8 Days - December 07, 2017

112

8 DAYS

travel

#yolo solo?

Ladies, ready to

Before you take the plunge, here are some handy tips from three

women who have been there, done that — and have emerged wiser.

Paige Chua, 36, has travelled solo on many short

getaways to places like Bangkok and Bali. In 2007,

she ventured alone from Hongkong to various parts

of China for about a month.

1

DO YOUR RESEARCH

“Before my trip to China, I did plenty of online

research and I also bought the Lonely Planet

This view summit

all up: Travel

blogger Xinen Chua

on a nine-day trek

up Peru’s Cordillera

Huayhuash last

June.

Oh, buoy:

Paige canoeing

in Hanoi,

Vietnam, in

2011.

Solo wanderluster #1Solo wanderluster #1

guidebooks — that was my bible during my whole trip in

China. I stayed in dorms ’cos it’s cheaper. To be safe, I

usually chose the all-female dorms. It’s better to book with

a reputable website — Hostelworld.com is a site that I’ve

trusted over the years. And I also book a hostel with at

least 80 per cent great reviews.”

2

BE ON YOUR GUARD

“When I was 26 and travelling solo for the first time

in China, I was quite open-minded and very friendly to

locals. So I befriended a local guy who showed me around the

Forbidden City. After that, we ended up in a restaurant with

his colleagues. I was the only female in the group. And they

wouldn’t let me go — they kept saying that it was still early

and wanted me to drink with them. I got really, really scared

(laughs). So I made up a story

[and] managed to get out of

it unharmed. But I felt it was

quite silly of me to accept

that kind of invitation in

the first place. So be

careful about being over-

friendly with locals.”

Nice to sea

you: Paige

in Beijing

in 2007.