There has been a huge buzz in travel lately, especially solo female travel. According to Worldpackers, they say “Over 70% of American women say they have traveled alone, and Google searches for “solo female travel” increased 230% in 2019, before COVID became a concern.” There are so many benefits to learning to travel by yourself, the best being you can do whatever you want, whenever you want, wherever you want. This freedom is thrilling, however taking extra safety steps will give you ease of mind as you take in new landscapes.
Traveling alone can seem like a daunting thing especially as a woman. Today I will go through the tips and tricks I have as someone who has done lots of solo female traveling in their early 20s.
The first thing that is necessary when solo traveling is to look at where you are going and whether or not you will feel safe there. I do not suggest a long international trip as your very first time traveling solo. You can travel domestically or to a foreign country without a language barrier for the first time. As someone who has lived their whole life in the United States, there’s so much to see, and do here. Each country has different relationships with other countries around the world and it’s important to look and see what the travel advisory is for the intended destination. It is also important to look up common crime in the locations you are visiting so you can identify these scams/ situations before you find yourself in them.
There are many ways to ensure your safety using your cell phone, such as sharing a location with a friend at home. It may seem silly, but in a high-pressure situation, someone will always know where you are. I would recommend setting up your data plan for where you were going before you leave your initial country. You do not want to track down a sketchy eSIM at the airport, trust me. There are apps you can download that will alert you for emergencies such as natural disasters, as well as other unsafe things you would wanna be aware of while you’re in the area. I used the app Safey. There are amazing apps such as “GetYourGuide” where you can join existing tours with reputable companies. Using rideshare apps such as Uber, Bolt, or Grab is also imperative to safety as they have the drivers information and a fixed price. This is great as a solo female traveler. When posting on social media, especially about something like an accommodation, I recommend waiting until you’re no longer in that place to post about it as you don’t want to give personal information away.
When traveling alone, you do not owe anybody anything. For example: When I’m talking to somebody while doing an activity like a hike and they ask if I’m alone, I tell them I am meeting friends who are waiting for me further up the trail. I advise getting luggage locks and printing extra copies of key documents such as passports and visas. For ease of travel, I advise not to bring more luggage than you can reasonably carry.
Traveling alone is so freeing and I hope you take the leap to book that flight.
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