Women Who Wander: Interview #8—Rose Ridgeway
From the jungles of Indonesia to the Australian Outback
🌸I met Rose in 2018, shortly after I had moved to Bali, and soon discovered we were kindred spirits. Even though we are now oceans apart, we keep in touch daily as well as share a virtual library, so I always have someone to rant or rave about books with. Some of my favorite memories together include dancing till dawn and spending weekends in a village in the hills of Bali—cooking, playing cards, and laughing long into the night. Rose is generous, thoughtful, goes out of her way for loved ones, and puts 110% effort into building and maintaining friendships—which can often be hard to come by in adulthood. I’m lucky to call her my friend and hope you find her and her globetrotting life as fascinating as I do.🌸
Bio
Currently based in the UK, Rose grew up on a research basecamp in Borneo, Indonesia, which means she got to travel from a young age. Her solo adventures began in 2007 after finishing school and deciding to move to Barcelona. Rose is more of a slow traveller and loves digging herself deep into a place for a longer period of time – especially if she discovers good foodie places nearby. She has just returned from 2 years in Australia and is looking for where her next adventure will take her.
Where are you from and where are you currently based?
I’m British by birth, and based in the UK at the moment, however I wouldn’t necessarily consider myself ‘from’ the UK – I’ve spent less than a third of my life living here, so I think of myself as a bit more of an international mongrel.
How would you describe your travel style/international experience (e.g., backpacker, digital nomad, luxury, slow travel, expat)?
I’d say I’m more of a slow-travel backpacker. If I find a place I like, I’ll stay there for a while – like when I went to a beach in Thailand for a few days and stayed for 2 months! I love moving to a place and having the time to explore outwards from there.
What are you passionate about outside of travel?
So many things! Reading, crafts, cooking, baking, (eating!), dancing, learning new skills.
What else would you like people to know about you? (passion projects, work, family, pets, special interests, any other information you feel defines you, etc.)
My family moved out to Indonesia when I was ten months old, and from that time onwards I travelled to a different country at least once a year. My mum was a massive traveller and used to take me along to all sorts of amazing places when I was a child, like Vietnam and Hong Kong and Australia and the USA. My longest time in one place was during the pandemic, when I was in the UK for three years.
When did the travel bug first bite?
It’s difficult to say when it first bit, as I think it’s always been there!
What inspired you to start traveling solo (or live abroad)?
My first big solo travel was following an ancestor’s footsteps into Singapore – my family had history going back to colonial days there and I wanted to learn more about what was going on in the country at the time. From there, it was just the fact I could!
Was there a moment or event that pushed you to take your first trip alone?
I’ve been incredibly fortunate to get to travel my whole childhood, so it was always a question of ‘when and where’ I’d go rather than ‘if’ I’d take a trip alone. After I finished school, I moved to Barcelona to do a CELTA course and having that freedom to go off and explore the city and the markets was addictive – I couldn’t wait for the next opportunity!
What did your friends/family think of your choice to travel solo/move abroad?
They knew it was going to happen! Even now, my UK friends are asking where I’m off to next.
What countries have you lived in/travelled to?
Oh gosh, a few. I’ve lived in Indonesia, the UK, Spain, France, Australia and Greece, but I’ve travelled to the US, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, Holland, Romania, Italy, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and most recently, the Republic of Ireland with you!
How do you choose your destinations?
Sometimes there’s a friend who lives there who I want to go and see, and I then branch out after leaving them. Sometimes it’s the opportunity for work or study. But a lot of the time it’s the lure of the climate, the culture, the natural environment and the food.
What is one thing you never travel without?
I have a travel mascot - a stuffed toy called Musgrave which has its own passport and gets stamped into every country I travel to (except for Singapore… they were boring!)
How have you dealt with language barriers?
Sign language/gestures tends to help. Otherwise, the recognition you’re probably going to get it wrong and just being friendly and keeping a big smile handy.
Have you ever faced discrimination or bias as a solo female traveller or expat?
For sure – in Malaysia I got treated very differently as a solo expat female. Luckily, I speak Indonesian, which is similar enough to Malaysian that I could have a conversation and that would normally break the ice. But there were lots of times I got asked where my husband was and why he was letting me travel alone.
What travel or expat mistake taught you the biggest lesson?
When I first started travelling solo, I misjudged someone based on their appearance the first time I met them – and they ended up becoming one of my closest friends. It was a good lesson to drop your preconceptions at the door and never judge a book by its cover.
What’s been your most empowering or memorable travel moment?
