Solo Female Travel Tips

8 Tips for Solo Female Travelers

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How to travel as a solo female

I have been getting a lot of questions on how I travel by myself as a female. Is it hard?  Is it safe?  What should I know before I go? Will I be okay if I travel alone as a female ?  Are some places safer than others?  What are some of your tips on how you do it? Where are the best places to go as a solo female?

I want to give you my insight on what I do when I travel alone. I have gone to 14 countries by myself over 3 continents, so here is what I learned as a whole on how to travel as a solo female anywhere in the world.

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About half of the countries I have traveled to I have visited alone.  I think traveling by yourself is very liberating and helps you grow a whole lot as a person.   I have met so many solo female travelers during my ventures around the world.  Solo female travel is a lot more common than you may think.    It is not something that is unusual or should be looked down upon.  Solo female travel is one of the most liberating things I have ever done, and by being alone I have been able to do whatever I want whenever I want however I want.  This has led to some of my most fun times I have ever had abroad.  

Yes, I do prefer traveling with people rather than doing it alone, but sometimes going alone is your only choice.  Would you rather do something that you have always wanted to do alone or wait around for maybe one day someone to finally be able to come with you?  I choose to go alone in that situation.  Don’t waste your life waiting around for people to potentially catch up with you.   Don’t waste your life!

I encourage you as a female (or male) to travel alone at least once in your life.  You don’t have to do a two year trip around the world by yourself! Even a few days or weeks can be so beneficial to you in so many way! Traveling alone gives you no limits on what you can do.  Do you want to go to bed at 2am and get up and go at 6am? You can.  Do you want to completely switch plans at the last minute?  Do it!  Do you want to sit all day at the beach and just watch the waves?  No one is stopping you.  The possibilities are endless…but remember you are NOT invincible!  Solo female travers need to watch out for themselves no matter where they are and no matter what they are doing. It is a sad fact of life, but it shouldn’t slow you down!

Solo female travel does come with several precautions.    It is important to know that you are not invincible and not everyone in the world has your best interest at heart.   Some places I have tighter rules for myself if I am traveling alone than others, but all in all everywhere is generally the same, and I make sure to keep my guard up always. It’s sad that girls have to do this, but it is a fact of life. It shouldn’t slow you down though…it is just important to stay aware! You can still have a great trip!   

No matter where you go anywhere in the world there will be good people as well as bad people.  Don’t trust that the random people you meet have your best interest at heart.  Some will be wonderful, so don’t assume everyone is out to get you….but some people definitely are. Unfortunately you cannot just assume the best in people. Make sure you don’t let your guard down. Don’t forget though that there are so many beautiful souls on the planet, so do not let one bad person ruin your view of the world and solo female travel. No matter where you go there will be good and bad people. It is a fact of life. I like to believe that the amount of good people you meet in life will highly overshadow the bad!  Either way, you should be prepared for the worst and hope for the best!

Here are my top 8 tips on how to travel as a solo female.

Take these tips to heart and modify them as you will.

Solo Female Travel Tips

These aren’t the only precautions you need to take if you decide to travel alone as a female.  Make sure to do more research and know who you are as a person in order to be successful.  A lot of solo travel is being able to read people and that is something I cannot teach you. I will however encourage you to watch out for yourself while still having a positive outlook. Millions of women have been solo female traveling for years. It is a beautiful thing and you shouldn’t be nervous to take part in it.

1)      Watch your back

• Not to be a downer, but almost every time I walk around alone anywhere someone is following me.  It happens in some areas in the world more than others, but you should watch out for predators no matter where you are.  Someone could be following you only for a short time or they could be following you for miles.  Make sure you are aware of your surroundings and can identify if someone is behind you or following you.  If you suspect you are being followed by someone I would take two consistent right turns and then a left.  If the person you think is following you takes the same turns as you I would go into a highly populated area or big building to make sure you are around more people and safer.  This won’t guarantee safety, but it helps to be in a populated location so if anything does happen you will have witnesses.  On the bright side, if after you take a few turns the person is gone you can breath easy. Maybe they weren’t actually following you at all! Don’t be paranoid!

