“”Women have always traveled alone, with more difficulties obviously than men“, Note Lucie Azema, citing for example the” access to money – they only obtain the right to open a bank account without authorization from their husband in 1965 in France.
Women are also traveling
For the author of the feminist test “Women are also on the trip” (Flammarion, 2021), traveling alone is “means of emancipation, exit from the home, the family, the couple, more and more feasible in our Western societies“.
Difficult to quantify, the phenomenon of solo travelers seems increasing. This is evidenced by publications on social networks, the presence of influencers and the multiplication of books on the subject.
For her first solo adventure, Mélanie, a 31 -year -old journalist, did not go very far … Direction Le Touquet. Living as a couple, the ex-Parisian wanted to “stay a little lonely” with herself. Since then, the Berlin has visited Prague and Krakow alone, seeing in this way of traveling a “feminist act”.
“”For a young woman of 24, it becomes almost essential to have already traveled alone, even if it is only a weekend in another European capital“, confirms the doctoral student in sociology at Paris 8 Karine Esselin University.
The word “freedom” returns to the mouth of all the travelers – or almost – questioned by AFP. Geneviève, 53, 32 countries visited alone, from New York to Southeast Asia, does not claim “militant gesture”.
“”But over my trips, I realized that for many women in the world, what I live is far from obvious“, estimates this Canadian.
Allison Aubry, 34, does not envisage her travels alone – in Venice, Naples or Reunion – like “feminist acts” either. “”I would be a guy, I would do the same“, She insists.
“”Are you not afraid?“We ask him, however.”No“, Answers this temporary worker of Brioude (Haute-Loire).”I think I would be a guy, I wouldn’t tell me that “.
Security Question
Because the question of security is more imposed on women.
Jeanne, 59, carefully prepares her trips, “taking care to visit countries + safe + for a woman traveling alone“.
As for Ambrine Bdida, who has just made her first solo trip to Thailand, 33 years old, her departure created ambivalent feelings among the journalist’s parents, notably her mother, “super happy” for her, but also “very anxious”, saying: “+You are watching you+”.
“”One day, in Lima, I was attacked in a taxi and steal everything. I ended up at the Canada Embassy in Peru without anything other than the clothes I wore“, Recalls Geneviève, the Canadian. This did not prevent this Montrealer from leaving for Nicaragua.
“”I had very few flights of flights or assaults during their trip“Explains doctoral student Karine Esselin, whose thesis focuses on solo travelers of more than two months, in countries in the South.
“”They speak to me, however, a lot of gender -based and sexual violence they have experienced“As a couple in their country of origin,” continues the sociologist.
The sociological profile of women she interviewed? Often young and “very educated”, they come from the middle classes or even the upper middle classes.
And, recalls Karine Esselin, “It is still a gender transgression for women to occupy public spaces alone“.
After more than 83,000 kilometers traveled in 27 countries, Juliette Hamon, in the world “Sola” without flying since February 2023, is in Australia.
The stop gave him “faith in humanity”. She has just published “Daring to leave alone” (Editions Larousse) and has a advice: “It does not matter to be afraid, it is a learning that I made on the road “.
Mathilde Sipos leaves a little less but often alone, the weekend in the mountains, in bivouac. The 26 -year -old woman regrets “a certain form of invisibility” of women who have gone on an adventure in the past.
“”I find that there is almost a duty of representation“says this 26 -year -old influencer, whose Instagram account,” on the way Mathilde “, is followed by 150,000 people. In contracts in particular with a big brand, she has very recently made her her job.
Faced with a long “very masculine” travel literature, Lucie Azema is delighted to see “More and more, older women’s travel accounts, which are reissued“.