Solo Woman Travel Challenge Returns

On March 26, 2017, the Solo Woman Travel Challenge, after supporting 10 Nepali women in their solo travels over the past two years, returned for its third year. This year, it seeks to provide 15 grants for independent travel in Nepal. Additionally, plans are underway for one grant to facilitate a Nepali woman’s exploration of Europe for a month. The challenge serves as a unique platform, aiming to foster discussions on travel, gender, and the risks associated with traveling alone as a woman.

“Nepali women receive fewer opportunities, which negatively affects their life experiences. This situation traps them from making bold decisions.”

“Additionally, it prevents them from creating independent ambitions,” said Pemba Sherpa, who initiated the program with Jason Shah.

“We have experienced how empowering traveling alone can be. To break this trap, we needed visible role models.”

“These role models push social conventions. Therefore, this challenge supports strong, dynamic women to defy the norm and set their own standards.”

“This is achieved through an introspective, experiential solo journey.”

This year the challenge will provide five full and 10 partial grants for independent travels in Nepal. The team will also be introducing the “soloEUROPE” initiative at the end of the year. In this internet-voting based competition, applicants create a profile online, including their travel plans. They then receive upvotes from others. Following two rounds of internet voting, winners will be announced in May.

“But more than just giving applicants the money for travel, we use a more holistic process,” Sherpa added. He continued, “After selecting the winners, we provide various workshops on budgeting, logistics support, itinerary planning, risk management, and photography.”

Previous winners have made trips to various remote destinations in Nepal including Upper Mustang, Dolpo and Khaptad. Speaking about how her solo trip to Mustang changed her, Sanju Raut, one of the winners of 2016, wrote, “My parents had made a big fuss about me traveling to Mustang alone. However, a couple of days after getting back, still heady from my adventure, I grabbed my bag, got on a bus, and headed to Manakamana, a hundred kilometers away, by myself. This time, all my parents did was wish me luck.”

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