Well if you are a woman then you are already highly aware of your surroundings at all times. Going to the grocery store late at night, walking in parking lots, pumping gas in a random place, and even walking around your neighborhood. We always have our eyes open and sometimes our hands on our pepper spray. This is unfortunately the reality we live in as women. So not only do we have to be aware when we are in our “comfort zones”, but even more so when we are outside of our norm.
Traveling as a woman can be liberating and terrifying at the same time. One moment you can be gazing out of the plane window feeling like you are in an early 2000's rom-com with the song “I’m Like a Bird” playing in the background. Other times you can be gripping onto your purse and pepper spray unsure of what will happen to you. So many horror stories are out there about women who get abducted, abused, and even killed. There is definitely a target on our backs and even more so when we are by ourselves.
I don’t want this to take a very negative turn so I will just share some things that I have found out while traveling on my own that seem to keep me safe and prepared.
Before you plan on visiting a certain city or area, look up reviews and dig around to see what women have said about it. Some cities and countries are more safe for women travelers than others. Once you decide on which city you want to visit, you have to find a place to stay. I stayed in hostels when I was in Europe because I had a limited budget. Hostels can seem sketchy especially when you are by yourself, but look at the reviews that other women have left. When I stayed in Pisa, Italy there were some reviews about the hostel being in a bad part of town by the train station- and sure enough I did not feel safe and I couldn’t sleep at all that night. I always stayed in all female rooms in the hostels. It gave me more of a secure feeling and I was able to make friends with the other solo women travelers. That was a huge benefit too. Because you can meet other solo travelers, you can plan on going to dinner with them so you are not walking around or taking the bus at night by yourself. Sure you can go places on your own but sometimes it’s nice to have another person with you especially when you don’t know the area and it’s dark.
I would always have my pepper spray ready to go and easy to grab from my purse. I would also never have headphones in while I was walking alone so that I have more awareness around me. I would also have my phone in my hand just in case I needed to call someone. You definitely have to walk with your shoulders back and head up. Confidence and posture are important. Don’t walk around with your headphones in and looking at your phone because you are seen as an easy target.
Many times you will come across people asking for money. It is your choice to give to them but keep in mind that more people are watching you than you might think. I was highly aware of people watching or looking at me at certain times because apparently Americans are easy to spot, even if you are wearing the proper clothes.
I try not to talk loudly when I don’t feel super safe while traveling. I don’t know if that’s something that other American women travelers do while abroad, but for me it gave me a little more control. As soon as people hear you speaking English they know that we probably don’t know their language and that puts you at a disadvantage. Maybe I just overthink that but I felt like if they didn’t know I was American then I was more safe.
This may seem like I was always on red alert while traveling but I definitely wasn’t. I had a good sense about what was happening and when I felt safe or unsafe. For the majority of time I spent in Spain, Italy, and France- I felt relatively safe and had lots of fun. These are just some things I thought I might bring light to because traveling solo as a woman is a lot more complex than the movies make it seem.