Travelling unattended as a female can be daunting, dangerous or delightful.
If you go about travelling solo correctly, it can be a huge success and life changing.
Here’s the deal:
I will give you some great tips and tricks to staying safe when travelling alone as a female. Does this sound good to you?
Great! Let’s get into it.
Prioritize
One cool way to stay safe was Janice Waugh’s concept to remember your priorities in this order:
your person, documents, money and stuff.
This makes it easy for you to adapt to different situations you may encounter very easily as you can make decisions based on your short priority list.
Conceal Your Cash
“One of my favorites: Conceal cash by rolling it up tightly and sticking it in an empty tampon applicator (unused!!). Slide it back into the wrapper and you’re set. Not many pickpockets will try to steal a tampon from your pocket!” – Sonja, Breadcrumbs Guide.
Getting Home Safe
If you are apprehensive of not being able to make it home, you have a guardian angel…
...Safe Check In.
Safe Check In is an app that grants you a service that allows solo travellers to register their trips in order to make sure they get home safely.
You can enter specific information about when you should return from a particular trip or outing.
If you don’t check in with the site at the designated time, Safe Check In will attempt to contact you; if you’re out of reach, the site will reach out to your emergency contacts and, if required, the local authorities.
Accommodation
Many solo travellers may consider couch surfing for a place to stay on your travels. This is a fantastic idea when carried out in the correct way with the correct procedure.
When couch surfing, you must be aware of who is providing the ‘couch’, the location and read plenty of reviews on that specific accommodation. If it doesn’t have reviews, I would give it a miss and try a different place to stay.
Most websites that provide the service have safety procedures in place, so don’t worry too much when finding a place to kick back!
Travel Insurance
Ensure you are fully insured when travelling solo. There are many different policies that suit different people.
If you are a solo traveller who is looking to travel more than twice in a single year, it is best to purchase a ‘Multi-Trip’ plan.
Remember to read the fine print and before you purchase travel insurance, note all of your coverage needs such as, medical and loss/theft. If the policy you are browsing covers all of your needs but there is a cheaper plan that also provides the same coverage, take the cheaper one. A lot of the time, the ‘Platinum’ title given to a policy is just for show and is used to rake in cash.
If you’re planning a multi-trip, use the ‘Inception Method’ to find the cheapest prices for multi-trip flights.
‘Learn To Walk Like A Man’!
I’m a big advocate of walking with your back straight and your head held high, and looking people right in the eye when they address you. As Abi from Inside the Travel Lab jokes, “Learn to walk like a man.”
Research, research, research!
The secret to success in most activities you undertake in life is to carry out research appropriately.
Try to understand the culture of your destination: how they dress, political views and crime rates in different areas and times of the day.
Learn Emergency Phrases
If you are travelling to a location that is less commercial and more traditional, I would recommend learning some emergency phrases in the language your destination speaks.
This is because in locations that have less tourists, residents aren’t likely to know a lot of English. I suggest just learning two or three phrases so you can remember them well.
Befriend Other Women
“From my experience, women look after women, which is heartwarming. I travel solo, and local women are often really helpful. When I meet these women, I’m no longer alone.” – Teresa, Independent Travel Help.
The key to any solo travel is to use your common sense and be aware. Don’t make yourself a target to anyone. Don’t flash your belongings, use a rucksack when exploring rather than a handheld bag and keep your money in front pockets or in a small bag that is attached to the front of your body such as a Fanny Pack.
Traveling solo can be great when you take the necessary security measures but it's always safer and better to travel with a travel buddy
