Okay girls, let’s get real – who else has secretly screenshot those “wanderlust warrior” TikToks while stuck in a mediocre dating situationship? 🙋♀️ That was me last December, impulsively booking a Tanzanian safari after my third “we need to talk” text from a guy who thought Patagonia was a type of cheese. Best. Decision. Ever.
This wasn’t just some Eat Pray Love knockoff. I wasn’t chasing lions – I was hunting for something far more elusive: my own damn voice. Our group of 12 contained six solo female travelers (including a 68-year-old widow from Oslo who out-hiked us all 🏔️). We became this unspoken sisterhood, trading stories over sundowners as zebras paraded past our tents.
The magic happened when I got lost (on purpose) during a Serengeti bathroom break. Sitting alone in tall grass hearing distant elephant rumbles, I had this visceral realization: My corporate job had literally trained me to apologize for existing. Yet here, nobody needed me to shrink. The wilderness demanded my full, messy, unedited self – and rewarded me with a front-row seat to a cheetah teaching her cubs to hunt. 🐆
Science backs this up! A 2023 Adventure Travel Trade Association study found solo female travelers report 73% higher self-trust levels post-trip compared to group travelers. My guide Neema (name changed) – a badass Maasai woman with a masters in ecology – schooled me on how female elephants lead the herd. “They remember every water source for decades,” she winked. “Never underestimate women’s internal GPS.”
Three game-changing lessons from my solo prowl:
1) Danger is relative – I felt safer walking Ngorongoro trails at dawn than I do on Friday night subway rides back home
2) Alone ≠ lonely – Shared looks with strangers during a wildebeest river crossing created deeper bonds than months of dating app small talk
3) Stillness speaks – Without constant pings and notifications, I finally heard my own intuition roar louder than any lion
To my girls hesitating: Your “safari” doesn’t require planes – it starts when you stop waiting for partners/friends/kids to align with your dreams. That silent disco moment dancing alone under African stars? Pure, unfiltered joy no Instagram filter can replicate. 🌌