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Where Is Your Husband?
Ah, the joys of solo travel
I have traveled to 35 countries — of these, only four have been accompanied. The count is not boastful, it’s a reminder of what is possible for a woman when culture, family, and society dictate otherwise.
Being raised as the only daughter of three children, by a single mother in a Puerto Rican household, I was no stranger to the dynamics of gender bias. My brothers weren’t expected to cook nor wash dishes. And though mami would eventually [somewhat] abandon those stereotypical expectations, some parts of the world still cling to them.
A Matter of Location
Many male-dominated cultures espouse traditional female roles. In those countries we’re expected to be housewives, raise children, and perform all manner of domestication. Bearing this in mind, I understand that in those places my solo trekking raises a few eyebrows.
But here’s the thing, it’s not as if I’ve been to ultra-conservative areas, places where it’s considered dangerous for a western woman to travel alone. The only time I’ve come close to experiencing that was in transit to Cairo during a four-hour layover in Riyadh. Not surprisingly, many of the women at the airport terminal were covered, but no one questioned me (yes, I wore a colorful scarf over my head).
