Women Traveling Alone: 15 Ways to Do It Safely
Thanks to the Hybrid work arrangements, women can plan solo trips without affecting their job progress. The chance to travel alone allows women to boost their confidence and refine their character. However, women may face difficult situations and safety threats during their solo travel. Being a solo female traveler, they must know how to tackle these issues and fulfill their journey.
With the tips below, women traveling alone can have fun without risking their own safety.
Take self-defense classes
Every woman should learn self-defense techniques to look after themselves. If they face any attack while traveling alone, with proper fighting skills, they can handle any critical situation. But learning such skills would take time. It is not a crash course that you can grab one week earlier before traveling solo. But there are a few self-defense tips you can find in this Ms Career Girl article.
Keep your expensive things at home
When you are traveling solo as a woman, keep all your expensive bags, fancy jewelry, your wedding ring, or gold watches at home. Do not carry any item that is expensive and not essential for your journey. If you still need some of those things, use costume jewelry or buy local, cheap jewelry for the trip.
Keep your phone safe
Solo travelers may visit some places where cell phone theft is high. For that reason, keeping cell phones safe should be the first priority. Do not use your phone in public transportation. If needed, use pay phone booths for making calls. If you need to use your cell phone for checking maps, step into a café or shop and use it inside. Carry more than one charger with you, and always keep your phone fully charged.
Keep important phone numbers backed up
Pick your most important phone numbers, such as your father, spouse, close friend, or office colleague. Note those numbers on a piece of paper and make three copies of it. Keep one in your bag, one in your hotel closet, and another in the suitcase you are carrying during solo travel. Doing this will let you contact your loved ones in emergencies, if your phone is stolen or lost on solo trips.
Get a local SIM card
If you are traveling internationally, it is good to get a local SIM card. Your existing SIM card might allow roaming, but there are likely excessive charges.. Apart from that, you may also face network fluctuations. With a local SIM card, you won’t get such issues.
Use taxis and rideshare apps carefully
Use ride sharing apps, like Uber or any other, to call a taxi when you travel solo. Using apps will give you details about the standard fare, the driver’s ratings, and you can also track your new destination. But you should check the license plate on the car and match it with your app’s given number. If you have any misgiving about entering a vehicle, DON’T. There’s always another available.
Keep your cash, cards, and documents safe
As a solo traveler, keep a small amount of cash, passport copies, and credit cards in multiple places while traveling. Prepare at least three sets and keep one set in the hotel safe, one set in your suitcase, and one in your handbag. If you lose your handbag, you may use the other set without having any issue. File appropriate reports if you lose your phone, credit cards, or IDs. Scammers may use these to hack into your accounts.
Join female solo travelers social groups
Traveling solo can be more enjoyable and safe if you can join a group. During your solo trip, you don’t have to be totally alone. Browse through your social groups on Facebook or Instagram. There are many solo female travel groups and communities with many travel-savvy women members.
Contact a popular travel agency
Popular travel agencies have experience in providing safe tour services to their customers. They know which places are secured for solo female travelers.
Use a proper travel insurance
Protect yourself and your wallet with travel insurance. It will not also save them from financial losses during travel, but also take care of their health related issues.
Depending on the coverage your travel insurance may provide multiple possible coverages:
- Injury or sickness
- Lost luggage
- Last-minute cancellations
- Coverage beyond your credit card
Blend in as much as possible being a solo traveler
Solo tourists often experience scam practices or get robbed while traveling. One way to prevent this is to blend into a new community while traveling alone. Choose clothing that fits into local culture, tradition, and laws.
Keep some food within your backpack
Don’t travel empty-handed. Stack up some energy bars, chips, cookies, apples, and extra bottles to carry drinking water. If you visit an unknown place and can’t find a place to eat, buy fresh fruits, especially bananas. During long journeys, avoid taking soda, and carry fruit juice or plain water.
Be alert when you meet someone special
While traveling alone, if you meet someone unknown and plan for a drink, inform a friend or family member and share your real-time location. If that is not possible, share your live location with your roommate and details about your new friends you are going to meet. Set up your meeting in a public place. When you’re there, avoid leaving your drink unattended.
Keep your eyes peeled while walking
During a walking tour, keep your back straight and your head held high. Keep your eyes open and walk confidently. Talk to people while maintaining eye-to-eye contact. Set a personal safety alarm such as “Emergency SOS” on your phone and carry pepper spray in your pocket.
Look confident
Confident solo female travelers are less likely to be scammed. People will think you know where you are and what you’re doing if you look like you do.
In Conclusion:
Women traveling alone has become commonplace. Although it can be a bit scary to embark on your first trip alone, go ahead and take the leap. You are capable of more than you know. The discoveries you’ll make about yourself and the world around you are far more meaningful than the anxiety that’s holding you back.
This guest post was authored by Lyle Solomon
Lyle Solomon has extensive legal experience, in-depth knowledge, and experience in consumer finance and writing. He has been a member of the California State Bar since 2003. He graduated from the University of the Pacific’s McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, California, in 1998 and currently works for the Oak View Law Group in California as a principal attorney.
