In this blog post, I will share all the tips that I have gathered from 4 avid solo female travellers (Deirdre, Evelina, Amie & Tally) that took time to share their knowledge with me. This is the second post in the solo female travel series. So let me take you through the 12 tips for solo female travellers…
Give the girls a follow on Instagram by clicking their names (Deirdre, Evelina, Tally & Amie) to follow along on their mad adventures.
Go To:
- Keep your valuables safe
- Trust your instincts
- Don’t tell strangers you are travelling alone
- Review accommodation well
- Research the area
- Stay connected
- Reserve cash & bank card
- Get home before dark
- Make location known to family/friends
- Join online communities
- Be careful with your phone
- Join group tours
- Stay in hostels
- Dress appropriately
- Just do it!
Take a look at my recent post on ‘cheap places to travel as a solo female‘ for more helpful information.
1. Keep your valuables safe
Top tip number 1 is to keep your valuables safe. Don’t go out with your passport with you, leave it in a safe place. If you are out in a busy place, put your backpack on your front. Plus, keep all your valuables including your phone and money physically on you in a bum bag.
2. Trust your instincts
The second tip is to trust your instincts. If you feel uncomfortable, remove yourself from the situation. Always ensure you have your wits about you.
3. Don’t tell strangers you are travelling alone
Tally advises that it is a good idea to tell strangers you are travelling with a partner or in a group in case they may take advantage.
4. Review accommodation well
Deirdre talks about making sure to research your accommodation well – ensure it is in a safe place & a good area! She tends to stay away from train stations as it can attract some strange characters. Evelina mentions the importance of checking that the hostel has good reviews from other travellers.
5. Research the area
Evelina highlights the importance of doing your research “Before you arrive, research the area you’ll be visiting to learn about the local culture and potential safety concerns”.
6. Stay connected
The next tip for solo female travellers is to stay connected. Evelina highlights the importance of keeping your phone charged & making sure you have a local sim for accessing the internet. Keeping a portable charger on you is very important in case you run out of battery.
7. Reserve cash & bank card
Tally talks about how emergency cash is handy to have, in case you lose your bank card. Multiple bank cards can be really useful too. I know in Bali, it can be easy to leave your card in an ATM, so in this case extra bank cards can come in really handy.
8. Get home before dark
Dierdre says that if she is going for dinner solo, to go that bit earlier, so you are not walking home in the dark. Just avoid walking on your own at night.
9. Make location known to family/friends
Make sure your family or partner or friends know whereabouts you are and for how long you are there for, not necessarily an exact location. They will also appreciate you letting them know.
The Polarsteps app is useful – if you keep it turned on when you are away and get your parents/close friends/partner to follow you on it. They can stay updated with your location.
10. Join online communities
Tally joined online communities, such as Facebook groups, which she found really helpful. Type in backpacking and the region you want to visit and join some groups. The travel squad Facebook group has been really helpful for Tally for sharing tips.
11. Be careful with your phone
Amie speaks about the importance of not being obvious about being on maps on your phone. She mentions a good tip is to wear headphones and have maps playing in your ears.
Tally mentions in particular in South America when you are taking out your phone, do it subtly, pull into a nearby building to check it.
12. Join group tours
Evelina says it is a good idea to join a group tour to explore the area. Check out some group tours for the area you are in on Get Your Guide. There is safety in numbers and it is a good way to meet new people.
13. Stay in hostels
Stay in hostels to make it easier to meet people. Some hostels organise events that you can join too so that makes it easy to socialise. Staying in hostels are usually much cheaper so it also helps keep the cost down. Check out Hostelworld for a huge variety of hostels globally available to book.
14. Dress appropriately
Evelina highlights that it is important to dress appropriately. This will help avoid unwanted attention while showing respect to the local culture.
15. Just do it!
Deirdre says if you have any reservations about solo travel, just do it! You do not have to compromise with anyone, you can just do what you want to do.
Amie says that the hardest one to do is the first one but it is very liberating. You can pick up and go whenever you want.
I hope you enjoyed these tips for solo female travellers. Let me know your thoughts below. Plus, be sure to subscribe for more.
Thanks for reading,
Lisa