If you have ever taken a solo female trip or toyed with the idea of taking one, you are probably familiar with the comments that often start with, “The world is a scary place.” And they are not wrong, either.
The world can be a scary place and, unfortunately, there are bad people out there.
But that should not stop you from living a full life and exploring the world. While you can not stop bad people from doing bad things, you can reduce the likelihood of such things happening to you.
Prepare for your adventures with this guide of 7 practical tips for women traveling alone, so you are ready to fully enjoy yourself.
Do Your Research Using The Right Resources
Researching a new city or country before traveling is essential for your safety and enjoyment.
While reading recommendations from the solo female travel bloggers you follow is great, it should never act as a replacement for your own government-provided resources.
National travel advisories and local embassy websites will always offer up-to-date information.
For instance, the United States Department of State and the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office have broad and detailed checklists and guides for travelers with tips on everything from staying safe to finding telephone access.
Global Affairs Canada goes a step further and includes an extensive section on risks for women. Your government-provided resources can go a long way in helping you prepare yourself for different scenarios in your destination country.
Here are several links to resources for Americans Traveling Abroad
- Global Travel Advisory Map
- List of US Embassies or consulates across the World
- Department of State Travel Resources
- Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)
Understand Local Cultural Norms
One of the things I always recommend to any traveler – male or female – is to understand the cultural norms. There are so many ways you can educate yourself about the socio-cultural dynamics of your prospective destination.
Read memoirs and accounts of travelers and locals in that destination. Email local expatriates or talk to friends or family members who have traveled to that destination in the past.
There are also plenty of travel books that will give you a good insight into the geopolitics and religions of the region/country. All of these will help you learn a little more about social expectations and cultural norms and act as a baseline for your actions.
Interactions between women and men are different in every country and you cannot travel and assume that your home culture will follow you. Although Western women are allowed as much expressive freedom as their male counterparts in some countries, you cannot accept that as a given.
This means that things like your clothing, and even the way you address others will need to be adjusted as you travel. For example, many places of worship have dress codes (an example is the Vatican City in our post 3 Days in Rome).
Then there are prohibitions on taking photos out of privacy (think indigenous peoples), and certain mannerisms, e.g., in Vietnam it is considered disrespectful to accept money with one hand.
Involve Others in Your Safety
Assess the people around you. Who can you ask for help when you need it? Put yourself in the middle of a triangle and imagine that person standing next to you. Imagine them being concerned for your safety and what they can do to help.
They can share a cab, ask the hotel to call your room every night, they can sit near you on the bus, call the police, etc.
If you inform your hotel that you are traveling alone, they will often tell you about any high-risk areas in the city or other things to watch out for.
Many hotels will also make an effort to ensure that you arrive at your hotel room each evening. If you are on a guided group tour, let your tour guide know that you are traveling alone. You can also ask other groups of fellow travelers if you can sit near them.
Even though you are traveling solo, it does not mean you are alone. Look for trustworthy people around you and find ways to build a network of people who care about your safety.
Stop Being Too Polite
The days when women were expected to be nice, pleasant, and accommodating are long gone.
Still, many of us give indirect, polite no’s or try to gently ditch uncalled-for interaction because we are wary of being perceived as too aggressive or mean.
This is because women often learn from a very young age to stay quiet, and play nice. And so it takes practice to override this conditioning and train ourselves to speak up when we feel uncomfortable or unsafe
Stop worrying about whether or not you are perceived as rude.
Respond firmly and immediately if an interaction is unsolicited or makes you feel uncomfortable. If someone hits on you and you are not interested, tell them outright. Be loud, assertive, and unapologetic.
One of the most powerful weapons in our arsenal is our voice. Setting clear, firm boundaries can de-escalate a situation before it gets worse.
Remember, you do not owe anyone attention or kindness. Always trust your instincts and stand up for yourself.
Carry Travel Insurance
Do you know what the biggest health risk is for travelers? According to the CDC, motor vehicle crashes pose the greatest risk of injury to international travelers.
