Travel Confidently Utilizing These Solo Travel Tips To Stay Safe As A Female Traveler

Are you planning your first solo trip and are concerned about your safety? Or maybe you’ve always wanted to go on a solo trip but you just can’t shake the feeling that something bad might hapen to you. While I cannot guarantee your absolute safety with these solo travel tips – because let’s be real: People experience horrible things around the world every day – if you use a bit of common sense and take extra precautions you most likely will end up completely safe and unharmed.

Staying safe while traveling is extremely important. Especially if you are traveling solo or as a female. When traveling with others, your group usually protects you by making you less of a target or providing backup when there’s. a situation.

When you travel solo, others might see you as vulnerable and target you or you have less bandwidth to notice every single thing. And traveling as a female has it’s own host of issues such as not being strong enough to fight off a male attacker, attracting male attention, etc.

If you still aren’t sure about whether or not to give solo travel a try, read here to see if I can convince you. It’s the best – I promise! Now let’s dive into these solo travel tips for safety.

Solo Travel Tips: Safety For Solo Female Travelers

Traveling Safe Has 2 Main Components:

1. Are your belongings safe and secure?

2. Are you being exposed to dangerous situations?

And when it comes down to it, both are important but your personal safety is of utmost importance. While it’s impossible to guarantee your personal safety and security of your items, there are ways to minimize the chances of anything happening to you using these solo travel tips. I count myself very fortunate, that in my 6 years of traveling that nothing serious has ever happened to me.

This is despite putting myself into some not ideal scenarios like letting a stranger take me to their house, being locked in a cave with a crazy man, and taking “things” off the floor. I have had my fair share of scams and I’ve definitely “lost” several of my items. I don’t know whether my carelessness caused this or if I was a victim of theft. In fact, I am still “losing” things to this day when I travel.

All this to say, your safety is very important. And I know we tend to let our guard down when we are somewhere feeling “safe”, but that term is relative and there is no way to really know if you are safe. Feelings can deceive you. Bad things happen to people all the time and I really don’t want anything to happen to you if we can prevent it! Nothing will ruin a place for you than to have something traumatic happen there.

Solo Travel Tips: Safety For Solo Female Travelers

Keep Your Belongings Safe And Secure

Traveling solo has a disadvantage that there is only one of you. This means you may not be able to see everything happening from all angles and you don’t have anyone to watch your stuff if you need to run to the restroom. Even if you aren’t traveling solo, there are still situations that can occur that everyone who is traveling should be aware of to prevent it.

Here are some solo travel tips for female travelers to adhere to:

Solo Travel Tips 1:

Carry your backpack/purse in front of you

Any small personal bag, purse or backpack that you are carrying, it is much safer to walk around with it in front of you. Especially when walking through crowds or busy areas. Pick pockets are very sneaky and when you’re constantly getting bumped in to, it will be hard to tell if someone is actually getting into your stuff.

Your zippers can be opened, someone can slip their hand into any open areas, they can slash holes in the bag and slide things out, they can even slash your straps and run off with it. If you carry them in front of you, you’ll have a secure grip on it and will notice if anything funny goes on, and it’ll make you less ideal as a target.

Once in Thailand my ex boyfriend had his bag slashed at a forest rave during the full moon party. They stole his wallet and whatever else was in there and we had no idea because it was crowded and people were bumping into us the whole time. I heard of people having their bags snatched from them while eating at restaurants in Italy and people having their bag straps cut while riding a motorbike in Vietnam. You just never know, so make it a habit to carry your stuff where you have a firm grip on it and can see what’s going on.

Solo Travel Tips 2:

Sleep with your backpack/purse or any expensive gear

If you are staying in a hostel without a locker, put your expensive or valuable things in the bed with you. This will prevent your things from going missing if someone decides to rummage through people’s belongings while sleeping. If you are riding on a sleeper train or bus, or anything for a long period of time where you will be asleep, put your valuables in your seat with you.