Too many to count! Living in a hammock for several months and waking up to a deserted Thai beach and the ocean every morning. Sleeping in a swag in the middle of the Australian outback and seeing the stars map out the curvature of the earth. Working with a friend in Australia teaching bush survival skills and seeing the joy moment in someone’s eyes when they learn how to start a fire or make string from plants. Sitting at the front of a boat travelling upriver and watching monkeys swing from the trees alongside us. This is why it’s hard to stop – the moments like these!
Have you ever participated in a local tradition or ritual that deeply moved you?
The upacaras (ceremonies) in Bali get me every time they start ringing the bells. That sound sinks deep under my skin and sends shivers up my spine.
What’s the most bizarre or unexpected skill you’ve picked up from living abroad?
Eating – I’ve been offered some odd things, and sometimes it’s just rude to say no. Bits of shark? Sure. Lamb brain? Ok. Chickens’ feet? Mmmmm…
How has your intuition evolved through solo travel?
I’ve learnt to listen to my gut a lot since solo travelling. If a spot doesn’t sit right, I don’t stay there.
Do you feel like the same person who left home?
I don’t think we’re ever the same person who leaves a place. Each place changes you – from a new appreciation of architecture, nature, food, to a deeper understanding of humans through their art, history or music. It’s one of the things I love best about travelling.
Is there a version of you that exists only in a certain city or country? What brings her out?
For sure – I was a totally free and hippy version of myself when living in an East Coast Australia town. I’m not sure whether that would happen again if I went back – but Australia and Indonesia seem to bring out a healthier side of myself. I think the amazing vegetarian food you get in Indonesia and the proximity to a lot of farmers markets on the east coast in Australia probably helps!
Have you ever felt more ‘yourself’ in a foreign culture than in your own? Why do you think that is?
Yes, quite often. But I think a lot of that is growing up outside of ‘my’ culture.
Is there anything you grieve about the life you’ve chosen?
I do worry that I’ll never be content in one place anymore. That I’ll always want to be moving on to somewhere new. The travel bug is addictive – and when you get to travel to different places and experience all these amazing connections with people and see all these incredible things… It makes me wonder what adventure I could be on next.
I’m with you on that!
Have you formed meaningful relationships while abroad—romantic or platonic?
Oh absolutely! I mean you and I met in Bali, and we’ve talked almost every day for the last… 8 years? My day wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t have a message from you pop up! Travelling is so much more than just the places you go. It’s the people you meet and the connections you make with them which transform travelling into something so special.
What languages do you speak? Do different sides of your personality come out when you speak different languages?
I speak English, French and Indonesian – and it wasn’t until a couple of years ago that I found out that yes, I’m different when I speak them! Apparently, I’m a lot softer when I speak Indonesian.
What’s the most hilariously bad translation or miscommunication you’ve experienced?
Thankfully I’ve been quite lucky – although I tried using Spanish in Barcelona (which obviously speaks Catalan) in the market and I did NOT get the things I thought I was ordering!
What does home mean to you?
Home is very much people. Growing up in a country where I stuck out like a sore thumb because of my super blonde hair and skin colour, and coming back to ‘my’ country where I also stuck out like a sore thumb because of my accent and my mannerisms, I didn’t feel like I fit in anywhere until I found my ‘tribe’ in a town on the East Coast of Australia. Since then, I found a homey community in Hertfordshire in the UK – but for me home has always revolved around the level of comfort I feel in that space and the connections I have with people around me.
What reverse culture shock have you experienced returning to your home country?
This is a big one for me – everything. Growing up in a country where people are incredibly friendly, warm, open, and will smile at the drop of a hat – and moving to the UK where people are more closed off, was a huge culture shock. Since I’ve been travelling as an adult, it’s been a lot of the weather shocks – the UK just doesn’t have good weather, and it’s surprising how much it gets under your skin after a while. On the plus side – that does mean it’s very conducive to spending hours in front of the fire with a book and a cup of something hot!
If your travel life had a theme song, what would it be?
Probably Xavier Rudd’s Follow the Sun.
What’s one piece of advice for someone taking their first solo trip?
Don’t plan everything down to the last detail – there’s beauty in randomly deciding to stay a few a days or going to a previously unknown destination. One of my absolute best experiences was because I chatted to someone in a hostel about wanting to visit a place in the mountains. They told me there was somewhere closer with the same vibe, but by the sea – I decided to check it out for a couple of days before heading to the mountains, and ended up staying for a couple of months!
*Check out Rose’s beautiful and unique ethical jewelry line at Instagram or on her website.