Tips for Solo Travel as a Female
According to a statistic by Gutsy Traveler, women are generally more likely to travel solo than men, as 73% of travel agents have reported. In fact, 26% of millennial women have traveled alone. Thinking about venturing out on your own solo female adventure? Here are some tips to consider.
Image by Bayu in Bali for Flytographer
Share your travel itinerary with family, where you are staying and the sights you plan to see prior to traveling.
Do your research. What is the language, what is their currency, how do they dress? The more information you can find out about the country you plan to visit, the more comfortable you will be when you arrive. Learning basic greetings in their language is also recommended.
Whenever possible, have an international plan or way to use your cell phone during your trip.
Don’t post stories/photos tagged to your location until you have left that location, or better yet wait until the end of the day. I’d also recommend not tagging the location of where you are staying until you are gone.
Don’t tell strangers you are traveling alone. Whenever I am asked if I am traveling alone during my travels, I will typically respond with something like “Oh my husband is here for work I am exploring while he is busy”. Obviously, this might not always work or be feasible depending on your trip, but the bottom line is not to broadcast that you are alone.
Have copies of your birth certificate and passport easily accessible in the cloud such as Dropbox or Google drive in case of emergencies. When you venture out for the day, leave some cash and at least one credit card in the safe in your room just in case something happens to your wallet or bag.
Be aware of your surroundings. Though solo travel is intrinsically safe, petty crimes such as pickpocketing can occur in some of the more crowded and tourist-dense locations. Make sure your valuables can’t be easily grabbed and keep them close to your body.
Don’t overpack. When it’s just yourself you will learn quickly you do not want to haul a heavy suitcase everywhere you go. Packing light will make getting around that much easier.
Keep a travel journal. Not sure where to start? There is a fantastic book by Lavinia Spalding titled Writing Away: A Creative Guide to Awakening the Journal-Writing Traveler. It’s filled with countless ideas and prompts on how to get started in travel journaling, even if it’s just jotting down random things from your day. For instance, one sentence in my travel journal from Bali is “naked grandma on the side of the road in a fountain.” The travel journal is a fantastic way to document even the smallest details of your trip that you might not recall ten years from now.
Enjoy the journey. Solo travel gives you the opportunity to plan your own itinerary, eat wherever you want and explore on your own terms. Take a moment during your trip and really soak it in.
This article was originally written for the June, 2023 issue of United on the RoK and can be found here.
