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FEMALE traveller in IRAQ! What is it really like? مسافرة بمفردها حول العالم
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May 12, 2025
today I chat with @WanderingEmma to see what it's like to be a female traveller in Iraq - I get asked this question a lot and as a male I cannot answer, so I asked Emma - hope this helps you on your trip to Iraq! 3/28 - this is the third video from a 28 part vlog series in February - I wanted to show you what my life is really like travelling full time, and I am uploading one video every day this month of my trips! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsjaypalfrey TikTok: jaypalfreytravel Blog: https://www.brokebackpackeronabudget.com #iraq #touristiniraq #baghdad
View Video Transcript
0:00
Okay good evening everybody I'm finally joined by Emma I met her earlier in the
0:05
market in Al Mutanabi which was amazing so nice to run into you I want to talk
0:11
about your experience traveling the world because you are an incredible traveler and you've also been to Iraq this is your second time right okay so
0:19
she's an amazing traveler I'll put her links down in the description box and
0:23
yeah amazing to meet you I want to ask you some questions so do you want to
0:27
Introduce yourself to everyone. I'm Emma, wandering Emma. I'm from Scotland, live in the USA
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I have two kids. My kids are now 19 and 18, so now I can travel for longer periods of time
0:42
Nice. Where have you been in the world? Oh, I have been..
0:46
I've been South America so many times. Bolivia, Peru, Argentina, most of South America
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Amazing. All over America. I have been Pakistan two times Uzbekistan Gosh
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All of Europe, Norway I haven't been to Africa And I haven't been to any of the other
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Middle East yet You still have a lot of my favourite countries to explore
1:15
That's amazing So this is your second time in Iraq What makes you keep coming back here
1:20
The people It has to be the people and just um it's so raw here that there's it's not touched by tourism yet so everybody's so
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genuinely grateful for to see you yeah it's it's it's unbelievable i've been invited to
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you know even people are scared of the police you know they think the police checkpoints but
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when you're with someone that speaks the language um they want to invite you to their homes yeah to
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stay over then at the police checkpoint in Nazaria the police asked if I would stay at their homes
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and they would get an animal and slaughter an animal like they do for a special guest yes yeah
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that's amazing it's so nice so you've killed a lot around Iraq which is your favorite place and why
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um well I still got a lot to do but so I really like Basra yeah I really like it was amazing what
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What about you? Uh, Basel was amazing but honestly I think my favourite place was Mosul. Yeah
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I been here a second time and just so I went for the first time in 2020 and then 2021 Oh you did yeah but i i only had the kurdistan visa right so i snuck in um probably shouldn say that come rapid i think it all
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right now yeah it's fine um yeah and it changed so much within a year and it's so amazing to see
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the people hopefully in the future get back to where they were before and it's a city with so
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much culture and so much history i know it's amazing the marble i couldn't believe and also
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the food is amazing kibbeh kibbeh that was great yeah yeah so good yeah and the people are so
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genuinely happy to see um foreigners yeah they love it and they're so welcoming it's not just
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mosul everywhere in iraq is so welcoming like i flew here this morning basically i landed at 1
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1 30 and the feelings when i landed were just of pure love and happiness yeah it's always i've been
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really emotional today like all over the place because uh coming back here i've just i've never
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experienced kindness like it i don't think like ever in the world and yeah even today the people
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i've met i've just did a quick tour around baghdad and yeah it just reminded me what it's like to
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really be a good human being i think i know it's everybody's just absolutely amazing when i was out
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today you know just meeting random people in the markets and they invite they invite you to their
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homes they even they don't live in baghdad they're here for the day they'll say when you come to
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Babylon come to my house please I want you to meet my parents um this is your country this is
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your second country everybody always says that welcome to your second home welcome to your second
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home yeah yeah what's it like being a solo European female traveler in countries like Iraq because
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obviously the media you guys know that the media have bashed places like this for their safety
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regarding female travelers solo female travelers what's your experience actually been like especially
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when you keep coming back to countries like Iraq? Honestly, I was just telling you
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last night I took a walk about 15 minutes to dinner and back
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and it was dark, and I have blonde hair, I stand out, and I feel safer walking here than I would do in London, New York
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anywhere in Europe. I feel completely safe. Even crossing the road here, the cars just stop for you
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I've had no problems at all. Everybody seems to think, you know, and I'll say to people, you know, I went for dinner
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I did not get shot. I did not get kidnapped. It's perfectly safe
