Traveling Alone as a Woman: What You Need to Know

If you’ve found your way to this article, you are either already a world explorer, or something in you is calling you to step outside your comfort zone and make the most of life. And what better way to do just that than by taking on some solo travel? Female travelers make up 84% of the solo travel industry, and the interest continues to grow, with the search volume for ‘female solo travel’ increasing by 62% over the past three years.

Traveling solo is something that everyone should experience at least once in their life. You don’t need to jet halfway around the world to jump into traveling alone (though definitely go for it if that calls to you). The growth, memories, and people you meet along the way can still have a massive impact closer to home, and this experience will forever change you no matter where you end up. But, just before your departure, don’t forget to preserve the safety of your home, especially if you plan on traveling long-term. It is time to make the world your oyster with these six tips to help you along your journey of traveling solo as a woman.

6 tips for traveling alone as a woman 

1. Don’t feel like you have to be nice

When you’re traveling alone, you will often come across people who start up conversations with you, whether in Ubers, at restaurants, at your hotel, or on the street, you name it. Especially if you give off friendly ⁓vibes⁓, it is gonna be a regular occurrence. However, this does not mean you must tell everybody and their mother your life story. While 99% of the time, these conversations come with nothing but good intentions, feel out the situation and keep some personal details to yourself.

If you get a gut feeling that something is not right, trust it. Your safety comes first. If you freeze up and do not know how to answer when someone asks questions, play pretend with a fake backstory that you can repeatedly use with strangers who want to know a little too much. From personal experience, there is something thrilling about coming up with an absurd character and pretending that’s who you are. It is all about staying aware of the fine line between being pleasant and potentially putting yourself at unnecessary risk. 

2. Get travel insurance

This means both medical and trip insurance. You want to have yourself covered in any less-than-desirable situation, whether that is flight delays, baggage loss, or a “dumb but worth the story” injury. Many travel-friendly credit cards come with trip insurance built in, so check before you purchase anything extra. However, medical travel insurance is usually necessary to buy separately. Your home health insurance probably does not cover overseas, but luckily hundreds of companies are made specifically for the health-conscious traveler. If you are overwhelmed by options, chat with a friend with travel experience or throw a question up in an online group for feedback. 

3. Pamper yourself

As someone who travels frequently, I’ve started to adopt this on almost every trip. Sitting for long periods, sleeping in different beds, the predictable (yet unavoidable) stress that often comes with getting from point A to point B, as well as the fact that it is just plain enjoyable and most definitely something your future self would do, makes a booking a self-care session while away a priority. 

A little research can tell you if the destination has a specialty service or beauty treatment tied to the culture, such as hammams, energy work, or a plain old deep tissue massage. The options for a bit of pampering are endless. And the best part: in many destinations, the expertise is high, and the prices are low. A treatment that would cost you a few hundred in the States is often a quarter of the price in other places around the world. Nothing like a self-care day to get you back on track. All in all, 10/10 would recommend to a friend.

4. Community is everything

One of the highlights of solo travel is the obvious benefit of spending time on your own. It is amazing to have the space to recenter, challenge yourself in new environments, and just frankly do whatever floats your boat that day. That being said, us travelers are usually social people, and being alone for toooo much of the time isn’t ideal for anyone. Once you work your way into the solo travel lifestyle more and more, you will begin to meet people who become contacts and travel buddies for future trips. I have made countless cherished friendships around the world through traveling. 

However, if you are starting out (and even if you are a seasoned pro, it doesn’t hurt), join a few online digital nomad communities centered around solo female travel to get tips and also connect with people who will be in the same area as you. Facebook has a plethora of groups for this, or if you’re a bit more adventurous, try something like BumbleBFF once you get to the destination. Meeting up for a dinner or day of exploration with a gal pal keeps you from getting too lonely and will probably lead to making a new travel bestie. Another gateway into traveling solo and building a community around the world is to start joining group trips on your own. Check out some of our favs here. 

5. Research, research, research

We cannot stress this enough. While you will get more comfortable going with the flow as your experience grows, it is still crucial to research the basics, like the best areas to stay in, cell phone coverage, transportation, the culture when it comes to any strict rules, cash versus cards, and necessary phrases to know in the local language. Also, check if traveler illness is a possibility at the destination since places sometimes have bacteria that aggravate our systems, and what the doctor situation is if something arises. Bring medication with you as needed. 

Knowledge is power, and you will go into the trip more confident when you have some of the most important bases covered. I always put together a list of restaurants, cafes, bars, stores, or anything recommended beforehand, so I have an idea of places I want to check out. Look past TripAdvisor for recs (because they often are the most touristy spots), and do some digging through Instagram, blog posts, and even Reddit to find better options. Make a document, use Google Maps, or find an app like OOO to track these things. It comes in super handy, and that way, you know you’re trying spots that actually sound good to you. There is nothing worse than being hangry and ending up at a subpar place because it’s too last minute to do the research.

6. Pack a capsule wardrobe

When speaking with a friend about this topic, her one piece of advice after not having access to a bathroom for over six hours in Southeast Asia was, while traveling on a long bus trip, wear a long skirt so you can pop a squat anywhere. Besides that uncomfortable situation, mixing and matching is your best friend while traveling. Since you will be alone and won’t have three of your other friend’s suitcases to use as closets, you want to pack pieces that work for multiple occasions. 

Elevated classics and comfort are the two categories I will usually pack around. Of course, this depends on your destination since you probably do not need four pairs of sweatpants if you’re in a tropical spot for the month. However, it is smart to have a bit of everything in case you spontaneously jet to a different place and do not want to spend an afternoon running around a local mall frantically looking for jeans that fit because all you packed was beach clothing (true story). 

Wrapping Up

At the end of the day, there’s nothing more empowering than taking your dreams into your own hands, not waiting for anyone else to say yes or no, and just going for it. You prove to yourself that you can conquer anything thrown your way, and this confidence permeates into other areas of your life. Let’s hit the roads, seas, and skies together. You may be out there solo, but you’re never truly alone. Get out there and make the most of everything our beautiful world has to offer.