I know that a lot of times these seats are really small, but if you leave them out in the public areas someone can easily go around and steal out of your bag. I actually recommend wearing a crossbody purse and sleeping with it on. When I sleep in airports I try to hug around my bags or loop the straps through my legs so I notice any movement.

Solo Travel Tips 3:

Book a hostel with lockers

Not all hostels provide lockers so this is a setting you can filter for when searching for accommodation. Some hostels provide you with a number combination or their own lock. When available, try to use your own padlock. I’d recommend getting a pretty sturdy one, as small ones can easily be broken open.

For example, in Indonesia, I once locked my GoPro in a locker, but someone somehow changed my combination. The security guard just popped it open easily with a screwdriver. Now I make sure to use a sturdy lock.

Solo Travel Tips 4:

Use locks for your bags

When traveling or leaving your stuff in rooms and you don’t feel comfortable (you won’t feel this way in all places, and if you don’t have anything valuable then you will most likely be fine), I’d recommend to put locks on your zippers. Suitcases, travel backpacks and small bags you can secure the zippers together with a small padlock.

There are various sizes so you can be sure to grab one that fits your zipper. Obviously, these locks won’t stop people from stealing the entire bag, but if they are trying to do a quick grab it will prevent them from gaining access.

If it’s broken it’ll be easy to identify if your bag was tampered with. I recently had my Burberry sunglasses “lost” from my bag when I was on a motorbiking trip in Bali. We were at a crowded ferry dock and who knows if we were paying attention closely to our bags as we were waiting in the heat for hours. I don’t know where they ended up but I am almost positive if I had locks on my bags like I usually do, I think I’d still have them.

Solo Travel Tips 5:

Opt to turn the cleaning sign off

If you’re staying somewhere that offers room service, I’d suggest flipping the sign to saying you don’t want it. This will hopefully prevent unnecessary people from entering your room. If you are only staying a couple days this will work fine. If you stay longer and need a clean, you can always ask for one on request.

Solo Travel Tips 6:

Travel with a “fake wallet”

This is useful for when you’re traveling in places where there tends to be police corruption. They may try to stop and issue you a fine for various things in an attempt to extort money off of you. If you show them this fake wallet with just a small bit of cash on you, they may accept this amount and think that is all you have on you. Usually this works because their whole game is to just get money off tourists – no matter the amount.

If you don’t think this happens, it does. I’ve had it happen to me in Indonesia, Thailand and India. I haven’t traveled throughout Africa or South America but I heard from others it has happened to them there as well.

Solo Travel Tips 7:

Don’t keep all of your cash or cards in one place

This is especially helpful if you end up losing your purse/wallet or if you end up getting it stolen. There’s nothing worse than being stuck somewhere without any access to money. It can be a nightmare trying to organize getting a new card or having money sent to you when overseas. By splitting it up, you lessen your chances of being stuck in this position. But do make sure to keep it somewhere inconspicuous.

Once me and my boyfriend flew to Portugal to meet for a trip. He lost his wallet at a bar and I lost my entire bag in an Uber. Both of us now had no access to our physical cards and therefore couldn’t take out any cash. We only could use tap to pay on our phones but the majority of Portugal only took cash. We were very frustrated during that trip.

Solo Travel Tips 8:

Keep copies of your important documents like your passport and visas

It used to be that you needed a paper copy but I think that a digital copy is suffice. This way you don’t run the risk of losing it, as you’ll always have access to the digital copy no matter what. In the event you lose or damage your passport or lose access to your details, you will have a backup to be able to prove your identity.

Solo Travel Tips 9:

Keep your bags close to you when you’re sitting down

Thieves can easily run off with your bags and disappear into a crowd if you have it on the floor or on the table or chair next to you, especially if you aren’t paying attention. I like to keep my bags on the ground between my feet or in my chair with me, nudged between my body and the chair. I mentioned above that people have literally had their bags taken while eating at outdoor restaurants and their bag was sitting in the chair next to them.

