Lessons from doing it alone

Yulong Snow Mountain, located in Lijiang, Southwest China's Yunnan province, is the southernmost glacier in the northern hemisphere. The snow-capped and fog-enveloped peaks look like a jade dragon in the clouds from the old town of Lijiang. [PHOTO BY CHEN MEILING/CHINA DAILY]

Chen Meiling shares her experiences on the road in Lijiang, Yunnan province

The bar singer at the old town of Lijiang actually thought that I was hurt (either by a breakup, family trouble or getting laid off), or I wouldn't have traveled alone, especially to "the town of romantic affairs" in Southwest China.

But I explained: "No, I was just attracted by the beauty of the place."

He didn't seem to buy it.

The term "solo traveler" is, to some extent, seen as odd in a traditional Chinese context. And there is also concern for the safety of single female travelers.

However, about 59 percent of the Chinese women surveyed have traveled alone between two and five times in their lives, with about half doing long journeys, according to a report by British Airways in October.

Also, more than 65 percent of Chinese female travelers said they wanted to feel a sense of freedom and independence, 63 percent said they wanted private space and 48 percent said they wanted to make new friends and experience something unique, the report said.

Zanna Van Dijk, a blogger from London who has more than 70,000 followers on Instagram, was quoted by British Airways that the modern female traveler is changing significantly.

Women now expect to explore and discover new things and not to be bound by the traditional concept of a family trip.