I’m a solo British female traveler and have just returned from a holiday in Iraq – here’s why it was great

A British woman who traveled solo ‘couchsurfing’ through Iraq has revealed why she loved it so much.

Madeleine Jay, 23, is a travel blogger and TikToker from Nottingham who has visited more than 50 different countries.

This year she traveled alone through Iraq and stayed at the parental home of someone she met online.

Upon her return, she created a series of TikToks under her control @mjayeexwhere she talked about her ‘amazing experience’ and encouraged others to visit the country.

She told MailOnline: ‘Since Iraq opened the border in 2021 I have been interested in going. I love how hospitable the people of the Middle East are.

‘I enjoyed all of Iraq, but Baghdad shocked me the most because of its construction. Big stores, expensive cars, luxury hotels. There is so much to do there too.

“My special memories were of how hospitable, hospitable and kind the people were.

‘Regardless of the hardships they faced at the hands of the British soldiers, they showed no signs of hostility towards me.

‘Strangers I had just met wanted to welcome me to their homes, cooked me traditional food, offered money, food and chai tea to a stranger they had just met – you really don’t see things like that happening in England’ .

The travel blogger said he would encourage ‘experienced travellers’ to go to Iraq, but not those who were ‘on their first holiday’.

She admitted: ‘It’s not the easiest place to travel because there is no tourist infrastructure. You’ll need to arrange shared taxis and buses, which can be a bit intimidating for someone who hasn’t traveled much.

‘I believe Iraq is safe for travelers, I have heard from many solo women. But I cannot recommend and advise people to travel to a country where the government advises everyone against traveling to.’

In a TikTok seen by more than 240,000 people, she told her followers, “I just got back from Iraq and I’m going to tell you how I did it. Don’t get it twisted, I’m not promoting everyone to take their grandma to Iraq for a vacation getaway.

‘But if you have any experience, especially in the Middle East, then Iraq is beautiful.

“The people there are some of the nicest people I have ever met in my life, it honestly puts English culture to shame.”

Madeleine revealed: ‘I felt completely safe as a woman, as a blonde, fake blonde, but I felt completely safe.

‘The borders have been open to tourism since 2021 and I have always been interested in it. I don’t know why, I think it’s the excitement, but I like going to countries that haven’t really been traveled yet.

“Well, they’re well traveled, but you know what I mean, they’re not popular. I don’t know about everyone else, but I sure did. When you think of Iraq, you think of war, conflict, bombs, Al Qaeda, ISIS – all of that.

‘But it’s not really like that at all. However, there is not much infrastructure for tourism, but it is very easy to get around and for many passports it is essentially a visa on arrival.’

Speaking further about how she got there, the TikToker explained that she flew from Turkey to Baghdad for ‘about £60’.

Despite feeling completely comfortable during the trip, she still had one bad experience.

The solo traveler recalled: ‘A group of young boys disrespected my personal space. I believe this was due to their lack of education about foreign women, but the public saw what was happening and rushed to help us.”

She added: “My host family said that travelers who visit Iraq and talk about the real Iraq are the messengers of the Iraqi people.

“They are giving them back their voice, which has been taken away and misinterpreted by the media to make people believe that the people there are terrorists and evil. The hospitality and kindness I experienced from strangers there was wonderful.’

She told viewers how she did it, explaining: “The visa process took a while just because the guy was standing in the corner smoking cigarettes, but an army soldier-policeman came over and did the whole process with me .

“So the visa cost me $70 and you have to pay in dollars. This is also important, you need to bring US dollars, preferably the hundred dollar bill as you will get a better exchange rate than with small dollar bills.

“Every Iraqi has told me not to use the ATMs, so take the dollars.”

She explained: ‘You fill out the form, you give the passport, they disappear with it, they go through everything and then come back about half an hour later depending on how many cigarettes they’ve smoked, give you a visa and that is the’.

She then explained how to get from the airport to the city center if you are planning a trip.

She told her 21,000 followers: ‘Taxis from the airport cost $40 to $50 to get downtown. The reason why it is so expensive is because you need special permission to enter the airport grounds, even if you are just picking up your partner.

“But there’s a bus that drops you off at Abbas Ibn Firnas at the statue, and then you just get a careem – careem is their Uber. It’s cash only, but it’s very cheap and it’s also in English.

“So you can pay the taxi fare or you can take the bus, it’s about $7, it will take you to this place and then you just get a ride into the city center.”

She concluded: ‘There isn’t much information on how to get around Iraq, you have to dig deep or invite yourself to these groups.’

After positive reactions online, the travel professional made more videos about her ‘amazing’ trip.

In a second videoshe talked viewers through her decision to couch surf and stay with a complete stranger and his family.

She explains: ‘Before I went to Iraq I did a lot of research and everyone told me that couch surfing was extremely popular in Iraq.

‘Now I’ve never done it before, I’ve always been too scared – I think I watch too many true crime documentaries.

‘But I have been to the Middle East before and have experienced how warm and hospitable the people are there, so it was in the back of my mind.’

Booking accommodation ‘wasn’t as easy’ as she would have liked and she was unable to pre-book before landing.

She added, “So right before I went, I got in touch with a guy named Muhammed Kareem, a great guy, and he said come and stay with my family.

“He opened his family home to me, his brother and his sisters, they fed me, they took me everywhere, they told me their stories. It was just such an amazing experience and one I will never forget.

‘To hear their personal stories, to learn about Islam, it was just amazing. I can’t top the experience, it was crazy’.

She gushed, “I am so thankful and appreciative of how kind the Iraqi people and Mohammed and his family were.

‘I also met a guy from Argentina on the plane named Nick and he was also couchsurfing with his couchsurfer named Alaa and, [he was a] legend.

‘I had a better experience couchsurfing than if I had just stayed in a hotel.’

Madeleine added that she preferred the “immersive” experience she got when staying with the family.

She said: ‘They told me their memories of the war and stuff, they weren’t very nice memories, but it was very important to think about that because we were in their country and acknowledge the history and learn about it. ‘

Madeleine rounded off the video by revealing that she wants to travel more in the Middle East and Central Asia – adding: ‘couch surfing is huge there too so I’m really excited’.

The TikToker went on to make further videos detailing these her exact route and answering people’s questions.

One user wrote: ‘I won’t go anywhere where you are forced to wear a headscarf,’ to which the TikToker replied: ‘In Iraq no one forces you to wear a headscarf. Some people in Iraq don’t even wear a headscarf. It completely depends on the person and how religious he or she is.

“However, you must wear an abaya when you go to the shrines because it is a holy religious place, so you must respect their religion.”

Other commenters on the videos wrote, “I’ve been there four times, absolutely love it,” and “This is so interesting, I’d love to see more content about your trip.”

A third wrote: ‘I’m Iraqi in the UK and love how you show it, it makes me want to go back.’

Meanwhile, a fourth added: “You are very kind showing people the real Iraq.”

Others wrote: “Iraqis are super generous and inviting to guests” and “The more I watch your videos, the more I’m tempted to go to Iraq solo.”