Safest Places for Women to Travel

Wishing to fulfill the need for wanderlust can get lost in the stress of the daily life balance. The joy of a villa vacation, road trip, or even an extended work trip sometimes gets overshadowed by the thought of danger.

Thinking about all of the dangerous what-ifs can cause enough anxiety to cancel a trip before it’s even booked. Those fears are not misguided, and when planning travels, finding ways to stay safe on your journey, like making sure you have travel insurance, should be near the top of your worries. 

If you’re planning on renting a car when you arrive at your destination, you should check into rental car insurance, and make sure your roadside assistance coverage is up to date. You do not want to be in an unfamiliar place having car trouble and not knowing where to find help.

Despite the scary thoughts, the world is worth exploring. Here are all of the safest places women can go to enjoy an all-girls vacation or embark on a solo journey.

Dangers to Keep an Eye Out For

Statistically, some places are safer than others, but overall knowing how to travel safely are skills you should apply everywhere. Trouble can find us even in those unexpecting places, so practicing ways to live your best life every day needs to include precautionary safety habits and tools.

Know Your Surroundings

You’ll likely never have a traveling experience where you’re completely isolated from everyone. Everyday activities mean interacting with locals, so knowing the cultural norms of wherever you’re traveling will help keep you out of trouble.

Basic courtesies that people show but don’t commonly express to others are useful to know for driving, picking up a ride in a foreign area, eating out, and local shopping. Stay aware of what you know to be common behaviors, and don’t be afraid to have others interfere with anyone you feel is unsafe.

Low-Cost Travel Insurance on the Go

I hate to break it to you, but that high-fashion bag you just bought is better at home. We all want to travel in style, but keeping our wallets classy and protected needs to be our priority. 

The bags we carry are essential in protecting us from the various kinds of theft and assault. For loads that keep both you and your belongings the safest, consider bringing one of these options while traveling:

• Backpacks
• Fanny packs
• Crossbody purses
• Messenger bags

What all of these bags have in common are zippers and latches. You want to bring along a bag that allows you to carry your daily essentials while also not being too big or loose on your body. 

Sadly, if a criminal is determined to rob you, they will, but how you secure your belongings will at least deter most from choosing you as their target.

Spend Extra on Safety Options

You can’t always be prepared for everything, but familiarizing yourself with local police stations and nearby hospitals will help you in case of an emergency. It can be hard to think straight in dire situations but remembering where help is can literally save lives.

You may want to save your time and money by staying in hotels or rentals closest to the nearest hot spots, but spend a little extra on more upscale locations. Hotels, resorts, and even Airbnb’s offer shuttle services and mobile key access to rooms and properties.

Other areas that usually get overlooked are communication and insurance. You should always buy travel insurance while also hoping to not need it. Plan for data plans and various forms of communication (like phone calls or text messaging) in your travel budget to contact loved ones at home for your safety. 

Even if your purpose for travel is to isolate, work out a communication plan that ensures your physical safety.

Traveling Outside of the U.S.

If you’re like me and have an ambitious travel bug, no place can seem too intimidating to go to, and you should be excited to visit any inch of this world.

However, when it comes to women’s safety factors such as walking alone at night, legal discrimination, gender inequality, and violent acts committed against women, some countries are safer than others. 

According to research, the top countries to visit for women who are traveling solo or with groups, in no particular order, are:

• Spain
• Canada
• Ireland
• Croatia
• Singapore
• Finland
• Austria
• Japan
• Chile
• New Zealand
• Portugal

I’ll allow you the pleasure of finding what to do that meets your fancy in these beautiful places. From breathtaking views to foods to try, culture to experience, and architecture to gaze, not a name on this list will disappoint.

For more travel inspiration, or to see where your next trip ranks on the global safety charts, check out the International Women’s Travel Center’s list and the Global Peace Index (GPI). All the cities above have ranked in the top 30 on either one or both of these lists, and there are more to discover.

Traveling Inside the U.S.

Different cities do post different threats to women. Though you should experience any and everything you want to, there are certain American cities that rank better on the scale of danger.

Whether you’re from the States or just visiting, these American cities rank the highest on the feminine destination charts:

• Miami, FL
• San Diego, CA
• San Francisco, CA
• Atlanta, GA
• Virginia Beach, VA
• Portland, OR
• Austin, TX
• Key West, FL
• Honolulu, HI

What these cities have in common are easily accessible transit, beautiful landscapes, delicious attractions, and welcoming cultures. These cities welcome tourists and have a healthy variety of activities.

You don’t always have to go far to get away. Your perfect solo-reset trip destination could very well be hiding in your very own backyard.

A Sound Mind is Vital Travel Insurance

It saddens me as much as it comforts me to know that ranking countries by risk factor to women is something that gets globally measured. On the one hand, recognizing that there is a need to measure the statistics of crimes against women is disheartening. On the other, I am glad that the world is acknowledging and analyzing the threats women face.

Use your best judgment for both planning travel and while playing tourist, especially when alone. The world is a beautiful place that you deserve the privilege of exploring, but do so with realistic vision and a little extra precaution.

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Content provided by Danielle Beck-Hunter. Danielle writes and researches for the car insurance site, CarInsuranceCompanies.com. Danielle loves to travel and is passionate about women’s safety. Since age 12, being a sharpshooter and practicing Muy Thai in college, she believes that women should empower themselves with learning the arts of protection.