Vacation body insecurity is something nobody talks about when they recommend the Maldives. I went alone, dreading the beach. Here’s what I didn’t expect.
My body deserves a vacation from body insecurity
Here’s the worst part about feeling uncomfortable in your body – you feel disproportionately small compared to your actual size. Not enough room in the tiny budget airline seat? That’s on you. Not enough room in the cab to the airport? Eat less.
You constantly shrink yourself. Try not to take up too much space, not to be too loud – better not to open your mouth at all. You hide your body and your voice at the same time.
Until I was 12, I was the fat kid. I don’t want to make that word carry more weight than it needs to, but I suffered: cried every day, couldn’t fit into clothes, was bullied constantly. I won’t go into detail – if you’re reading this, you already understand.
By 15, I’d grown taller and leaner. I became a different person – and started to hate the old me. Called him names, made “glow up” videos with a “from zero to hero” message. Basically doing the same bullying to myself that others had done to me.
Now I’ve started putting weight back on. I’m not sure if it’s from a good life or not.
Sometimes I catch people staring when I eat. And sometimes I don’t eat for a few days, just to feel beautiful again.
But anyway – why am I telling you this?
In the Maldives, you swim in a t-shirt
And the whole trip may be really cheap. That’s what two browser tabs told me when I was planning my solo trip: the Maldives dress code rules, and a flight deals site. And honestly? For anyone dealing with vacation body insecurity, this detail matters more than it sounds.
Cheap flights to the Maldives
I flew solo with Gulf Air – ranked among the top 5 airlines in the Middle East, and it showed. The flight attendants were genuinely attentive, the seats were comfortable (even for me), and the food was good (especially for me).
The flight got rescheduled a couple of times, which was annoying – but manageable.
A note for anyone booking: many flights don’t fly directly to Malé (the capital) but make a stopover before continuing to Sri Lanka. This can be confusing when searching, but honestly, both destinations are worth your time.
Wait – why the t-shirt, really?
Yes, you genuinely need to wear one even in the ocean. The Maldives is a Muslim country, and swimming with a covered body is required on public beaches.
My friends were initially against the whole idea. I agreed with them out loud – but privately, I was relieved. I wouldn’t have to stress about how I looked in group photos. For anyone with vacation body insecurity, that’s not a small thing.
The Hotel
My whole trip ran on a philosophy of: “Live beautifully, but don’t come home drowning in debt.” So I chose a hotel to sleep in and walk to the beach from – nothing more. And here’s something people don’t realize: the Maldives can actually be affordable.
I stayed at Hotel Ocean Grand on Hulhumale – the second main island, which is also where the airport is. It was slightly pricier than nearby options, but forums consistently flagged the cheaper alternatives for black mold issues (humidity is serious here). And for solo travel and self care from vacation body insecurity, having a clean, safe base matters more than having a view.
To get from the airport to the hotel, I skipped the apps (for airport transfer you can try 12go.asia) and found a driver on the spot. All taxis are government-regulated with fixed fares from the airport – around $5 USD to any point on the island. If a driver tries to charge more, there’s literally a QR code on the airport wall to file a complaint.
💸 Tip: For accommodation check Trip.com first.
A little context before the fun
The Maldives was a British colony until 1965 – so 2026 marks 61 years of independence (congratulations to everyone). Left-hand traffic remains, along with a distinct local accent. Driving felt like going the wrong way the entire time – but locals navigate it flawlessly. In a full week traveling solo, I didn’t see a single accident. I guess they occur on water.
Hulhumale itself is an artificial island – literally built by hand relatively recently. And apparently they decided to finish constructing it right around my visit. Construction equipment, building materials, and noise on every corner.
Getting around the islands
The whole country is built across tiny islands – atolls – scattered across the Indian Ocean. There are capital atolls, tourist atolls, residential atolls, empty atolls, and yes, atolls that exist purely as garbage dumps. There’s only one international airport (Hulhumale), and from there you can get around by:
- Public buses and ferries – about $0.60 per person
- Taxi – about $5 fixed fare
- Private speedboats or seaplanes – from ~$180+
💸 Tip: Seaplane transfers to resort islands are a major expense – booking through GetYourGuide can reduce costs significantly.
Things to do
Search “Maldives” on Instagram and you’ll mostly find coconut palms and white-sand resorts. Beautiful – if you have the budget. Potentially boring otherwise (that’s what I tell myself).
