Tips for traveling alone as a woman

1. Stay in hostels or volunteering projects

The atmosphere in hostels is usually very social, making them the perfect place to meet other women who are traveling alone, find out about local events, and help relieve any loneliness you may be experiencing. 

And did you know you can stay in a hostel for free by doing volunteer work abroad? Worldpackers is the safest community for traveling and volunteering. Through their platform you can connect with thousands of welcoming hosts around the world.

And there are other kinds of projects other tham hostels. If you like animals and eco projects you can volunteer on the farm, ecovillage or permaculture project. You can also help with a social impact project, volunteering in a community, school or NGO in amazing places worldwide.

2. Pack light

Aside from the fact that you’ll have to carry all of your stuff by yourself, you’re less likely to lose something if there are fewer things for you to keep up with. 

Also, you might want to use a backpack instead of suitcases to be able to come and go easily.

3. Be prepared

This tip is two-fold. Yes, you should be prepared for your trip by organizing your belongings, having all of the necessary documents, etc. But you should also be mentally prepared in case something goes wrong. Have a plan for deal with the most likely bad situations like being stolen or get lost.

4. Give yourself time to adjust when you arrive somewhere new

Especially if you’re traveling across multiple time zones, it’s important to give your body time to recover when you reach your destination. 

One of my friends recently went on her first solo trip. She flew overnight from the US to Dublin and then had to take a 2 hour bus ride to her destination. Because she was so tired, she fell asleep on the bus and missed her stop. When she woke up and had no idea where she was, she panicked. 

Travel is exhausting, and it’s harder to stay calm and deal with minor inconveniences when you haven’t had enough rest so don’t schedule too much on your first day in a new place.