10 Questions with Travel Writer and Nomad Anne Bonfert
Exploring Africa, skydiving, solo travel, nomad lifestyle, we cover it all
For quite some time, I have been passionate about interviewing female solo travellers. Although, to be honest, I hate the word because the other gender isn't called male solo travellers, right? But I didn't know how else to differentiate.
I don't know whether it was because the concept is unknown in my part of the world, or even if it was women who would never be allowed to travel solo.
For many women before marriage, parents ask their kids to do "whatever they want" after they get married. So that the "blame" doesn't come on them in case something happens. After getting married, the in-laws or even the husband don't "allow" because "What would the society say!".
So these women have always intrigued me. For me, they seemed like strong women, breaking barriers, setting examples for the next generation of women travellers to come in.
And Anne Bonfert was the first female solo traveller I knew about. I faintly remember coming across her work sometime in April 2021 and getting intrigued by it. But the final nail in the coffin which made me a fan of her work was Where Shaving Your Hair with a Razor Blade and Eating Tooth Paste are Survival Skills, where she describes her life in Ghana. The headline intrigued me to no end, and I had to click the article and read it.
And I'm so glad I did. Because that led to me getting inspired by her experiences, finding a travel publication, World Traveler's Blog (later), and a photography publication, Snapshots (even later). I, too, wanted to fill my life with great experiences, learn from them and share it with the world. I didn't want to be mediocre anymore, nor did I want to slog in a 9 to 5 job. I think it was during that period that I started taking travel writing and photography seriously.
For that, Anne, I'll always be grateful to you.
When she mentioned she has got her PADI license and also worked as a sandboard instructor, climbing instructor and skydiving instructor (sports that have always fascinated me) among lots of other jobs, I wondered, "Could I do it too?". So, after months of thinking it through, I decided to take the scuba diving certification in a couple of months (Yaayyy!).
I have learnt tons from her over the months, which will take a whole other article. Even approaching her took a ton of guts from my side, and I was so happy when she accepted for an interview! So without delay…here you go!
1) Why did you decide to travel to Africa specifically at such a young age? Because that continent would not be the first choice in lots of people's minds, right?
I was fascinated by Africa. Already in my teens, I read lots of books about various African countries, their cultures, and ex-pats living there. I watched every documentary I could find on wildlife and landscapes in Africa. And then, I simply wanted to experience it myself.
Africa is surely not everyone's first choice, but it was mine. The first time leaving Europe, I flew to West Africa. I was never intrigued by popular destinations other tourists would flock to. I had my own dreams and surely my own vision of Africa. I knew there are too many stereotypes and myths about Africa and had to experience the real-life over there by myself. I did not care what people said. Everyone was saying something about how dangerous it is over there, but none of them have ever been there. So how should they know?
2) What are the 3 biggest myths and lessons learned from being a solo female traveller?
This is a tricky one. As mentioned above I have always ignored myths and people's opinions on where I was going and what I was doing. But let me try to answer this somehow.
- You are going to get raped/ killed/ … when travelling alone as a woman (in Africa).
Surely this can happen anywhere in the world. Just as much as in your own hometown like somewhere abroad. And it can happen to anyone. But I have my own way of trying to avoid it. In my eyes, it all depends on HOW you present yourself in public. I am by no means naive, but I am also a strongly build woman who knows how to defend herself. That is exactly how I present myself. I walk the same if I'm walking home at night after partying in my home town or while exploring a foreign African city. I simply act as if I surely know where I'm going. I walk fast. And I smile. People stay away from happy smiling strangers. They simply leave you alone.
- Solo travelling can be very lonely.
This is probably what most people think. Most people who've never travelled solo. But I experienced the exact opposite. During my months of travelling through several African countries, I met so many fellow travellers that I wasn't alone most of the time. I would almost say I wasn't travelling solo because there was always someone who was joining my journey. Even if I just met them. A few moments later I was going with them for dinner, on an excursion or booked a few-hour bus ride.
