Behind The Scene Of Our First Solo Female Traveler Tour

Amanda here 👋, founder of this group and our Meetup Tours to 15+ countries around the world. Today, we specialize in tours to countries often considered less safe or challenging for solo female travelers—think Egypt, India, Morocco, Mongolia, and more. But go back 6 and a half years to our first-ever trip, and you might wonder why I chose Bali—a safe, easy destination—as our debut tour.

💌 P.S. We still offer Bali today (but it’s even better now)!

Behind the Scenes of My First Ever Tour with The Solo Female Traveler Network

Why Bali?

I was living in Australia on a work holiday visa, unsure if anyone would book a spot on my tour. I needed somewhere close to home, affordable, and a destination people would actually want to visit. Bali checked all those boxes, so I took the leap and booked my own flight for $358. I’ll never forget that number—it was the first financial risk I took for this company, my long time dream.

Self doubt and good friends

A few years after my mom passed, I was still grieving. She had been my biggest cheerleader and best friend, and I felt deeply lost without her.

When the idea to run a tour came to me, I called a friend who was also a successful business owner. We sat in a little booth at a budget outlet mall, and she gave me the pep talk of a lifetime. I’ll always be grateful for her patience, passion, and support that day. As women, we rarely hear a heartfelt “YES, YOU CAN DO THIS!” from the world. So, we have to be that voice for each other—because, girl, we can do whatever we set our minds to.

Time to get to work

To create a website, I needed some branding. Our “logo” isn’t just a design—it’s a symbol of our community of women, with deep meaning.

The triangle with a line through it represents both the Earth and women. I added a compass on top for travel and transformed the line into an arrow to symbolize our forward journey. I love it so much, it’s tattooed on my wrist—but that’s a story for later.

When I started SoFe, I was a broke backpacker working below minimum wage at a pizza place in Melbourne. We were built on passion, grit, and a little luck—not investors or funding. I remember sitting in my ex-boyfriend’s friend’s filthy bachelor pad, surrounded by piles of dusty video games, agonizing over the website design. I changed the WIX background to baby blue, thinking it looked good! The website was ugly, but it was done, and I was ready to launch the Bali trip I had nervously planned.

From Zero to Oversold

I published the webpage for our first tour, and the response was overwhelming—it sold out fast! I wasn’t fully prepared for the rush, and I ended up accidentally overselling the trip. In the end, it worked out better than I could have imagined. I booked larger villas in Bali to accommodate everyone, and the experience turned out to be even more magical than I anticipated.

We stayed in two stunning villas, one in Canggu and one in Ubud. I included all meals for the group, which, in hindsight, was a bit too much. It made travelers feel like they needed to stick with the group to eat, limiting the solo time that many craved. After all, these tours are meant for solo female travelers, and I wanted everyone to have space to enjoy their independence.

We had 17 amazing women join us on that first trip, and even though we’ve done many tours since, it remains one of the most special ones to date.

Hiring the Team in Bali

One of the biggest lessons I learned on that first trip? Not hiring help to put together the team. It’s a lesson I take with me to every destination now and think about often. I didn’t account for cultural nuances and, honestly, I had no way of predicting the problems that would pop up.

I ended up hiring our team myself— a cook, a driver, a day tour guide, and an operations assistant. But I had no idea that the Balinese assistant and the Javanese driver wouldn’t get along due to long-standing cultural differences. The driver wouldn’t listen to my assistant, which led to extra work and some operational hiccups. The travelers were thankfully unaware. In the end, as long as the travelers are happy, I am happy, but this was a serious challenge behind the scenes!

Then there was the cook, who was Muslim, and the guide, who was Hindu—another culture clash I hadn’t seen coming. We had a bit of a rocky start, but I quickly learned how to resolve things. Thankfully, the one thing my team had in common was a respect for authority, and after stepping up with some strong leadership, things fell into place.

What a wild ride! Now, I always hire a local operations person who has amazing connections in their home country. This ensures the team clicks and trusts each other before the tour even begins. These days, our teams are rock-solid, and it’s one of my favorite parts of running this business—the incredible people I get to work with all over the world.

