Whether you’re thinking about solo travel safety barrelling through the Outback, exploring the winding streets of Tangiers or even just taking on the tube, travelling alone comes with its own unique set of risks and rewards. Going solo is an important consideration for everyone from the weekend explorer to the gap year grad, so we’re here to help navigate even the trickiest of treks.
Being a lone traveller is romantic. It’s the perfect combination of spiritual awakening and an earthy, academic approach to growing global interconnectedness. With more of us suffering burnout than ever before, it’s the perfect way to combat fatigue and explore a world far bigger than our office cubicle.
The rub is that solo travellers are one of the most common victims of accidents, injuries and crime when abroad. So whilst international solo travel is an important part of understanding the changing world and our place in it, we’ve put together a list of great tips for staying safe.
Do your research
Prevention is better than cure. A little research can protect you from all kinds of potential danger, whether it’s crime, bad weather or even just public transport. Explore travel guides, blogs and reach out to people who’ve been there before to see what prevailing opinions are, and really think about your travel plans. If you’ve got any doubts, consider other destinations rather than going on a solo trip you’ll later regret.
Check out the literature
International travel in 2019 was more popular than ever before. This means that there’s a wealth of information online about your destinations and plans. That’s a great resource for you to use whilst making your own travel itinerary. As a first point of contact, we’d recommend checking out your own government’s international travel advice for your destination. (You can find UK details here and similar ones for the United States here.) As well as exploring dedicated solo travel websites like Solo Traveller and STA Travel for handy tips.
On the flip side, to help you make an educated decision, Forbes also has a list of some of the most dangerous destinations for solo travel safety.
Solo travel safety in accommodation
Private hotel rooms offer the safest international travel experience. Often they feature 24-hour receptions, room safes and security personnel for an extra layer of personal safety. If you fancy staying in a private apartment or room outside of a hotel for a more authentic vacation, book through platforms such as Airbnb where you can easily read other travellers reviews.
If hostels are more your bag, look for registered Youth Hostels through websites like Hostels Worldwide or the YHA. It’s a good tip to avoid multi-occupant rooms, as it’s easy to have valuables stolen in shared accommodation. And remember, you’ve got to travel safely between where you’re staying and where you want to be in the daytime too.
Get your bearings
Try to arrive in the daylight. It’s much easier to be aware of your surroundings in a new place, get to your hotel or hostel whilst there’s still public transportation running, and to make alternative arrangements if you’ve got any misgivings about your accommodation. It’s also a great idea to pick up route maps from local bus and tram stations, as well as know when they stop running.
Spontaneity is fine when you can call an Uber or hop on the night tube but when you’re alone in a different country, it’s better to spend the evening checking your watch than facing a six-mile walk down abandoned country roads at three in the morning.
Watch your wallet
One of the most common crimes that can befall the lone traveller is theft. It’s easy to lose track of where your cash, credit card, phone and camera are in a busy street or a packed out marketplace, and it’s an extremely dangerous situation to find yourself in when you’re alone in a foreign country with no means of contact or cash.
Experts recommend splitting your cash between two or three pockets so in the event of being pickpocketed, you’ve always got a second safety stash. Solo female travellers have the advantage here, thanks to the invention of the ‘bra stash’. It’s also a good idea to keep up to date on the types of scams and criminal activity that are currently going on where you’re planning to visit. JustTheFlight has a handy list of what to look out for, and where, if you’re feeling anxious.
Solo travel safety with cards
It’s also important to do some research on debit and credit cards before you leave your home country. Some cards don’t work in all areas of the world, and more commonly, a lot of cards charge for international usage. Those few sandwiches and a ten-minute train journey can sometimes be quite the nasty shock when your statement comes through.
Some people also like to carry a secondary debit or credit card in case the first is misplaced or stolen, as it’s difficult to withdraw cash without one if your home bank doesn’t have any physical branches. The most important thing is to have your card provider’s number saved in your phone to be able to cancel it immediately in case of loss or theft, as a lost card found by the wrong people can run up a hefty bill.
Networking
Why do we travel solo? To explore other cultures, see the world and perhaps, most importantly, meet other people we wouldn’t have done otherwise. It’s a magical thing to share lived experiences with people from all over the globe and a lot of the time, it’s safer to stick with other people who are out there alone too. Chat to the other solo travellers in your hostels! And look for organised tours and events instead of making individual plans, or make some friends to share your local knowledge.
Walk the walk for solo travel safety
It’s easier said than done but blending in with the locals is a great way to stay safe. Tourists are often affluent, distracted and an easy target for the local scam artist so keep the hydro flask and map in your bag. Get smart with money so you’re not obviously fumbling with unfamiliar change, dress like a local and learn some phrases before you go.
