In early April 2016, Anthropologie launched a giveaway that felt like it had been designed specifically for the solo woman traveler who dreams of faraway shores. The prize: a seven-day journey to Sri Lanka, all expenses paid, with a $2,000 Anthropologie wardrobe to pack in your suitcase. The contest was open for just a few weeks, and the announcement came with a dreamy video of golden temples, tea plantations rolling into mist, and a single woman walking barefoot on a beach at sunset. For those of us who already believed a trip could change your life, the message was clear: pack your bags, because Sri Lanka is waiting.
The giveaway required entrants to submit their email and share a short note about why they wanted to go. The winner was flown out in May, right at the start of the shoulder season. The itinerary included stays at boutique hotels in Colombo, Kandy, and Galle, a tea-tasting experience in Nuwara Eliya, a safari in Yala National Park, and two days of unstructured beach time on the south coast. No group tours, no mandatory dinners—just freedom to explore with a local guide on call. It was the kind of trip that respects your independence, and that caught my attention.
What the Giveaway Offered (and What It Meant for Solo Travelers)
Anthropologie’s contest was more than a marketing stunt. It tapped into a growing desire among women to travel alone, to experience places on their own terms, and to do so with style. The prize included:
- Round-trip international flights from any major US gateway
- 7 nights in handpicked accommodation: a heritage hotel in Kandy, a colonial villa in Galle, and a beachfront bungalow near Mirissa
- Private transfers and a driver-guide who was available but never intrusive
- A $2,000 Anthropologie gift card to outfit the journey
- Curated experiences: a private cooking class, a sunrise visit to Sigiriya, and a boat ride through the mangroves of Madu Ganga
What struck me most was the sensitivity to solo needs. The driver-guide wasn’t a tour leader—he was a local trained to respect a woman’s space. The hotels provided single occupancy without supplement fees. The itinerary had built-in free afternoons for journaling, wandering, or simply napping under a ceiling fan. In an industry that often penalizes solo travelers with single supplements and awkward table-for-one arrangements, this trip felt designed with us in mind.
Why Sri Lanka Resonates with the Solo Woman Traveler
I first visited Sri Lanka in 2014, before the tourist boom, and I remember thinking that the island understood solitude. The pace of life there forgives lingering over a cup of Ceylon tea. The people are warm without being pushy. And the landscape shifts so dramatically—from misty highlands to arid plains to turquoise coves—that you feel you’ve visited several countries in one trip.
For a woman traveling alone, Sri Lanka offers a rare combination of safety and adventure. The country has a well-developed tourism infrastructure, English is widely spoken in the hospitality sector, and the local attitude toward foreign women is generally respectful. I’ve never once felt unsafe walking through Galle Fort at dusk or catching a tuk-tuk alone. That sense of security lets you relax into the experience, to be present in a way that makes solo travel transformative. As I wrote in my post about 8 Travel Movies That Made Me Book a Solo Trip, sometimes a single image is enough to set you on a new path. Anthropologie’s giveaway video had that effect on thousands of women.
How the Contest Worked (and What You Could Learn From It)
To enter, you had to visit the Anthropologie website between April 7 and April 28, 2016, and fill out a short form. No purchase was necessary. The winner was chosen randomly and announced via a blog post on the company’s lifestyle site. The entry required you to answer one question: “Why do you need this trip?” It was a prompt for self-reflection. Reading through the comments that were later shared publicly, many women spoke about burnout, breakups, career changes—moments in life where a journey alone felt not like a luxury but a necessity.
If you missed the contest, don’t worry. The practical lesson here is that you can replicate almost all of its elements without waiting for a giveaway. The same boutique hotels are bookable on Booking.com or Agoda. The same cooking classes can be arranged through local guides found on travel forums. And the same $2,000 wardrobe? Well, Anthropologie was generous, but you can build your own capsule collection for far less. I always recommend investing in a good linen dress, a lightweight sarong that doubles as a scarf, and comfortable sandals you can wear from city streets to sandy beaches.
Recreating the Experience on Your Own
If the idea of a solo Sri Lanka trip stirs something in you, here is a practical itinerary inspired by the giveaway, but designed for real budgets and real schedules.
- Day 1–2: Colombo – Stay at a heritage property like the Dutch House or a modern boutique in the Cinnamon Gardens neighborhood. Visit the Gangaramaya Temple in the evening, when the crowds thin and the monks light incense.
- Day 3–4: Kandy – Take the train from Colombo to Kandy (book a first-class observation car for the best views). Spend one morning at the Temple of the Tooth and one afternoon hiking to the viewpoint at Udawattakele Forest Reserve.
- Day 5: Nuwara Eliya – Hire a private driver for the mountain route. Visit a family-run tea factory for a tasting. Stay at a colonial bungalow—many are available on Airbnb for under $80 a night.
- Day 6–7: South Coast – Take the train from Nuwara Eliya to Galle (one of the most scenic rail journeys in the world). Spend two days in Galle Fort, eating at small cafés and shopping for handmade batik. End with a sunset at Unawatuna Beach.
This route covers the highlights and leaves room for spontaneity. You can easily cut Kandy for more beach time, or add a few days in Yala if wildlife is your passion. The key is to move slowly—Sri Lanka rewards those who don’t rush.
The Deeper Gift of Such a Contest
Giveaways like this one matter because they normalize the idea of a woman traveling alone. They frame solo travel not as a lonely compromise, but as a deliberate, beautiful choice. Anthropologie’s 2016 campaign didn’t just sell clothes; it sold a vision of independence. And for many of us, that vision stuck. Years later, the images of that trip still circulate on Pinterest boards and in daydreams.
If you are planning a solo trip to Sri Lanka, the best resource is still your own curiosity. Learn a few words of Sinhala. Eat kottu roti from a street stall. Allow yourself to sit in silence at a temple while the rain falls. The trip Anthropologie gave away was just one version of what Sri Lanka can offer. Your version will be richer because you built it yourself.