A total success!

Running our very first tour to Bali was hands down the most challenging thing I’ve ever done in my career. But it was also one of the most successful tours I’ve ever led. 9 of the 17 women on that trip ended up getting the logo tattooed, because they truly felt the community, freedom, adventure, and joy that I always envisioned The Solo Female Traveler Network to embody. I’m so proud of that first tour, and I’m deeply grateful to everyone who helped make it a success.

What started as a dream to create something meaningful has become a community of bold, adventurous women who share in the joy of exploring the world on their own terms. This isn’t just about the places we visit—it’s about the connections we make, the courage we find within ourselves, and the memories we create together.

While there were some bumps in the road on our first tour, we have been running trips for 7 years, have established and incredible teams, and have perfected our itineraries to include local known places and experiences with our friends and colleagues you probably wouldn’t find on your own. You don’t have take my word for it though, read what our traveler’s say.

The Golden Eagle Festival & The Solo Female Traveler Network

There is a certain something about Mongolia that is hard to put into words. It’s one of those places you can’t understand unless you experience it for yourself.

It’s in the nomadic lifestyle that is passed down through generations, the deep vibrations of the Mongolian throat singing and the ancient flavors cooked over an open fire. It’s in the beauty of the snow capped mountains, and rolling hills dotted with nomadic ger tents. It’s in the timelessness of Kazakh culture and temples.

Mongolia is where you go to give yourself a different perspective of the world. It’s where you’ll experience moments, lifetimes away from the bustle of everyday life.

Traveling through Mongolia with The Solo Female Traveler Network isn’t just a great photo op (okay, it is that too) – but it’s actually one of the most unforgettable, unique experiences of all of our tours.

The Eagle Huntress & The Solo Female Traveler Network's Inspiration

We were inspired to travel to Mongolia after our founder Amanda watched the 2016 National Geographic documentary, “The Eagle Huntress”. It’s a film featuring the Golden Eagle Festival in Western Mongolia, where a 13-year-old Kazakh girl, Aisholpan, became the first female to enter – and then win the competition. Amanda was so inspired, she brought it to the team and we got to work on curating a trip that would allow us to be a part of the festival ourselves.

It took a few years and a brief pause while COVID concerns shut down borders – but we made it to Mongolia in 2023 and this trip was more than we ever expected. It was completely different from any other place we had ever been in the world. Traveling around Mongolia gave us that awe-struck feeling of traveling for the first time – over and over again.

We were lucky to have such a unique experience on our trip to Mongolia in 2023. Our highlight of the trip was without a doubt, The Golden Eagle Festival, and we are so excited and honored to be invited back once again for 2024 and 2025.

Golden Eagle Hunting in Mongolia

The Golden Eagle Festival takes place every year in early October in the remote Mongolian village of Ulgii. It celebrates the ancient tradition of eagle hunting and it helps preserve these practices among the nomadic Mongolian lifestyle.

Golden Eagle Hunting dates back to the 1100’s – so we’re talking nearly a thousand years. In a literal sense, it highlights a beautiful, symbiotic relationship between human and eagle, where the hunter releases the eagle into the sky and pursues the signaled prey. It then captures the animal and returns it to the hunter, who gives it a piece of meat as a reward. Typically, Golden Eagles are treated as very prized pets and given the utmost care.

The Golden Eagle Festival with The Solo Female Traveler Network

At the Golden Eagle Festival, skilled hunters participate in traditional games while locals gather together to celebrate Kazakh culture.

As we learned in the documentary, “The Golden Huntress,” for the last 500 years, men have been the only people to compete in the Golden Eagle Festival until everything changed in 2016. This past year when we attended, 145 Mongolian men enrolled in the competition and only one female signed up. The female who was competing was also a 13-year-old girl, named Ay Moldir, just like the 2016 Golden Eagle winner, Aisholpan.

Obviously, our girl gang of SoFe travelers were ecstatic for the young girl to compete. We cheered her on endlessly, and got a chance to talk with her and have her share a little bit of her experience with us. After much anticipation, we were beyond thrilled to witness Ay Moldir win the entire competition. She beat the other 145 male competitors and our collective SoFe travel group shared the kind of moment that only women truly can.

