Who she is: A 43-year-old art teacher and avid outdoorswoman who lives with her longtime partner and their very humpy dog Jay in Los Angeles.

Where she’s been: Vietnam, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Laos, China, Taiwan, Guam, India, Nepal, Turkey, Iceland, Italy, Germany, England and France.

Top of the bucket list: Exploring the islands off the coast of Portugal, going on a camping trek in Australia and New Zealand, trekking in Norway, discovering Switzerland, and returning to some of her favorite places like Thailand, Japan and Vietnam. Closer to home, Aimee dreams of conquering the John Muir Trail, a thru-hike in California’s Sierra Nevada that takes about three weeks.

Her solo story: Aimee Zvinakis was on a three-country alpine trek with a bunch of strangers when she decided that next time would be different, next time she would go alone.

Aimee had been drawn to the E5 trek for the stunning views and a chance to see the wilds of Germany, Austria, and Italy. She chose to go with a guide because of the wintry terrain and so she could enjoy the trip instead of worrying about navigating it by herself.

Unfortunately, Aimee ended up getting paired with a big group of Germans who were a lot older than her and made her feel like every bit the foreigner. One man kept hitting on her.

“I was American. And I’m Asian American,” she said, adding that the Germans didn’t seem to understand why Aimee didn’t speak Chinese.

No one was overtly rude but Aimee couldn’t help but feeling othered.

“I was just like, ‘Oh my God, how am I going to survive with some of these personalities for six more days? How am I going to do it?’” she said.

Aimee got through the rest of the trip by mostly hanging back for some peace and solitude, and enjoying the breathtaking views along the way.

The next summer, she did it all differently, deciding to do a solo trek in Italy’s spectacular Dolemite Mountains and spend some time in the nearest big city, Venice. It turned out to be the best summer of her life.

An artist herself, Aimee fell in love with the Venice Biennale, a massive exhibition held every two years. And then she fell in love with the Dolemites. She spent seven days doing the best parts of the Alta Via 1 and 2 treks.  

Unlike her trip with the Germans, Aimee was on her own time.

“I would stop and do some photo shoots of a beautiful waterfall or a stream, and then I would just like, stop and draw,” she said. “Or I would stop at a guesthouse on the way and drink a beer and have some pancakes and I would just kind of dilly dally. That was really great.”

The contrast between Aimee’s trips in the Alps and the Dolemites is reflective of a lot of solo travel. Sometimes it’s the trip of a lifetime, sometimes expectations fall short of reality.

Aimee experienced that same contrast on a partially solo trip in 2007 to New Delhi, India, and neighboring Nepal. She spent the first two days in India alone before her boyfriend at the time met up with her for a night before they made their way to Nepal.

During the two days she was alone in New Delhi, Aimee experienced the most discomfort she ever has as a solo female traveler.

“I purposely brought clothing that fully covered my arms, fully covered my chest, and I was wearing long skirts, and I was getting stared at by so many men,” she said. “I would leave my hotel and just walk around to go find a place to get some tea and toast or something for breakfast, and I just felt like I was being undressed with men’s eyes as I walked down the street. I was just like, ‘Oh my God, this is so not okay.'”

Aimee later learned from some friendly locals that it was very likely the men undressing Aimee assumed she was a sex worker from Nepal. Many women and girls from Nepal have been forced into sex trafficking in multiple cities in India, and the crisis there is ongoing.

With her Asian heritage and lighter skin, Aimee looked like she could be from Nepal. The situation did not improve after the arrival of her then-boyfriend.

“He’s a white German guy, and people just thought I was a Nepalese prostitute, and Indian drivers and tuk-tuk drivers would comment: ‘Oh, where did you buy your lady?'”

Aimee was both furious and depressed.

“I can’t believe that’s how people put each other in boxes, and it’s just sad that’s the situation with so many Nepalese women who are forced into prostitution,” she said.

Aimee said her experience in New Delhi shows how difficult solo travel can be at times for women of color in particular.

“Underlining all of this is that it is hard to be a woman of color and travel alone, because I feel like there’s a lot more of these stereotypes that are kind of put on you,” she said. “I totally felt it in Europe and I have felt it even in Asia. You are almost faced with those stereotypes in a much more close up and very unfiltered and raw way.”

After Aimee left India and went on a trek in Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley, she had a magical experience with both the country and its people.

“There was this generosity and kindness and this zest for being grateful to be alive,” she said of the Nepali people.

Despite the challenges of being a solo female traveler of color, she still believes solo travel is so worth it.

“It 100-fold gives back in a much bigger better way,” she said. “For me, it’s the expanding of my own understanding of the world. I think that comes with some really inspiring and very positive truths and also some like really sobering truths about all of the kind of old colonial trauma that still kind of exists today. It still lives, and it’s very strong.”

Aimee’s not sure where she’ll go next. but lately she’s been dreaming of returning to Southeast Asia, going on a camping trek in New Zealand and conquering the the John Muir Trail, a thru-hike in California’s Sierra Nevada that takes about three weeks.

She also feels that she’s more prepared if she ever has an uncomfortable experience again.

“When I was in New Delhi, I was a bit younger and I was still very upset by local men thinking that I was a prostitute,” she said. “I feel like if that happened now, because I’ve had that experience, I’m like, ‘OK, well fuck that.’ I’m still going to do my thing. I’m not going to let other people’s stereotypes of me change my experience.”

Click here to follow Aimee’s adventures on Instagram.