Tips For Solo Female Travelers

Published on by LostViivi

Happy International Women’s Day all fellow female travelers!

Traveling as solo female traveler is adventure not any man can even imagine. There is many small things you have to remember if you decide to do adventure as solo female traveler. Not all countries are as safe or as comfortable to go without male company or safe group. It’s kind of annoying that gender can affect our lives so much but this is our society and we have to deal with it.

Women’s Day is often seen as the celebration for independent and strong girls. And that’ why I wanted to share today some tips for all women who want to travel alone. I may not be the best person to give these tips but this text is based on my own experiences and observations.

I hope you will enjoy my tips. And I hope you will keep traveling even if many people seem to think that solo female travelers are just playing with the fire. Let’s show them some girl power, shall we?

1. Trust people but doubt everyone.

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Photos from: unsplash

I often hear that as female traveler I shouldn’t believe anyone (especially men). You may follow this advice blindly but I have one I think fits traveling better. Trust everyone but always doubt anything said for you. 

Trusting people has taken me to the most amazing experiences. Getting tour around Tokyo by super nice local girl, going around Helsinki with fellow travel blogger (when my friends thought I would surely get murdered) and maybe the funniest memory: forgetting my umbrella when it was raining and random person offering to walk me back to my hostel so I don’t get wet. If I hadn’t trusted those strangers I would have never ended up to the most memorable situations of my life.

Some people may call me starry-eyed and naive but trusting people doesn’t mean that I am not on my toes in these situations. I trust people but I doubt everyone. And when i say everyone I mean literally everyone because you never know what are the people’s true nature if you have only known them for a short moment.

2. Be ready to lie if needed.

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When you travel alone as girl you have to be ready to use all your actor skills. Walking alone at night? Talk to phone like you are having conversation with your beloved badass boyfriend. Too enthusiastic wooer? You are waiting for you best friend and can’t talk right now. Make stories ready before traveling so when you have to do some acting it feels natural to lie.

This may sound funny or stupid but sooner or later as female solo traveler you will feel need to escape some kind of situation. If you want to take this to next level some woman travelers use fake wedding rings to avoid unwanted attention.

3. Girls are confident, strong and cool.

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Whatever you were boy or girl acting like local can save you from many problems “normal” tourists have to face. One of the key features I think is important for surviving as solo female traveler is being confident, strong minded and seem cool but kind. The truth is that “bad people” try to find easy targets so you have to make yourself someone who will probably survive anything.

  • So how to act like you belong to this new unknown city you are visiting as solo female traveler? It is easier than it may sound like. (Maybe I should write longer post about this subject?) Walk like you know where you are going.
  • Throw away maps and download them to your phone so you can check them like you were just reading text message.
  • Always listen to music or act like you are listening to music. Put headphones on and listen to your favorite songs. It will calm you down but also make you fit in better. No lost scared tourist would close the world away with music. If you hate music or feel like you want to hear what is happening around you, you can just listen quietness and act like you are listening to music.
  • When in need ask help but continue your way after that like you own the whole city.
  • Practice basic words (thanks, sorry, etc.) and use them while smiling sweetly. If someone asks you something tell them confidently that you are not living here so you can’t help them. Being honest is the best in these situations.

4. Say no! (And yes…)

For me the hardest thing to learn has been how to say no. Believe me you have to learn and use that word a lot. No, I am not bying anything. No, I am not going to that shady looking bar you are trying to track me because they will pay you if I go inside. No, no, no… But between saying no to everyone you have to learn when is the right situation to use yes. That one small word will get you to the most amazing adventures. Don’t be afraid to say yes to other people but more importantly to yourself.

5. Check everything before going.

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Where is closest police station? From where you can get help if needed? What time sun sets? Is there any areas you should avoid or be careful in? Is there any known scams or other warnings happening in the area? When does the last bus/metro leave and if you miss it what can you do?

You should do some research before going. Not only about the places but also how to survive in bad situations or who to trust when in trouble. Not police can be trusted in all countries and not all places are safe to go alone as female traveler. Even if you will probably survive without checking things before your trip knowing as much as possible will calm your mind and make the travel experience more enjoyable.

6. Trust your instincts.

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At first this may sound funny but I think it is the best safety net one can have. Our instincts are usually the first thing telling us that something is wrong or that we should definitely run from this dangerous situation. If you feel like person isn’t trustworthy or that you are taken to place you don’t want to go just say no.

Even if you don’t realize it your brains keep reading other people and their body language. If someone is acting threateningly or if the situation quickly changes to weird, it is your instincts that make the alarms go off in your head. Sometimes our instinct may be wrong but it is better to be safe than dead in side alley because you didn’t trust your own judgement.

7. Know the risks and dangers.

It may feel uncomfortable and unpleasant to think these thing but before deciding to travel alone you should truthfully tell yourself all the problems you may have to face or risks you are taking. If even after thinking trough all of those you feel like traveling is the only option for you, you are ready.

8. Don’t think too much and just go.

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You will often meet skeptic people and probably your own family or friends will try to change your mind about traveling as solo female traveler. Lonely woman who is traveling is often seen as crazy person who is just trying to find the trouble. Our society even now thinks that women can’t travel the world alone like men.

