Solo Female Travel Tips

I have been traveling the world since I was 15. If you're thinking of going traveling solo, and it's making you nervous, just know that that is totally normal. In fact, even though I've traveled solo countless times, I started getting a bit of trepidation before every single solo trip, because there are so many questions playing on your mind, right? It feels like a first day in a new school, it feels like you might get lonely, you might not make friends, you might get sick and have nobody to take care of you. Anything could happen.
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But here is what actually happens. The second you get on that plane, or that bus, or that train, taking you to your first destination, about half of your worries disappear immediately. As for the remaining 50%, let's tackle those now with my solo female travel tips. 

Don't forget your charger!

Packing light
The first solo female travel tip: I use a 45 liter backpack from Osprey. I've left the link below. It's super cool and sustainably produced. But the main reason why I purchased this one is that it is small and it challenges me to pack even lighter than I normally would. 

To be fair, packing light means different things for different people. I’m five-foot-two. So packing light for me genuinely needs to be quite light, because I need to be able to lift and I need to be able to carry it comfortably for extended periods of time.

Also, it’s important that there is nothing in it that I couldn't bear to lose.

And they are not items of sentimental value. If you're not prepared to lose it, do not bring it because you won't have somebody with you will be guarding your bags at all times. So you need to be prepared for like worst case scenario.

Check out the Osprey bag here >> ​https://amzn.to/34SBsAn

Make copies of all your important documents
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My second tip is to break copies of all your important documents.
Make sure you have a screenshot or a physical copy of your passport, and of all your insurance details.

Make sure you have some next of kin details on you if somebody needs to contact them for whatever reason.

And make sure you have backup debit or credit cards. And by the way, when you're traveling, do not put your cash in one place. Make sure you distribute it.
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Put a tiny bit in your checked luggage, but not too much. Because in some countries stuff might get lost from your suitcase. That definitely happens. But primarily have it on your person. 

Make sure you have access to offline maps

Tip number three of my solo female travel tips is to make sure you have access to offline maps of the places you're traveling to. grab your phone and open up the Google Maps app. Click on your little face offline maps, and then select your map and then pick the place you'll be traveling to. Then just download it. Also, make sure you have a portable charger with you.

​Get travel insurance
I know it seems like a needless expense. But you never know what may happen. Just look at the world around us nowadays. COVID madness that has enveloped the globe. None of us could have seen that one coming.
Some governments have services whereby you can sign up for message or email alerts, if something were to happen in that country whilst you're there. 

Staying in a hostel can be a lot of fun. And you get to meet new people

Choose the right accommodation

If you're traveling solo, accommodation might be the dividing line between feeling lonely on your travels, or not feeling lonely. Some people can get around the loneliness issue by staying in hostels.

For me, I prefer to stay in single rooms so I won’t have to worry about my belongings too much. I’m also a light sleeper and if someone snores, I will not be able to sleep.  

You can also opt to stay locally by which I mean homestays. And Airbnb is directly run by local people. What you'll be doing by doing that, is having a lot of fun, meeting locals, quite possibly eating a lot of delicious food, getting some insider knowledge.

And, and this one's really important to me, and I think a lot of you as well supporting the local economy.

You can also turn to social media to ease the loneliness from solo travel

Personally, I have used my Instagram for this in the past. So I can tap into that network. If you don't have that network, you can use Facebook groups, you can use different forums, meetup.com, and websites like that, which are a great resource when you're traveling.

Don't drink too much

Ladies, people can try to take advantage of you when you’re drunk. I know it happens in other places around the world. I don't want to overstate the dangers of travel at all. Because having been to some supposedly super dangerous places, I have to say I felt very, very safe there.

But do keep in mind that when you're traveling solo, no one is really looking out for you as much as they would be if you were with a group of friends. And whilst it's never anyone's fault, if horrible things happen to them anywhere in the world, it is important that you be proactive and just make sure that you're being safe.
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So, don’t drink too much. Make sure you are safe, wherever you are, whether you're on the road or just hitting up next door. 

Don’t be too flashy

My next solo female travel tip is don't be too flashy. And don't be too visibly different. I know that can’t be helped in certain countries by virtue of who you are and your ethnicity and stuff like that. But what I'm trying to say is, don't make yourself look like an easy target. I have found traveling with my parents more dangerous than traveling solo, simply because it’s so easy to tell we were tourists. While I have travelled to many more dangerous places by myself, and people might just assume I’m another international student, and I never had a problem.
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Also if you try and blend in with the locals, you will have a nicer experience, you will have less scaring and you will most likely be safer. For example, if you're traveling to a conservative country don't wear tubes, crop tops and short shorts. Because people will a be kind of shocked by that. And  they might pick you out as an easy target for different scams. And the other aspect of it is not wearing super flashy jewelry or waving your cash around. Something you should be doing anyway. 

Trying local food while traveling! Some guided tours include local lunch as well.

Don’t be afraid to get guided tours

Just because you're traveling by yourself doesn't mean you have to do everything on your own. Organized tour groups exist and you don't need to join them before you go on your trip. You might also be able to find ones that happen on the ground.

If you're staying in a hostel, quite often they have different tours that you can join. These organized tours especially for young people have a lot of other solo travelers on them. So they're a great way to meet other people but they're also a great way to understand more of the local culture.
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 Because, let's be real, when you're traveling on your own, do you really get that much cultural context of you know what you're doing and seeing? Not necessarily. So taking a few guided tours here and there meeting other people, especially locals, can be incredibly helpful and incredibly fun. 

keep your itinerary flexible

This solo female travel tip is possibly my favorite that I'm going to share with you today. And it is to keep your itinerary fluid. There are so many things to do in any given place that you are almost guaranteed to not have heard of until you actually get there. And the last thing you want is to be really eager to try some of them and not be able to because of time constraints.

So make sure that you are being a bit laid back. It's easier for some personality types than others. I know there are a lot of people that love being organized. And there is a lot to be said for doing that, especially with flights and accommodation, getting good deals.
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But when it comes to activities, my advice would definitely be to keep it cool. Just you know, go with the flow of it

​Go at your own pace

If you've never traveled solo before, maybe you shouldn't be diving headfirst into a year long trip around the world. Maybe you should dip your foot and by traveling locally or just to your neighboring country starter destinations that are not too challenging to visit.
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For example, if you're American, you might want to go to UK first or Canada or Australia because you can really speak the language. Or maybe you just want to start off with easy laid back trips to the beach, go to Thailand, instead of a full on hiking trip in the wilderness. You can check out some great things to do in Thailand here. Wherever your comfort zone lies. If you're not ready to do that. Take that first baby. 

Have fun and document at all.

The last solo female travel tip is to have fun and document all. By which I don't mean having your phone or camera out at every given moment. Because there is a lot to be said for living in the moment. And I think travel is really going to teach you how to do that.

Maybe at the end of every day, write down a few paragraphs in a travel journal. Maybe just call your friends or your parents write them a message of amazing things that you've experienced that day for make sure that those memories stay with you. 

​So, Those are all my solo female travel tips 

​Let me know in the comments below. What is your favorite part of traveling solo? Or if you've never done it? What’s holding you back?