At one point in our lives, most of us have found an amazing trip, reached out to our friends, and shared this amazing find, and get excited about the possibility of taking a super fun vacation with your friends! However, instead of spending your time talking about all the fun you all will have, you are spending your time trying to convince your friends to join you. At least one friend can go, right?
Travelling alone, as a woman, could be a possibility you tell yourself. “After all, everyone is doing it”, you tell yourself. Single women traveling alone should not be an issue, right?
Having a talk with yourself before your first trip is normal. Sometimes, as a woman traveling alone, you must talk yourself through your fears and comfort level. I have been there! I get it. You are going to a new place, and the thought of traveling alone can seem a bit daunting.
All you want is to have a good time with the least amount of stress.
Solo trips for women traveling alone, can not only be safe, but can still be fun at the same time. No matter where you go or where you travel, you should always take precautions, even when you are hanging out in your own hometown.
Do not let the lack of friends willing to travel or the fear of traveling alone keep you from seeing the world.
Here are 8 Solo Female Travel Safety Tips for you to practice.
- Arrive at your destination as early as possible. If you are flying into a destination, make sure that you arrive as early as possible, so that you can arrive during daylight hours. The last thing you want is to arrive at the airport late at night and then still must get into a car with a stranger and drive for an hour to your resort. Plan your trip in such a way that you are making allowances for the time it takes you to get through the airport and travel to your resort and it still be daylight hours.
- Use a reputable transportation company. If you are my client (hint hint), you can feel confident that your transportation services will be with a reputable company. In the event that you are booking your own transportation, the best practice is to book with a reputable company and book it in advance.
If you are unable to arrive at your destination before dark, it is better to have your transportation reserved rather than spending hours trying to find transportation at night. You do not know what you might get.
In the transportation area of many airports, there are numerous people offering help and extremely low rates. Be aware of extremely helpful people willing to take you anywhere. It is not worth saving a few bucks to take the chance of putting yourself in any kind of danger.
- Do not tell your driver that you are traveling alone. When you get into the car, the driver will most likely ask you if you are traveling alone. It never fails! I normally make up a story, for example, “my friends are waiting for me at the resort” or “I got in a little early, my friends are right behind me.” As much as we are proud of ourselves for taking that solo trip, it is not wise to boast and brag about it to your driver. Just keep that tad bit of information to yourself.
- Book your accommodation prior to arrival. If you think you can just arrive at your destination and find somewhere to stay, I have got some news for you, it might not always work out for you. I made the mistake, one time traveling to Daytona, FL, thinking that it was more important for me to just get there, and I will figure everything out once I got there. Afterall…. how hard would it be to get a hotel room? Everywhere was booked. I ended up staying in some dumpy motel on the outskirts of town where I was constantly uncomfortable and felt unsafe. I also spent hours trying to find an available hotel and when I finally found one it was late at night. Do not make the same mistakes I did! Be prepared and ensure you have a safe place to rest your head.
- Safety over savings. This travel safety tip is my motto! I will not compromise savings over my safety. No shade to other people, however, I am not a fan of couch surfing or stay in a hostel with a group of strangers, and I am sure as hell not going to travel, in a bus, surrounded by farm animals just to save a few coins. That might be your thing if you feel safe with that option. It is not me. I am more than willing to add a few extra dollars to my budget to ensure my safety and peace-of-mind at a resort or a decent hotel room.
- Leave a copy of your itinerary with someone you trust. This tip serves multiple purposes. First, if something happens, at home, and someone needs to get in touch with you, they know where to find you. Second, if no one has heard from you or you missed your check-in time, then your family and friends will have an idea of your route and schedule and have information on how to start looking for you or find you.
- Keep friends and family informed on a regular basis. Set a schedule with at least one person on when you will check in with them. When I did my solo trip to Jamaica, I checked in with my mom daily. It was more for her peace-of-mind, but it did provide that level of comfort for both of us. Now, you might find that a daily check-in is a bit much for you. You can decide with the person that you will be contacting how often they should expect to hear from you. This is important because that lets the person know that if you miss a scheduled check-in, they need to be on alert because something may have happened to you.
- Be vigilant when you party. I am not saying do not have fun. Just try to not make yourself a target. Do not go flaunting those diamond rings, wearing overly revealing clothing, or getting blackout drunk. It is different when you are traveling with friends because you are looking out for each other. When you are traveling alone, you must be looking out for yourself and have your own back, and that means being responsible when you decide to go out to the club, bar, or partake in the local nightlife.
When traveling solo, my senses are heightened, but not to the point where I stop enjoying my vacation. You do not have to spend your entire solo trip looking over your shoulder and worrying about being safe. Have a great time. Enjoy your vacation. Make lasting memories. Just be aware of your surroundings and if it does not feel right, listen to your gut.