Safety is one of the biggest solo female travel concerns that I receive from others. I have spent 1 month in both Guatemala and Mexico as a solo female traveler and I’m currently taking two months to travel solo through parts of Southeast Asia. Throughout my travels, I’ve learned that most people, especially people from the United States, have been conditioned to believe that traveling to foreign lands can be dangerous. Most of the times these same fears would not be applied to many national-based destinations. In no way am I saying that it’s completely safe in any of these foreign countries, but the fears that you or others around you have are only false perceptions created by the media and by the fear of the unknown.
This fear might deter other solo female travelers from exploring foreign destinations, but as long as you have common sense and practice the below-mentioned safety tips you’ll be fine.
Before you read this, the purpose of this article isn’t to scare anyone into not traveling, but it’s written to make solo female travelers more aware and to lessen the threat of any harm being done to them. These tips can also be carried and implemented throughout everyday life.
1. Never tell people that you’re traveling alone.
This rule is especially true with transportation drivers, such as taxis. People with bad intentions might view you traveling alone as an opportunity for them to conduct ill behavior. If the question is asked, always tell them that you are with friends or your husband.
2. Speaking of a husband, wear a fake wedding band.
Depending on the cultural climate, you’ll get approached… A LOT! Men will take their chance at flirting and will ask if you’re single. Please DON’T EVER TELL THEM THAT YOU ARE. If you do, you’ll be opening up the flood gates for a stalker-type situation. To keep the conversation from going any further, it’s best to wear a simple non-flashy wedding band so men can see, as “proof”, that you’re married. Unfortunately, you or your relationship status won’t be respected unless they see that you are married and are traveling with your husband.
3. Walk like you know where you’re going, even when you’re lost.
You already stand out as a traveler so please don’t make this worst by looking like you don’t know where you’re going. Pulling out your phone or a map in public as you’re walking to your destinations screams “EASY TARGET”. If you’re lost, ask another woman for directions, an elder, or go into a local business to get assistance.
Believe it or not, my current trip traveling through Southeast Asia has been the first time where I’ve gotten a sim card. I didn’t have one in Mexico or in Guatemala, therefore I was unable to rely on the mobile Google Maps to direct me from destination to destination. I had to look up directions to the potential places that I wanted to visit and forced myself to memorize certain streets and areas.
4. Learn the basics of the language prior to visiting.
Locals tend to have a better appreciation for travelers that can communicate in their spoken language and will be a lot more helpful towards you. Also, it’ll be easier to navigate through your chosen country if you have a basic understanding of the language. You never know what situation you might be in and might not have the privilege of having someone to assist you in the English language.
I was a bit lucky since I already had a natural affinity for the Spanish language. There were words and phrases that I already knew, but once I figured out I was going to visit a Spanish speaking country I made sure to take my Spanish lessons more seriously. While in Guatemala, I was traveling by shuttle bus from Antigua to Lake Atitlan. The shuttle bus driver purposely dropped me off in the wrong village with all of my luggage & camera gear. The correct town that I was supposed to be in was 45 minutes away by walking. It began to rain and I had absolutely no clue where I was or how to get to where I needed to be. I was frustrated, felt helpless, and was almost in tears. No one spoke English in the village, but because I was able to understand and had a basic understanding of the Spanish language I was able to get to where I needed to be. One of the local villagers, which was a man, was extremely kind enough to drive me to my village when he saw me walking through the mountain pass.
5. Be mindful of the type of tourists you hang out with.
You never know another traveler’s full intention, level of respect to the locals, or common sense. They could get you in a terrible situation or make you a target for other people with ill intent.
6. Limit your late night outs and always switch up your route to go home.
Rember, you’re a tourist and you stick out. Women walking alone by themselves as well as women who always take the same route to their accommodation makes it very easy for someone to figure out your routine to do harm to you. If you do choose to go out at night, be extra cautious, take a taxi home, or have someone that you trust, preferably another female traveler, to stay at your accommodation with you for the night as you all take the journey home together.
7. Understand the cultural climate and dress code of the country that you’re visiting.
You’re already going to get a lot of stares by being a solo female traveler, especially by being a Black woman. To prevent extra unwanted attention and even from breaking the law, be sure you dress similarly as the locals do. This doesn’t mean you have to wear their cultural garb, but many people and the government in more conservative destinations frown upon women showing a lot of skin. This also applies to beach attire. Places, such as the Maldives, do not allow women to wear bikinis on most of their public beaches.
8. Limit your alcohol consumption.
There’s nothing worse than a turn-up filled day or night to go horribly wrong. If you know that you want to have a few drinks, be smart about it and opt for “letting loose” at a hotel’s bar/restaurant where you have the option of booking a room for the night. Hopefully, you have befriended another solo female traveler by this point, which will make your day/night of fun even safer.
