Six essential safe-travel tips for solo female travelers
Are you planning a solo trip? Check out these six essential travel tips that will help you to stay safe.
Women travel for a variety of different reasons. Sometime you may need to travel for work-related reasons while on other occasions you might be traveling to visit family or friends, or take a trip with them. Or perhaps you just have the travel bug and love exploring new cities and countries.
Whatever the reason for your trip, it’s important to prioritise your safety, especially if you are traveling alone. To help you stay safe, here are six quick tips for solo female travellers.
1) Research where you are traveling to before you arrive
Whether you’re traveling for business or pleasure, it’s important to find out as much as you can about the place you are visiting. Before leaving on your trip, make sure you know how safe the area is or if there are places you need to avoid. For instance, when searching for affordable hotels in Scottsdale, once you book your stay you should look into the best nearby restaurants to go to and fun things to do.
If you are visiting another country, take some time to learn about their customs. Ask the health department about any vaccines you may need for your safety. It would be best to find reputable places for currency exchange, otherwise, people could easily take advantage of you.
2) Don’t tell others where you are staying
One of the joys of traveling is meeting new people. But as fun as your new friends may be, it’s not a good idea to invite them to your hotel. Yes you may have shared stories and laughs, and you could even have spent several hours with them, but you do not really know them. So never tell other people where your hotel room is for your safety.
You should also never go to another person’s hotel room. As stated above, inviting people to your room is not a good idea, and it is also a bad idea to go to another person’s room. These types of behaviors can leave you vulnerable to assault.
3) Stay alert when hiring a rideshare driver
When riding in an Uber or Lyft, people expect to be safe but not all Lyft or Uber drivers are safe. There have been multiple complaints against both rideshare companies for rape, assault, and unwanted touching in the last five years. There are steps you can take to be safe, such as reading your driver’s reviews.
If the unthinkable does happen and you do get assaulted, immediately go to the nearest hospital. Once you go to the hospital, reach out to an attorney that can help you. Qualified attorneys will listen and be there to assist you during such a difficult time.
4) Pay attention to your surroundings
Be aware of people around you. Maybe the person behind you for the last few blocks is headed in the same direction, or perhaps they are following you. If there is a chance they are following you, stop by one of the local shops to see if they keep going.
Stop to browse in local shops or stores, frequently noticing individuals that pass. Pay attention to the cars being mindful if one starts to slow down. And if a car stops by you for any reason, keep walking.
5) Seek out other women
If you are on a business trip, there may be other women that you meet for business lunches. If this is the case, ask about doing other things together. Walking with a group of friends is safer than walking alone, especially in unfamiliar places.
If you are traveling for pleasure, you could look for sightseeing tours for groups of women or find a woman-only hostel room.
For example, if you’re visiting the Land of the Pharaohs, you could look for a small-group Egypt travel experience from a reputable tour company. The main advantage of traveling in a small group is that you’ll have the opportunity to make friends and connect with other travelers. You can specifically look for a female-only tour if that makes you feel safer. This can be a great way to share adventures and feel like you’re part of something bigger than yourself.
If you see a woman dining alone, ask if you can join her. Look for women your age and strike up a conversation.
6) Pay attention to your intuition
If you feel unsafe in a situation, you probably are unsafe. From a young age, most children learn to be polite, but there are times when you should not be polite. If you feel you are in a dangerous situation, it is better to leave, even if it means being rude. Women are more comfortable being outspoken in uncomfortable situations than they were 10 years ago.
One reason for this change could be that they have seen other women being harassed and do not want to deal with it. The “Me Too” movement that teaches woman empowerment could be why women are now sticking up for themselves.
There are always risks when traveling, whether you are alone or not. When traveling alone, there are a few additional safety measures that you should take. Always pay attention to potential risks and avoid unsafe situations.
Photo by Artem Beliaikin
