Four years ago, I was living the typical corporate life as an advertiser: stuck to a well-paid albeit anxiety-inducing job and glued to the system, a relationship that seemed perfect on the surface with an over-reliance on material things that seemed to fulfil me.

Before beginning my journey in 2018, I had never travelled up north ever in my life. The very first trip was also the product of a severe “anxiety attack” that I went through at my workplace one day. I continued travelling after that, but was hardly ever satisfied with my day job. The question of why I was spending the peak years of my life on somebody else’s dream was always at the back of my mind. Until one day, as I was going through my pictures from my adventures up north, I launched The North Drive (my Instagram blog). The rest, as they say, is history.

My adventure began with a bunch of tours that I undertook with various travel groups. On one of these trips to Kashmir I decided to ditch the tour bus in Muzaffarabad and cover the rest of the journey on my own. I had never really liked the idea of being glued to one seat for the entire journey. I wanted to explore the many different routes to one destination, and was curious about the valleys, villages, mountains and communities that we so often miss in our haste to reach our destination. Isn’t that what a real journey is all about?

Knowing my parents would never approve of such a travelling style mainly because of safety concerns, I did it without disclosing the details to them at first (I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone though). I know it was dangerous but I wanted to conquer my fears and I knew that this was the only way I could do it, no matter how challenging. Luckily, I came across many young travellers during my group tours who were well-versed with the knowledge of local travel, and were not hesitant to share it with me. My fears lessened over time and the further I went, the more confident I became about my abilities.

Meanwhile, I grew my Instagram and over time became a member of the ROADIES (Bikers community/ group). I went to Cholistan with some of the group members to attend jeep/ bike rallies, blogging all the while about my experiences.

But then Covid happened, halting the whole world like never before. That was also when my real journey across the northern side of Pakistan began. In the beginning of 2020, I packed my backpack, took the local transport (Daewoo) and headed out to Swat. It was the beginning of the pandemic and there weren’t any restrictions on travelling as such, as the world was still figuring out what to do. When I reached Swat, I heard that the government had enforced a strict lockdown in major cities.

At that point I didn’t want to turn back, so I decided to continue my journey while following the SOPs. I booked a cab and headed towards Kalam to explore the valley. While I was there, I received a message from a tour company in Chitral, offering to host me there and requesting me to blog about Chitral. The idea intrigued and scared me at the same time. Not knowing who they were, I checked their page online and had a little chat with them. After some deliberation, I decided to give it a try and change my route to Timirgarah, from where their representatives were going to pick me up. I ended up exploring the unique valleys and villages of Chitral not many have seen or heard of. I stayed with the locals instead of hotels, helped them out with their household chores during my stay and learned the basics of their language. This experience opened so many horizons for me in the travelling industry that I finally took the decision to quit my day job for good.

Solo female backpacking in Pakistan
I’m not going to lie or sugar-coat: backpacking across Pakistan as a solo female can be challenging and at times, frustrating. With endless stares and questions by both men and women, (why are you travelling alone? Are you not married? Where is your husband? etc.) it is not easy for a woman to embark on a solo journey in this country.

The first time I travelled alone domestically was in the summer of 2018. In all honesty, it took me two years of constant backpacking and hitchhiking to overcome the fears and challenges society throws at women. Somehow, I managed to turn the challenges into opportunities. Perhaps I also caused a slight change in the mind sets of many people I came across, especially women. Some of the locals would invite me over to their homes to meet the women of their family, which I always thought was amazing. They trusted me and wanted me to meet the elders of their families. They would host me for days and feed me endlessly. It almost felt like home and these strangers, over time, felt like family. It was an eye opening experience for me to know that such hospitality exists in our country especially for someone who was coming from a fast paced city like Lahore.

Being a Pakistani and aware of the culture, was a plus for me. The only hurdle was overcoming the old mind set of scary stories ingrained in me over time. Pakistan is a beautiful country waiting to be explored by all. I always thought that backpacking would enable me to reclaim women’s space in the outdoors. Sticking to the social norms and the local culture can be very useful for travellers just starting out. Things like respecting local attire, way of life, religion, language, matter a great deal to people who live there. That is also the first and foremost thing that needs to be taken care of if one wants to venture into the big bad world of backpacking. To gather information and knowledge about the areas one intends to go to, and to learn about their political, religious and social norms. Offline maps of the region are a must and if one is entirely dependent on mobile phones then it is imperative to find out which network works in which region. For women, I suggest starting with backpacking to areas that are more tourist friendly. Beginning with the Gilgit region and then moving to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is a good idea for women, although I didn’t quite follow that when I was starting out. All in all, the north of Pakistan is more welcoming to solo female travellers. People there are much more used to women walking around and doing things on their own.

One thing I can’t stress enough is to begin trusting your sixth sense while you’re travelling alone. Sharpen it, utilise it, let it guide you. I do believe that your sixth sense sharpens as you travel solo or get into a survival mind set. In my case, I felt it strongly as I was meeting new people every day and mostly men. I had to be in the alert mode constantly to make the right decisions. This exhausted me. So, when you find a nice and safe place to stay, stay there until you feel completely recharged and ready to move to the next destination. Listen to your body and do not overexert yourself.

It is very important to not trust everybody you meet. Initially, I often found myself in situations where I knew if I reacted instantly, things could go south. Locals usually do not have a lot of exposure, so instead of lashing out in anger, I usually try to make them understand my side of the story. Another thing female solo travellers must remember is that confidence is the name of the game. It will show in your behaviour, your body language and in your eyes. I’ve learned and experienced that confidence is one thing men don’t always expect from women.

If you’re crazy enough to take on backpacking for a month or two, you need to build strong connections with the locals you trust. They may show you the best places to visit in their region. Always have a back-up plan and a back-up, back-up plan. Whenever I’ve found myself in an uncertain or sketchy situation, I have instantly called one of my contacts in that area. Most of them are locals I’ve met along the way. You have to be well prepared and ready to face anything that comes your way with an open mind and heart and all will be well. Very important: if it’s your first time backpacking, avoid travelling during the night. The main idea of backpacking is to experience the place to its fullest. It also involves getting to know the local people better by interacting with them, getting to explore and staying at a place for as long as one wishes, trying the local cuisines and learning about local culture up close.

Mandatory equipment needed for any backpacking trip is quite literally, a backpack. A backpacker typically carries a bag on their shoulders with all their travel requirements. For me, it’s one jacket, two pairs of trekking pants, six shirts, three pairs of socks, two pairs of boots, a scarf and undergarments. Since, you’ll be carrying your backpack most of the time, try to carry the things you can endure the weight of.

Backpackers are known to travel light, and are associated with adventure and travel at their own pace. I’ve spent months in one region while backpacking, just because I felt like it. I remember staying with the locals in the Kalash valley for a month because I wanted to learn about their culture and festivals. I explored, sometimes alone, sometimes with locals, who would often take me to unique places that required hiking for a day or two. The further I went, the more I saw and the more my curiosity grew. There was so much to learn and unlearn at the same time. It felt as if the journey took control of my life, all it required was my trust. I had countless epiphany moments throughout my journey, which ultimately changed me as a person. I could finally understand the true meaning of being aware.

Be it the Wakhan corridor or the Afghan border from Chipursan, I endlessly backpacked/ trekked/ biked without having any fear of the ticking clock and the time stopped being a worry. It was as if the world had bestowed upon me an opportunity to explore myself.

The writer is a  digital creator and the founder of   The North Drive    https://www.instagram.com/thenorthdrive/?utm_medium