“It's given me so much self-trust in myself in other areas of my life that I didn't have before," the 30-year-old tells PEOPLE
Credit: gabtheforestelf/instagram
NEED TO KNOW
- Gabbi, a travel influencer, shares tips for women interested in solo camping and backpacking for the first time
- She emphasizes safety by recommending heavily researched, populated areas and staying near campground hosts
- Gabbi says solo travel has built her confidence and inspired many women to take their first trips through her content
Solo traveling as a woman can be daunting. Gabbi, also known as GabTheForestElf online, is trying to demystify the process.
The 30-year-old travel influencer grew up on the East Coast, and tells PEOPLE she didn’t have a lot of experience hiking and backpacking when she moved to Portland, Ore.
While doing some research, Gabbi, who asked that her last name be omitted, noticed that most of the content around solo traveling was made by and for men. So, she began sharing her content to provide a roadmap for people — specifically women — like her. However, Gabbi offers a few key pieces of advice for potential solo travelers.
The content creator urges women to start with solo camping before going solo backpacking.
“I would stay in campgrounds that have a camp host and I would find out who that camp host is and camp right next to them," she says. "I would let someone know where you're going. I would heavily research the area and stay in extremely populated areas."
When it comes to safety, Gabbi emphasizes the importance of setting some ground rules. For instance, she never sleeps with headphones, earplugs or even an eye mask and doesn’t take any sleeping medications. She also sleeps with a rainfly over her tent so that no one can look inside.
Credit: gabtheforestelf/instagram
While she knows most women are hesitant about solo travel for safety reasons, she "would argue that this is no different [from] the amount of risk than going on a hinge date, than taking an Uber."
"I'm not saying it's not dangerous, not without risk," she emphasizes. "Just statistically speaking, it's not the most dangerous thing women can do, and if you have the capability to put your trust in a stranger to go on a blind date with them or to get into an Uber, I think that you can go on a camping trip."
While being cautious and prepared are of utmost importance, she notes that she has "built so much self-trust and confidence in those experiences."
Credit: gabtheforestelf/instagram
“It breaks up my normal brain in your normal life where you're kind of on autopilot and when you're in more of a high-stakes situation, you learn so many things about yourself when you're overcome these moments of distress and discomfort and unsureness," she shares. "When those things come up again in your life, you're able to pull from that experience, like, 'Well, I did that. I remember how I felt then. I remember how I did that.' "
She says she can take that confidence "into other parts of my life.”
“It's given me so much self-trust in myself in other areas of my life that I didn't have before. And then I feel like it really has softened me, the more time that I've spent alone in nature," she shares. "I feel like you become more attuned to the energy of the forest and it just slowly washes away the harder edges of yourself.”
Gabbi, who has over 67,000 followers on TikTok, says that she’s “really grateful” that “a lot of women have messaged me that they are gonna take their first trip because of me.”
“I didn't grow up outdoors. I didn't have any reference points either. It's not too late to start. I didn't start till I was like 24 or 25 years old,” Gabbi says.
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