In the previous issue of Globetrotter, you got to know Špela Sedej, a Slovenian girl who travelled the world for three and a half years. We found out how the corona shortened her trip, and which countries she’s visited. Today she will share her opinion on solo female travelling, money, insurance and some »mishaps« from her travels.
It has its good and bad sides. It’s not easy because you are in charge of everything, regardless of your mood. If you travel in a couple, you can divide tasks a bit. One person is in charge of the documents, the other searches for plane tickets and accommodation, but I had to take care of everything alone. Regarding safety – the biggest issue was India. Being a curvy girl with blonde hair, I was harassed, groped and nobody cared. This does not reflect everyone there. I also had some great experiences and plan to return to India.
Predominantly the northern part around Amritsar and Delhi, with mostly Sikh population. I must emphasise that all Sikh people with turbans were friendly and did not engage in these disrespecting practises.
What I remember the most is an incident from a train while travelling from Amritsar to Agra (takes around 18 hours). A conductor/policeman came into my compartment (with two guns) and the first thing he asked me was, if I as travelling alone. When I said yes, he came really close to my face and told me to hug him. I was really scared. When he started yelling at me, I hugged and hoped he will be satisfied.
Luckily, he was. When he was leaving, he told me: “You better close the door, because in India you never know.”
I had the chills, knowing I had to spend another 17 hours on that train. I didn’t sleep the entire way. I was in a compartment for four people. Of course, I had the “luck” of having three men for my “roommates”. One of them was nice, but after a while started asking very intimate questions, like if I was still a virgin. Because I don’t talk about these things with strangers, I felt very uncomfortable and asked what his mum would say if she knew what kind of questions he was asking.
I also met a businesswoman from Brazil who was buying jewellery in India. I asked her if she could show me how to deal with Indian men. She told me that I should always act firm, speak loudly and always bring up their mother in the sense of: “What would your mother say if she knew? She would definitely be disappointed by how you are treating women.”
It is hard to sum up, there is so much. I have definitely become more confident and firm, and I learned to listen to myself. When you are travelling alone you don’t have any other choice. You need to learn to listen to yourself, set boundaries and say no to people. Now I say no if I don’t agree with something. People aren’t used to this and it is causing quite some problems. I don’t nod anymore if I don’t agree with something. Some people are no longer a part of my life, but this is like a wardrobe, you have to make room for new stuff.
I also learned that coming from a small place like Idrija doesn’t mean I can’t achieve anything or change something in the world. You prove yourself with your energy and when you meet different people from different countries you see how different and unique we all are. I saw a lot of examples around the world of what can be achieved if we believe in ourselves. I am proud to know that we have examples of this in Slovenia.
Yes, unfortunately. First of all, I think it is very irresponsible when someone tells me they are travelling without any insurance, because they want to save some money. Then, when something happens, the cost can be huge and people have to organise fundraisers and such. I didn’t want to burden my parents and family.
I paid around €400–500 for insurance per year and would have never gone on a trip without it. Abroad, you can get cheaper insurance and lower cover, but I wanted high cover, because I spent a lot of time in New Zealand, Canada and the USA. The costs can be astronomical here if something serious happens. I chose a Slovenian company, because I thought if something bad happens, my family could communicate more easily with a Slovenian company. Immediately when I landed in New Zealand I had a swollen throat. I was taken to the E.R. because the swelling was blocking my respiratory tract. They found some kind of streptococcus, filled me up with antibiotics and took me to my room where I spent the night. The next day a got bill for 2,200 dollars. Without insurance, I would have to pay for that myself. This amount was without medication and follow-up check-ups. Imagine the hit to my budget right at the start of my trip.
I strongly recommend an international insurance. No one knows what can happen.
Google came to the rescue as well as friends from all over the world. Check all the working visas for New Zealand and Australia, as well as Workaway. Europe is completely open to us, so there are no issues here. Finding a job is the same as at home. If you are not travelling through any youth or students’ associations, ask other travellers for information. Some embassies are also willing to help. I got a lot of information from Facebook groups (Slovenci v Avstraliji, Slovenci v Švici…). But I did notice, that if you publicly post a question, more than half of the comments can be spam. That is why I searched for individuals in these groups who had answered truthfully before and wrote them private messages. I received a lot of help by doing this. Foreign Facebook groups are also helpful, such as Girls love to travel or groups for individual countries (Travelling Vietnam, Backpacking Thailand…). There is a lot of information online.
For visas, always check official pages or at embassies. Regarding job search: don’t give up. A lot of people will tell you that jobs are scarce at the moment. That can be true, but you only need one. So, write the applications, apply for jobs, stay active and you will find that one. The current situation is not the best, but it doesn’t mean that it is impossible. Working visas will return. Getting a job in New Zealand, Australia or Canada is not a problem, especially if you are a bit of a technical type or are open to some manual labour.
This was the case with me. My parents were not really thrilled about my travels and also didn’t really support my travels. But I had other forms of support, especially like-minded friends, which is something that gives you motivation to go on. I say that you only live once, so listen to yourself, trust and believe in yourself. Preparation is key, save enough money and go.
There is no secret. I had €7,000, but I was already 30 and had some work experience. Some countries have requirements for how much money you need on your account when entering (Canada, Australia, New Zealand). Some people start working right away, work for a few months and then travel. You can work for money or do what I often did – I worked for accommodation and food (experience travelling). I waited tables, was a babysitter, did all kinds of things in a hostel, packed wines at a winery, milked cows on a farm. We had 500 cows and four workers. And no, not all cows had names. In New Zealand, a lot of people work in fruit picking where you work for 12 hours per day. You can earn a lot in a short period of time and have money to enjoy your travels.
The chat with Špela went on. This is the end of the 2nd part of our conversation. In the next edition, you can look forward to the last part where we find out all of Špela’s sleeping arrangements (she also spent some nights at a HI hostel; she will tell us about her favourite). She will also tell us about her adventures with transport and food, and reveal her favourite countries. You can find Špela on Facebook and Instagram.
While waiting for the last part of the interview, you are welcome to visit my blog Slovenians travel.
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