TOP 10 SAFETY TRAVEL TIPS FOR solo female travelers

As someone who has always traveled solo across Europe and plans to do the same in Asia and Africa, I have learned a couple of unique tips and tricks to stay safe. When I first started traveling out of my small town in the U.S.A. I heard people say all kinds of negative things to me. I heard, "You're going to get kidnapped", "If I was your mother, I wouldn't let you go", and even "You're so pretty. You are going to be sex trafficked". There seems to be a negative stigma around women traveling by themselves but there is nothing that holds men accountable for their actions. We keep teaching women to stay safe and be EXTRA cautious but we also need to tell men to respect boundaries too. None the less, I know how important is is for us women to do our best to prevent ourselves from terrible people out there. But, please note that even if you are extra cautious things can still happen and it is NEVER your fault. It will always be the fault of the person who hurt you for being a terrible person. 

Here are my 10 tips for staying safe based on my own experiences. 

#1 Always carry a cross body purse. 

Cross body purses are harder to steal because they are completely around your body. When I wear mine, I keep the opening part of the purse in the front of me instead of on the side of me. This way, if someone is trying to steal something from my bag, they would have to do it right in front of my face. 

#2 NEVER GO SIGHT SEEING AT NIGHT.

I think this one is pretty obvious. You shouldn't go explore around at nighttime. This is pretty dangerous if you are by yourself. However, if you have met some female friends and you're with them, I truly recommend it. Things look different at night. As always just be careful and watch your surroundings. Don't trust men you just met. That brings me to number 3. 

#3 DON'T HAVE SEX WITH A STRANGER YOU JUST MET AT HIS HOUSE OR AT NIGHT TIME

This has not been my experience but I watched a movie about a young girl in her 20's who was backpacking through Europe. She was American and was scheduled to go back to the states the next day. Before she left, she decided to open a dating app and she met this man and had sex with him. When she went to leave, she realized she was trapped in his house and she couldn't leave. He kept her in his house for months before she killed him and was able to escape. I know this was just a movie but it's not to say this can't happen. There is no shame in having consenting sex with another adult. Your body = your rules. Just be careful. Use protection. Meet this person during the day not at night. Also to add, meet this person in a hotel room that isn't yours. In the event this person is a crazy stalker, at least they don't know where you're staying. Enjoy your life. #yolo

#4 BUY A SMALL LOCK

Earlier we talked about wearing a purse and having it face the front of your body for protection. Let's take this a step further. When I travel, I travel with a mini lock. I don't trust people not to steal from me as I was robbed once in Barcelona. Luckily, they only took my key card to my hotel thinking it was a credit card. I put locks on my suitcases, even if they only stay in the hotel room. Also, all of my purses have locks on them to keep me safe. 

#5 PRINT A MINIMUM OF 2 COPIES OF YOUR PASSPORT

Life can be so unpredictable. You might misplace your passport or even have it stolen. I remember one time, I was checking into a hostel in Milan, Italy. I can't remember which one or I would definitely share it with you. The guy checking me in asked to see my passport, to which I gave it to him. All hostels and hotels must verify your passport before you can stay there, fyi. After giving him my passport for check-in, he refused to give it back. He came up with all different types of excuses as to why he couldn't give it back until I was checking out. I didn't understand but I knew something was not right. Legally all he has to do is verify my passport and give it back. He cannot legally hold on to my passport. Well he definitely tried until someone behind me stood up and demanded he give me back my passport and he did. This was my first time traveling and something like this could happen to anyone. You might be convinced that the person behind the counter has to keep your documentation but please don't let them. If you are robbed of your passport, having copies will allow you to get back home to the states. But make sure you check with the local U.S. Embassy as you MUST report that. 

#6 LEARN A FEW KEY PHRASES OF WHERE YOU'RE GOING

Knowing phrases of the language of the country you are visiting, doesn't just help you be able to get around, it can also save your life. If you understand phrases, you can tell when someone is talking about you and when a situation may become dangerous. 

#7 YOU DON'T NEED TO BE POLITE TO EVERYONE

If someone makes you feel uncomfortable, ignore them or walk away from them. Here is a personal story. Once I was visiting Madrid, Spain and I heard 2 men say, "Excuse me" in English. It seemed like they were lost and needed some directions. When I stopped to see if they were okay (This was in broad daylight in the middle of a busy city center), they started telling me how beautiful I was. I couldn't believe they stopped me for that. But then they wouldn't stop. They cornered me in the middle of a busy street. Luckily, I had met another American girl that day, whom I am still friends with until now, and she was able to get me out of that situation. I say that to say, LEAVE, WALK AWAY. You don't need to be nice to strangers. You don't owe anyone an explanation or have to help anyone. Stay safe and stay alert!  

#8 TURN ON GPS TRACKING

I know a lot of people don't like to do this but I turn on GPS tracking when I am overseas. I understand the cost of your American phone plan can be ridiculous but many phone providers have come out with $10 a day plans for their customers. I make sure it is on, on snapchat and I always send my location to my parents. Even if they are miles away, if something bad did happen to me, at least I know they can find me. P.S. I realize that if you're reading this blog that your 18+ but checking in with your parents should never be a pride thing. Your safety comes first, love!

#9 MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ACCESS TO A MAP

My favorite map when I travel is an app called citymappers. It by far is the best app known to man. (No, they are not sponsoring this post). I love this app because it will see exactly where you are and tell you how many more steps you have left to get to where you're going. It has literally so many countries mapped out. Also, it is helpful for those taking public transportation to get around in a new city. It will tell you the exact train you'll need to take and how to get to that specific train (metro). It will also calculate how many stops until you need to get off, which is perfect! My favorite feature is that even if I am on a metro, it will ding my phone to let me know to get off and when. It does the exact same thing for bus routes so you'll never get lost.  Being lost can put you in danger. Also, even if you're on your phone make sure you continue paying attention to your surroundings. 

#10 CONNECT WITH OTHER SOLO FEMALE TRAVELERS

I cannot stress this enough. If I had not met with another solo traveler, I would have been in a vulnerable place when those two men approached me in Madrid. You can meet other solo female travelers by staying in hostels (all girl rooms) or through Facebook groups like this one: Women Who Like To Travel. This FB group is a bit new but has some strong women in there who will protect you while you're traveling. 

You are a strong woman and I am so proud of you for deciding to jump all in to solo travel. Those are my 10 top tips to stay safe based on my own personal experiences. Don't ever let fear hold you back from traveling. Yes, there are tons of horror stories BUT there are a lot more great stories out there, go create one! 

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Cienna Richards

Cienna Richards is the CEO of Your Life Travel Club. The mission of Your Life Travel Club is to empower women to travel the world and live their best lives. Connect with us on social media and through our weekly travel card for information on group trips we host, new blog posts alert, giveaways, updates on YouTube and podcast episodes, and more.