This is one of the main reasons I always carry travel insurance every time I leave the US. and this is especially important if you are traveling alone.
As a solo traveler, you need a backup plan – and travel insurance can provide the additional layer of support you need.
What if you are involved in an accident and sustain a serious injury?
Without travel insurance, you may not be able to cover your treatment.
You will have to pay out of pocket if you are hospitalized, which would put a serious dent in your bank account.
There are many horror cases of travelers having to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for medical care! Travel insurance protects you financially in case you need medical assistance or transfer services in case of a serious accident or illness.
It’s simply not worth it, and this is one of the most important parts of planning a trip.
We all hope that we never have to go to the hospital or get into an accident on our travels.
However, you will feel safer and calmer knowing that you are covered if the worst happens.
I recently wrote a post about why I recommend travel insurance to all of my travel consultancy clients.
I go into detail about my other reasons why you need travel insurance and make recommendations on how to choose a good travel insurance policy.
Learn Basic Self Defense
Self-defense training for women is important because not only will you learn reflexive defense skills, but it will also boost your confidence tremendously.
Although you may never have to put your training to use, there is no sense of empowerment greater than the feeling of being able to take care of yourself in a tough situation.
So take some time to research local classes and learn the basics. Many local YMCAs, gyms or women’s groups offer Krav Maga or self-defense classes.
Among other things, you need to know how to throw a proper punch, disarm an attacker, and assume a defensive position. Will it save you if someone really wants to hurt you?
I do not know, but I like to think my chances are better if I have some self-defense skills in my toolbox.
It also pays to have some self-defense tools on hand. We have the usual like pepper spray (provided it’s legal and allowed), safety whistles and more innovative products from companies like invisaWear.
The company makes smart jewelry that allows you to secretly send text message alerts to your emergency contacts and 911 to let them know you are in an emergency situation.
The good news is that most situations do not end in physical violence.
You should always first try to assess your situation, reason with the aggressor, or resort to Plan B – whether that means running away or yelling for help.
Remember, if you are the victim of a random mugging, it’s always better to give up your belongings rather than use force. Nothing is more precious than your life, and no personal possession is worth bodily harm.
That said, it’s always best to leave essentials like your passport and a spare credit card locked in a safe back in your hotel room. A travel protip: carry a travel money belt that you can hide under your clothes. That way if you get mugged, hopefully, they will only take what’s visible, leaving the important things in the money belt.
Pay for Convenience
There’s no denying that budget is often a major deciding factor when planning our trips.
But traveling on a budget is not always easy and it often puts us in a mind-frame of penny-pinching.
This is not always good for women traveling alone and can make a trip more stressful than it needs to be. That’s not to say I advocate for splurging when you travel.
As a luxury travel consultant, many people often assume that my job is to get my clients to spend as much money as possible. That could not be further from the truth, but that’s a story for another day.
Through my years of experience planning my own trips and those of my clients, I have learned to appreciate the value of paying for convenience.
Whether that means staying in a slightly more expensive hotel that’s closer to the airport or your sightseeing spots, booking professionally planned day itineraries or guided tours that ensure you never find yourself stranded or lost, scheduling your flights to arrive in a new city during the day, or booking your airport transfer through the hotel instead of taking the subway.
These are all things that will cost you a little more, but will greatly increase your comfort and enjoyment during your trip.
And that’s something I have come to really appreciate as a solo female traveler myself.
Solo Female Travel is Awesome
Solo travel for women is a fantastic way to grow and learn about yourself and life in general. You learn to be independent and resilient. When you travel alone, you become more aware of your surroundings and learn to understand people better when you are interacting with them.
It will give you the opportunity to step out of your comfort zone, overcome some of your inner fears and go on an adventure (while keeping safe of course).
Other posts that might be of interest to solo female travelers
Why We All Need a Rest and Relaxation (R&R) Trip and How To Plan One Perfectly
Being of Service: A Memoir from a Luxury Travel Advisor
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