Aren’t you afraid, Emma Schneck?
"I can confidently say that a cat taught me all the German I know"
Hey! I’m Emma from Where’s Ems? 👋🏼 I’ve been travelling full-time since 2023 while building my freelance writing business. Subscribe to receive conversations with women travelling solo, celebrating the joy, kindness and challenges along the way, and asking the question they’re so often asked: “Aren’t you afraid?”
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Ocean-lover Emma Schneck grew up on the small island of Kaua’i in Hawai’i, and her first taste of solo travel was a cheap flight to Bulgaria that ended with her crowd-surfing at an Irish metal concert. Since then, the adventures have only gotten bigger. When she got locked out of her bank account in Albania with just $4 to her name, she hitchhiked across borders and herded goats in Poland just to keep going.
In this conversation, Emma talks about problem-solving on the road, the kindness of a stranger in New York on one of her worst days, and her hard-won safety tips from a year travelling solo in Morocco.
Tell us about yourself. Where are you from? What do you do? What are your hobbies?
My name is Emma and I grew up on the tiny island of Kaua’i, Hawai’i, but I’ve been a bit all over the place for the last 10 or so years. I moved to Morocco to work in the travel industry after finishing my undergraduate degree in the Northeastern US and then studied my Master’s in the UK. Since then, I’ve been traveling and/or petsitting across Southern Europe, Latin America, and the US. I’ve done a variety of remote work and odd jobs to fund my travels, but now I’m a full-time freelance writer.
My first love is the ocean, so I try to spend as much time as I can out at sea: surfing, scuba diving, sailing, all of it. My main hobby at the moment is photography, especially street and travel photography (mostly digital, but I’m trying to get more into film). I also love hiking and running in nature, drawing, thrifting, sewing, jewelery making, football (soccer), and volleyball.
What inspired your first solo trip and where did you go?
I’d have to say my very first solo trip was inspired by cheap airfare. I was 19 and studying abroad in Paris when I found a $9 flight to Sofia, Bulgaria (I know, very unsustainable, I try to be more conscious about frivolous flying nowadays!!).
Traveling solo was always something I was curious about, but it terrified me. I was afraid of being seen alone and worried I wouldn’t have any fun by myself. While the whole thing scared me, I took the chance and ended up having a wonderful time. I met some really nice people at the hostel and they brought me to an Irish metal concert in town. I somehow ended up crowdsurfing at the Irish metal concert (my frontal lobe had not yet developed). It’s still one of the coolest and craziest things I’ve done.
How often do you travel solo these days?
I’d say most of my travels are solo these days, though I do love interspersing long solo trips by meeting up with old friends or travelling for a bit with new ones I’ve met along the way.
How has travelling solo had a positive impact on your life?
Not to sound super cliché, but solo travel truly has changed my life. It’s completely grown my self-confidence, and my ability to roll with anything that comes my way. I’ve met so many incredible people from all over the world — I’ve met many friends I’m still in touch with and even people I’ve fallen in love with while solo traveling. It has opened me up to unexpected conversations and unanticipated moments of connection.
“Truly, I wouldn’t be the person I am today without having travelled solo.”
Tell us about a really fun or inspiring story from your solo travels…
One of my favorite solo pet-sitting experiences was when I was sitting for this astonishingly regal cat named Jadana in Hamburg, Germany. She pressed on a set of little buttons on the ground to communicate what she wanted to her humans. The only problem was that all the buttons were in German, and I spoke absolutely no German.
My feline teacher patiently worked with me as I figured out what she wanted from the buttons. I slowly learned her vocabulary: “Streiche”. Pet. “Spiele”. Play. “Ich Liebe Dich”. I love you. It was equally as fantastic as it was silly.
I can now confidently say that a cat taught me all the German I know.
Can you share a challenge you faced while travelling solo and how you handled it?
A few years ago, I planned a two-month backpacking trip from Tirana, Albania, to Vilnius, Lithuania, where my best friend was living at the time. When I landed in Albania, I found out that I had been locked out of my US bank account with absolutely no way to access it abroad. I had no return flight and about $4 USD between the cash I had on my person and my other bank card. Fortunately, I had paid for the first few days of accommodation beforehand, but everything else — the buses, trains, and beds for the next two months — hadn’t been figured out yet.
I had a remote writing job at the time, so I took random odd gigs while I waited for those writing paychecks to hit my other bank account. I mopped floors and poured beers at hostels in exchange for a bed to sleep in at night. I hitchhiked across international borders. I volunteered on farms and herded goats in rural Poland. I somehow made it work despite my unbelievably tight budget, and honestly, I had an amazing time.
Even though the whole ordeal was stressful at the time, in the end, I was glad I didn’t turn back once the bank thing happened.
“The situation brought me to people and experiences that I would have otherwise never encountered, and I’m grateful for the adventure of it all.”
Tell us about a moment of kindness you’ve experienced while travelling alone.
A few months ago, I was laid off from my remote job. It was super sudden and out of the blue — I got a call on a random Friday as I was walking through midtown Manhattan.
