The Superwoman of July: Sita Triyanti

I first got to know Sita when she said hi to my post in Sole Sister. She said that she’s also an Indonesian and have been solo traveling around the world. That’s the moment where we exchange our Facebook contacts and get to know each other even though we never met in person (Oh I look forward to our meet!!) Get to know one of the best Indonesian Solo Female Travel  Sita Triyanti as the Superwoman of July!

She is one hell of inspiration as an Indonesian woman who brave enough to go on solo traveling. Nontheless she was succesfully influenced her little sister, Listya, to try solo traveling as well. She is super friendly, full of experience and she followed her dream to travel the world. I feel honored to have her as The Superwoman of July and share her stories here. Read her new blog Backpacking Mamasita to get to know her journey, or stalk her more on the Instagram. Amazing!

Name: Sita

Instagram: @sitaloves2wander

Facebook: Sita Triyanti

Nationality: Indonesian

Residence: Auckland, New Zealand

Occupation: Professional worker by day for Brewery Company and an Explorer on most weekends

What inspired you to travel solo for the first time?

I was always quite curious what is like to travel on my own, just me and my backpack. When the time finally arrived, I have to admit it was a bit intimidating at first, I guess most of us can relate to this somehow. Stepping to the unknown world out there no clue what to expect and only hope for the best. In the end, I bite the bullet and booked my flight anyway. The only way to know is to just go, right?

Tell us about the first time you travelled alone. Where did you go and what did you do?

It was around end of 2011, I chose to go by with myself to Cambodia and Vietnam for few weeks before meeting my family in Indonesia. I hopped on the back of scooter and the driver took me for a ride to bumpy yet exhilarating and lots of manoeuvring streets in a chaotic traffic of Ho Chi Minh City. I crawled inside Cu Chi underground tunnel that was used by Vietcong to combat American soldiers during Vietnam War. Pretty impressive labyrinth down there! I also met another Solo Female Traveler in my hostel in Phnom Penh who offered me to stay at the hotel in Siem Reap with her because her friend couldn’t make it in the end. Such a nice serendipity! We ended up exploring the area together, hired tuk-tuk that took us to see sunrise at Angkor Wat as well as exploring the rest of stunning temples around the complex. When I was back on my own, I love wandering the streets in Hanoi, eating from street vendors and sleeping on a boat in the middle of serene Ha Long Bay in Vietnam.

So what are the love/hate things you experienced travelling alone?

I love the feeling of the ultimate freedom as well as being anonymous in different cities. You can do whatever you want and go wherever your feet take you with no one to compromise. I have more time to talk to people whether they are locals or other travellers. In saying this, because of solo travels, I met more people and made new friends than when I travelled with companions. It’s thoroughly fulfilling experience and definitely an eye opener to actually see how other people live in different cultures, listening to their live stories and their priorities in life. It makes you contemplate about yours too. It’s quite hard to say what I hate when I travel on my own because we need to keep our minds and hearts open on the road. However, there were few times that I got bit annoyed when I stayed in a hostel and there were group checked in and they started to take over the whole dorm and being oblivious for other travellers. They started to talk in their own language and you started to feel left out. Another thing, Single supplement, it pretty sucks but it’s their rules not ours. Don’t let this burn your spirit though, these are just very minor things of the whole time I travelled, the good about solo travel always outweighs the bad in the end. Otherwise, statistically, there won’t be an increase of Solo Travellers especially Females in the last 10 years.

Who’s your travel inspiration?

Solo Female Travellers out there who don’t overthink or overanalyse whether they should do it or not. They are my fuel. They believe in their hearts that it’s the right thing to do and only they can feel this, and therefore they took the plunge. No question asked. I think if we wanted badly enough, no matter what’s obstacle or speed bumps we might face along the way, you know you’ll always get through it in the end. Every time I cross path with them on the road or just reading their stories, I feel motivated even more!

What is your favorite websites and travel apps do you often use?

I like to read Trip Advisor and Travel bloggers website to get some ideas about the places I’m going to visit. I book most of my flights from Skyscanner because it tells you the cheapest fare you can get. As for accommodation, I often use Booking.com or Agoda. For app, I use Instagram and Facebook quite regularly to upload travel photos and give bit of information about the places I was visiting and share some recommendations.

What is your favorite country so far? Any recommendation for female solo traveler?

South Island of New Zealand has topped my favourite playground in the world so far. Geographically, New Zealand is pretty small so luckily, you can go over long weekends to check out some stunning locations. I also would love to explore more of my root, Indonesia. However, because it’s such a massive and diverse country, it requires longer time to explore. That’s the thing about travel though, because the more you see the world, the more you want to see. The more you expose your eyes to, the more you open your heart to. It’s not about comparing which one is better, it’s about finding the unique things from each places. Recommendation for solo female traveller, if you’re nature and wildlife lover, come to New Zealand and get ready for your eyes to be blown away by its rugged and unspoiled beauty. I do recommend also to go to countries that will give you culture shocks as it will open all your senses, you have no option other than to soak up all the experiences!

What are some important things you bring when travelling solo? (Beside money and passport?)

My little radio and camera, I like to listen to local music when I’m in another countries, it’s one of many ways to get to know the country after its people and the food. Camera, as I enjoy taking photos to treasure my travel memories and something to look back to in 10 years from now.

Everyone has their quirky thing when they travel. I love doing temple hunting and visiting museums. So what’s yours?

I love to just jump on public transportation that takes me to some random places and meeting local people. There are public buses that put some music on, I like this too. I quite enjoy sitting on window seat enjoying the view with occasional conversation with local people who happen to sit next to me. I don’t think it’s a dull ride and this interaction fascinates me every single time.

Share your tips for any first time solo traveller?

Ladies, there’s a big beautiful world out there waiting to be explored. If you know deep in your heart that your dream is to see the world then go chase them and start making plans. Even at times you need to sacrifice or living in a budget in order to fund that trip you been dreaming of. Don’t put your dreams on hold to wait until anyone is available to go with you because putting your dreams on a shelf will only come to realisation that one day you’re just too tired to live them. No one wants to live with regrets.

What’s your favorite travel quote that’s best describe you?

Carpe Diem – Seize the Day. I wear this as my necklace to remind me every day that life is too short not to live in your dreams.

She was born and bred in Jakarta, Indonesia who then went to Bali to do working holiday for 6 months and then lived in Dubai for few years before making a move to New Zealand around end of 2009. When she’s not chasing sunset, she enjoys being outdoor with the nature and wildlife. She keeps her traveling bug alive and always on the lookout for new adventure. It could be just 40 mins drive out of the city or hitchhiking around the island somewhere in New Caledonia. She is wanderlust by choice with the world as her playground.

Are you one of the cool solo female traveller with Indonesian blood that has abundance of story to tell? Get featured here as the Superwoman and help to inspire other solo female traveller wannabe too out there! 🙂

Contact me: runwaymarina@gmail.com

© 2017 Writing & Images copyright of Marina Utami.