9. Research the local scams prior before arriving at your destination.
Many places such as countries in Southeast Asia have popular scams that they run on tourists in order to get more money, to take your identification, or to steal your valuables. Be aware of these and don’t be a victim.
10. Know when to save and when to splurge
Don’t sacrifice being cheap over your safety. If you’re on a budget, this might be a hard concept to follow. I splurge, within my financial means, on accommodations and save on things such as food, tours, alcohol, etc.
11. Choose ridesharing platforms such as Uber, Lyft, or Grab (Asia).
Ridesharing platforms tend to be more expensive than public transportation, but are almost always cheaper than taxies. In Southeast Asia taxies are notorious for overcharging you, ripping you off, and can be a bit sketchy. Most times you will have to negotiate your fair and will have to ask them, maybe even several times, for them to put their meter on.
I’ve had an experience, while in Bangkok, where the taxi driver was a totally different person than what was shown on the displayed taxi license information. I did not become aware of this until I was a few minutes away from my destination. This could have been a different outcome if the driver was interested in doing harm to me. To prevent this situation all together, ridesharing apps are 100 times more regulated, contains your pickup and dropoff information, tracks your route, and has all of the driver’s pertinent details.
12. Always have the information of where you are staying.
This helps if you get lost or if someone needs assistance finding out where your accommodation is. Get the business card and have a screenshot of the Google Map drop pin location of your hotel. The business card will have the written name, address, and phone number. The Google Map screenshot, which I think is way more important than the hotel’s business card, will show the overall surrounding area of your location. This will include nearby streets, landmarks, as well as other businesses. Screenshots of my location have helped me in many situations in Mexico to get me to the correct destination.
13. Have protection with you at all times.
Again, you never know what type of situation you might be in and you’ll want to be protected by any means necessary. Carry a knife or be sure to get self-defense training before you leave your home country. You can also take extra preventative measures by purchasing a portable door alarm to notify you of potential break-in’s.
14. Don’t carry all of your money in your wallet.
Keep a few of your smaller bills in your wallet for easy access and your bigger bills in your bra or waistband of your bottoms. If someone is trying to rob you they will only have access to your smaller bills that are in your wallet. Also, carrying smaller bills in your wallet helps when you’re out shopping when bargaining for lower prices or from being quoted a higher price due to the fact that the salesperson sees that you have larger bills.
15. Don’t carry big bags or purses
This might seem like a no brainer to some, but I’ve seen more than a few solo female travelers carrying around purses when they’re out. Carrying purses makes you an easy target to get robbed. Opt for a small crossbody bag or a basic fanny pack. These options are also great because it allows your hands and arms to move around freely.
16. Always send your location to people you trust.
Send family and friends your location, Google Pins, and even your daily itinerary. This is especially crucial for when you will be leaving for a new destination. This will be of tremendous assistance if something were to ever happen to you while in route to your destination.
17. Don’t share your specific location on social media in-time.
During your time at a restaurant, beach, accommodation, etc. it can be tempting to let people know how much fun you’re having on social media during the moment. However, please refrain from doing so and wait until you have completely left your location before tagging it on social media. Tagging your in-time location makes it easy for others to find you.
18. Don’t tell strangers where you are staying.
There’s absolutely no reason why someone should meet up with you at your accommodation. Meet up with people that you’ve just met at popular landmarks instead.
19. Refrain from being too friendly with any of the local men that you meet.
This has been a hard one for me to follow because of the rural Southern American culture that I have been raised in. Most people speak or smile when acknowledging the presence of others. In foreign countries, often times, women that smile or that are friendly towards the opposite sex are seen as being forward or showing interest. Unless your instincts say otherwise, learn to keep the conversation brief and to the point, even if you feel as though you’re being rude. I’ve been practicing my RBF (Resting Bitch Face) when I come in contact with men.
20. Trust your intuition
There is no cookie cutter approach to solo female travel. What works for me might not be the best for you. In every situation your intuition is priority. If something doesn’t feel right or if you get an inkling that you should not be doing something, please listen to it. It’s your higher self directing you out of harm’s way.
These are great tips – thank you!
It can be daunting traveling as a female on your own, often due to speculation from others, but if anyone is confident, up for an adventure and follow these guidelines, definitely have nothing to worry about! The beauty of solo travel is the ability to immerse yourself in the community and to stumble upon those moments of international connection organically on your own. Here, I would like to add, pretended to married was not the right thing. Safety for women is always a concern weither you are married or single! And there’s another beautiful blog I would like to share with you, which also created for safety tips for solo female travelers. https://bit.ly/2XiX1YU
It would be awesome if you can check this out and share your little feedback with me.