Coming into Mongolia we were excited for The Golden Eagle Festival and had high hopes for more female competitors. As a group of female travelers, this experience was very powerful and impactful for us all. Watching a young girl face adversity and succeed immensely in a male dominated tradition was humbling. Although many of us are from a different world than Ay Moldir and Aisholpan, we feel connected to them and drawn in by their courage and bravery, reminding us that all over the world, iconic women and girls have made magnificent impacts with seemingly small changes.

All-Women Mongolia Trip Highlights

After such an incredible trip to Mongolia in 2023, we want more women to experience the Golden Eagle Festival and the eye-opening lifestyle Western Mongolia has to offer. Here are some highlights we are looking forward to in our 2024 Tour to Mongolia.

- Ay Moldir is competing in the Golden Eagle Festival again and we will be there to cheer her on. Not only will we be able to watch her compete, we will also have the opportunity to visit her at her family’s ger (Mongolian home) before the competition to wish her luck.

- On our next Mongolia tour we have been invited to be a part of two traditional local family dinners. One is a planned tour and the other is organized through our guide while we are already in the country. With help from our guide we will go shopping to provide gifts and food and head to our destination to eat and experience an authentic dinner with a Western Mongolian family. This is a one-of-a-kind experience to be welcomed in by the Kazakh people and gain perspective on their everyday lives.

- Our SoFe Travel crew will head to Terelj National Park to stay at a luxury ger camp to enjoy the stunning views of Mongolia’s mountains. Experience a traditional Mongolian ger, similar to a yurt, but enjoy it with a few more comforts of home. With heated floors, private bathrooms and gorgeous scenery, this part of the trip is rejuvenating and luxurious and the perfect place to enjoy the golden sunsets of Terelj National Park!

If you want to hear some Mongolian throat singing, watch Ay Moldir at The Golden Eagle Festival and have a life-changing experience, then this trip is for you! Words truly can’t describe the rich Kazakh culture and the authentic and traditional ways of nomadic Mongolian life. Sign up now for our Women Only Tour To Mongolia. We can’t wait to see you there.

My First Tour With The Solo Female Traveler Network: Bali

Traveling to a new place is always an exhilarating experience, but traveling with like-minded women on a tour with The Solo Female Traveler Network was such an empowering experience and one that I look forward to every year since.

As I stepped out of the Bali International Airport the heat and humidity were the first to welcome me. “We don’t get weather like this in Los Angeles,” I thought to myself while I made my way to exit the airport to meet my driver holding a sign for “The Solo Female Traveler Network”.

After exiting the airport, I was met with a young Indonesian man by the name of “Ketut” as he held the “The Solo Female Network” sign. He was waiting for my arrival.

He took my luggage and we walked to the van that was meant to take us to the villa where we were staying. He assured us it was going to be a long ride, but it didn’t matter. The long stretch of Indonesian temples and shrines as we drove through the streets, took my attention away from yet another long journey.

Here's How My Bali Tour with The Solo Female Traveler Network Went

Meeting The Solo Female Traveler Network in Bali

When we all arrived on the first night, we shared a nice cultural dinner at a small restaurant near the villa where we were staying. Just like strangers meeting for the first time, we semi-formally introduced ourselves, learned about each other, and talked about the trip that was set before us.

We had a very diverse itinerary with every day filled with activities. But the following were my favorite experiences as part of the Bali Tour.

The Offering Class in Bali

All over Bali, there are these beautiful fragrant-floral masterpieces that can be found almost everywhere. On the streets, in the temples, in front of shrines, decorating the shops, and etc.

They are literally everywhere.

Canang Sari is a spiritual offering that is practiced every morning by the Balinese Hindus. Its symbolism includes warding off demons, attracting prosperity, and honoring ancestors.

First, we arrived at another villa where we were met with some locals who welcomed us and gave us a lesson about the Balinese Hindus religion, the symbolism of the canang sari, and how to make it. Then we were taught how to make it from a variety of fresh colorful flowers that came in white, red, yellow, blue, and green. Each floral had its own meaning and each item was meant to be placed in a specific direction. After completing the workshop, we were directed to a little private temple, where we presented our canang sari to the gods.

