Pink City (India) Carol Kubota

I wish I could be a male when I travel.

I am sixty-five years old and travel solo. These are my personal experiences and might not apply to all female solo travelers.

If I were a male:

1. I could walk into a bar anywhere in the world, sit down, order a drink, and strike up a conversation with others around me.

Entering a bar is like entering a bullfight. All eyes are on me, I am the only female, except for the bar hostesses. The males make clicking noises or suck air through their teeth and become fixated on my body. I can’t accept drinks offered to me because I don’t know if someone has slipped a drug into the glass. I don’t make conversation because the males are trying to figure out who will pick me up and offer me a ride somewhere I don’t want to go.

1. I could wear short skirts, shirts with plunging necklines, strapless or spaghetti straps, and not feel someone was going to put their hands on me.
2. I could make hotel reservations for one. I make reservations for two and ask for two keys at the desk. It doesn’t cost more, and it is a safety precaution. No one has asked me where the other person is. If they do, I tell them that he will be arriving on a later flight.
3. I could eat out and walk around the city after dark. I feel safer staying in my room and eating something from the local supermarket. I eat out for lunch.