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But I don know what it going to take to make people believe that I know Hopefully it just time I think it just needs time But I so happy since last summer and onwards so many people have come here
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And I've met so many people. So many people have messaged me. Probably the same for you where they have taken the videos we've made or Instagram or they've seen something online
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And they've come here and experienced the real Iraq. And it's so nice to see them now coming here in many, many numbers
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And obviously the visa on arrival system has really helped that. Yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure
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which I'm happy they've done that. And yeah, like people... I want to ask you this question
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What would be your biggest tip for solo travelers coming here to Iraq
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Solo travelers, not just solo female travelers. Solo travelers. Solo female. Solo female
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I don't think it's any different than any other country, to be honest with you
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I mean, I would say for any solo traveler, male or female
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bring a hoodie for the police checkpoints, because if you sit in the back of the car like this
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you'll go through like a breeze. Not that they're scary or anything. It just takes up a little bit of time
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But a hoodie and sit in the back. Also, if it's winter like now, it's very, very cold
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So you definitely need a hoodie anyway. You would never think that it gets so cold. It's freezing. Last week, yeah, it's really cold
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What would be your biggest piece of advice for anyone traveling solo anywhere in the world
6:23
Yeah. Sorry, it's a big question. The crisp piece of advice. Oh, enjoy
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Just embrace everything, everyone. And just live, love. Go there. And what you power into the world is what you receive
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So if you come here scared or nervous or you think something bad is going to happen
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then maybe that's what the world will give you. But if you come here very open-minded, very relaxed
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know that nothing is going to happen, then inshallah, that will be what happens
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Nothing will happen. It blows my mind. It really blows my mind how distorted the media have made this country
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And I got really upset in one of my videos when I was editing
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because I had just been editing all the nice people that I'd met that night
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and putting it all together and I got really emotional just thinking about what
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that these people have been isolated from the world for so many years
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they have a crappy passport they can't even leave to go into other countries
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and it all just stupid politics yeah like the people here are just so genuine And I say in every single one of my Iraq videos
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but the people here are just genuinely so loving, so caring and so kind
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And you find it everywhere on the streets all over Iraq. So my biggest piece of advice for travelers
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is to come to Iraq as soon as possible. Yeah. And come and experience it now
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The process even getting in now is so easy. It's simple. Very simple
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this and it's not it's just one piece of paper you're feeling just a few things they don't ask
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for many details even yeah you don't even need a hotel booking now no you don't need that anymore
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which i discovered last night yeah um but yeah come here come and experience the culture and
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come and taste the food the food is amazing yeah the food yeah the food is amazing and you won't
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walk more than 10 minutes five ten minutes without someone saying hello um and being you know oh
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where are you from and it's genuine it's not like in many many countries around the world they will
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ask you those questions to either get something out of you or to find out what they can get out
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of you but in here in iraq and also many other countries it's just so genuine they just actually
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care about where you're from and they want to know more about your life and yeah it's just
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i love it and definitely don't worry about the fact that if you don't speak arabic because i
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don't speak arabic um i can say shakumaku shakumaku yeah and salam alaikum the basics but i can't
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speak arabic but i i managed to get by and yeah that's never been an issue i've never used that as
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a um it's never stopped me going anywhere and also i found many many people here speak basic english
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so most people will not have an issue but yeah I'm happy to see you in Baghdad
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I'm so happy it was so funny to meet you today yeah it's crazy how the world works coincidence
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I wish you nothing but the best in your Iraq trip and I hope
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you keep loving it and keep inspiring people to come here and travel here
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because they want tourists and they're definitely welcoming every single person to come here
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And we're just making this a joint vlog. Yeah, a joint vlog. Two cameras
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Two cameras. Amazing. Where's your next place after this? Pakistan. Pakistan. Amazing
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And then maybe I'll come back to Iraq. Yes! Amazing. So nice to meet you
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Nice to meet you too
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