Risk-taking on Her Lonely Planet: Exploring the Risk Experiences of Asian Solo Female Travellers

Abstract

Recent advances in gender equality have improved women’s employment and with their increased economic independence, women now have greater opportunities to travel and more choices to make about travel. A rising interest in solo female travel, which has been regarded as a means of demonstrating women’s empowerment, is observed in many parts of the world, including Asia. Nevertheless, this form of independent travel may expose women to risk when travelling alone in the gendered and sexualised tourism space. Although risk appears to be a prominent feature of women’s solo travel experience, little research in this area has considered risk as an independent subject of investigation. In fact, there are only a handful of studies on solo female travel despite its rising popularity and no one has studied the experiences of Asian women. In response to these gaps, this thesis explores the risk perceptions and negotiation strategies of Asian women who have travelled alone and the implications of risk in these women’s lives and in relation to the social world.