12 Women share their most unique travel experiences around the world
One of my favorite topics ever is unique solo travel experiences. I love discovering unusual trips that I had never heard of before and getting inspired to take them as well!
In this post, you will find a list of 12 extremely unique and wonderful adventures of women around the world. Most of them I met through Facebook travel groups and they are all incredibly amazing and independent women. I am so excited to share their adventures with you!
This site uses ads and affiliate content as an Amazon associate earning on qualifying purchases. Disclosure.
The most unforgettable travel experiences of 12 women around the globe
1- Antarctica – Sarah Puckett
I’m Sarah Puckett, a travel content creator and healthcare I.T. professional from the United States. My husband and I take a year off to travel after every few years of working and saving money. So far we have visited all 7 continents and over 70 countries.
Antarctica is easily the most spectacular place I’ve ever been to. We traveled by boat from Ushuaia, Argentina to the Antarctic Peninsula. The journey takes two days through the Drake Passage, considered the roughest waters on earth.
There is no way to describe the feeling of seeing a humpback whale lunge out of the water 10 feet from your zodiac (small inflatable) boat, or what it’s like to get to shore and see hundreds of gentoo penguins greeting you. The wildlife on the Antarctic Peninsula is abundant and you are guaranteed to see humpback whales, various species of penguins, and seals. While you are in Antarctica, you can see glaciers and icebergs all around you, making it one of the most serene landscapes imaginable.
2- Greece – Traveled on a container ship from Singapore to Istanbul via the Suez Canal
My name is Rania and I am from Greece but consider myself a third culture kid as I spent time living in 6 different countries before I turned 18. In the last 8 years, I was living in New Zealand, which is my second home and have just recently moved back to Europe to pursue my postgraduate degree in Journalism and Digital Media. In addition to travel blogging, I am a social media manager and travel writer.
The most amazing travel experience I have had yet so far was back in November 2019 when I traveled on a container ship from Singapore to Istanbul via the Suez Canal for 26 days.
We spent two weeks on the open sea, after crossing Malacca Strait and until we reached the Gulf of Aden in between Somalia and Yemen. After crossing the Suez Canal and entering the Mediterranean our sailing home swept past the Greek Italian coastline up to Slovenia then back down again till we reached our destination of Istanbul, Turkey.
There are many reasons why this was an unforgettable experience. To start with, planning, preparing, and attempting to persuade people that you are not crazy for wanting to do it. When considered traveling on a cargo ship you need to be flexible and book at least a few months ahead to make sure you have time for paperwork.
After I had boarded and was certain that I was not dreaming and this was indeed happening, it was a surreal and novel experience. Learning about logistics and operations, getting used to life without WiFi (one of the main reasons why I wanted to do this), and spending time with the crew. The ship and the more than 30 crew members on board were far less scary than I had anticipated, and I loved every moment of it.
In general, I am an unconventional traveler. I don’t plan ahead, always forget to pack something important and have always found that things have a way of working out so I don’t stress about itineraries or the weather but go with the flow.
Having said all that, the issue of safety, especially as a female often solo traveler is very important to me, so I try to always let a friend or family member know where I am going next.
3- Philipines – Janine Page
I’m Janine Page from Manila, Philippines. I am Filipino, and being a female solo traveler is a little unusual here in the Philippines. Plus the fact that going to this “war-torn” part of the country is frowned upon by everyone who isn’t from Mindanao (including my family).
Lots of countries even have travel restrictions there. But, contrary to what the media say, it’s home to some of the nicest and most honest people I’ve met. It’s proof that Christians and Muslims (and any other religions/believers for that matter) can live in harmony. But I wouldn’t deny the fact that there are Muslim rebels/terrorists in remote areas — which of course I didn’t visit.
I made friends who welcomed me to their homes and let me meet their families and took me to the most beautiful, unspoiled places I’ve ever seen. Being there was like being in another country — different languages, foods, and culture. While Manila and the rest of the northern part of the PH mostly have Chinese influences, Mindanao has a mix of Malaysian, Indonesian, and Indian tastes, among others.
“Don’t listen to what they say. Go see.”
4- Asia – Rani Permentier
Hi there! My name a Rani, a twentysomething who’s born in Belgium and raised by the world. I’m a dreamer, wanderer, wanderer, traveler, and storyteller. At the moment I’m working as a teacher, but I’m spending all my vacation days traveling. After I graduated as a social education worker, I traveled the world with my boyfriend for 8 months. Our goal is to buy and build a campervan, ship it to South-America in 2022 and travel South- and North-America with our cats, in our tiny home.
After my boyfriend and I graduated, we decided to work for 5 months and travel 8 months with the money we earned. We spend 7 months in Asia (Sri Lanka, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia). And ended this trip with a 1-month road trip in the USA.
