Episode 90: Planning Your First Solo Backpacking Trip and Best Places For Solo Female Travel With Gemma Thompson
Gemma Thompson hosts A Girl’s Guide To Travelling Alone, a top travel podcast dedicated to solo female travelers. Growing up in Durham, in the North-East of England, Gemma did not have a lot of experience traveling before booking her first solo backpacking trip. In 2002, she quit her job, gave up her apartment, and left her boyfriend to travel independently. She went on to spend three months backpacking across South East Asia and Australia. In this episode, Gemma Thompson shares how to plan your first solo backpacking trip and the most important lessons learned. She also shares tips for female solo travelers, first-time female solo travel destinations, and how her travel style has changed now that she’s expanded her family.
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In this episode, we chat about:
- What inspired Gemma to take her first solo trip for three months in 2002
- Why she wished she had gone solo backpacking longer
- Ways Gemma could have managed her finances better to travel longer
- What makes a great destination for female solo travel and solo trips for women
- The best tips for solo travelers
- The sort of things we should research before traveling
- Why guidebooks are still useful
- How Gemma’s travel style has changed since expanding her family
Resources Mentioned
- [Book] A Girl’s Guide To Travelling Alone: Inspiring True Tales From Solo Women Travelers
- [Blog] Safety Tips For Solo Female Travelers
- [Blog] Best First Time Solo Travel Destinations
- I was a guest on Gemma’s podcast – listen to Episode 10: 7 Easy Steps To Low Cost Travel
Connect With Gemma Thompson
Website: www.girlsthattravel.com
Instagram: @girlsthattravelofficial
Twitter: @2GirlsThatTravel
Other Female Solo Travel Episodes You’ll Enjoy
How To Find and Research Hotels Using Tripadvisor Hotel Reviews – Episode 105
Female Solo Travel and Accidental Adventures With Yvette Morrissey – Episode 6
Moving Abroad After 30 With Frantzces Lys – Episode 22

Danielle Desir Corbett paid off $63,000 of student loan debt in 4 years, bought a house at 27, and has traveled to 27 countries, including her favorites, Iceland, China, and Bermuda. Go here to learn Danielle’s incredible story, from struggling financially and in debt to finding creative ways to earn more and live on her terms. Listen to The Thought Card Podcast, where Danielle shares how you can creatively travel more and build wealth regardless of your current financial situation. Reach out to Danielle by contacting: thethoughtcard (at) gmail (dot) com.
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