Some people like to pick up a copy of a local paper to carry around town, too. It’s also important to walk with confidence and avoid the hesitant, dreamy gait of a tourist. Act like you know where you’re going even if, in reality, you’re not that sure. It’s also a good idea to ditch the backpack for the day, no matter how cute your new Fjällräven is going to look on the ‘gram’.
Keep it on the down-low
Another hot tip for solo travel safety is to not flash the cash. Many people take old phones abroad instead of this year’s hottest triple-camera spectacular. They’re sturdier, hold a charge better and less likely to attract pickpockets and thieves. Similarly, it’s better to leave jewellery to a minimum for solo travel safety, especially if you wear recognised international brands. It’s unlikely anybody’s going to go for your Primark bangles so leave the Rolex at home this time.
Social media and solo travel safety
We all love a good ‘how was your Monday?’ selfie but whether you’re riding elephants in Goa or playing ‘legs or hot dogs’ in Bali, sharing your exact location on social media comes with some complex safety considerations. By simply exploring a location tag on Instagram, it takes approximately three seconds for people to identify who’s travelling solo in an area, where you’re staying and where you’re off to next, which makes it easier to work out who’s a good target.
Stay safe by turning off location tracking or hold onto posts for a few days until you’ve moved on. That said, it’s important to check in with people from back home on the regular and let them know where you’re headed to next.
Trust your instincts
It’s better to be safe than sorry. Although it’s easy to get anxious about so many things when you’re seeing the world alone, if something doesn’t feel right, whether it’s a dodgy tour group, an iffy taxi or just someone getting a little too close for comfort, it’s better to get out of there and make alternative plans. Dodgy hostel plumbing is one thing, dodgy hostel roommates are another.
Stay healthy
One of the most vital things you can do whilst travelling solo is to get travel insurance. Anything can happen, especially if you’re staying off the beaten track. Having the security of being able to cover your medical expenses whilst you’re abroad and away from your support network is an important part of staying safe whilst riding solo.
It’s also a good idea to note where the nearest points of care are. These could be hospitals, GPs, emergency contraception providers and pharmacies. Anything you might need in case of emergencies. It’s also smart to wise up on any allergies you have and where they stand regarding the local cuisine.
Travelling
The golden rule of solo travel safety here is don’t walk. Or certainly don’t walk alone at night. Trotting around the city in broad daylight isn’t usually a threatening environment that you need to be on your guard but that changes when you’re out and alone in the evening.
Trains, buses and metro trams are all viable alternatives and usually run late into the night. Uber is also available in a number of cities around the world. If you think you’re being followed, walk into the nearest bar or store where there are other people around, speak to the counter staff and don’t leave alone or on foot.
Stay in touch
Although it’s not the best idea to flash your phone, it’s a vital tool in staying safe whilst travelling alone. Save the numbers for your accommodation, your home country’s consulate office or international services, and the local emergency services before you venture out. It’s also a good idea to make sure that you have a working flashlight, a power bank and a good quality protective case.
Apps for solo travel safety tips
Tourlina helps women find travel companions around the world. Pop in your destination and travel dates and find people heading the same way as you. The female-only clientele makes a lot of travellers feel safer meeting up with new people. But if you want to meet up with both women and men, Backpackr and Travello are good alternatives.
Chirpey is another female-only social community platform. Focused on solo travel safety, it has the added bonus that if you run into difficulty whilst travelling, you can send out an alert to other Chirpers in the area to ask for help.
TripWhistle Global is also a top safety pick. Not only can it instantly find the emergency services numbers for wherever you are in the world, but it also shows you your exact location with latitude, longitude and street address so that you can find your exact details.
RedZone is handy for exploring your location in terms of where’s safe. Using crime data to plan live routes through the area, it suggests the safest times and routes to travel. It also supports user reports of incidents, making it easier than ever to keep each other safe.
Keep an open mind
It’s easy to get bogged down in the anxiety of solo travel safety. It’s a notion fraught with what-ifs and a hefty helping of looking over your shoulder, frantically checking timetables and paying more attention to street names than you ever thought you would. But it’s character-building and a deeply inspirational way to see the world outside of your daily commute! Time to broaden your horizons, eat incredible food and meet amazing people along the way.
Closed-minded attitudes toward migration and multiculturalism are becoming a regressive and powerful force in the UK. This means there’s never been a better time to get out there and explore the world outside your home nation. Experience and learn from other cultures! And apply that sense of welcome and global citizenship to the way we think about our own borders. There’s a whole world out there and we’re all global citizens, and it’s not just ours to travel; it’s also a world that needs us to take an active part in making it better and more inclusive.
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Written by Hannah Parkes Smith
Illustrated by Francesca Mariama
