For modern independent women, there’s nothing quite like exploring new places around the world with just you, yourself, and time. Regardless of your confidence or travel experience, you must understand the significance of safety for your empowering journey.
You never know how a trip will turn out until you step out of your comfort zone and traverse an unfamiliar place. For this reason, you should always strive to build safety into your travel experience with routine habits, strategies, and plans of action. Here are a few key safety tips for the adventurous solo female traveler to embrace.
Choose Your Destinations Wisely
Planning trips and scoping out the best destinations can be just as enjoyable as traveling itself. When checking out possible beaches, cities, mountains, or places to explore, do your due diligence and look at critical safety information. Along with reading a well-compiled solo travel guide to Colorado or wherever you’d like to go, plan ahead to safeguard yourself along your journey.
You can find beneficial insight on countries, states, and cities from other solo female travelers on the web. Use this information to consider the safest neighborhoods and determine the areas you should avoid. Mull over how you plan to get around and whether you should steer clear of public transportation or walking at night. Look into lodging options and each location’s health and safety ratings. Above all, use common sense if partaking in local adventure sports, nature explorations, or risky recreational activities.
Stay Aware and Blend Into Your Surroundings
Simply being alone—and a female—leaves a vulnerable target on your back these days. Yet, you’re not completely unguarded. To keep thieves, criminals, or swindlers safely at arm’s length, stay aware of your surroundings and strive to walk with confidence, even if you’re lost or uneasy. Be wary of trusting strangers too quickly. If something feels amiss or you’re getting a bad vibe from an individual, use your wits to find a way around the situation.
When traveling and exploring, keep your personal belongings close to you on planes, trains, buses, taxis, or whichever mode of transportation you find yourself using. A surefire way to sidestep presenting yourself as an easy target is doing anything you can to blend in. This may mean dressing appropriately for the culture or environment, avoiding getting carried away in the moment, and being respectful of local laws and customs. Remember, your personal safety is a responsibility to take seriously.
Always Trust Your Intuition
Trusting your gut is another leading safety tip for the adventurous solo female traveler. Traveling alone requires constant decision-making. As experienced travelers know, there’s nothing like the power of human intuition when making decisions. Do not feel ashamed to say no or walk away from certain situations.
Listen to your gut if something doesn’t feel right when assessing people or places. Your raw instincts can recognize when something is off before even rationalizing the feeling.
The reality of traveling is that there are no safety absolutes. Hoping for the best experience—but preparing for the worst—is essential for making the most of every joyful moment and safeguarding your well-being for the adventures yet to come.