This wasn’t while traveling, but once when I was like 17 and working as a hostess at Red Lobster, I was out shopping for Christmas with my $300 paycheck. I had a few bags and went to the toilet and someone stuck their hand under the stall and grabbed my purse without me realizing it. So yeah, be careful. Thieves are opportunists.

Recommendations for the above mentioned solo travel tips for solo female travelers

Pacsafe Bag – This is a slash proof bag. You can also attach this to something secure in your room like a toilet or something similar that’s attached to the building. This can be useful if you have expensive gear like drones, computers, camera, lenses, etc. but you want to leave it in the room if you’re staying somewhere like a hotel or airbnb.

I know you might feel safe leaving your belongings in a place like this but do some research. Lots of people have had their airbnbs, hotels, etc robbed when the person has expensive gear. There’s also a body bag as well if you want something discreet.

Padlocks – These are big and small ones. You can use the big ones for the lockers and the small ones for your luggage, large and small backpacks. Make sure when traveling through the airport if you choose to lock your checked luggage that you use a TSA approved lock. Otherwise they cut it I believe.

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Solo Travel Tips: Safety For Solo Female Travelers

Keep Yourself Out Of Harm’s Way

This is where you want to really pay attention. Solo travel, especially as a female, is increasingly popular all around the world. While social media can paint a pretty, carefree picture, the reality is harmful things happen to women all the time.

When you’re traveling alone you don’t have anyone to watch you back – except yourself. So it’s imperative to keep yourself out of harmful situations to prevent anything bad from happening. There’s also a few precautions you can take that can help you remain safe and secure.

Make sure to follow these solo travel tips for solo female travelers:

Solo Travel Tips 10:

Travel with a powerbank

It’s important that you have your phone on you at all times and that the battery isn’t going to die. When you’re traveling, your days vary. You could be out all day or go on a long trip unexpectedly and not be near a power source. You never want to put yourself in a situation where your phone dies and you aren’t home or no one knows where you are.

Solo Travel Tips 11:

Have a sim card or data for your phone

Make sure that you organize before you land to have an esim or you get one when you arrive. Never allow yourself to be wandering about without any data so that you can easily notify people where you are, look up where you’re going, and call for emergency services.

Solo Travel Tips 12:

Download offline maps

In the event you don’t have phone signal or access to wifi, you never want to be lost. Use an app like maps.me or google maps to download maps in advance so you always know where you are. It’s never a good idea to be lost when you’re traveling alone.

Solo Travel Tips 13:

Tell someone where you’re going and who you’re going with

This might seem like overkill and I’m sure you’ll learn when this is appropriate. If you’re going off with people you just met, I’d let someone know. Especially if this is a date and you met them off a dating app. Or you’re meeting up with someone you met online in any capacity.

You just never know who someone really is until you meet them. Or you are heading out into nature to go hiking. Just let someone know incase no one hears from you, someone will be able to know your last location and who you were with.

I just watched a Netflix documentary on this British girl who was living in New Zealand. She got killed during a date with a guy she met on Tinder. You just never know someone’s intentions. Better safe than sorry.

Solo Travel Tips 14:

Share your location with someone

I’d suggest you have your location permanently sharing with someone when you’re on your trip. That way incase no one hears from you they can have a look at where you’re at and know your last exact location.

Solo Travel Tips 15:

Never tell anyone you’re alone

Honestly this is something I need to get better at. I’ve been traveling for so long that it’s my normal day-to-day life that I forget I need to be more stealth. If you’re in an uber, or checking into an accommodation, or meeting someone while out and they ask if you’re alone – always tell them you’re here with someone. Maybe you’re waiting for them to arrive or you’re heading to meet them. Never let people know you’re alone because then you could become a target.

Solo Travel Tips 16:

Wear a fake ring

Now I don’t do this, but I know a lot of women who travel with a fake wedding ring. The idea here is that people will look at you and see that you’re married and most likely leave you alone. A pretty, single girl who is alone is much more likely to be approached by men.

