Mishka, South Africa. Solo female traveler since 2023. Teacher. Based in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Mishka left South Africa three years ago, moved across Southeast Asia and ended up in Thailand. When I asked her about a moment she doesn’t usually talk about, she told me about a visa run that went badly wrong at the Golden Triangle — stuck between two borders, alone, close to midnight.
Why she left
It started with job opportunities that weren’t there. As a teacher, she made the call to move. But it wasn’t only that.
“Back home, safety is a big issue. I wanted to be in a place where I feel really comfortable being who I am – with my beliefs, how I am as a person. Solo traveling helped to open my eyes to a lot of things.”
The moment she doesn’t talk about
She needed a visa run. Crossed from Thailand into Laos at the Golden Triangle to get her tourist visa sorted. The officer who authorises tourist visas wasn’t there. Her visa had expired. She couldn’t get back into Thailand. She was stuck outside immigration, not knowing what to do.
“As a tourist, certain situations like this can be very sticky”
It took hours to figure out what came next. She eventually got back into Thailand, dealt with immigration, and still had to find a hotel — walking the streets alone, close to midnight.
“As a woman, you’re very scared of what can happen next. You don’t know where this is going to lead to.”
She found somewhere to stay. But it was nearly midnight by the time she did.
What was going through her head
“I was blank. I did not know what to do. I did not know where to go. I just remember sitting outside, calling my closest people and being like: hey, this is the situation. I don’t know what to do.”
Then something shifted.
“I got to a point where I was like – I can cry about it later. But I gotta suck up my emotions and get my situation sorted out. Visa stuff is crazy. But you always gotta have it in your head that things will work out. And if they don’t work out, you have to make them work out.”
What it changed in her
“There were situations where I had to voice up myself, speak up for myself. Being assertive really does take you a long way. Keep your calm, keep your focus, know what you need to get done.”
She came out of it more assertive.
And now? “If I can get through this, I can get through anything. That’s the vibe.”
Her advice
“It can be a very daunting experience, especially being a woman. But if it’s something you really want to do, go for it. I know there’s a lot of hesitation, a lot of overthinking. But sometimes you just need to bite the bullet and get it done.
It opens up your viewpoint on so many things. It’s such a freeing, liberating experience. You build yourself. You understand yourself so much more when you do things alone.
Be sure of yourself. Enjoy the moment. Don’t worry about what people think. It’s your life. You are building your experiences, your character — for yourself.”
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