My 7 Tips for Solo Female Travelers
I am proudly a solo female traveler. Yes, a huge part of that is the fact that I am a chronic commitment-phobe, and traveling with another human seems way more difficult than the challenges of solo travelling. I love being able to make my own decisions and to travel wherever my path takes me. I love being able to travel without a plan. I love not having to compromise. My adventures are uniquely mine, and I love it. But I won’t lie, solo travel isn’t without its challenges. There are days where it is just hard.
I will never say that I’m an expert because I know I still have so much to learn. But I do have some hard-won knowledge. I have learned many lessons along the way, and I 100% believe in sharing knowledge to help make things easier for others. Below are 7 lessons I wish I had learned before I started traveling. This list is by no means comprehensive, but it’s a great starting place if you’re considering traveling solo for the first time.
1. Start small
If it’s your first time traveling solo, it might be smarter to start with a trial trip. Maybe do a week solo to a relatively easy destination rather than jumping into the deep end with a multiple months-long trip somewhere halfway across the world. Or don’t. It’s up to you.
But I will say, I have built up to where I am now. My first international trip was to England and Ireland with my family when I was 15. It was another 4 years before I traveled again: a 6-week study abroad trip in India. The following year, I traveled solo for the first time when I did a 6-week research trip in Italy. My next trip was when I spent 3-months traveling solo through Southeast Asia. Currently, I have been traveling for 6-months and counting through Central and South America.
I would never have had the confidence to travel solo for so long if I hadn’t built up to it. You will make mistakes and you want to give yourself the ability to learn from them without an incredible amount of pressure. As the saying goes, don’t bite off more than you can chew.
2. Use common sense
I am often asked if I feel unsafe when I travel solo. The short answer is “No”. The long answer if “No, because I do everything in my power to avoid putting my personal safety at risk”.
I know I’m not the first and I won’t be the last to say this: so much of personal safety when you’re traveling is just common sense. They are obvious suggestions: avoid walking alone at night, don’t drink in excess, always watch your drinks, don’t walk around with flashy valuables, etc. We’ve all heard them, but there is a reason they continue to be repeated. The more you blend in, the more you are able to fly under the radar. The less attention you draw to yourself, the less you have potential to become a target.
I fully understand and will never minimize the fact that there are situations that are out of your control, and unfortunately it can be all too easy to find yourself in an unsafe situation. What I do advocate is controlling what you can and not making yourself an easy target when you are already in a vulnerable position simply by traveling solo.
3. Always be aware of your surroundings
To piggyback off of lesson 2, I cannot stress this one enough. Always. Always. Always know what’s happening around you. Keep your wits about you. I’m all for having a good time, but when you are traveling solo, frankly, you don’t have the luxury of completely letting go. That’s not to discourage you from having fun. It’s simply a reminder that your rules have to shift when you are solo. You have to be able to safely watch out for yourself, your belongings, and be able to safely get yourself home. If you are walking alone, walk with confidence (even if you fake it ‘til you make it) and be able to see and hear what’s going on around you. I’m a big fan of the headphones in but nothing playing move, especially if I’m feeling vulnerable. It can keep others from interacting but still allows me to hear what is going on around me. It all comes back to the fact that you alone are responsible for your personal safety.
Ok, I’m off of my soapbox now.
4. Do your research
I’m a pretty impulsive traveler, so the amount of research I do is admittedly limited. I often don’t really research things to do because I believe you can find incredible experiences in any location. That said, there are two pieces of research I will never skimp on before I travel to a new destination: areas to stay and how to get from the airport (or wherever you arrive) to where you are staying when you first arrive in a new location.
Research point 1: I’m a city girl, and I have seen firsthand how the areas where I feel safe can change within a few city blocks, or even from one street to another. As a solo female traveler, peace of mind in the neighborhood where I’m staying is my top priority. I want to feel like I can walk around the areas I’m staying in without fearing for my personal safety.
