Tuesday March 19th, 2024
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Egyptian Facebook Page ‘She-Travels’ Breaks a Cultural Norm and Inspires Women to Travel Alone

Young Egyptian traveller Menna Shahin is breaking down the conservative traditions that prevent women from experiencing the world through her Facebook page ‘She-Travels'.

Staff Writer

If you’re an Egyptian girl living with your parents in or out of Egypt, you probably know the drill when it comes to leaving the house. You tell mama you’ll be back by 11pm but then she gives you a spiel about how late this is and why this makes you an ill-mannered girl because the neighbours will talk – even though you’re really going to a study related seminar. We don’t even have to remind you that if you’re not back by 11:01pm, baba is already at the door in his shebsheb (flip-flops) ready to go look for you. 

Breaking down the barriers of these conservative cultural traditions, Menna Shahin launched a Facebook page titled She-Travels, where she encourages women to travel alone and experience the enticing cultures of different societies. Shahin aims to adjust the consensual belief system that suggests females should be confined to ‘safe’ spaces that are deemed acceptable by society.

Having garnered over 100,000 likes, the page is filled with travel diaries, inspiring recounts and pictures representative of the female travel experience. More recently, Shahin has been organising trips inside and outside of Egypt for women to join.

Check out She-Travels Facebook page here.

Photos credit: Facebook.