It’s no secret that I love traveling solo. I have previously written 7 Tips for Managing Loneliness While Traveling Solo and 10 Reasons to Love Solo Travel and How I Ended Up Alone!.
One of the biggest fears people have when considering solo travel is safety. This is especially true for international and solo female travel. Believe it or not, adventuring on your own does not have to be any more dangerous than grabbing dinner in your own city.
I think we all know to avoid walking alone down dark alleys and getting intoxicated with strangers. These are just basic tips for staying safe in life in general.
Today, I want to share with you some non-obvious steps you can take to stay safe while traveling solo.
1. Avoid looking like an easy target or traveler: My other tips will cover this more in-depth, but avoid wearing revealing clothing, jewelry, advertising expensive goods, flashing your cash, or anything else that will catch a predator or thief’s attention. You really want to just blend in and look like a local.
2. Stay Connected: Have someone, or multiple someones, know where you are and where you are heading at all times. I always print a detailed itinerary with general times and addresses of where I will be to my partner, my family, and my son’s dad. I tell them when I get somewhere and I tell them when I leave. This way, If anything ever happens they have a good chance of being able to track me down.
You can also take it a step further and turn your location tracker on in messages so your closest friends and family members can keep even closer tabs on your location.
3. Avoid getting lost at all costs: You do not want to appear to be a lost tourist about as much as you don’t want to get lost while traveling I have the worst memory so I even take photos of where I park, parking meters, and parking tickets even in parking garages. Again, you don’t want to be caught vulnerable so prepare as much as you can.
4. Mind your money: Avoid having to get cash while you’re out, like at an ATM. Separate your passport, ID, and money into different pockets, wallets, and bags. This way, in the slim event that you fall victim to thievery or lose something ALL of your cash and documents are less likely to be missing.
5. Know before you go: Do a little bit of research on your destination ahead of time. If the area you are traveling to has a history of pick-pockets you should know and be prepared. Don’t scare yourself, but prepare yourself as each city has a darker side.
6. Learn the Lingo: This circles back to what I was talking about earlier regarding aiming to look like a local. If the language if it’s not a dialect you’re familiar with, learn a few key phrases by googling travel phrases and the name of the language. Downloading a translation application would also be helpful in his situation.
7. Familiarize yourself with the city prior to arriving. Download Google Maps and do your best to get a good idea of how to get around the city without looking at your map and directions every few minutes. This will calm some of your nerves, help you avoid getting lost, and help you blend in like a local who knows where they are going.
8. Join a group: If you feel unsafe or don’t want to stand out, consider linking up with a group of other travelers. This will come with its own set of safety cautions, but can really help you not stand out and meet a fun group of people. If you’re not sure where to find a group, consider joining a photo walk or guided tour.
9. Pay attention and be mindful: It is so hard to get lost in sightseeing or your phone while traveling, but do your best to be present. Be aware of the conditions of your lodging, surroundings, and belongings at all times. Pay attention to who is around you. No one else is there to keep an eye out to see if you’re being followed, if someone has slipped something in your drink, or if the guys on the train have been eyeing you. Don’t keep your earbuds in the whole time and make sure you can hear people talking and horns honking.
10. Trust your instinct: At the end of the day, If something seems off, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
I hope you found this list helpful. Feel free to leave a comment below if you would like to add any non-obvious safety tips to my list. Stay safe!