• If someone is following you and approaches you there are other things you can do.  I have been followed and approached way more times than I think I have just been followed.  Usually the people who approach females are going to be males.  Pay attention to what they say and their body language when they come up to you.  If they touch you in any way I would immediately say no and leave.   If they still don’t leave you alone, in my experience, I say that they smell bad or I am in a hurry and am meeting a friend soon so I don’t have time to talk (in a stern condescending voice) .  If they still don’t leave I would very sternly tell them that you are very busy and can’t talk right now, and quickly walk away. This will usually do the trick.

• It is also good to never even speak to random people in the first place. Sometimes I act like I don’t speak the language they are speaking when they try to talk to me, and I walk away. If they can’t even communicate with you they can’t annoy you (to a degree).

• Sometimes people who follow you are nice.  Sometimes people will approach you that do have good intentions and you could have a good time with, but I would really read them and the room.  I can’t explain how to do this, but just use your 6^th sense ladies. It won’t let you down 90% of the time.

• You can even hold around pepper spray or take self defense.  I have never used pepper spray , but I have had to push some guys off me a few times.  9/10 times guys aren’t trying to hurt you, but I could just be lucky and that percentage could be completely different for you…I still wouldn’t let you guard down. 

2)      Don’t tell anyone you are traveling alone

• A lot of the time when you are approached people will ask you if you are alone or where you are going.  I would recommend telling them that you are meeting up with your friend soon and that you are headed to said “popular landmark”.  That way you aren’t opening yourself to predators.  In addition, if they ask you where you are staying just say a popular hotel in the area (ie Marriott- since they are everywhere and not recognizable) Overall it is just important to not give out any personal info to anyone you just randomly meet on the street. You don’t know who they are or what their intentions are.  Keep everything vague when you are traveling alone. 

3)      Don’t drink alcohol

• This is one of my top rules when traveling alone.  If you drink alcohol you are not 100% alert…and being a solo female you really shouldn’t be getting drunk in foreign countries.  If you meet some nice people or just want to enjoy one glass of wine you are fine, but I would avoid going to clubs or drinking alone.  There are so many other things to do in any country on earth other than drinking.  If that is the only thing you want to do I feel sorry for you.  Go out to clubs if you meet genuine friends or are traveling in a group – not alone.  Do not go out at night or drink alone.  Instead of drinking, I usually try to get up early and spend the whole day out and then by sundown I am close to my hostel or hotel for the night.  That or I go to a populated area at night and don’t drink.  Stay safe, don’t let your guard down, and know your limits.  Guys (or anyone) could see you being alone at a club or drinking as a target and bad things could happen.   Stay alert and don’t be dumb.

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4)      Stay in hostels

• I like to stay in hostels just because it is a very easy way to meet other solo travelers in your area.  They usually are very lively and have many solo or small group travelers in their 20’s you can hang out with.  I have met a lot of friends at hostels and would 10/10 recommend staying at them if you are traveling alone.  They aren’t going to be the fanciest places to stay, but you will get a lot more out of your trip if your goal is to meet people.  If you want a more in depth description and tips for staying in hostels read HERE.

5)      Don’t run away with random guys (or girls)

• I would be lying if I said I have never run off with some random guy I met on the street while abroad, but you have to be smart about it.  I say this a lot, but always read the room, the area, and the person.  Also, do not go far with anyone and don’t go into their cars.  Stay on foot.  If you are on a beach and they ask you to come play volleyball or something that is totally normal.  If a guy sits next you while you are eating it’s usually fine…but if a guy tries to lure you far away or starts trying to act like they are the coolest person in the country I would say no… If they have to say they’re cool they 100% aren’t.  A trick I use is if I am in Europe or somewhere I could physically fit in based on the way I look I usually say I am going to school or studying or working in whatever country I am currently in.  That way they think I know more people and know the area more. Yes, most people I like to think are good and wouldn’t take advantage of you but not all are.  Yes, I have randomly gotten rides home from guys when I was lost, yes I have gotten into cars, yes I have probably stayed out longer than I should have…but I would NOT count on or recommend it…especially now a days.  You have to be really good at reading people and only talk to ones that are good.  I can’t explain how to do this, so don’t do it unless you are good at it.  That is all. Don’t get into cars, don’t drink with strangers, don’t trust 99% of men … but be friendly.  You never know who you could meet.

