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Women Traveling Solo Realities

I’ve previously posted about why you should travel solo, at least once in your life, and also provided some tips in another post for traveling alone. This time I decided to post about Women Traveling Solo realities by asking some ladies who often travel alone regarding the realities they face and combined this great collaboration post. There's a variety of advantages and disadvantages for female travelers who travel solo. I've read a lot of stories which have raised a lot of interest to the related subject, like the one of Alyssa Ramos who posted about 'How Traveling Solo Destroyed My Dating Life' which has changed here life. Sadly travelling alone might also end up in a bad way, like the recent story of Maria Coni and Marina Menegazzo, the two girls, who although weren't travelling alone they had a sad ending. It's always good to make a small research before travelling alone somewhere. There are a lot of places which are not consideres as a safe place for a woman to travel on her own. As TravellerAU reports, India, Brazil, Turkey, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico and Kenya are some of the countries considered dangerous for women travellers. I've gone through situations where I had to deal with aggressive men who came up to asking me where I'm from and why I'm alone but I've managed to take care of this without getting in to trouble. Just by being nice and eventually walked away by ignoring them. Also walking in the Brussels tourist area I once had someone shouting at me and following me but I ignored them. He continued to follow me up to the metro station where I eventually got lost in a packed tube station. I was once walking in Palermo and there was a fight with 2 men throwing empty glass beer bottles to each other and shouting. So I turned back and got a different route for my way back to the centre. I've never thought of couchsurfing just because I prefer to avoid surprises. You need to be extra careful if you decide to stay in a stranger's house so I always [...]

10 Tips for Travelling Alone

After my recent post, Why you should travel solo, which explains a few reasons why to travel solo I decided to write a post providing you some tips for travelling alone. 1. Arrive during daylight Plan your itinerary to arrive during daylight, especially if you are female. It’s good to get familiar with the place you’ll be staying at during daylight. 2. Read about the neighborhood you will be staying It’s very important to know where you are staying when travelling to a new destination on your own. Make sure to book your accommodation somewhere safe and avoid places which others have reported crime. 3. Get up Early Generally, waking up early makes a huge difference. The day is longer! Especially if you are a woman travelling solo it’s very important to head out early and do the things you want so you can enjoy your day and go back to your hotel before it gets dark. Wake up early, enjoy a leisurely breakfast (when all the good stuff is still available on the hotel buffet) and head out for parks, museums and other daytime-only activities. If you pack your day full enough, you’ll be ready for bed by 9pm. 4. Stay around busy places Make sure to walk around on your own during day time and stay around busy places. Avoid walking on your own through dark alleys, public spaces are always safer. 5. Ask Locals If at any time you get lost or want to find out something about the area don’t hesitate to ask a local. A local will give you the best advice and recommendations about the area. 6. Have a Book It’s good to have a book to read or something else to occupy your free time on the plane, train or bus. 7. Power Up Make sure to carry a power bank with you in order to charge your phone when you run out of battery. I’m the kind of person who uses Wi-Fi & GPS which drain my battery so I always have a power bank with me. It has saved me a million of times. [...]