Top Ten Safety Tips For Women Travelers

Is it safe for a woman to travel alone?Generally, yes. But, this is a relative question. Is it safe to walk around alone at night where you live now? What is the crime rate in your community? The key is to always be aware of your surroundings, don't walk down dark alleyways at night, and don't wear expensive looking jewelry, etc.

Most of the follow seems like common sense, but not everyone thinks about these things while traveling. It is easy to take safety for granted when you are familiar with your environment.

10 Everyday Basics When Travelling Alone

• Take just enough cash for the night if you do go out.
• Don't dress provocatively. Try to follow custom as much as possible. This means being conservative where appropriate.
• Familiarize yourself with customs of locals/country before you go.
• Try to find someone to go with you if you do go out for a few drinks or dancing for the evening.
• Always take a taxi after dark.
• Never leave your drink unattended.
• No short shorts/ skirts in developing countries, and wear a bra. Seriously. Local women may find 'freedom of expression' in this manner to be offensive to their children and families. Also, you could draw unwanted and potentially dangerous attention to yourself. It happens. A lot.
• Seems obvious but, don't hitchhike.
• Study maps if you go out in the evening. Know where you are going and try not to appear lost. This makes you an easy target.
• If you do become lost or disoriented, duck in to a business or ask for help from a woman older than yourself. It helps if you can speak some basic phrases in the language.

Again, same precautions you use at home if you live in a city, and double your awareness in your environment. Buy pepper spray if you can get it when you get to your destination country. Even during the day while on public transport-beware of people that have shiny shoes and pamphlets that describe what they are doing for their communities with a nonprofit, or anything that seems out of the ordinary. A lot of these are scams, or worse, will endanger you if those running the scams lure you into a physical space. This is by no means an exhaustive list but you get the idea. Stay safe and have fun!

Credit : Xochi Green