Traveling solo as a female tends to get a bit of a bad rep, everyone is always saying it is so dangerous. Sometimes it can be, but so can staying at home. Someone once told me that solo male tourist are more often the target of crimes abroad. I have absolutely no idea where that information come from, but I believe it. I think its because men tend to be more reckless where are women generally much more aware of the potential danger to them. Solo travel has been one of my favourite ways of travel! You gain so much insight into yourself and become much more self sufficient, safety concerns should not stop you from traveling solo. Here are some of my favourite solo female travel safety tips to help you travel to any destination safety!

Safety Tip #1: Plan your first night in advance

When you arrive at a new destination you are at your most vulnerable. You don’t know your way around and you don’t know anyone there. The best way to counter balance this is to plan. That means booking your accommodation before hand and figuring out how to get there.

Safety Tip #2: Avoid traveling at night

Moving between destinations, arriving at a new destination and being by yourself at night are all risk factor. Minimize the amount of risk factors by avoiding arriving at a destination alone at night. You will have all of your belongings, you don’t know where you are an

Safety Tip #3: Stay connected

When you go hiking you leave your expected path and return time with someone, you should do the same when you travel solo. This means that people will more quickly be able to identify if something has gone wrong and gives them a starting point if something does happen.

I leave my base plan with family back home and update them as things change. On a day to day basis I also try to inform various friends or employees at the places that I’m staying where I’m going. Meeting people while traveling solo is pretty easy and telling them where you are going doesn’t have to be a big, awkward deal. In most countries it is pretty easy to get a temporary SIM card to put in your phone so that you can stay connect at all times. This is great from a safety and a directions stand point, although I usually don’t do this. Pretty much everywhere will have internet so I can keep in frequent contact with friends and family.

Safety Tip #4: Research your destinations

I believe pretty much every destination is safe to travel solo, but that you may need to take more precautions in some places. Some countries, like Iceland, are great countries for solo female travel some require a little more preparation. Whatever destination you choose it is good to have a basic understanding of the culture and expectations in the region. Is it uncommon for females to travel solo, consider wearing a cheap wedding ring? Do people dress modestly? What are the common scams and how can you avoid them?

Safety Tip #5: Be aware of your surroundings

Don’t make yourself an easy target! Don’t wear headphone. It means you can’t hear if someone os approaching you and indicates that you have a phone to steal. Pay attention to where you are so you don’t get lost or end up in a sketchy area. That includes paying attention when you are in taxis or in a group. Although more common in certain countries occasionally taxi drivers will take you off route. This could be either because they are trying to get paid more or for more nefarious reasons. Paying attention to your surrounding come pretty natural to most female because you most likely have to do it at home. However I think the most common dangerous situation solo female travellers (myself included) get into is getting lost in a group.

When you go out for drinks or on a bike ride with people you met at the hostel or on a tour is is easy to just go with the flow and forget where you are. But every once and a while that group will get separated and if you have not be paying attention to your surroundings you could get stranded. The last thing you want to happen is to end up at a bar at 1am with no idea where you are suppose to be sleeping that nigh. 9/10 out of ten what every group you are with will look out for you, but for that 1 time you should be prepare.

Safety Tip #6: Watch the booze

Alcohol is often a be part of traveling and especially backpacking, but too much of it can make you a target. Watch your drinks to make sure no one puts anything in them, but also so that you do not become to incapacitated. If you are drinking and parting a lot take some basic precautions to make sure you stay safe. Try to find a buddy, often another solo female traveler, and agree to make sure that you both get home. Make sure you know where ‘home’ is and how to get there even if you are smashed. Even better if you are drinking or partying at home – tons of hostels have great bars!

Safety Tip #7: Be prepared to get yourself out of a situation

No matter what you do there will probably end up being a situation where you feel uncomfortable. It the unfortunate truth of the world and happens at home as well as abroad. The difference is at home you normally have a preexisting escape route – you can go home, leave the bar, call a friend. That is not always the case abroad so you should give some thought to what you would do to get out of a situation. This normally involves money so make sure that you have some ‘escape’ money available. Is there a creepy guy in your dorm, use it to get a private room of a night. Have you gotten lost at night, use it to get a cab home. What ever the situation is a little extra cash will probably help you handle it.

Safety Tip #8: Keep a back up of documents and cash

I think this applies to every traveler, but particularly to solo travellers. If something goes wrong and your wallet is stolen or lost having an extra card, some cash and photocopies of important documents is important. You’ll have a much easier time solving issues with those simple items.

Safety Tip #9: Learn a little self defence

A little bit of self defence can go a long way. Criminals are generally out to pick the easiest target and if you can quickly prove that you are not that there is a good chance that they will change their minds. Self defences classes specifically for women are available all over the world, a lot of them are free. Take a few, they are pretty fun, can be a good workout and you may find them useless. (I mean ideally you won’t ever need them, but can’t hurt).

Safety Tip #10: Trust your gut, be rude

You often instinctually know when you are in danger, you just need to learn to trust yourself. That may be being rude or mean. That is totally OK! You can always apologize later if need be. It could be someone offering to buy you a drink or a free ride. While a lot of those situations are fine, if you get a weird vibe from them don’t be afraid to say no. Too often we are conditioned that we have to be nice all the time and we don’t and we shouldn’t. As one of my favourite podcast, Crime Junkies, says ‘be weird, be rude, stay alive’.

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