Traveling as a solo woman around the world, always come with the risks without partiality. Meanwhile, the media tries to spoil the Iran's face more than its realities. However, is it possible to miss Iran without considering its tourist attraction (historical, cultural, and natural)?
Let's have a short interview with a female tourist that has traveled to Iran recently and hear about her experiences of traveling to Iran as a solo female. Hong is a 23 years old girl from Vietnam who has traveled to around 87 countries alone. A girl that has extraordinary skills and ability and is fluent in German, English, and Vietnamese besides, she can afford her travel expenses by herself. She always travels as a backpacker; in short, Hong is a travel lover.
An interview with Hong in Iran, solo travel to Iran
Zhavroad team and I, Marjan, have been done this interview. Accept this interview with its shortcomings.
(more about Hong in iran)
Interview transcript:
Marjan: Hello my name is Marjan from Zhavroad team. Today our guest is Hong and she is going to tell us about her experiences, so Hong how did you first decide to travel solo?
Hong: I was very young; I was just 18 years old. I couldn’t afford it, and I asked one of my friends but nobody wanted to join me and I decided at the end to travel alone.
Marjan: I know that it’s a kind of stereotype question, but isn’t solo travel dangerous as a female?
Hong: so, I think everything is relative. I could even die when I’m crossing the street in Berlin, in Germany, but I can say there are more good people than bad people, and never feel pretend, and when you travel you gain a lot of hope for humanity again… No, it’s not.
Marjan: What are the advantages and disadvantages of travelling alone?
Hong: advantage is definitely you are adjusting your plan to yourself and your force to socialize with other people. Disadvantage: some very beautiful memories I can’t share with anyone in the moment when I’m experiencing them.
Marjan: What if you get lost? What if you run out of money?
Hong: I consider myself as next trip traveler which means if I’m getting out of money it’s important for me that I don’t lose my life I can always get back and find a job anywhere. I’m not afraid of that.
Marjan: Did you feel different about yourself after you first travel alone?
Hong: I do think so. I’m changing constantly. It’s very slightly but I do change in a more tolerant way and understanding the world better.
Marjan: Finally, how did you see Iran? Do you recommend your friends to visit this country?
Hong: I can say that I think Iran is a secret tip for travelers, its very authentic and loved landscapes story and the people here and it cause a lot of funny moment during my trip because many people don’t speak English but I think this is just a part of that experience here which makes this country so authentic for me.
Marjan: thank you for sharing your information with us.
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A Guide for Solo Female to Travel to Iran
As a woman, if you are thinking about traveling to Iran alone, but you are fearful, I urge you to do it. Traveling to Iran can seem frightening for solo female travelers due to the negative insight of media that try to spoil the Iran's face. However, as a girl who has been living in this country for around 26 years old, I can truthfully say Iran is not only safe for solo female travelers but also can bring fantastic experience that will significantly exceed your expectations. In this article, I am trying to answer some questions about traveling alone as a woman to Iran.
Is it safe to travel to Iran as a woman alone?
Nearly all of the solo female traveler who have traveled to Iran say that so many people told them you are crazy for wanting to travel to Iran alone, and these words made them a bit anxious. However, how people who have never been in Iran can say in most decisive tones that Iran is not safe for solo female travelers? It would be most natural to be careful and exercise common sense as a female. Still, there will always be situations that will make us uncomfortable, and it can happen anywhere regardless of where we are in the world.
The common belief and feelings among most of the solo female travelers who have traveled to Iran is that their anxiety completely disappeared after spending a few hours in Iran, and they felt safe. Besides, their first impression is that there is nothing to be worried about in Iran. I am not trying to tell a lie and make an unrealistic image of Iran, but this country is a safe country for solo female travelers, and its accuracy can prove if you read accounts of women who have traveled alone in Iran.
** An excellent offer: we recommend special tours for solo female travelers in the Zhavroad platform. The details are mentioned on this website:**
A piece of good advice for solo female travelers is that you are not alone in Iran because you can easily group up with other travelers you meet in your hotels or even better find some local friends and be sure that you can trust them.
Arriving in Iran
You can easily get a 30-day Tourist Visa on arrival or in advance (check if you need a visa here). Tourist Visa is issued for a maximum stay of 30 days with the option of extensions in Iran so it is valid for 90 days from the issue date.
Getting a visa on arrival is easy, you only need to show your return ticket, your first-night hotel reservation, your passport, and proof of travel insurance (which you can buy at the airport for €14). The visa usually costs €75, but the price may vary depending on your nationality. However, getting a visa on arrival is time consuming because depending on the line; you might have to wait up to two hours before your visa is ready. In addition, you might get confused with the payment at the airport. Therefore, the best option is to get your visa in advance and before coming to Iran.
After attaining a visa, going through passport control, and picking up your luggage, we recommend you hire someone to pick you up to make your arrival easier. (You can also use Snapp or other Uber-style Taxi services).
Traveling Around in Iran
Traveling around Iran is safe and easy. Based on your travel plan, you will always have different transportation options to travel around in Iran. Generally, quality transportation in Iran is easy to find and often much cheaper than other parts of the world. Domestic flights, buses, trains, taxis and cars are all available. You can easily reserve your ticket in advance.
However, most of the tourists use buses to travel between the cities in Iran because they are really comfortable and reliable. There are two kinds of buses, Standard buses (with 42 seats), and VIP buses (which are more luxurious with 25 seats, wife, and a monitor for each seat). Buses provide a seat reservation and the driver will rearrange the passengers so that no woman sits next to an unknown man. Finally, I should say taking the bus in Iran is a fun experience and a great way to socialize with locals and make new friends because other passengers try to have small conversations with you and even feed you during the trip!