Learning about the Balinese Hindu religion through the canang sari workshop was a pleasant experience. Although the canang sari looks simple and dainty, it is actually a very intricate item with so many meanings. Had it not been for this workshop I would not have known what these floral offerings were and what they represented.

Tegalalang Rice Fields with The Solo Female Traveler Network

Considered as one of the most beautiful places to visit in Bali, the Tegalalang Rice Fields is where you want to be. By the way, did you know that its a UNESCO World Heritage Site? If that’s not more of a reason for you to visit, then I don’t know what is.

It’s stunning beyond belief.

When we arrived, we all walked towards Tegalalang, enjoyed the view from the top, and took advantage of the many photo opportunities that we could get. If you are an Instagrammer, this is your spot.

Do you know that “I Love Bali” sign you see on everyone’s feed? Yeah, It’s here at the Tegalalang Rice Fields and trusts me when I say there is no better place to take that picture. At the top of the rice fields lines an array of cute cafes, shops, and photo-op stations (the picturesque swing and birds nest is there) that all overlook the rice field.

It was such a great place to relax, hang out with new friends, and enjoy the scenery. If I ever go back to Bali, this would be the place I would want to visit the most.

I’m not into nature at all but visiting the Tegalalang rice fields with The Solo Female Traveler Network was an inspiring moment for me. The entire landscape is just breathtaking that no picture (or filter) can do it justice. I had one of those moments where I began to realize how big the world is, how much of the world I haven’t seen, and I started to remember why I loved traveling in the first place. How much I wish that I could share the moment with friends and family at home. But it is not the same. It’s never the same as being there in person.

The Balinese Cooking Class

For this experience, we drove to a remote area, and when we arrived at our destination we were greeted by our host, “Wayan”, with a decorative and refreshing welcome drink. At the start of our experience, we were given a lesson on how to make coconut oil, followed by an introduction to the variety of ingredients found in traditional Balinese dishes.

All the ingredients, cookware, and cutlery were prepared. Before the preparation of each course, we were given instructions on how to make it and what we needed to do. Then we worked together in pairs to handle different parts of the meal such as de-seeding the chili, finely chopping them, cooking the meat, etc. Every so often, we would rotate stations to ensure that everyone was able to experience different cooking practices.

Wayan and his team orchestrated the class smoothly, and with his humor, instruction, and his team, we had the best time ever. At the end of the class, we all sat together, enjoyed the feast that we all prepared and delved into deep conversations and laughter all through the night.

I truly enjoyed this experience because not only were we introduced to Balinese cuisine but this was such a great activity to do with new friends. The cooking class was fun and at the end of the meal, we really got to taste our own blood, sweat, and tears which by the way was very tasty. Just kidding. The food was delicious but the company of the SoFe ladies was what made the experience the most memorable for me. To feel connected during the meal made gave me a sense of belonging.

Of course, I slept well after the biggest food coma of my life. It was worth it.

Conclusion About My Time On The Solo Female Traveler Network's Tour in Bali

The Solo Female Traveler Network tours is one of the best ways to travel, but making new friends and sharing memorable experiences with them was what I needed most.

Traveling to a new place is always an exhilarating experience for any traveler. But traveling with like-minded women on a SoFe Travel Tour was such an empowering experience and one that I look forward to every year since.

There were deep conversations, late-night swims, and a whole lot of laughter. I couldn’t have asked for a better trip than with the girls that I met and traveled with.

Now, I can’t tell you exactly what was the best part of this trip because everything was amazing. But what I do know is that after the trip I came back home looking forward to book my next SoFe Meetup: Morocco.

About the author

CHRISTINE DE LA FUENTE

Christine de la Fuente has been on four tours with The Solo Female Traveler Network: Bali, Morocco, Yosemite, and India. She is a creative travel blogger from Los Angeles, California. She enjoys traveling the world solo just as much as she loves traveling the world in LA. Most of all she travels to visit historical sites, eat good food and experience festivals all around the world.

Category: Tour Recaps