4 Do’s and Don’ts For Women Traveling Alone
Traveling solo can be a wonderful adventure for anyone, but women need to be especially cautious when deciding to take a trip alone. This article outlines 4 do’s and don’ts that a woman planning to travel alone should take into consideration.
Do: Always let someone know where you will be
Most of us have Smartphones now and can easily text and email our loved ones. If you’re traveling alone, it’s a good idea to keep at least one friend updated on your whereabouts and what time you expect to be back at your hotel. While it might seem annoying to check in constantly, it is a safety measure that solo travelers should take. If anything happens and you don’t make it back to your hotel, your friend can let others know your last location. Don’t publicly announce online where you will be or that you’re traveling alone. While you think that only your friends and family can see your posts, it’s more likely that other people will see them also.
Don’t: Wear or carry valuables
If you wear a lot of jewellery while traveling, you become a target for anyone who wants to steal things worth money. When you’re on vacation it’s important that you leave the valuables at home. If you want to bring a few nice pieces to wear to dinner, don’t wear them when you’re going out touring the city. Leave them hidden in your hotel room until you ant to wear them. To be as safe as possible, only bring one or two pieces that you’d like to wear. This same advice goes for fancy handbags. Leave the fancy, expensive ones at home and bring basic bags to use. Anything that makes you look like you have a lot of money will make you more of a target.
Do: Pay attention to your surroundings
Even if you are shy and tend to look at your phone or the ground while you walk, it’s important that you act more confident on your travels. If you appear to be timid, you can easily become a target for bad people. You will be less likely to be attacked or approached if you hold your head high and look people in their eyes. If you look like you’re not paying attention to things and people around you, you’ll be a target for those who might want to grab someone off the street.
Don’t: Go anywhere private with a stranger
Even if you think you’ve fallen in love, do not go anywhere alone with the man. Don’t bring him back to your hotel room either because that is just as dangerous. You don’t want to be alone with someone you’ve just met because despite wanting to look for the good in people, it’s easy to be scammed by bad people who want your money or to hurt you. Always stay in public areas when interacting with strangers.
If you’re a woman who plans to travel alone, take all the safety precautions you can, but don’t make yourself paranoid about what could possibly happen. As long as you know you’re doing what you can to keep yourself safe, you should feel secure.
