Even in a group of three young females in Italy, we were treated differently when we traveled with a male v when we were just three young females.

Many males don’t understand the challenges single solo travelers face.

Thank you for sharing and educating others.

Yeah.. maybe I’m rich, or just thrifty. Maybe I’m self-made. That’s an option!

Gosh that’s so annoying!

I’ve seen it all, travelling with my wife. When I’m 10 feet away and out of view, it makes my stomach curdle to see how she is treated.

When she’s dealing with immigration to leave the Phillipines (her home country) –she hears almost everything you mentioned in one conversation, plus sometimes getting hit on. And then she points to the white guy, and suddenly all is well.

My instinct is to defend her, but she won’t have it.

So many countries are like this; travelling with an ex from Thailand to Singapore they questioned her for 20 minutes to ensure she wasn’t a prostitute. Which means they thought I was a trafficker. Made my heart hurt.

Women are higher value than men in most cultures. It comes with a price tag and ugly ignorance.

On the flip side, I appreciate the culture of where my lady is from, warts and all, for who my wife became because of it.

Because of it she understands there are monsters everywhere. Tourism is a party no one is really invited to, some people express bad vibes immediately once they sense you’re a tourist, regardless of gender although it manifests in different ways. Women get the worst treatment.

These same challenges we decry make some of us strong. They probably made you strong –albeit frustrated, and rightly so. But they made you better for it.

(Glass half full; not saying any of this is acceptable, but the benefit is that you’re likely much tougher and street smart than you were when you started out and that’s useful for the rest of your life).

As a guy living in Asia for 10 years, I too can relate to these problems. But I know this isn’t the time to bring it up. I’m not told over and over that these things can happen to me, I don’t get d-bag warnings like you, but the things they warn you of have literally happened to me. Even the stuff that doesn’t normally happen to most men. Awful stuff. No confessions for this comment, but I think you know what I’m saying.

But what really got me in the heart strings was that you also said this:

“Obviously, there are drawbacks for male solo travelers too — and benefits that only women who travel solo get to enjoy. There can be an implied trust factor between women that transcends cultures, and time and time again, people have been generous towards me in ways that I didn’t expect.”

I understand women truly do get the shorter end of the stick in global travel –but most articles shut down the male perspective immediately or blame them for all woes; you didn’t do that.

Thanks for writing such a thoughtful article, and not putting all men down.

All in all, I am left with the feeling that you’re a better writer than I and you’re able to empathise with men at a time when they need it too, while articulating what you mean without adding popular rhetoric.

In one way or another, we’re all up against hundreds of thousands of years of culture and biology. It’s not one society, it’s many societies, and each have their differences.

It’s amazing to me that present day America can exist at the same time as present day Saudi Arabia. (I hope that mention gets linked to Matt’s article on influencer marketing for Saudi Arabia).

To wrap it up –although I’m not a “woke” person; I am aware, empathetic, and I do what I can to bring about a “correction” to the woes you listed here.

Thanks for making an article I can really stand behind Kristin (as a man). Well expressed, and a true reality for solo female travellers. A lesson and a warning.