The second question I get asked after “how do you make money traveling” is “who do you travel with?” Now I’m not going to lie, most of the time I travel with my boyfriend, however, I love traveling alone! When I travel alone I come alive. Traveling alone gives you so much more than traveling with someone else. It forces you to come out of your comfort zone and be someone you might have never thought you could be. Next time your planning a trip I dare you to go alone. Don’t think about it, just go.
Although I love traveling solo, as a female the honest truth is that sometimes it can suck. Sometimes guys will hoot and holler at you and make you feel like you’d rather be invisible. I’ve been there. But after years of this I use the nasty glare and stare tactic, sometimes telling them to “eat shit.” If they look scary I don’t go that far, I just ignore them completely. It makes them feel like complete idiots, it’s pretty hilarious. But the reality of it is that some girls won’t be as forthcoming with their feelings and actions and they may be scared to travel alone. I get it, I even feel that way sometimes but you can do it. I truly believe any female can travel alone if they’re smart. YOU HAVE TO BE SMART. Here are some tips for
Smart Solo Female Travel
1: USE COMMON SENSE
If you’re near a dark alley, avoid it! If a creepy dude is trying to talk to you, ignore him! Use common sense and make smart decisions. You’re not being rude, you’re being smart.
2: BE AN ACTRESS
Pretend you always know where you are. If you’re worried about your location don’t take out your huge map and stare at it in front of a ton of people. Pop in a café and regroup. Use their wifi or pull out your map and find where you are. Looking like a tourist can put a target on your back.
3: NEVER GET BOMBED AT THE CLUB
If you drink do it for enjoyment, not to the point where you don’t know where you are. Of course you want to have a good time, you’re on vacation, but unfortunately you must always be aware.
4: TRY TO BE THE FLY ON THE WALL, NOT THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM
I’m sorry I can’t help but be honest here, don’t dress too skanky. I love my crop tops, wear them ALLLL the time, but usually I’m with a group of people or my boyfriend. When I travel alone I try to attract as little attention to myself as possible. Try to be invisible. I was in Kingston, Jamaica this year…one of the most “dangerous” (not really) places in the world. These two girls were wearing “outfits” to Coronation Market (a market in the heart of Kingston) that looked like they were from Fredrick’s lingerie store. Every guy was staring and saying things to them. One of the girls got her gold bracelet ripped off of her arm during this outing. I’m not trying to judge here, but maybe if she was a little bit more covered up no one would’ve even noticed us.
5: ALWAYS KNOW WHERE YOU ARE
Orient yourself and be familiar with your surroundings. Try to remember how far you are from your hostel. I know new places can be confusing when you get there but try to remember landmarks rather than signs. This helps me a lot with knowing where I am.
6: USE CAUTION WHEN MEETING NEW PEOPLE
Never trust someone you just met, always use caution when meeting anyone new. I can’t tell you the amount of travel friends I’ve made over the past couple of years, but I always use caution. We’ve all seen “Taken.” Don’t take a cab with a cute guy because he suggests it. This isn’t to scare you. I’ve never had a scary encounter traveling my entire life but ANYTHING can happen.
7: GET AN INTERNATIONAL DATA PLAN OR A SIM CARD ABROAD
You should have access to Internet if you absolutely need it. This comes in handy in so many situations. Even if you don’t use your data plan (usually around $15-60/month) you’ll feel safer knowing you have it if you need it.
8: ASK YOUR HOTEL OR HOSTELS FOR TIPS
If you’re staying at a hotel or a hostel talk to the front desk or check-in and tell them you’re traveling alone. See if there’s any places in town they suggest you visit, or if there’s any they suggest you avoid. You can simply say, “I’m traveling alone is there anywhere I should avoid during the day or at night?” In Chile the people at our hostel advised my friend and I we should stay out of an area because it was very dangerous. Scary enough this area was only 6 blocks from our hostel, imagine if we didn’t have that information and we were just wandering around for fun? Always ask questions.
9: CHECK IN FREQUENTLY
Check in with your family from home and let them know where you’re headed for the day or the next day. That way in the .000000001% chance something were to happen, someone has an idea of where you are.
10: BE CAUTIOUS OF YOUR BAGS AND BELONGINGS
I say this for a few reasons. The first being theft. I NEVER had anything stolen from me in my life until a few months ago. I had food poisoning and was taking a bus from the hostel to the airport in the middle of the night in Sri Lanka. A man offered to place my bag on the floor next to me because I was visibly sick. I first resisted but he persisted again and again. After the third time of him tugging on my backpack I gave in. I thought he was being nice. He was just setting it down on the floor next to me, right? Wrong. It was 2am, it was dark and somehow he situated my bag so he could reach in, feel around and find my massive wallet at the bottom of my bag. How he managed to do this I’m still unsure of (Houdini) but the fact is that I let me guard down for one second and shit went haywire. He stole my wallet, containing not only all my money and all my credit cards, but also my passport. I was supposed to be leaving Sri Lanka that morning because I was so sick, but unfortunately couldn’t leave without a passport. It was a nightmare, lesson learned: don’t trust anyone and don’t let anyone touch your stuff, ever.
11: BE CONFIDENT
If you have to tell someone they’re making you feel uncomfortable or want to remove yourself from a situation then do it. Traveling makes you grow and makes you a more confident person despite if you want it to or not. Seriously take charge of your life and make your trip everything YOU want it to be.
12: CARRY MACE
I know this may sound a little overboard but to me it makes me feel safe. I’ve never actually used it in my four plus years of being on the road. I mainly carry it in my hand at night if I’m walking home from somewhere, it makes me feel more comfortable. Obviously always use caution and know which way you’re pointing it. You can buy some off ebay for $3-4.
Smart Solo Female Travel will make you a better woman. I encourage every female to do it once in their lifetime. Even if it’s a day-trip to the beach, that’s a solo trip. Start small 🙂
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