These travel safety tips are crucial for everyone – especially female travelers.
With more young, inexperienced wanderlusters traveling now than ever before, general safety precautions are in order. Here’s how to stay safe on your travels as a Solo Female Traveler.
Women traveling alone, or with others, should take some extra precautions to ensure that they remain safe in their travels. It is always a good idea to be prepared for the unexpected and remain safe in your travels.
Safety Tips and Advice for Women Traveling Abroad and Solo Female Travelers
Research Your Destination Thoroughly Before Your Trip
For many travelers, planning and researching is almost as fun as actually traveling! In between scoping out the most beautiful beaches and coolest cities, take some time to look up safety information for where you are headed. If a situation looks to be questionable, it may be a good idea to avoid the place. To help avoid possible danger, it is helpful to do research before you leave.
What are the best neighborhoods and the ones you should avoid? Are there only certain kinds of taxis you should take? Is there a medical center in the city, just in case? How are you going to get around? What is public transportation like in your destination? Do you need to rent a car? When it comes to activities, especially adventure sports, what are the risks? If you injure yourself, will you be covered by your travel insurance?
By researching the area you may be able to determine if it is safe for travel. Whether you travel alone or with others, there are some general rules to follow. Such as not to be alone in a strange place. Instead try to be around larger crowds, whether they are fellow tourists or local citizens. Travel can be fun and exciting for everyone. However, by using a little caution and common sense can help ensure that your vacation or business trip can go off without a problem.
Dress Like a Local
Theoretically, women should be able to dress how they like wherever they go, but that is just not realistic. It’s important to do some research before traveling and check out what the local customs are. The more you stand out, the more you brand yourself as someone who is unfamiliar with the location, which makes you more vulnerable to criminals.
It’s often good to not draw attention to yourself on the road if you want to be left alone.
Limit Your Drinking
This is a tip that doesn’t get said often enough. It’s applicable whether you’re at home or on the road. When you drink alcohol, you dull your senses and slow your reaction time, which in turn makes you vulnerable to others.
That doesn’t mean that you should avoid drinking altogether. Instead, drink slowly. Pace yourself. Eat beforehand or during. Have a glass of water in between each drink. Be cognizant of what you are actually drinking, and always take drinks directly from the bartender.
Don’t tell people where you’re staying
If you are traveling alone as a woman and you meet people, don’t mention where you are staying, especially if you feel uncomfortable.
No one really needs to know the name of your hotel, and if you make plans to meet someone, meet at a local landmark or point instead.
Get Travel Insurance
It could save your life, and in this day and age, with so many online providers, there’s no reason not to get it. Whether your luggage is lost, you end up in a political coup or natural disaster, or you need to go to the hospital while on the road, travel insurance will reimburse your expenses.
In short, if you can’t afford travel insurance, you shouldn’t be traveling in the first place. Many insurance plans won’t cover certain adventure sports or particular countries or regions.
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Don’t Trust People Too Quickly
Sometimes, when you’re traveling in a new destination, and especially when you’re traveling on your own as a solo female traveler, we want to be part of a group so badly that we start trusting people before we should. If you’re just getting to know someone, don’t trust him or her to guard your expensive electronics while you’re in the bathroom.
It’s not rude to be cautious. Take things slowly, and if someone earns your trust, that’s when you depend on them.
Carry a doorstop
One of my best tips for solo female travelers is to carry a little plastic doorstop. It takes up no space and is great to have to shove under flimsy hotel room doors at night just in case of someone trying to come in.
Learn to read situations
Don’t worry about offending people or being rude, self-preservation is the most important thing and to stay safe.
Check in Regularly
Staying in touch is a way to assuage the fears of your loved ones, but if you find yourself in trouble, they would be able to locate you much more easily than if you had been vague about your whereabouts.
It’s a good idea for at least one designated friend or family member to have a copy of your itinerary in advance: your flight numbers, your accommodation, and a general schedule of where you’ll be on which dates, as well as information on your travel insurance, credit cards, and a bank account number.
Carry a Whistle or Personal Safety Alarm
You never know when you’re going to need a travel safety whistle. Many great backpacks have built-in whistles in the straps. If you plan to do any sightseeing on your trip or go for a run, a personal safety alarm is a good addition to carry.
Photos by Oleksandr Pidvalnyi & Sergei Akulich from Pexels
For more safety travel tips, don’t forget to check our Safety Tips category.
What are your top travel safety tips for women? Share in the comments below.