Solo travelling connects. Travelling as a couple will never give you the number of connections I got while travelling solo. I was surely never lonely.
- As a female solo traveller, people will take advantage of you.
And I've experienced again the exact opposite. Especially as a woman travelling solo, I've experienced many situations where other travellers or even more often locals, went out of their way to help me get to my destination or simply wanted to show some hospitality by inviting me over. I've met countless kind souls on the road while travelling solo.
3) The other day, I saw Tom Kuegler saying he was tired of being a digital nomad and finally wanted to settle. What keeps you going? And how do you decide where to go next?
I've also heard that from many nomads and those who've been travelling long term. Getting tired of being on the constant move is real. But I am not there (yet). I guess what keeps me happy and interested in new places is the fact that I don't travel/ move that often. Except for my months-long backpacking trip through eastern/ southern Africa, I've always lived in a place for at least 4 months up to 4 years. Over the past 7 years, I've lived in 4 different countries on 3 different continents. And I think that is my key to success on long term travel. I travel slow. I become a local before I move to my next destination.
How do I decide on my next place? Well, in the beginning, I just went with the flow. By now I am married and part of a team. Together with my partner, we look at countries where we both would like to live in. Then we check the visa requirements because his passport doesn't let him enter any country as easily as I can. And eventually, we send out CVs and check where we do get a job opportunity. Living cost vs. earnings and the lifestyle need to fit all together.
4) From your posts, I know you've always loved adventurous sports. How do you go and take it up every day even though you know the risks involved? (For background, I remember trying out paragliding last year with an instructor behind me. When I asked him the same question, he smiled, shrugged, and just said, "I love doing it." I know different people have different perspectives. But was curious about yours)
This should maybe be one of those myths I usually don't even spend a second thinking about. Surely, I do adventurous sports. Surely, they might appear dangerous to most people. But I see it differently. I've been doing all kinds of sports from a young age. I've been skiing and snowboarding since I was a toddler. I've been shredding down the backcountry through forests and I've been often alone on the slopes. But I never looked at it as dangerous. If you do sports with all safety aspects, they are surely safer than most other things you do in life and are not aware of the danger of it.
That is how I see my hobby and job as a skydiver as well. I don't think it's dangerous. I regularly practise emergency procedures; I am aware of having a second parachute if something should be wrong with my main chute. And I do things safely. I open my parachute at the correct altitude, I check where other jumpers are. And, and, and…
Surely something can go wrong. But you can also get killed by walking down the road and a brick falls from the roof. What I am more scared of is traffic. Everyone gets easily into a car and goes on the highway not thinking THAT is way more dangerous than jumping out of a plane. Just look at the statistics.
5) I recently read your article, "My Experience of Traveling Alone as a Woman in Africa," where you mentioned that there was almost a relay going on, where people were constantly helping you one after another to reach your destination. You have also spoken a lot about other instances where locals have helped you. How have those instances changed you as a person?
Oh yes, for sure they did. Even though I was never really scared of the locals but this confirmed my belief in human kindness. I do not hesitate to ask a local for advice on how to get from A to B. But I also do not hesitate to help strangers in my own town. If I see someone lost or looking for help, I often approach them myself and ask how I can help.
A bit of kindness can go a long way!
6) In the same article, you also mentioned that some boys proposed to you, and it wasn't the first time it happened either:) As a woman, when something like that happens, I try to smile and move out of the situation. But when the situation goes beyond that, red lights start to go off in my brain. Until now, I have never faced such dire circumstances before, but how do you deal with such situations? A couple of my girlfriends have faced teasing and stalking, too, as tourists. Do you have any suggestions or advice for women undergoing such situations?
Oh, yes that has happened a lot. And it will happen to most women travelling the African continent. Usually a kind "No, thanks", is enough to get away from the man. I've never really gotten into trouble with it. But once again, I'm a woman who doesn't get intimidated easily.
