INTRODUCTION

Traveling goes beyond experimenting, it is a medium to explore and learn about the world we live in. As an international student, coming to Canada has been the biggest trip I have ever taken in my life. Not only was I flying thousands of miles away from home, but I had to worry about the dangers I would encounter during my journey. This is why my website’s main topic will be traveling. However, I want my stories to dive deeper into the experience of being a solo female traveler and what it entails.

I want to cover travel experiences from international students coming to Canada, stories from local female travelers, and I plan to join the LEAP Program in one of the scheduled activities in these upcoming months. My main purpose is to write about the whole experience of being a female traveler, including the good and the negative aspects they encounter.

RATIONALE

We must talk about solo female traveling because in the past years the number of female travelers has increased and it has become a more popular topic among women with the help of social media. The topic came to my head when I had a conversation with my friend about my trip to Canada. I told him about my concerns during my trip and the precautions I had taken during my flights. He didn’t understand why I worried so much or why I was overthinking certain situations. As a woman, you have to go out of your way to protect yourself, even if you are in your home country. When you’re traveling alone, you have to take extra precautions because no one is going to make sure you made it safely to your destination aside from you. Even though female travelers have a unique risky experience while traveling, it shouldn’t stop us from going on adventures. Being aware and taking precautions is something we shouldn’t need to do and yet we do, and we have to talk about it.

CORE ANGLES 

Questions

  • What made you want to travel?
  • What are your main concerns while traveling?
  • Do you document your journeys on any social media platforms?
  • How does your family react when you travel alone?
  • Do you take any precautions while traveling?
  • How does discovering new places make you feel?
  • Did you have any negative experiences that discouraged you from traveling?
  • What do you look forward to the most when you go on a trip?

Stories

  • An international student’s experience traveling to Canada.
  • Traveling with family or friends versus traveling alone.
  • Comparing a female traveler’s experience with a male traveler’s experience.
  • Story on TRU LEAP Program’s travel activities.
  • Interview with Dr. Kathleen Scherf about her travel experience.

MEDIA OUTLINE

  1. Informative Text Story with Photos: For my first story I will cover a female international student’s journey from her home country to Canada. I want to talk about her main concerns during her trip, what excited her the most, if she had any challenges in the airport and other subjects related to her experience. I chose this media because for the most part, I will be describing her anecdote. I want to include photos of her holding printed out pictures of her trip, and also some photos outside the Kamloops Airport.
  2. Audio Interviews: For the audio interview I plan to speak with Dr. Kathleen Scherf about her travel experience, her most memorable traveling stories, and precautions to take into consideration during a trip. I chose audio for this project because it would be more impactful to hear her sharing her stories. I would like to include the sound of airplane engines or buses departing to add at the beginning and at the end of the interview as well.
  3. Editorial Slideshow: For this first story I will interview both a male and a female international student, and I will ask them about their experiences while traveling. With this, I want to compare the male and female solo traveler experience. Mainly I will be narrating, but I want to include audio of them telling their stories as well.I would also like to record them communicating with their families, whether it is through a Zoom call or the phone. As for the photos, I plan on taking pictures of the students visiting Riverside Park or another tourist place in Kamloops.
  4. Investigative Video: For the investigative video I will join one of the LEAP Program’s activities where I will get footage of the whole trip. I hope to speak with participant students, volunteers, and coordinators about the preparation, organization, safety measures, and other details about the activity. Since we will visit a new place, using video is the best choice to cover this story.