Now, I have to make a distinction. I am very sorry to say, but there is a BIG difference between a woman in her 40s and a woman in her 20s travelling alone. I read so many saying "Go for it, I'm in my 40s and I had no problems" and that is totally unfair. I also think there is an issue with ethnicity - depending on your ethnicity you can easily stand out where you travel.
While the circumstances are similar - threat of mugging, robbery etc, it's not entirely the same situation. Now I don't want to sound rude or impolite or sexist or whatever - but the chances of sexual assault and rape are higher when a young woman is concerned.
It doesn't sound pretty, but that, unfortunately, is just how it is. Older woman get raped, but it is more likely to happen to a younger woman, and I disagree with older woman saying "It's fine" when it was fine for them, but not for someone half their age. I also think younger women are also more easily threatened - if a 30 year old man starts getting aggressive or creepy it could be difficult to ward him off, whereas if you are his age or older than you might find it easier to dismiss him.
This is not always the case, and I'm not saying older women haven't experienced dangerous situations - I just think they are less likely to, and they have a responsibility to think about younger women and how they could be unintentionally misleading them into dangerous situations.
In terms of ethnicity, for example I have read posts from Asians saying they had no problems while travelling in other parts of Asia. Being white in Asia you stand out a lot more and are far more easily targeted than other Asians. Same as having dark or blonde hair etc. This seems blatantly obvious to me, and people need to be careful about saying something was fine when a white woman could find herself getting catcalled, harassed etc.
I also have a problem with women bashing other women who've had bad experiences. Not everyone is the same, and some people deal with situations and assess threat levels differently, and some just have pure bad luck. If one woman is robbed or has felt threatened while travelling in an area, and you had no problems in that same area, it is not right for you to reprimand her for sharing her negative experience. If she felt threatened, chances are there are other women out there who will share her thoughts.
When we are dealing with lives here, I would prefer to err on the side of caution. If there are valid doubts on my personal safety, I would rather miss out on an amazing opportunity than get robbed, attacked, raped, murdered.
Do the limitations bother me? Yes. If I was a man I wouldn't have to worry about the threat of assault and rape, with men leering or shouting in my direction. I want to travel freely in a world without threat to my safety, but I am cynical and I am realistic. I will not risk my life for the sake of a few Twitter updates and Facebook photos. Or a blog post.
