Tips for travelling safely alone as a woman

If you’re a woman who wants to travel the world, you’re in for an incredible adventure.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with travelling alone, either. And if you feel compelled to travel the world and see wondrous sights by yourself, we’ve got some vital safety tips you’ll need to keep with you at all times.

Keep your valuables stashed away

Your smartphone, credit card, identification and passport will need to be with you always, but they’ll also be the kind of items thieves will target.

Chances are, you won’t encounter such people, but it’s better not to leave anything to chance, so make sure you keep all of your valuables stashed away in a hip pocket, sock or deep within the recesses of your backpack.

Know exactly(ish) where you’re going

This might sound obvious, and while you’ll obviously want to build some flexibility into your travelling schedule, you still need to be clear on the key locations you’re heading to.

Have a plan, and stick to it, and research your directions before you get to places to avoid pulling out a map in public (better still, rely on your smartphone’s GPS capabilities to get you around).

This will also help give the impression that you’re not travelling alone, but you can bolster that by using the word “we” rather than “I” when strangers ask if it’s your first time in a certain location.

Blend in as much as possible

Before you head to foreign lands, perform some research on their culture and style of dress. This will enable you to blend in more easily with the locals and look less like a tourist.

There’s nothing wrong with being a tourist, but you’re not on holiday; this is the trip of a lifetime where you want to immerse yourself in other cultures. There’s no better – or safer – way to travel than to blend in.

Be careful with your accommodation choices

You may not have a big budget for accommodation, but that doesn’t mean you need to forgo personal safety in exchange for a bed for the night.

Look for national hotel chains that have good safety records, or if you have to opt for something slightly further down the accommodation food chain, perform as much research as you can on sites like TripAdvisor.

Equally, if you’ve booked somewhere and turn up on the day only to find that you’re suspicious of the location or that something doesn’t quite feel right – walk away and find somewhere else.

Final thought

Enjoy your travelling! This blog post doesn’t intend to paint a picture of an unsafe, dangerous world – it is simply designed to help you be as safe as possible and prevent you from ending up in any uncompromising situations.