Honest Tips for (Female) Solo Travelers
3 min readMay 18, 2020
Over the years, quite a number of people have asked me about what it’s like as a solo female traveler. Of course, I can only speak from my perspective- the only one I’ve ever had- but I’ve managed to come up with a list that may prove to be interesting, and hopefully helpful, to anyone out interested in seeing the world on their own terms.
Personally, I travel for human connections: to learn, see, and maybe even understand. Life is meant to be communicated and experienced together.
- It is almost always more mental than physical.
- Discomfort is not the same as danger. What you’re concerned about is generally more discomfort than actual issues of safety.
- Humans are inherently problem solvers. We have been gathering skills our whole lives to fix things and work out issues. Even if they aren’t necessarily “back-country” skills, you’ll figure it out. Eventually, the problem-solving process will simplify as you develop your priorities.
- Testing limits will allow you to gain experience.
- That being said, don’t be dumb. Don’t test limits just for the sake of doing so. This will be your call, and the nuances will show themselves with time and experience as you figure out what direction you’re trying to go in.
- Trust your gut feeling. Develop your gut feeling by being aware of it and listening to it. Don’t be paranoid, but if something doesn’t feel right, it’s better to be rude or unsociable than allowing yourself to enter what feels like precarious territory.
- Develop a different relationship with failure/expectations! If something doesn’t go as planned, you can learn from it, go along and see what happens. Some even say that real adventures don’t start unless everything goes wrong. That’s a bit hardcore, but most of my favourite and most memorable times abroad were unplanned.
- Do your basic research. Respect local customs. Pack loose pants, tops, and scarves for covering-up as needed.
- A quick-drying travel towel is your friend. Pack extra hair-ties, ear-buds, chargers, adaptors. You can always buy toiletries abroad, but it’s nice to have things you know you’ll need on hand. As is a bum-bag- it has really boosted my organizational system!
- I always try to have a book, journal, and pens on me. Helps with keeping boredom at bay during inevitable waits (much of traveling is waiting; this is the unglamorous part of travelling people don’t like to talk about).
- Carry $100+ USD for emergencies (i.e. paying for visas on arrival)
- Always carry all of your documents- old passports, immunizations, sim cards, etc. You never know when a pandemic may hit and where it may send you… (I’m writing this, nearly 3-months into an unplanned lockdown in Nairobi, Kenya. Although to be fair, which lockdowns *were* planned?)
