Celebrating International Women’s Day by Spotlighting Female Travelers – Meet Natalie

EF is celebrating International Woman’s Day by spotlighting some of our favorite female travelers. Meet Natalie from Florida. She studied with EF in China and Spain and shares her love of adventure and immersion.

What is your favorite solo travel destination?

Mount Fuji, Japan. It was my last day in Tokyo so I decided to climb Mount Fuji without any prior extensive experience hiking. In short, I encountered many obstacles which make for a great story now. It was an adventure I’ll never forget.

Why did you decide to travel on your own?

I have always been very outgoing and am a firm believer that experience is the teacher of all things so I want to be exposed to as many experiences as possible. I love being thrown into deep water, facing challenges and most importantly exploring on my own. Traveling solo is thrilling and does not impose any constraints on you. When I travel solo, I am independent and don’t have to take the opinions of others into consideration.

What advice do you have for other woman looking to travel on their own?

When I’m exploring a new destination I want to be immersed in the daily lives of the inhabitants to best understand the culture. I recommend you do the same and try to interact with whoever comes across your path. I have made many great connections and learned from listening to others speak about their experiences. Don’t be a tourist, be a traveler. Ask locals about places that they would go to. In addition, I always stay at hostels; they are cheap and allow you to interact with other travel-minded individuals from all across the globe.

International Woman’s day is Thursday, March 8th. It commemorates the movement for women’s rights. Learn more at internationalwomensday.com.

Photo by Isaac Viglione on Unsplash