CAIRO — In an attempt to break social and psychological barriers that prevent young Egyptian women from traveling the world by themselves, Shaima Ali, an employee of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, launched the initiative “Travel with Shee” in August 2015. The platform encourages women of all social classes and ages to inspire other women by sharing their travel stories of trips on their own or with their families.

Ali has been holding monthly workshops in Cairo and Alexandria, attended generally by 30-40 women at a time, where female travelers talk about their experiences visiting foreign places. The talks do not address tourist attractions or local lifestyles, but rather focus on personal experiences and the way the community has dealt with the women upon their return to Egypt.

The majority of Egyptian women who travel alone often face social or religious rejection, under the pretext that it may not be safe, they may be scared abroad and fail to act or protect themselves in a community they are not familiar with, or that Islam requires women to be accompanied by a male guardian while traveling.

In February, Al-Monitor attended the workshop in Cairo and spoke to Ali and other members of the initiative.