but join one of the several organised group trekkers and make friends for life.

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