Travelling South-East Asia Solo as a Black Woman

How two solo backpackers became the representation they wish they had seen

When planning my trip to South-East Asia, I considered many things: What clothes to take, which shoes were best, how easy it would be to make friends… Yet, the one thing I didn’t question is whether there would be people who looked like me there because that’s a given when you’re white. I didn’t need to check the racial climates of the countries I was visiting, and I didn’t need to consider whether other Western backpackers would judge me by the colour of my skin.

That can’t be said for Chatanni Gordon. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, and raised in Somerset, UK. Before jetting off for SE Asia in 2017, she notes: “I, personally, would never go to any country without doing my own research on the levels of racism before booking that flight – even visiting other countries in Europe. It’s just something that’s been ingrained in me since I was younger.”

“Sometimes I felt like an animal in the zoo when locals stared and asked for pictures”

When speaking with her, I asked how she researched and whether she felt like there were enough online resources available to her at the time: “Apart from a few blogs and checking TripAdvisor, there really weren’t many resources, so I had to make my own judgement call on whether I wanted to take the risk but I’m so glad I did.

“It’s gotten a lot better now, though,” she notes, “I often see dedicated social media channels on TikTok and Instagram about black female travellers, which I think will encourage other women to just go for it.”

Recently on social media, there has been travel groups popping up specifically for Black and POC women to organise trips together. I ask Chatanni whether she was aware of these and whether they would encourage her to visit countries she may not have considered solo or with white friends.

“I have seen these and am part of a few Facebook groups, myself,” she says, “it definitely would encourage me – safety in numbers, right?!”

Zamira Samuels, mixed British, Jamaican and Guyanese, shares a similar story. She recalls how during her 6 months of travelling, she only met one other black female backpacker.

“That was in Cambodia,” she says, “which is pretty sad, really. I think a lot of women are put off because of the lack of representation abroad – but this is something I’ve noticed is improving over time thanks to social media.”

The conversation soon moved on to Zamira’s experience in certain countries as a black woman and whether she felt racism towards herself: “In short, not really… but some countries felt worse than others. Countries like Thailand, Vietnam and parts of Malaysia really pride themselves on having white skin. One thing that made me uncomfortable was the amount of skin whitening products these countries have in their shops.”

She continues, “I felt the most comfortable in Cambodia and Indonesia, as the locals are of a darker complexion. Instead of comparing the contrast of our skin colours, they would say how similar we are and that made me feel more comfortable walking around solo.

“Sometimes I felt like an animal in the zoo when locals stared and asked for pictures, but I eventually realised that it was mostly curiosity and not coming from a bad place.”

“The positives outweigh the negatives by a mile! I strongly encourage anybody – no matter what they look like – to go and see the world.”

Requesting some parting advice, Chatanni says: “As a woman, in general, I think you always run the risk when you venture off the beaten track. My advice would be to travel with a couple others if that’s what you’re thinking of doing! The beauty of travelling is that you’ll meet a lot of like-minded people who would be happy to join you.”

Zamira’s travel advice was to: “Always know your location and load up where you’re going on maps before you set off.”

She continues, “If you get lost, try not to look lost as you may become an easy target. I usually would just walk into a local restaurant and asked for a Wi-Fi password to reload my map.

“I think all women are wired to have this high alert stranger danger, but honestly the locals are more than happy to help, most of the time, and genuinely just enjoy the interaction with you.”

And would she recommend SE Asia to those considering?

“People are always going to stare when they aren’t used to people who look like you, but the positives outweigh the negatives by a mile! I strongly encourage anybody – no matter what they look like – to go and see the world,” Zamira beams.