Ancient map makers had very little to go on when drawing their early versions of the world. Where knowledge ended, gossip began. Where gossip ended, fear began. They drew their fear as wild serpents, dragons, monsters, and mighty waterfalls pouring endlessly over the edge of the earth. This is a perfect example of what Beth Whitman observed in Wanderlust and Lipstick: The essential guide for Women Traveling Solo, “Much of what we anticipate is nothing more than our own fears spinning tales of disaster in our heads”.
It’s not that sailing the world didn’t have any actual risks. Early vessels were small and awkward in the water by today’s standards. There were no fancy electronics for navigation, no complex weather forecasts to help captains steer clear of dangerous storms. Ocean currents, fickle winds, unseaworthy ships all took their share of lives, but those dangers were bravely faced with luck, preparation, and courage. When ships and the men on them reached the place where “there be dragons,” many ships turned for home– but not all.
That same foolishness is still with us. Many women harbor that same sense of raw and naked dread when they think about traveling- especially traveling alone. The world is not always a friendly place for women.
We hear about the the compromised status of women everywhere. We see incidents of violence and terror on the news every night. We see special sections in tour books directed at particular precautions women tourists must take. Many of these “map monsters” keep women tied to home or at least corralled tightly in an organized armada of a tour group to insulate them from the perceived dangers (and actual culture) of their destinations.
Now I’m not saying women traveling solo are in no danger at all. Just like there were real risks to those early ships on the unmapped seas, women do face a big, scary world. It’s just that when we look closely at the maps, we find those monsters are drawn more from imagination than reality. And as Beth tell us, “with adequate preparation… you’ll discover which ones are fantasy fears and how to overcome the others. And while traveling solo can present numerous challenges, it also magnifies the richness of these experiences.”
Once you have voyaged to the place of dragons, just like those early mapmakers, you will stop drawing your maps with monsters and cover the seas with triumphant ships instead. You will discover, like Anäis Nin, that “One’s horizon shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.”
Bon Voyage!
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