Us girls get a bad deal when it comes to traveling alone and the unfortunate fact of life is that it is far easier as a man to travel solo than a woman. With this being said, nobody is telling you that you cannot travel solo as a female but if you do, you need to be smart and sensible in order to stay safe. If you are currently thinking about hitting the road for a solo venture, here are some things that you need to know before you leave, knowledge is power and once you are aware of the pitfalls ahead, you can make sure that you stay safe.
Purses Cause Problems
When you are out and about, an over the shoulder purse is not a good idea and you should consider other types of bags to store your belongings. A purse can easily be snatched from your shoulder or thieves could quite easily dig into it to steal your belongings. This is not to say that you must wear some kind of horrific fanny pack, but just think twice about the kind of bag that you plan on using, make it difficult for someone to steal your stuff.
Harassment Exists Everywhere
Some countries and cities are notorious for harassment of single women but don’t rest on your laurels as this kind of problem can unfortunately occur anywhere in the world. You will have to get used to cat calling and single men thinking that you are fair game if you plan to travel solo. As much as it pains me to say so, this is something that you get used and you can learn to avoid it.
You Will Be Treated Like a Child
There is a certain tone of voice that people like to adopt when you are asking for help or directions, the same as they would use for a small child. Perhaps we solo female travelers appear defenseless or lost but we know better than that. This is something that you just have to roll with but you will find that it happens all over the place.
You May Have to Spend For Safety
There are some regions around the world which just aren’t good for solo women and if you want to go these places, I would suggest that you spend the money on secure accommodation for your own peace of mind. I recommend that you research each destination before you go there to find out how safe it is for girls, if you have any doubts about the place, pay that little bit extra so that you have a safe haven to go to.
Communication Is Key
It is really important as a female solo traveler that you notify your family when you have arrived safely somewhere and whilst this sort of goes against the freedom ethos which travel gives you, it really is the best approach. I now have a routine whereby the first thing I do when I arrive somewhere is to notify my mum, you may not be worried about things but your family will and a quick text message is all it takes to make them feel better.
I am not suggesting that it is all bad as a solo traveler, on the contrary in fact, but you must be cautious when you hit the road in order to stay safe.