Growing up in a Punjabi community in the UK, Minreet Kaur constantly felt that she was unable to travel by herself as a single woman. Now 43, she is done waiting for a husband, to avoid judgement when travelling
A single Asian woman tired of being told she shouldn’t go travelling alone heading out solo for the first time.
After years of being told that single women will be looked down upon when they travel alone by members of her community, Minreet Kaur has decided to break the mould.
Growing up in the UK as an Indian woman, the West Londoner would watch Punjabi men enjoy freedom to explore the world, leaving her wondering why she couldn’t do the same.
The thought of travelling as a single woman always appealed to Minreet, but some people in her community made it clear that heading off to other parts of the world alone as a single woman was not appropriate.
But now, at the age of 43, Minreet says she is done waiting and worrying about what some people think of her. Despite still being single, she has decided to ignore the naysayers and head off by herself.
“You shouldn’t be moulded into getting married and going [travelling] with your partner. I don’t want to miss out on it anymore,” she told the Mirror.
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Minreet recognises that not all parts of the UK’s Punjabi community are the same and other women may have felt no pressure to couple up before travelling. However, she has spoken to other women from a range of backgrounds who share her feelings and have faced similar pressures.
It has been hard at times, especially when Minreet felt that some men in her community like her brother had far fewer limitations imposed upon them.
“My brother was free to do what he wanted. Women couldn’t really do what they want,” she said.
Minreet’s lack of freedom became clearer to her when she began seeing friends and other people outside of her community travelling and enjoying life without some of the restrictions she felt.
“It made me feel like my voice wasn’t listened to and I wasn’t free to do what I wanted,” Minreet added.
Now, in her fifth decade, Minreet has decided that she wants to ignore the judgement from some of her community as much as she can, and travel to places she has dreamt of seeing for years.
If that means doing so without a partner, then so be it — a sentiment her mother – who is suffering from a rare blood cancer and is cared for by Minreet – has also recently expressed with her.
Despite being determined to embark on her solo adventure, Minreet does have her reservations. “It is daunting and scary – I don’t even know where to start,” she confessed. “Even in your older years, you’re not as willing to take risks.”
With destinations such as Bali, Thailand and Sri Lanka on her bucket list, Minreet is keen to plan the trip herself and venture far from the UK to truly experience the thrill of solo travel. Her hope is that this will help her overcome her fears and lead her to visit more, different places by herself.
Although she is “feeling really scared and anxious” about travelling on her own, Minreet has already started planning and researching potential tours where she could meet new people.
“A lot of my friends are married with kids, so [making] friends at this age is hard,” Minreet added.
To avoid feeling isolated, Minreet has found a number of holiday packages designed for solo travellers, offering both group activities and the flexibility to spend time by yourself.
As the budding travelling gears up to head away for the first time, she says she has few resentments and only regrets not having explored the world a little sooner. “I wish I had just taken the plunge and done it,” she concluded.
After her travels, Minreet hopes to share her experience and help other women gain enough confidence to venture out into the world, whether that be single or solo.
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