My advice for female travellers on the road is to first of all never give away your phone number to such "stalkers". Don't tell people where you are staying. Keep your accommodation as your safe place, so don't share the location with everyone. And if you really don't want to have such situations because it is very uncomfortable for you, then simply wear a wedding ring and invent a story about why your husband isn't with you or when you'll be meeting up with him.
7) Recently, I noticed that you've become more reader-conscious (I might be wrong too). In a way, you recently published your About Me story, and you also wrote an article explaining to your readers about skydiving. How do you expect your Medium journey to go forward as a Travel writer? Do you have any plans?
Interesting to hear how others see my changes. I have indeed written another "About me" article. This was because I realized there are so many articles on Medium I have written already and it is incredibly difficult to navigate through someone's profile. I created lists and moved articles in topics together mainly for the cause of helping new and old readers to find those pieces they want to read. So, I guess you're right. I care for my readers.
I don't really plan ahead about how my journey on Medium should go. I just write. I write when I'm home. I write about work. And I write about my adventures. But I do plan on publishing another book or two. I definitely want to publish a book in English about my time in Ghana which would be something like a translated version of the German book I published last year. And let's see what else the future brings for me.
8) How do you feel about the travel community in Medium. As a platform famous for self-help and tech articles, do you think travel writers have a significant place here?
The travel community is surely not the largest community on Medium but it is a very tight one. I love engaging with other travellers and sharing experiences from our journeys abroad. I've learned a lot from others and found many articles I could relate to.
I don't know if travel will become once again what it used to be but that will be part of our journey on Medium. At the moment not many people do travel so most of the articles from travel writers are about past adventures. I surely do hope travels around the world will pick up again. If that will happen, travel writers will also get a new position on Medium. I'm sure about it. For now, we just need to be patient. Patient and consistent. Just keep on documenting your journeys.
9) You're in week 58 of Photo-A-Day-Challenge in Snapshots started by Dennett . How has taking a photo every day for a year changed you? In terms of internal changes, meeting new people, or the type of photography you do itself.
I've learned a lot about the small joys in life. Being "forced" to find every day something worth sharing with the world helps you to focus on the small things in life. A butterfly passing by, a flower in a certain position or simply the view from your office. While I struggled sometimes in the beginning of the challenge to find every day something worthy to photograph, now I often have more than one shot and struggle to choose that "one" picture.
I've also learned a lot about all the other writers taking part in the challenge. I've learned about their lifestyles, where they live, their relationships with family and friends, what they do in their free time and how nature looks like in different parts of the world. It's beautiful. I absolutely love reading those photo essays.
I guess those essays also did change a bit my style of photography. These days I often go down on the floor to capture a flower or something growing on the ground. I try out different angles and love to have a feature in the foreground while the landscape is still visible in the background.
10) Last but not least, do you have any advice for Travel Writers on Medium and elsewhere (Background — I just started travel writing a couple of months back, even though I used to travel for quite some time. Your advice would be beneficial for beginners like me)
Write what you're passionate about. If you're into food, document your food experiences on the road. If you like culture, describe the kind of buildings you visit and people you meet. If you're into nature then talk about your senses while walking through the forest. Describe the world the way you see it with your eyes. Don't let myths and stereotypes misguide you in your writing. Be authentic, write about your fears and write about your favourite moments.
A lot of people write listicles about places to visit in a city or a country. Those articles one can find with the quickest Google search. Those answers every traveller can find without Medium. Try to avoid these kinds of pieces and rather write about why you visited this site and what was so special about it. First-hand travel experiences are what people are looking for. A compelling read that might even include some tension are those doing the best out here.
Travel writers have often their own websites documenting their journeys. I do have one as well and it is not monetized. I've started it simply out of the desire to keep my family and friends informed while abroad. I think it is a beautiful way to create your own space.
Anne was the first traveller I have interviewed. For the past couple of months, I have carefully made a list of women who inspire me. And since this experience was the best any newbie could have, I have gotten the "courage" to reach out to them too.
So thank you, Anne. For inspiring me to keep continuing my dreams!
