As an avid and long-time Pinay solo traveler, I enjoy giving advice to fellow Pinays who want to explore and embark on their own solo trips.
However, I was all too aware that solo traveling has a darker side and that women can fall prey to unwanted male attention. I believed that this is something that should be examined and discussed so that those who wish to solo travel will be aware and can prepare accordingly.
To work on my project, I decided to :
-Create a Facebook page - named Pinay Solo Travelers - that aims to raise awareness on how women can stay safe while traveling solo
- Partner with Pinay Bike Commuter Community (PBCC) and conduct a survey on the safety issues previously faced by its solo traveler members. I also planned to get respondents from outside PBCC.
- Create a 2-3 minute informative video to be uploaded to the Facebook page and shared with PBCC members.
All these points were discussed in my first milestone video:
With the partnership and Facebook page up and running, I conducted the survey to check how Pinays who traveled solo fared safety-wise. The final results showed that over 60% experienced of respondents sexual harassment and most were unable to defend themselves. Some had to resort to just running away.
Due to these results, I decided to make my informative video geared towards discussing the safety and sexual harassment aspect as I believed it was a pressing issue.
The video was uploaded to the Pinay Solo Travelers page and PBCC group page.
How I aimed for engagement, conducted the survey, analyzed the results, and created the video is discussed in my next milestone video:
The dedicated Facebook page is currently growing organically, albeit at a slow pace. I also noted that my more entertaining solo travel posts gained more traction compared to the ones dedicated to safety information. But I figured that it was to be expected considering that solo travel has, for the most part, been portrayed as fun and liberating. And while that may be true, I still think that the safety posts, just by being posted and readily viewable, will still have an impact in informing solo travelers.
However, I consider the final video, which remains uploaded in the page and my partner's page, as the culminating and one of the most significant products of the project.:
Pinays who travel alone or plan to do so must be made aware that safety risks exist. As someone who is enthusiastic about solo traveling, I believe that our journeys become more enjoyable when we are able to make informed decisions.
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