Say 'solo travel,' and you'll find many takers. However, 'solo female traveller' is a term that's still only sparingly used. The hesitance to just pack a bag take that solo trip may be due to various reasons for different people, but one reason that's common to all women is safety.
While this is a debate for some other time, one thing that's definite is that some brave souls are slowly changing the way we approach this subject.
ANA BAKRAN/FACEBOOK
Meet Ana Bakran, a 34-year-old from Croatia, who managed this feat in roughly 70,000 km over three years and eight months while covering 25 countries.
But what truly makes her case exceptional is that she pulled this off with just hitchhiking the whole way.
The countless free rides suited her plan of completing this challenge with just a small amount of money. It was in 2013 when she decided to leave her job in a digital marketing company and travel the world. Her first steps led her out of her hometown of Zagreb leading her all the way to Bora Bora in French Polynesia.
“I got used to sleeping on the go. In the parks, beaches, gas stations, trucks, numerous houses of the locals who invited me in, in the mosques and temples and in the cheap hostels. I’m not picky when I’m tired as long as I feel safe,” she explained.
Her's is also a strong case for the generosity of strangers who ended up playing an important role in a single woman's journey.
Saying they weren't necessarily "bad people," Ana explains the presence of mind and keeping her cool got her through some sticky situations.
"Some showed me their penises out of the blue, touched my knee or refused to let me out of their cars. But I got out of all these situations unharmed by staying calm and talking to the drivers - sometimes with the threat that I'd use pepper spray."
ANA BAKRAN/FACEBOOK
"None of these incidents discouraged me from hitchhiking, and 99 per cent of the rides which were nothing but amazing," she added.
Ana reached out to indiatimes.com and had a message for India, "All the best from Croatia to amazing India." Wish you all the best, too, Ana. Here's to more safe travels.
Here's her blog if you're curious about her journey. She can also be found on facebook.
(H/t: dailymail.co.uk)
Meet Ana Bakran, a 34-year-old from Croatia, who managed this feat in roughly 70,000 km over three years and eight months while covering 25 countries.
(H/t: dailymail.co.uk)
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