I had just come to NYC for an indefinite amount of time and was now out of a job. I was understandably shocked and started crying in public after I got off the call (which is, remarkably, quite out of character for me). This aggressively kind New Yorker named Joy saw me visibly upset and brought me to this bakery and nearly forcibly bought me a cookie and coffee. She had no idea who I was or what was going on, but she put her hand on my shoulder and said, “Don’t worry, honey. Tomorrow everything is going to be much better.”
New Yorkers often get this reputation for being very gruff and standoffish, but I’ve found so much kindness in them. I hope wherever she is, Joy knows how much I appreciated that moment.
What advice would you give to someone about to take their first solo trip?
Embrace it all and open yourself to the unexpected. If you’re feeling nervous, start small. Go to a restaurant by yourself in your hometown or a small nearby weekend away. If you’re looking to meet people, I’ve found hostels to be a great social space. You could even do private rooms at a hostel if the idea of bunking with strangers is too much. There are also many Facebook groups and apps for solo women meet-ups, which is also a wonderful way to meet new people.
Also, trust your gut, not your fear. There’s a difference.
Aren’t you afraid?
Not any more afraid than I am of going to the neighbourhood grocery store.
📍 Before you go…
Where’s the most memorable place you’ve stayed and why?
A yurt in Kyrgyzstan. It almost blew over in the wind during a crazy storm, but we survived!
What’s one thing you always pack?
A pillowcase! Not only great for avoiding sketchy pillows in hostels, but it can transform into anything in a pinch. Need a laundry bag? Pillowcase! On a long bus and don’t have a travel pillow? Shove your clothes into a pillowcase! The possibilities are endless.
What’s the best thing you’ve eaten while travelling?
The best meal of my life was a multi-course Mediterranean mezze dinner at 7 St. George’s Tavern near Paphos, Cyprus. I still think about that dinner all the time.
Is there one safety tip you swear by?
My imaginary husband. I bring him everywhere. When anyone asks me, “Are you travelling alone? Do you have a boyfriend? Where is he?” I just say something vague like, “Oh, I’m with my husband, he’s back at the hotel sick with food poisoning.”
Poor guy, he’s always sick with food poisoning.
Do you have a souvenir that always makes you smile?
My postcard collection, where I get anyone I meet on my travels to write a little blurb on the back. It’s perfect to commemorate all the people I’ve met on the road.
📍 Emma’s safety tips for travelling solo in Morocco:
I lived in Casablanca for a year and travelled all across the country on my own. Here’s a non-exhaustive list of safety tips I have to feel safer as a solo woman:
Stay outside of the medina! This is especially applicable for places like Fes and Marrakech. The medina (old city center) is full of winding, dark streets that meander like a labyrinth, which can make walking back to your place at night feel pretty daunting. If you must stay in the medina (to be fair, there are usually a lot cheaper options there), try to find one on a main street and avoid places on small side streets. Google Maps is also terrible in the old town, so look around for visual reminders of where you are.
Befriend your hostel/hotel owner. Get their WhatsApp number and let them know where you are headed for the day and when you plan to be back. You can also text them if you get lost in the medina streets.
Don’t follow anyone, even if they’re super friendly. This one is kind of a no-brainer to most, but there is a common scam in Morocco where a very friendly person will come up, strike up a conversation, and ask where you’re going. They will then offer to show you the way, but instead take you to a business their friend owns and ask for a cash tip. It might seem harmless, but I know people who’ve been robbed that way or had some scary situations with these guys.
Know your taxis. In Morocco, there are two types of taxis: 1) the taxi saghir (small, brightly colored taxis local to the city) and 2) taxi kabirs (white “big” taxis that take you between cities in Morocco). In Morocco, sharing taxis is the norm, so don’t be surprised if someone randomly jumps into the taxi halfway through your ride. ALWAYS ask either the price beforehand, or if the taxi is metered (”wash aindik kunter?”). Some towns have adopted standard prices for taxi fares, but for others, it’s completely based on meters. If your driver is trying to tell you an absurd price or that the meter is broken or anything that sounds kind of sketch, just tell him no and go to the next one.
Wear a (fake) wedding ring. Sometimes, when I go to markets or places where I know I’m going to have to interact with a lot of men, I will sometimes wear a (cheap) wedding ring on my finger. That way, when I get the barrage of proposals or the taxi driver is trying to set me up with his son, I just smile politely, point at the ring and say “I’m married” (ana mozawja), “I have a husband” (aindi zowj) or simply “my husband” (zowji). Unfortunately, a lot of men in this world still value the dignity of an imaginary man over a real-life woman’s “no”.
Want to keep up with Emma’s adventures? Follow her here:
✍🏻 substack.com/@thewanderingenvironmentalist
📱 linkedin.com/in/emmaschneck/
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This is hilarious! I love it! "My feline teacher patiently worked with me as I figured out what she wanted from the buttons. I slowly learned her vocabulary: “Streiche”. Pet. “Spiele”. Play. “Ich Liebe Dich”. I love you. It was equally as fantastic as it was silly."