travel tips: for women

It’s 2017, and there are more women than ever travelling alone. Back in 2015, when I first wrote this post, I focused on the things I myself do. These travel tips for women are designed to make even the less confident feel like they can hit the road for a solo trip.

Women who travel alone tend to hear one of three things, after this: “you’re traveling alone?!” :

“Wow, you are so courageous” / “I could never do that!” / “Don’t you feel unsafe?”

I generally reply, “Well thank you, I have been doing it for a long time” “It can take some time to get used to” and “No, I don’t generally feel unsafe.” 

Granted, I don’t travel alone to places that rank high on the list of “bad places for solo female travellers to go.” However, we all know that any place can be unsafe if you don’t take precautions or exercise some caution when leaving and walking around an unfamiliar city.

give someone at home your itinerary

I always give my parents my flight information and my hotel/hostel information. If I’m staying with a friend, I give them my friend’s cell number and address.

I know – I’m an adult and I’m giving my parents all of this… But it’s a good idea for someone not traveling with you to have a general idea of where you’ll be, when.

register with the State Department *

*applies to US citizens; check with your country to see if they offer a traveller registration program || Canadians || Brits || Australians || Kiwis

I recommend this to everyone who travels abroad, because if there’s a natural disaster or a terrorist attack, your government can assist you.

let someone know where you are going, and when you expect to be back

This one may seem like a given, even at home. When you’re traveling and you don’t have someone holding you accountable for dinner or that coffee date, you may not think about it.

Especially if you plan on going out on a hike, tell the front desk staff at the hotel or hostel that you’re going for a hike and should be back by a certain time. They likely know that you’re alone and if they don’t see you will alert someone. If you’re at a hostel and make plans with people for the evening (like many of us do), tell them in the morning that you should be back by x time, and if they don’t see you, to check in.

Real life example: when I was in Australia, I took a day trip from Perth to the Pinnacles. It’s about 3 hours north of the city and it’s very remote. A guy I met on Tinder offered to take me up, and I decided that I’d never get up there if he didn’t drive. I told my local friends about my plans. I also told the hostel staff that I was going, and that I would check back in when I returned. It’s not that I didn’t trust him – I did – but what if we’d had a car accident? Or what if there was a brush fire and we couldn’t get back?

Take advantage of hotel safes, or buy a cheap lock to lock up your belongings in a hostel

It doesn’t really matter if you stay in a hotel, private room in the hostel, or dorm room. There are always people around, like cleaning staff.

Safeguarding your personal things – passport, money, credit cards – is your responsibility, not anyone else’s. Additionally, don’t keep all of your cash and credit cards in one place. I always put one or two in another place. Pro tip: put some in your tampon box!

upload documents to dropbox/google docs

Dropbox and Google Docs are great tools for accessing things from any computer or mobile device. I like to keep a copy of my passport, flight details, itinerary, and credit card info in a locked file. This way, if you do lose your belongings, you can still get to your passport/financial/flight information.  Also have the hard copies, like I discuss in this post.

be cautious of accepting drinks from strangers

I know, I know. We hear this all the time, even at home.  If you’re in an unfamiliar place and don’t speak the language, be alert. You don’t have your best friend to forcibly pull you out of a sketchy situation if you’re traveling solo.

Do your best to be at the bar when someone orders you a drink and watch the bartender make it. Steer clear of drinks that involve a lot of prep, also. You might never know if something gets slipped in.

walk with purpose

You might be trying to find that hot little bar that the guy at the hostel told you about, but before you leave, use the hotel wifi to track down an address and a walking route. It’s (not so) common knowledge that people who walk with a purpose and with confidence are less likely to be attacked on the street.

dress like a local

I.e. wear jeans or long pants if everyone else does. While this depends on your destination, it’s typically a good idea. Wearing long skirts or dresses in the Middle East, Central Asia, or Central America are common tips, but a good idea is to have a quick look at google before you go. Find out what people wear and dress accordingly.

This will stave off unwanted attention, and you won’t look like an unsuspecting tourist. I’ve heard that it’s a good idea to wear a wedding ring (in some places), but i’m not sure about that one. Let me know if you’ve ever gone that route, and how it worked out for you, please!

use the word “we” 

In a cab, on a fake phone call… Just by even pretending to be meeting someone, people who otherwise might bother you will leave you alone.

What do you do while traveling to make you feel safe? Do you have any horror stories? Leave them in the comments below!

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