But entertainment is non-negotiable, so I booked a stingray snorkeling tour. It included: a speedboat to the tourist beaches on Himmafushi island, open-water swimming with fish, stingrays, and dolphins, lunch, and underwater photography – around $90 USD per person. Worth every dollar. Absolute must-do for anyone visiting the Maldives.
If you’re traveling on a tight budget, the free public beaches along Hulhumale’s eastern coast are genuinely lovely. No sun loungers, but locals have set out plastic chairs and handmade benches – free to use, along with the beach showers.
One thing I noticed traveling solo: I left my bag on the beach before swimming and always came back to it untouched. Once a patrol car drove past, saw the unattended backpack, smiled at me, and politely asked me not to leave things alone. That was the extent of it.
Here I’d like to to add that the free public beaches helped with beach anxiety in a way I didn’t expect – no dress code enforcement, no stares, just locals and tourists coexisting.
Visiting Malé, the Capital
I dedicated one day to the capital, reaching it by public ferry for about $0.60. Honestly, the ferry ride itself was the highlight – Malé was grimy, littered, and chaotic in ways I didn’t expect. Sidewalks barely exist, and where they do, cars drive on them. We walked halfway across the island before turning back, this time on the city bus (also $0.60).
Fair warning: local transport is built for shorter people. At just over 6’3″, I spent the whole ride hunched.
The trash problem
It was present on all three islands I visited – on beaches, roadsides, in bushes. Trash cans are rare, so locals leave things where they stand. I carried a few random bottles from the beach to the nearest bin and got genuinely surprised looks. The scale is serious enough that trash gets shipped to uninhabited islands to bake in the sun.
Food in the Maldives
Sorry if I disrupted your appetite. Let’s fix that.
TL;DR: the food is excellent. Eating was genuinely my second-favorite activity after swimming. Every day I explored different restaurants and cafés – and there are a lot of them.
Sample meals (solo prices):
- ~$10 – espresso, orange juice, eggs benedict with salmon
- ~$17 – peach tea, tuna steak, bread basket
- ~$17 – peach tea, fish and chips, tuna sandwich
I didn’t hold back at meals. Actually, eating without vacation body insecurity for the first time in years felt like its own kind of freedom. Every sitting had a drink, starter, main, and dessert.
Local cuisine is easy to explore in a couple of days – after that I mixed it with familiar favorites: pizza, ramen, burgers – all with Maldivian twists. PastaMania Maldives makes an excellent fish pizza. Ramen House has perfect prawns. And the coffee scene is genuinely strong – The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf became my daily stop: cold brew and a croissant for around $8.
Coconuts are everywhere, of course. Buy one on the beach, ready to drink, for about $2 – worth it purely for the feeling. Also available in shops, but opening one without tools is an adventure I’d skip.
One pricing note: menus usually exclude the 8% tax and 10% service charge – the real total only appears on the bill. Water brought to the table as a compliment almost always shows up on the receipt too.
Where else to eat
Obviously, in the supermarkets. To be honest, I’d imagined the Maldives as empty islands where grocery stores would feel out of place. Instead, there are plenty of small local shops and a local supermarket chain. Redwave was my go-to – all the locals went there too. It felt frozen in the early 2000s: old registers, worn shelves, battered carts, Coca-Cola branded fridges. The main difference from an old American supermarket: no giant parking lots.
Basic grocery basket:
- Water (0.5L) – ~$0.30
- Pringles – ~$2
- Reese’s bar – ~$2
Note: no pork and no alcohol anywhere – in restaurants or shops. The Maldives is a Muslim country and both are prohibited.
What I came away with
Writing this, I tried to recall specific moments when I felt bad about my body during the trip. And as someone whose body insecurity had turned into vacation body insecurity – I honestly can’t remember any.
They probably happened – more than once. But they’re gone from memory now. What’s left is white sand, warm ocean water, good food, and bright sun.
Yes, I put on a little weight after coming home. Yes, I could have eaten less and moved more – but sometimes it’s worth calling a truce with yourself and just enjoying the world around you. That’s what vacations are for. And for the first time in a long time I forgot to hate myself for a few days.
I’m sorry you had to search for a trip in this specific way. But I hope:
- You actually get to rest
- You come to see your own beauty as soon as possible
So – may you have plenty of photos and as few “which angle is better” thoughts as possible.
Btw, all my photos from the trip are linked here.
💸 Tip: This article won’t cure vacation body insecurity — but a doctor might help. For the trip itself, get travel insurance through EKTA.
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