Solo backpacking as a young woman is not all the sunshine and butterflies Instagram might suggest. It has been a challenging, tiring, frustrating, and sometimes scary experience, parts of which I feel obligated to share. Of course, traveling is a treasure that I will never regret despite its discomfort.

For example, I am writing this blog post in a public park after feeling sketched out at my hostel. I am all about getting out of your comfort zone, but safety is a priority. So, I packed up, left, and now I must find a place to stay tonight. It is noon, so I have time. Thank goodness for wifi at public parks!

(Disclaimer: This is the only time I felt unsafe at a hostel. Every other hostel experience from Europe to South America has been wholesome.)

So, in the name of transparency, here is a list of 15 realities I have experienced as a solo female backpacker. BUT for every downside, I give you a companion reason why I feel like I’ve grown because of it!

15 Lessons Learned as a Solo Woman Traveler

1. Days spent on logistics

Instagram shows the culmination of hours of planning. What you do not see is the time spent locating the nearest grocery stores, managing schedules, comparing tour prices, organizing transportation, chasing wifi hotspots, and constantly planning your next move. It’s exhausting and unexciting.

Why it’s worth it: You will become so incredibly travel-savvy that international trips will feel like a breeze. Airports, boat docks, and bus terminals will feel like a walk in the park. You will be less forgetful, ultra-prepared, and full of confidence.

2. Not speaking the language well enough

I came to Chile speaking a decent amount of Spanish, but the accent was difficult to understand. Additionally, surprisingly few people speak English in Southern Chile, and it was a challenge to communicate at first.

Why it’s worth it: In time, your communication skills will skyrocket! Whether you are speaking the language more fluidly or just understanding the best ways to use your body or resources, it will benefit you in the long run!

3. Loneliness

Whether you speak the language or not, a bit of loneliness is inevitable when traveling solo. You see your friends from home having a picnic while you are alone in a tent in the middle of the Patagonian backcountry. Then again, that’s pretty cool, and I am sure your friends from home would approve.

Why it’s worth it: Friends are easy to come by when traveling! Find hostels where there are plenty of opportunities to socialize. Campsites have been my social hub where everyone is searching for a trail family. Keep an open mind, and see what the universe provides!

4. Piling expenses

It’s a challenge to stay within budget, especially if you’re going to a country where the exchange is not in your favor.

Why it’s worth it: You will become a master at personal accounting and ingenuity. You will learn to determine which experiences matter the most to you, and sometimes skipping out on that $90 tour will open up other, more culturally authentic experiences. Reading a book in the plaza while eating a homemade sandwich gives you a more personal look at local life that an expensive city tour with other tourists ever could.

5. Eating a balanced diet can be effortful

You are at the mercy of whatever is available. If all you find at the tiny local market is cilantro, then you just have to deal with it. I realize that my diet for the last two months consisted of 90% bread and potatoes.

Why it’s worth it: Backpacking requires energy so enjoy the mass amounts of bread and potatoes stress-free. If anything, it will force you to explore different grocery stores to find spinach or any other veggies you crave. It is another intimate look into the real lives of people as you scour the local stores.

6. Unreliable public transport

I realized it is not uncommon to wait an extra hour for your bus, especially when you are far away from any major city and hitchhiking is a common mode of transportation. Or maybe your driver left, and you have to wait in the rain while you wonder where he went. It can be uncomfortable and inconvenient.

Why it’s worth it: It forces you to think on your feet and roll with the punches. Embrace the laid-backness of life, especially if you come from the States where you are over-accustomed to convenience and instant gratification. My tour guide once picked up a hitchhiker while riding in his Sudan on the way back from a kayaking excursion. We ended up all having a memorable conversation in the car together. Just go with the flow, and be open to what can happen if you are not so focused on the plan.

7. Being dirty for long periods

Showers are not always available on thru-hikes, and sometimes you do not want to deal with cold-water-only hostels. Your backpack could not fit your entire skincare routine, and the hikes have disgustingly destroyed your feet. Eyebrows are bushy, and your 18-in-1 soap just isn’t cleaning your body the way it cleans your dishes. Also, your clothes reek.

Why it’s worth it: You will come to love and appreciate your body for how well it functions over how it looks. You will gain an appreciation for water as you have never known. Also, when I shower, I can wash my clothes simultaneously! How resourceful you will become!

8. Tourists on tourists

Waiting in line sucks, and crowds around the main viewpoints kill the mood.

Why it’s worth it: It will force you to wake up hours earlier to avoid crowds, thus being rewarded with the most incredible views. If avoiding crowds is impossible, see it as an opportunity to enjoy the company! Enjoy sharing a precious experience with people who share the same interests as you. It is a privilege to travel, and crowds mean you are seeing something special.

9. Animal carnage

I went to Isla Magdalena, a Penguin Monument near Punta Arenas. Thousands of precious penguins waddled around the island, but there were also plenty of not-so-precious sights. Dead birds sprawled across the island, and in the distance, you can see the carnage happen right before your eyes. Unnerving and sad.

Why it’s worth it: Watching penguins being ripped apart by opportunistic birds of prey is an image I will never forget. BUT, how beautiful is nature! Gotta appreciate life in the wild. Better than seeing penguins in the zoo, right?

10. ALL THE DANG DOGS

Country dogs are fierce, and they protect their family and livestock well. Unfortunately, sometimes you have to bear the burden of walking through their land. I HATE being chased and barked at by big, unleashed dogs. I still change streets when I see a dog ahead, but sometimes I have no choice but to walk forward.

Why it’s worth it: You will practice composure! Dogs are everywhere, and most of them are not aggressive. Eventually, you will appreciate all the doggos that can keep you company!

11. Uncomfortable accommodations

Bugs at your campsite. Spiders in the showers. Smelly bathrooms. Holes in the walls of your hostel. No air conditioning/heater. Sharing a room with five others. Chickens in the kitchen. Cold showers. Bumpy five-hour drives while your driver listens to loud music and drinks a beer.

Why it’s worth it: You will appreciate the basics, the people who welcome you into their lives, and your body that can adapt.

12. Harassment

Being a solo woman traveler, unfortunately, you know this is coming. Being alone appears to be an invitation to some, and it is incredibly shitty.

Why it’s worth it: You will learn that it is okay to be angry and NOT be polite! You will become comfortable defending yourself, and you will not let it keep you from living your best life. You will also learn that there will always be someone there to help. For every one shitty person, many others are kind.

13. Lack of privacy

Campsites in Patagonia often have shared cooking and living spaces that concentrate the wifi. All my phone calls to home had to be done in public. Also, sharing a room in a hostel is too affordable to pass up, but the catch is that you share a room with strangers. You share the common spaces, the kitchen, and the bathrooms.

Why it’s worth it: You’ll learn to share, to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. It also forces you to learn how to set boundaries. Also, campsites and shared hostels have been home to some of the most fun I had on trips! It was so easy to make friends.

14. Having only one of everything

To save on weight, I strategically plan the contents of my backpack so that I only carry the necessities. Unfortunately, if I lose one thing, I will feel it. I already lost my water bottle and my headlamp.

Why it’s worth it: You will become more resourceful and proud of how well you manage.

15. Guilt

Traveling is tiresome, and I want to spend some days sitting in bed watching movies. I do not want to hike, take a tour, or socialize. BUT then I feel as if I am wasting time. Traveling is an incredible opportunity, and I want to be in bed?!

Why it’s worth it: You will learn how to validate your feelings and how to best take care of yourself. You will appreciate rest.