What I've discovered through travelling solo as a Muslim woman

""It has been two years since I spent a month in Lisbon. I visited Confeitaria Nacional, one of Lisbon's tastiest bakeries, countless times on my trip. Their hot chocolate is the best in the city, I would argue, and their Portuguese custard tarts are unmatched. There's something comforting about the two-floor bakery, with its 18th-century decor, burgundy curtains and pale pink frills. The waitresses know me by now and bring me the freshest goods.""

"Travelling solo did not begin with this trip, nor did it begin in my teens. As the daughter of South Asian and Muslim immigrant parents who were worried about their only daughter's safety and her lack of fear for it, the push towards travelling freely initially began via an opportunity at my university, then later with friends, before graduating into a first solo trip at 24 years of age."

""It is in these moments of silence, when I am travelling solo, that there is a sense of fulfilment; that this is where I am supposed to be""

Solo travel creates moments of silence that bring fulfilment and a feeling of being exactly where one belongs. Sensory memories—like a pastel de nata or Confeitaria Nacional's hot chocolate and custard tarts—trigger strong emotional connections to place. Lisbon's sunshine-yellow buildings, bitter orange trees and Tram 28 rides form vivid, comforting images that enhance belonging. Interactions with vendors, waitresses and smiling strangers reinforce a sense of home while away. A background of protective South Asian and Muslim immigrant parents shaped a gradual path to independent travel, culminating in a first solo trip at 24 and continued journeys thereafter.

Read at CN Traveller