You shouldn’t listen these people. Of course there is some dangers and risks that only female solo travelers have to face but other than that girls are as capable to travel as boys. If world is place where women have to stay in kitchen just so we can live and not get in danger, I don’t know if I even want to be here anymore. Is staying back home and not risking it by traveling life worth of living? Maybe for some people but definitely not for me.

So, I will keep solo traveling as lonely totally risk hazard female and I courage you to do the same. Let’s enjoy our lives and not believe those who don’t believe in us. Happy Women’s Day everyone!

 

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Like always feel free to tell your thought and tips on the comments. Have you any bad or surprisingly good experiences as female traveler? Or if you are man what is your view to this whole “female solo traveler” thing?

I hope you are having an amazing day!
With love,

Lost Viivi

 

48 thoughts on “Tips For Solo Female Travelers”

  1. Pingback: My travel year 2017 – GoTravelGlobal

  5. Belated Happy Womens Day! Lovely post, my biggest fear is always getting lost in new cities, but then that is my poor sense of direction, and I won’t let that stop me! Where is next on your list? Happy travels!

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    1. Belated Happy Womens Day for you too! Yeah, I am scared of getting lost too but sometimes you can find the best places while totally lost. 🙂 I am currently on trip in Finland’s capital Helsinki but my next already planned proper trip will be to Rome with my mum. Thanks for commenting!

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  8. I’m totally agree with your tips..
    I was traveling solo and it was the best experience for me.
    For sure Ill do that again and again.
    Thanks for sharing these tips

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  11. I’ve been thinking about travelling solo for a while now and this was just what I was looking for! Thank you 😀

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    1. You are welcome! It may seem scary and almost impossible but traveling solo is something I think everyone should try at least once in their lifetime. Good luck with your plans to travel! 🙂

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    1. Thank you! I am happy to be helpful. 🙂
      I hope good luck for you solo trip and I believe you will have a lot of fun and just don’t think too much of these things and you should be okay.

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  13. I agree with lies and keeping occupied on your phone. Kudos to you for letting someone walk you back without your umbrella! All of these I do but I Mostly just follow my gut and face everything head on, even if I have to challenge others.

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    1. Yeah, gut really is one of the best safety nets one can have. World may seem scary but if we don’t do something “daring” this life wouldn’t really be worth of living. Thanks for commenting 🙂

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  14. Great tips, totally agree! I’m going to start my long travel by myself soon, and this will be under my radar to “constantly remind” myself to have fun while being alert 😉

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    1. Thank you! I try my best writing this 🙂 I hope I could be travelling right now but after just returning from my solo trip to Poland I have to stay back at home now and study. But hopefully I will be able to travel alone a lot this summer 🙂 I hope safe travels for you!

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    1. Thank you! We should both keep traveling and adventuring around the world. I am glad someone finds my tips useful. In the end these are just things I have learned doing mistakes and getting in trouble 🙂

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  20. This was really good. I definitely agree with being confident to say “no!” when necessary and trusting your instincts.
    When I travel by myself I make sure to have a ring on my ring finger and have a story about my husband traveling with me. It’s actually helped a few times!
    I had a man approach me in the hotel lobby at the place I was staying at in Japan. He asked to come to my room so I gave him the wrong room number. That was a bit scary!

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    1. That Japan story sounds super scary! Fortunately usually Japan is quite safe so there is always someone who is ready to help you.. Many people have told me that they use ring but I haven’t yet traveled to countries that would have made me feel like I have to use ring. It is kind of sad how there is men that will only respect your privacy if they know that you are together with another man. Thanks for commenting!

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  21. Thanks so much for this!! I’m going travelling soon and I get so nervous thinking about it but I’ve just got to stay strong and learn to say no to people and lie haha!! xxx

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    1. I am happy to help! I think all of us need some courage to travel. It is not easy but it is worth all that trouble. I hope safe travels for you! And remember to keep acting and cheating, haha 😀

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  22. Well written Viivi, I fully agree with you. Thrust yourself and only yourself, make you own decisions, so you can carry them to liability. As a father I’m worried about my children, but the courage to live in the moment is important lessons that I have learned in my life. Have the courage and safe trip in the future as well.

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  23. I love this post, I have been thinking about travelling for a long time but have no one to go with. This post definitely gives me the confidence I need to go. Thank you 😊 xx

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    1. Thank you! And I think you should definitely go alone if you don’t find anyone to go with. First it will feel impossible and scary but after leaving it is surprisingly easy. I wish good luck for you 🙂

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  25. Great post and well written! I guess being a women you guys have to be little extra precautious but that shouldn’t stop you anyhow from solo traveling! Keep up! 👍🙂

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  26. Yes yes yes! I love this post so much! I’ve honestly become kind of a professional liar at this point [sadly] and always have to keep things like that in mind while on the go, which sucks – but remembering to never let it keep us powerful, intelligent, and amazing ladies down is soo important! Thank you for sharing this. 🙂

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    1. Thank you! Well, you are not only professional liar here then. It is kind of sad but then again if it saves us from problematic situations who cares. Let’s continue being amazing traveling ladies both! 🙂

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