I have been travelling solo for 8 years now! wow…time flies. Over the years I have had to learn the best ways to stay safe when travelling solo. Travelling solo as a woman in some countries is still taboo. I haven’t had many disastrous incidents in all my travels to be fair…but it’s better to be safe than sorry right? So let me share my solo female travel safety tips with you.
1. You are not obligated to tell anyone that you’re travelling alone. Especially when speaking to taxi drivers or people you barely know. I always tell the taxi drivers that “my friend is arriving tomorrow morning”
2. Keep your money in multiple places. Having your money in one place can be a disaster if you lose your purse It’s better to divide your money between different locations. I sometimes keep a few bank notes in my bra. You could also invest in underwear with pockets to conceal some cash.
3. In some places…men like to harass female tourists and will happily follow you around even if you ignore them. My advice would be to fake a phone call and speak as if you are about to meet the person on the phone. If that doesn’t work then scream (haha). I’m actually being serious, and I had to do that once because a guy wouldn’t accept that I didn’t want to go out to dinner with him. I screamed in the middle of the street and he ran off in 0.5 seconds.
4. Be mindful of how much alcohol you drink. There is nothing wrong with having a couple of drinks, but try to avoid being drunk enough to the point where you are staggering around. In some destinations, it’s quite common for tourists to end up getting robbed or assaulted when they are drunk.
5. Be careful what you post on social media. I usually post my whole day’s events in the evening after I have left the locations in the photos. The reality is…you don’t know who could be tracking your movements and potentially following you around. This might sound a bit dramatic but it does happen.
6. Consider investing in a doorstop alarm. You place it under your hotel door and the alarm will go off if someone tries to open it. I used this during my trip to Porto because I was staying in an apartment. There have been many Airbnb horror stories about creepy hosts coming back into the apartment during the night. Click here to see the one I bought.
7. Share your location with friends or family. This means that someone will know where you are at all times. If you are travelling for an extended period of time, then it may be worth sharing your itinerary too if you have planned one (dates, countries/cities, accommodation address, flight numbers).
8. Don’t wear expensive things. It’s worth leaving your designer bags and gold necklaces/watches at home when you travel. In some places, tourists are identified due to wearing expensive things, and this can make them a target for theft. I personally do not wear any branded things when I travel solo. My holiday wardrobe is mostly from Shein or Primark.
9. Buy travel insurance. This is going to protect you in the event of an emergency. You never know whether you will fall ill or have your valuables stolen. This is a tip that I myself need to take on board because I have only bought travel insurance once. Funnily enough…it was also the one time I ended up in hospital abroad!
10. Arrive during the day. It’s a lot safer to arrive during the day when a lot of people are out. The chances are you will be looking for your accommodation, and you don’t want to appear lost on your own in the middle of the dark. I have actually chosen not to book flights because it would mean landing in the middle of the night.
So…those are my solo female travel safety tips. I hope you found this helpful! You might want to read about the positive things I have gained from solo travel.
Follow my blog with Bloglovin
I love travelling solo. I wouldn’t like to change anything about it. These tips you have provided are excellent ideas – thanks for sharing!
Great tips for female bloggers traveling solo. Fun and safety go hand in hand!
A door stop alarm is a great idea! Saving this list for whenever I get brave enough to solo travel! Thanks!
You’re welcome 🙂
You are one of the best bloggers on this platform, and I am very thankful to you for sharing this information with all blog readers. We are a tour and travel company. For Tour and Travel packages, Please visit our website.
As a solo female traveler myself, I found your post very helpful and reassuring. You have shared some excellent safety tips that I will definitely keep in mind for my future trips. I agree that it’s important to do your research, trust your instincts, be aware of your surroundings and have a backup plan. I also liked your advice on how to dress appropriately, communicate with your family and friends, and have fun. Traveling solo can be an empowering and rewarding experience, and your post encourages more women to do it. Thank you for this inspiring and practical post!
These are all great tips! I typically post on social media about where I’ve been only after I’ve already left the area. Better to be safe than sorry! Also (finally) recently started paying for travel insurance!
These are some great tips and things every traveller should be aware of! Thanks for sharing!
These are great tips even if your traveling with friends too. Thank you for this information.
Its so unfortunately that we have think so much about such things, but these are incredible suggestions! Absolutely agree that you should never tell strangers that you are travelling alone.