The whole trip and experience were unforgettable! We saw so many beautiful places, met so many interesting people. experienced different cultures enjoyed the food and the activities we did. Sleeping in the highest treehouse in the world, that’s you can only reach by ziplining through the jungle, was a wonderful experience. But also climbing the Bromo volcano, the beautiful dives we did, and the freedom we had while camping in America. Best feeling ever!
My advice is, don’t plan too much. It’s great to have a map with all the places you want to visit. We knew what places we wanted to see, activities we wanted to do, etc; but we never booked accommodations. This way, you can easily change your plans. Don’t like a place? Then leave earlier. Find a place really nice? Then stay a little longer!
Also, don’t plan too much when you’re short on time. I like it more to really experience a country and stay longer at a place. Than rush and see 3 countries in one mont!
5 – 22 United States National Parks – Farrah Fong
Hi! I’m Farrah — I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and recently moved back after a 10+ year hiatus on the opposite end of the country for a whole lot of school and residency training. I’m a family medicine physician and a food/travel/healthy living lifestyle blogger on the side with a billion different interests, so my life is a constant game of trying to find balance.
I finished my residency last year and I’d been wanting to do a cross-country road trip + to explore all the national parks for many years. Due to medical school/residency, I didn’t have much of a chance to travel, so I decided to take a break before starting work to go on a cross-country road trip from New Jersey back home to California. (There was no better time to ever be able to do this, and I had to bring my car back somehow anyway!) My trip took me to 22 national parks, 3 national forests, 7 national monuments/landmarks/recreation area, and 5 state parks across 13 different states!
This is the most traveling I’ve ever gotten to do! It was amazing to get to see so many different landscapes and views and to hike and enjoy nature without worrying about work or having any real obligations.
Understandably, none of my friends had the time to take off work for 2.5 months to go on the trip with me, but I did have a few who were able to tag along for sections of the trip. While I was in training, I only saw my family/friends back home ~1-2x/year, so I really appreciated getting to have a few days to spend time with them on sections of this trip.
I’m fairly type A when it comes to planning, and I like to do as much as I can in the span of time I have while traveling, but I’d definitely recommend leaving room for spontaneity — always have a plan B just in case + learn to roll with the punches, as things often don’t go as planned!
6 – Sardinia – Becky Liu
I’m Becky, from London and I run Madhat Girls which is a platform that supports creatives to work towards a life they love through education, technology, and creativity. I went to Sardinia. I was supposed to go with my ex-bf but we broke up just before the holiday so I ended up going alone for 10 days.
I didn’t know what to do so I decided to travel around for 5 days then enrolled in surf camp where I ended up meeting another woman in the same situation as me. We surfed together every day, went on road trips, and explored the beautiful country.
One night with a group of people from surf camp we paddled SUPs to a mini island for a midnight moon party. The best day was when one of the surf instructors took us to his family holiday home in the countryside. It was in a mountain and then he showed us a huge abandoned colonial camp in the middle of nowhere. It was so off the beaten track there was no road so we were driving through marshes and mini rivers that was honestly the best experience ever because none of the holidays as planned. I saw the most beautiful landscapes, met some incredible peoples and surfed every day.
My advice: plan ahead but don’t stick to your plans. There’s so much out there that you will never get from research. Use the internet as your starting point but once you’re traveling speak to people, ask for cool places to go and most of all enjoy exploring and learn more about the culture and people.
7- USA States Solo – Halle Homel
My name is Halle, I’m a freelance copywriter originally from Los Angeles. I now live on the road full time in my converted campervan. Last summer, I road tripped the entire lower 48 solo (and yes hit all 48 states!) for 3 months, hitting more than 25 national parks!
It was the trip that changed everything for me. It inspired me to keep traveling, it inspired me to get my van, and it made me realize how much of my world I still have to discover.
I’d say, Be spontaneous and keep exploring. Go with an open mind. Travel is about learning, and when you learn with an open perspective, you’ll discover amazing things!
USA Travel Guides:
8- Brazil – Mari Suyama
My name is Mari and I just launched my swimwear company, Noa Kai. I have lived in many cities and countries around the world––I tell people I grew up in Toronto, my home is Hawaii and I currently live and work in Miami.
I planned a month-long trip to Brazil to take a bus or boat from one city to the next. I arrived by bus to Manaus and took an incredible riverboat ride down the Amazon to Santarém. I made a stop at Alter do Chão, which was a hidden paradise that changed my life.
I kept moving to Belém and started booking flights because Brazil was much larger than I had imagined! I flew to Recife then later to Salvador for Carnival which happens before Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. Rio de Janeiro for the parade was the finale of my trip.