6)      Don’t give out personal info

• This one I feel is pretty obvious, but it is good to address. DO NOT GIVE ANYONE ANY OF YOUR PERSONAL INFO.  Don’t tell anyone where you are staying, don’t tell anyone where you are from, and don’t tell anyone your exact plans.  Just give general info if someone asks and you aren’t sure about them.   Also do not show them any money or cards you have. You don’t even need to give your friends your personal info…why would you give it to a stranger?

7)      Keep your personal belongings on your person

• I walk around with my important items all the time.  They are usually stashed in my shirt or bag, but I won’t leave my important documents or items at my place of residence.  The last thing you want is to lose your passport or credit cards.  If you lost everything else you would essentially be fine…but not if you lost your passport!!  You don’t want to get stuck in some random country because you decided you’d take a risk and leave your items at your hotel.  Sometimes if there is a safe in your hotel you can lock it up, but if you aren’t certain I would bring it with you.  Better to be safe than sorry.

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8) Don’t go out alone at night

• It is important to remember that most bad things that happen to females (in my experience) is at night. I have never gone out to a bar / club on my own in any country mainly because I just don’t feel right about it. As I said before you shouldn’t be drinking alone anyway and there are so many other things you can do abroad that you can’t do anywhere else! Why waste your time drinking alone? If you find friends go, but please don’t go alone.
• Going out doesn’t just mean just going out to drink. I have walked down to the grocery store by myself at night or to get some food somewhere on my own and almost always get stopped by some random guy. Sometimes it gets me free food, but as I said before don’t just trust people. I do not recommend it.
• One time I was in Israel and was just getting home and wanted to get some food by myself and some guy who had just finished surfing saw me and continued to follow me until I got to where I was going and ate with me. Keep in mind it was also very cold outside, he was soaking wet, and he had no warm clothes. I kept saying “you look very cold you shouldn’t be walking in the wind like this I would be freezing!”…but he came with me anyway. Fortunately, I knew the area and the Israeli culture pretty well so I didn’t think he meant any harm, but it was still weird he followed me all the way to the small shop I wanted to go to and bought my food for me. He was not aggressive at all so I didn’t think too much of it. (but also I did tell him that I come out to Israel a lot and knew the places he spoke about and just finished hanging out with my friend, so maybe that gave him a clue that I wasn’t some random solo female tourist) As soon as I said I needed to go here or there or needed to go he agreed and did whatever I asked. Shout out to you Mr. Israel, but I do not understand your motive. If you have to go somewhere alone at night make sure it is a place where a lot of people are. (If you want to hear more of these stories – good! They are coming your way).

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I do not want to discourage anyone from traveling after reading this.  I love traveling by myself, but as a female we all know this kind of stuff happens everywhere.  We deal with it almost every day.  The only difference is now you are in a foreign country and can’t afford for something that bad to happen.   I like to believe most people are good, but you can’t rely on that 100% of the time.  I would say that almost every person I have randomly met abroad has been nice and kind, but you always have those few that aren’t.  Stay safe and aware whenever you are alone and you will most likely be just fine! I love meeting solo travelers because they are usually very fun to be around! I would recommend trying to find groups of solo travelers if you want to be with people while traveling alone.

Traveling by yourself as a female shouldn’t be scary, but you should always be aware.  Take these tips and learn your own.  A lot of it is having good intuition.  Have a great trip! If you have any other questions about how to travel as a solo female please leave a comment or contact me! This is my specialty and I am here to help!