Top 10 Safety Tips for Women Adventuring Solo

In recent years, more and more women have been embracing the adventurous spirit and traveling solo. While incredibly rewarding, solo travel does come with additional safety considerations for women. With some preparation and precaution, you can absolutely travel confidently while still being mindful of risks. Here are my top 10 tips for staying safe as a female adventurer.

Female Adventurer Safety Tips

1. Research your destination thoroughly. Get insight into cultural norms, risky areas, safe accommodations, and local contacts or resources. Knowing what to expect will help you prepare.  For researching your destination, look into guidebooks, travel blogs, expat forums, and government travel advisories to learn about risks, cultural norms, and safe accommodations specific to the area. Identify emergency contacts like your embassy, clinics, and police ahead of time.
   
   
2. Arrange comprehensive travel insurance. Make sure it includes medical evacuation coverage in case of emergencies while adventuring off the grid. Make sure your travel insurance covers emergency medical treatment, hospitalization, evacuation, trip cancellation, lost baggage, and emergency assistance services. Have copies of your policy printed and electronically.
   
   
3. Share your detailed itinerary with trusted friends and family back home. Check in with them regularly.  Give trusted contacts your flight details, accommodation bookings, daily itinerary, tour/activity plans, and emergency contacts. Set up regular check-in times. Share your location via apps if needed.
   
   
4. Pack wisely. Opt for utility over fashion – durable clothes that blend into the environment, versatile shoes, neutral colors. Cover up according to cultural context.  Opt for clothing that provides sun/insect protection, breathability, and range of motion. Stick to dark, neutral colors that blend into the environment. Have a scarf or shawl to cover up in conservative cultures. Sturdy, broken-in shoes are essential.
   
   
5. Learn basic self-defense techniques like eye strikes or knee thrusts. Traveling solo means relying on your own reactions.  Take a basic self-defense class before your trip to learn techniques like palm-heel strikes, elbow jabs, knee/groin kicks that can disarm or distract an attacker.
   
   
6. Carry safety aids like high-decibel whistles, personal alarms, or pepper spray where legal. Anything to draw quick attention if needed.  Research local laws on carrying safety aids. A whistle, personal alarm, pepper spray, or other non-lethal deterrents can draw attention quickly. Test them ahead of time.
   
   
7. Stay sober and alert, especially when interacting with new acquaintances. Don’t let your guard down.  Be wary of strangers who seem overly friendly, pushy, or interested in your plans. Don’t give out too many personal details. Moderate your alcohol intake around new acquaintances.
   
   
8. Be selective about who you befriend. Not everyone has good intentions – listen to your instincts.  Use your instincts when evaluating who to trust as friends or companions. Be cautious about accepting favors, disclosing lodging details, isolating yourself with someone you just met.
   
   
9. Have backup power banks, maps of the area, a first aid kit – tools to get yourself out of a bind if needed.  Pack back-up chargers for your phone/devices, printed maps of the area in case of connectivity issues, a basic first aid kit, flashlight, multi-tool, emergency cash/documents.
   
   
10. Trust your intuition if a situation seems dangerous or sketchy – don’t feel obligated to stay. Your safety comes first. Trust your gut and don’t feel obligated to stay in uncomfortable situations. Make excuses to politely exit if needed. You can redirect the interaction or remove yourself entirely.

The key is finding the right balance between caution and confidence in your abilities. Preparation and vigilance enable women to travel solo safely while fully embracing the adventure. With the right mindset, you can navigate risks and create life-changing experiences. Let me know your top tips and stories of solo female travel!

Next up in our series – profiling groundbreaking women explorers throughout history who paved the way.