Solo Travel Tips 17:

Never get too drunk

Normally when you drink at home you have your friends with you and someone is most likely paying attention to you. But when you’re traveling alone, everyone is out having fun and no one really knows how someone else gets when drinking. You want to make sure you are staying sober enough to be able to pay attention to your surroundings. You don’t want to not know how to get home or not remember how the night ended. Again we are talking about being surrounded by strangers, in a strange place. Have fun, but just be smart about it.

Solo Travel Tips 18:

Watch your drinks be made

Don’t accept drinks from people if you didn’t see it being made or opened. This is something we are taught since highschool but just to remind you. I spent a month in South Korea last year and was in a Facebook group where a girl went out with some people she met. She had a drink and the next thing she knows she couldn’t move. Someone had drugged her and it was very scary.

Solo Travel Tips 19:

Don’t walk around in the dark, late at night or in sketchy areas

Again, another one we are taught as kids. I know sometimes you can get comfortable being somewhere and be high on the fun of traveling and forget the basics. Don’t. And also be aware of where you’re at. For example I spent 5 weeks in Cape Town, South Africa. I learned you don’t want to walk anywhere once it’s dark. Even if its just 2 blocks over. Take an uber because people literally get stabbed once it’s dark.

Solo Travel Tips 20:

Use a wedge in your door

This is genius. I always stay in a hostel when I solo travel, meaning I’m alway in a group setting. But I know a lot of older women who travel solo and sleep alone in hotels or airbnbs, etc, and have had people come into their rooms at night. They recommend putting a wedge under the door and this prevents the door from being opened while they sleep.

Solo Travel Tips 21:

Check that the windows are locked

If you are staying somewhere prviate, double check your windows are locked. You never know what creeps could be around and you want to ensure that they can’t get in because someone left a window unlocked. This can help keep your belongings safe too.

Solo Travel Tips 22:

Pay attention in your taxi or uber

It can be easy to get into your ride and scroll on your phone or get to chatting with the driver. But make sure you are paying attention to your trip. You want to ensure that they are following the indicated path and not taking you somewhere else. This is a trick known to make your fare higher and in worst case scenarios a way to do something else shady.

When I was in Capetown, I took a taxi with a girl and the uber was chatting us up nonstop. Next thing I know he pulls into the side of the road where bushes were and tells us we had arrived. I looked at the map and realized we were 30 minutes past where we were supposed to be.

He honestly was chatting us up that much we didn’t even realize the time had passed. Then he proceeded to say he didn’t have an internet and wanted us to cancel the ride and rebook it. I knew it was a scam, for other reasons I don’t feel like typing anymore. In the end we got out of the car when he started acting erratic.

Solo Travel Tips 23;

Dress modestly or at least appropriate for where you’re heading

I know, in 2024 we want to think we should be able to dress how we want. But in some cultures it is more respectable to be covered up. This can mean covering the legs, arms and chest. It’s up to you whether or you want to be gawked at, but know that if you don’t dress the way the local women are you may be up for additional harassment. I just don’t think it’s always worth the hassle. Plus you can protect yourself from that heat!

Solo Travel Tips 24.

Avoid sharing your travels in real-time, especially if you are tagging places

I know in todays day and age of social media, it’s completely normal to post stories wherever you go. I am guilty of it too. But there are some creeps out there who might be paying attention to where you are. We live in a globally connected society so someone who lives in an area where you are posting sees that you’re traveling solo, might come to find you. It’s best to post where you are once you’ve left. So always stay one place behind in your posting. Again it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Solo Travel Tips 25:

Carry a safety measure with you

This can be a whistle, a pocketknife, or even pepper spray. Depending on where you are going you may or may not be able to travel with a pocketknife or pepperspray. So do your research. But it absolutely can’t hurt to have a way to defend yourself. You can also always resort to the keys between the knuckles which is usually my go-to.

Solo Travel Tips 26:

Pay attention to your surroundings

It’s easy to get caught up at looking at all the sights or maybe you’re texting or listening to a podcast. When you really should be paying attention to what or who is around you. Notice if anyone’s been following you or if you wandered into a bad area.

xx, christine

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