Female Solo Traveler Tips
How to Travel Safe.
It may not be fair but as women traveling alone, we have to be more mindful of safety.
If you’re a woman traveling on your own safety will likely be on the top of your mind. Here are some tips and resources to use.
- Ask locals – your hotel/hostel staff or other people you meet that you trust if the area you’re in is safe at night. If they give you any warnings to heed, do it.
- Trust your gut. If something feels off or unsafe, don’t do it / go there.
- Cover up. Depending where you’re traveling, showing too much skin may equate to getting harassed. Worse yet, in some cultures, you may get fined or go to prison for defending yourself. Dress conservatively as a default.
- Limit drinking. You’ll want to keep your whits about you. If you enjoy a drink with dinner, limit your intake, and consider not drinking alcohol alone especially if you’ll be walking home after dark.
- Make travel buddies. If you meet fun friends traveling around like you, ask if you can periodically check in with them so they know you’re safe. Let them know who to contact if they get concerned at not hearing from you. (Though definitely make sure you choose someone that knows WiFi access can be tricky and define when worry should happen!) Also, if you go out with a new friend and you both go to separate accomodations after dinner that night, make sure you notify each other that you’re back safely to your hotel/hostel.
Traveling Safely
More Tips
Resources and ideas to stay safe.
- Don’t stay out late. Walking back to your hotel/hostel late when streets are empty can be highly unsafe anywhere in the world. Try to follow the trends of your neighborhood and ensure there are other people around when you go back home.
- Use Uber or other safe transportation. Research which companies provide safe transportation. It’s not worth skimping on budget to travel safely. Uber now has a feature where you can notify up to 5 people every time you take a ride so they know exactly where you are.
- Stay informed. Research any known warnings for each country you visit. In addition, find out if there are any known political issues that could impact you – that could also be in your own country. For instance, if your government shuts down and airports become difficult to travel through!
- Dress locally. It’s worth packing light so you can obsesrve any dress habits of locals and buy something to blend in.
- Don’t go home with strangers. You may meet some wonderful people on the road, but trust your gut and be very cautious about going home with someone you don’t know well. Romance is nice, but make sure you know your surroundings and can genuinely trust the person you’re with. Trust takes time.
- Make sure someone knows where you are. Keep good friends and family informed of your location where possible. If you’re riding in a car consider making a call (even if it’s fake) to give the driver the impression that someone is meeting you at your destination and knows where you are.
- Don’t wear fancy clothes or jewelry. Flaunting signs of wealth can put you at risk of theft. Flashing cell phones and fancy cameras in certain places may be a bad idea. Again, inform yourself in advance.
- Stay in safe areas. Even if hotels are slightly pricier, it’s worth paying for safety!
- Get the Apps! Some apps can really help you….Maps.me gives you access to an offline map wherever you are. If you’re riding transportation you can figure out whether you’re heading in the right direction and also know where you are. GeoSure lets you understand the danger risk wherever you are. Sign up with your email address and allow access while using the app. Wandersafe is interesting gadget to consider – giving you bright lights and noise if you think you’re in danger.
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