There are no words to describe just how beautiful Brazil really is. The landscape alone was unforgettable. To happen upon the Amazon river’s milky waters merging with the black waters of the Rio Negro was something spectacular and unexpected. I can say that each and every person I met in Brazil––from the pousada owners to the waitresses to the fishermen––were the most genuine and caring human beings I’ve ever encountered. I spoke enough Portuguese to be able to interact with locals and it enhanced my experience tenfold. I thought Carnival would be the highlight of my trip, but what I still remember to this day were the people.
The best travel advice I can give anyone is to learn the language of where you are going, at least the basics. It’s not an easy thing to do and it is an investment of time and money. But if you can communicate with people on your travels, your experience will change.
Brazil Travel Guides:
9- Iceland – Chelsey Croteau
My name is Chelsey, I am from New Hampshire in the USA and I am a part-time operating room nurse and a freelance digital marketer. In November, I completed a huge milestone of traveling to 30 countries by age 30!
After completing this I reflected back on everywhere I had been and finally came to the conclusion of my favorite country: Iceland!
Renting a campervan in September and driving around the ring road for 10 days was one of the funniest adventures. You can literally do nothing all day but drive and still be in awe of the wonders and beauty!!! It for sure felt like I was no longer on planet earth multiple times!!! The beautiful nature in Iceland offered craters, canyons, black sand beaches, hundreds of waterfalls, fjords, lagoons, glaciers, and wildlife. Because I have been to so many incredibly beautiful corners of our world, coming to a decision on a favorite place was hard.
The diverse landscapes, coupled with a camper-van and a lower amount of people – made for such a memorable experience that I really haven’t had before except in ICELAND!
My favorite travel advice is – “Traveling alone will be the scariest, most liberating, life-changing experience of your life. Try it at least once!”
Iceland Travel Guides:
10 – Africa – Tracy Bolton
I am Tracy from the UK, Most of my roles have been in the travel industry, I love to travel and have lived In 6 different countries. Africa with G adventures starting in Kenya, Tanzania, Serengeti Zanzibar, Nambia, Victoria falls, Kugar national park, and Johannesburg a month-long trip by land. I got to see the big 5 in the wild, camping close to the animals in the wild, hot air balloon ride over the Serengeti, Zanzibar beaches, the culture, local villages, local food
11 – Nepal – Lonnie Hlusko
My name is Lonnie Hlusko. I live in beautiful Littleton, Colorado USA. I am a retired ultrasound technologist.I have always enjoyed travel, especially to places “off the beaten path”.My best friend of over 40 years Barbara Swartz Wasserstrom, has traveled to many beautiful and exciting places. She accompanied me on several business trips to remote areas in Nepal.
We both fell in love with this most amazing country. After several trips to Nepal, we decided to go to our top places on our “bucket list”. Barbara always dreamed of seeing the Taj Mahal in India. My dream as a Buddhist was to see the Potala Palace in Tibet.
Several years ago we decided to make our dreams a reality. We started the trip with two weeks in India. We were amazed by the history and beauty amongst the sadness and poverty. Our trip then took us to Nepal to see familiar faces and enjoy a place that we are comfortable with. We prepared to go to Tibet and acclimate to the altitude.
We never dreamed of how amazing Tibet would be! Loved every minute…although the altitude is dramatic. On our next visit to Nepal, we were given the opportunity to go to Bhutan. What a dream. A peaceful quiet step back in time. Amazing people, culture, and beauty. Barbara and I love sharing our adventures and are happy to chat with anyone about the places to see and things to do in these remote colorful friendly countries.
12 – Greenland – Kalilah Hayward
I am Kay from The Awkward Traveller! I am originally from Los Angeles, California, but now I live in Portland, Oregon (USA). I have a full-time non-remote job, and I blog on the side!
One of the most unforgettable trips I’d ever taken was to Greenland! It’s technically a territory of Denmark, but it felt like its own country. I visited a small town called Kulusuk, in East Greenland. The population was less than 200, so it was the smallest town I’ve ever flown into! When we landed, a local immediately spotted me. He was so excited that I wasn’t one of the usual white European travelers and he wanted to tell me the REAL history and culture of Greenland!
After a short 20-minute history lesson, he gave me a mini bottle of alcohol as a welcoming gift and took shots with me. He told me that he was a boat captain in another city in East Greenland (Tasiilaq) and when I returned, he would give me a personal tour! Aside from the incredible welcome wagon I experienced, the scenery was also incredible!
My favorite travel advice is to always keep an open mind and an open heart. Bring compassion with you everywhere, and when your trip is over, use your voice in your home community to make the lives and environment safer. Treat your home as you would your favorite vacation spot.
