Essential tips for women who love to travel
Planning to travel – perhaps alone? Here are some essential tips for women who love to travel to help keep you safe.
There are many reasons why women travel. Some do so because it is part of their job, while others travel to take a break from their life, or simply because they want to explore more of our amazing world.
There are also women who love to travel because they have been inspired by other female travellers. Whatever the reason you’re heading off on a trip, here are some quick tips to help keep you safe and comfortable.
Packing
The lighter you pack, the more mobile you’ll be when travelling. And clever packing always starts with a great backpack. Many female travellers choose a women’s travel backpack because it’s designed specifically for our frames.
Depending on your mode of transportation and the duration of your trip, your backpack options include a carry-on pack, medium or large pack. There are many brands of women’s backpacks, like Puma, that offer quality designs guaranteeing all your possessions are stored safely and easily accessible.
Backpacks are always an easier choice than a suitcase when you are travelling from place to place – you can sling it on your shoulder, and easily fit it on buses, trains and in the backs of taxis if you need. It’s also lighter and can take more abuse from baggage handlers.
However, living out of a backpack for weeks or months on ends has its limitations – as you’ll soon discover! So you need to consider carefully what you plan to take with you.
Choose clothes that can be scrunched up small (without looking awful when you unpack them), can be mixed and matched and, ideally, have multiple purposes – such as a scarf that you can wear as a top, or pants that can be transformed into shorts.
It might not be a look that’s featured on the runway any time soon, but it’s more practical when living out of a pack – and kinder on your back than lugging around too many items of clothing.
Transportation
When travelling, never let your valuables leave your sight if you can help it – whether you are going through airport security or embarking on an overnight train ride.
When riding a cab, make sure that you have reached your destination before you alight. And pay while you are still inside the cab, to ensure that you are given the proper change before it drives away.
Always lock your bags too, especially if they contain important documents, cards and cash. And if you put your bag on the floor of a cafe or airport, make sure you step on the straps so no one can literally steal it from underneath you.
Basically, go over and above on security and watchfulness when it comes to your documents and money. It’s never nice to be ripped off or robbed, but it’s MUCH more of an inconvenience when you find yourself penniless and without identification, alone in a foreign country.
Accommodation
It doesn’t matter whether you are traveling solo or with a companion, it is best to keep your accommodation details to yourself when travelling in a foreign country.
If you’re travelling alone as a woman, you may even want to choose a smaller hotel where the staff know you and can watch out for you. The concierge desk of smaller hotels is often near the entrance or the elevators, making it easier to deter loitering individuals.
Also, try to stay in a hotel that is located on a busy, well-lit street where transportation is more efficient (you can look for the best accommodation deals on Travelpass). This makes it not just more convenient, but safer if you’re out at night.
Street smarts
It’s quite natural to want to show off nice clothes and jewellery, but when you’re travelling in a strange city, it can attract the wrong kind of attention.
As a female traveller (especially solo travellers) you want to blend in and be unobtrusive. You certainly don’t want to attract the attention of men who may not have the best intentions. And you absolutely don’t want to advertise the fact that you may have money.
So when you travel, it’s a good idea to dress down and avoid wearing jewellery. It’s also a wise idea to make a copy of important documents and divide your money into smaller amounts and carry some in your wallet or bag, and some spread between your pockets.
So if you DO get targeted by a pickpocket, for example, they won’t get ALL your cash. And if your documents are stolen, you’ll fid it much easier to organise replacements with copies of your details.