I’m absolutely not advocating staying only in touristy areas, but I do advocate for thoroughly researching neighborhoods. If your booking through Airbnb, read the reviews. I recently was researching places to stay in Medellín, Colombia, and I found this gorgeous apartment on Airbnb. I was minutes away from booking it, but I reread the reviews and two of them noted that the area didn’t feel safe. I turned around and did a little bit more research on the neighborhood, and I found that that neighborhood was one of the more dangerous ones in the city. I found a different apartment that I have loved staying in that’s in a very safe neighborhood (as was noted in several of the reviews), and I’m thankful that I took the time to do further research.
At the end of the day, you’re staying in a city that you are unfamiliar with. It’s impossible to truly know if you feel safe in an area without experiencing it firsthand, but as a solo traveler, sometimes you have to rely on the experiences of those who have gone before you.
Research point 2: If you know nothing else about your stay in a new place, know how to get from the airport to where you’re staying. Know what to expect in the airport or bus station. Know how you are getting local currency if it’s your first stop in a new country. Know what type of transportation to take.
Often when you land in a new country, you won’t have a sim card for your phone, and I will never buy one in the airport because the rates are often absurd. That means you are dependent on prior research and Wi-Fi. You don’t want to put yourself in a vulnerable situation, so go in knowing what to expect. It can be overwhelming when you first arrive, and just being able to get to your accommodation can seem like a hurdle. Set yourself up for success and do your research. You can figure everything else out once you’ve settled.
5. Define what comfortable living is for you (and allow space for it to change)
Solo travel has the connotation of always being alone. In my experience, that’s pretty far from the truth. My moments of being alone are usually by choice. When I travel, I alternate between staying in hostels, solo apartment Airbnbs, and Airbnbs with others. Each one has its advantages and disadvantages.
Hostels are an excellent way to meet fellow travelers and to find a community, but personal space can seem non-existent.
An apartment by yourself allows you the space to rest and recharge, but it becomes exponentially more difficult to meet others.
Shared Airbnbs can be a happy marriage of the two because you often have your bedroom to yourself, but you are in an apartment or house with others so socialization is easier. However, shared space is shared and often you don’t have much choice in who you’re living with.
Ultimately, I have had great experiences in all of the above, and it’s been helpful to be flexible and willing to introspectively understand what I need at each point in my travels.
6. Travel with copies of all of your important documents
I learned this one the hard way. In 2019, I did a 3-month solo trip through Southeast Asia. It was incredible, but it wasn’t without its obstacles. The biggest hurdle: I lost both my debit card and credit card on my last day in Bali. Lost? Stolen? Who knows. Either way, I didn’t have physical access to any of my accounts. What I was left with was the $800 I had in cash and the copies I had made of my cards.
Thank you, former self for having the insight to make those copies.
When you are by yourself, you are by yourself. I’ll tell the full story in another post, but I was able to continue traveling for 2 more months because I had made the copies of my cards. I will never travel without copies ever again.
7. Travel light
Oh my God, I cannot emphasize this enough. If you are planning on moving locations a lot when you are traveling, do no bring more than you are willing to lug around.
It serves you to remember that when you are solo, everything you bring is carried by you. Yes, that seems like common sense, but for me, it didn’t really hit home until I was resentfully schlepping around a huge suitcase and rolling carry-on through the cobblestone streets of Italy.
Absolutely never again.
I will never deny that it’s nice to have options, especially if you’re traveling for an extended amount of time. But as you travel, you’ll find your Goldilocks amount of stuff: not too much, not too little, but just right. If in doubt, the lighter, the better.
Ok, so do you feel ready to take the plunge? I will say, solo travel has allowed me the space to have some of the most incredible experiences of my life. It feels big and bold and brave. But it also can feel vulnerable and lonely. It forces you to see the absolutely best and the absolutely worst in yourself. If you have the opportunity, do it. Solo travel has changed my life. I hope you give yourself the opportunity for it to change yours. Happy travels!
