Solo Travel For Women: How To Stay Safe
In this post-pandemic world, people are eager to step out of their comfort zones and embark on a voyage to explore the unexplored, especially women. The craze for solo travel is nothing new, however, with each passing year the number of women interested in solo traveling is rising rapidly.
Solo travel brings an individual the experience of a lifetime. As you explore the outside world; you get to explore within yourself too. When you’re away from all your worries and distress from everyday life and spend time with only yourself, it brings you peace, self-realization, and enlightenment. However, the first and foremost thing that gets in the way of solo traveling is the safety concern. Studies show that several women do not opt for solo travel only because they’re concerned about their safety and security. Traveling alone may bring you an exhilarating experience, but only if you’re smart enough to take the safety precautions.
Here are some ways you can be safe while traveling alone:
- Do Your Research Thoroughly
We usually do a minimal amount of research before traveling to a new place. But, while traveling alone, you need to do a thorough research. For instance, how’s the locality around your hotel, is there any particular place that has a bad reputation for crime, is it safe to go outside after dark among others? Make sure you’re aware of the public transport system, currency, and a few phrases in the local language.
2. Reach Out To Other Travellers
If you’re staying at a hostel or sharing accommodation with other travelers, make sure you exchange numbers so that you have a contact to call if something goes wrong.
3. Pack Your Luggage Wisely
One thing you must avoid is overpacking. Try to keep your luggage light so that you can move around freely and don’t need to take someone’s help to carry your luggage up the staircase or onto public transport. Don’t carry valuable bags or jewellery with you and always try to blend in with the local people. And make sure you carry all the travel essentials while traveling solo.
4. Use Public Transport
A lot of the places have good public transport facilities. In such places try to use public transport as much as possible as they’re usually busy and covered with CCTV. However, if you’re traveling to a place where public transportation is not good, in this situation when you book a cab or taxi make sure you take a photo of the number plate and send a screenshot of your booking to a friend or fellow traveler.
5. Have Your Accommodation Address Written Down
You’ll need to have your accommodation address written down if you’re traveling to a place where you don’t speak or understand the native language. Especially in the countries that don’t use English alphabets. In such circumstances, if you get into any trouble you can show the address to any native or non-English speaker, and they’ll direct you to your accommodation.
-Staff Reporter
