I am so inspired by this week’s addition to Your Best Adventures Yet. Naomi is the embodiment of not letting excuses get in the way of your dreams coming true and proves that a woman can travel solo in Iran. Here is her story.
I was very nervous to travel to Iran. Mainly because not all people around me agreed with my plans and I really didn’t know what to expect. The first 48 hours were filled with stomach knobs and nervous jitters but once I got to Shiraz in the south of Iran, I felt much better.
The people were so friendly and they all welcomed me to their country and their city. I explored the amazing richness of the city on my own and I saw some amazing sights. How was it possible that this was hidden to the world? I explored the pink mosque and the Vikal Mosque. I was completely alone at these sights and wandered around, admiring the tiles and mosaics.
I travelled solo around Iran for 2 whole weeks and everything blew me away! The cities, the sights and the nature. I travelled to the desert on several occasions and was invited to numerous lunches and dinners and teas with the locals. I tried to speak a little bit of Farsi where I could and I felt sad to leave Iran after only 2 weeks.
I travelled around solo, on my own by local transport and arranged my transport and tours all on my own. Getting from one place to another seemed like a daring task, but it turned out it was a really easy bus ride. Even finding out where the bus leaves from a crowded bus station, turned out much easier than expected with the help of the friendly locals.
Iran really justifies one to come back and explore more! I know Iran is not a country that is easy accessible for all nationalities and the country is heavily stigmatised by the western world. But the richness in culture and friendly people truly made this my best adventure yet! I travelled to Iran as a nervous ball of worries and returned enriched by all the cultural sights and conversations with Iranian people that I had while I travelled in Iran.
I think Iran was my best travel adventure yet, because it taught me to let go of my worries and open up to all the beauty of the world. I left the bad comments behind and followed my dream to travel to Persia and it turned out to be amazing! If you’re thinking to travel to Iran, please do so as the country is amazing and it is really easy to travel around Iran independently.
Naomi is a travel blogger at Probe around the Globe. She goes on short weekend breaks and epic adventures around the globe. You can follow her on Instagram or Facebook.
Literary Inspiration for travel to Iran: Check out the heartwarming story of a brother and sister growing up in poverty in Tehran in the movie Children of Heaven.
Have you taken a solo trip? Was it a good place that you recommend to others? Please let me know in the comments.
This was very inspiring read! I can totally relate to the description of local hospitality in Iran, it seems very similar to the one I experienced in Sudan, which was my only solo trip that made me a bit nervous before arriving to the country.
Glad to hear of another country with kind people, Nina.