Women Must Not Now Be Too Scared To Travel Alone

Last week, the father of murdered British backpacker Grace Millane said he hoped her tragic death wouldn’t stop women from travelling the world alone. Faye White agrees with him…

- Faye White

LIKE GRACE, I went backpacking by myself as a 22-year-old study-abroad student in Australia. It was three years ago when I packed my Lowe Alpine rucksack and headed up the East Coast. Even though I’d never even had a meal in a restaurant on my own, this felt like an opportunity to prove to myself I was capable of holding my own hand as I embarked on a two-week solo trip.

The penultimate stop was a two-night stay on Fraser Island, a popular backpacker destination off the coast of Queensland. Thrown together in a group with seven other backpackers, we headed there along with a couple of tour guides. The guides warned us of the main dangers – sharks, snakes, spiders, jellyfish and dingoes – but I never considered the possibility of being attacked by a human.