I'm cleaning my camera equipment, and it's boring. But cleaning helps me clear my mind and figure out what to write next.
I love traveling alone, and I recommend it, but I've noticed that women are more apprehensive about solo travel. The main concern is safety. However, you'll be surprised how many women travel alone, and I learned a couple of tricks from them that I use. Below are some tips if you're a woman that wants to dabble with solo
travel. Please note: I have another article on safety travel tips. You may want to read that one too.
1. Join a Women's Travel Group: There are groups of women that meet online and travel together to a given location. Women travel groups have the flexibility of solo travel and the safety of a group. Many of these groups are on Facebook (Solo Female Traveler Network and Girls Love Travel). See if a group is going to the desired location and link up. There are also travel groups for minorities too.
2. Make sure your phone is always connected (i.e. cellular/4G and not just Wi-Fi): When traveling alone, your phone is sometimes the only way to communicate with other people. Get a local SIM card or an international phone plan if traveling overseas.
3. Always use ride sharing services: Make sure your travel destination has services like Uber or Lyft readily available. Especially at night, walking around or trying to hail a taxicab invites more risk. Instead, after the restaurant/bar/club, have the Uber meet you out front and travel back to the hotel to mitigate this risk.
4. Get the necessary gear: Some gadgets can make traveling alone safer. Place the portable door lock in your hotel door, so you can sleep safely at night and make the frat boys scurry with a keychain alarm. I'm not going to recommend any specific gear because I haven't used it. To find the best product, buy a couple of brands from Amazon, see which one works the best, and return the others.
5. Be smart when enjoying nightlife: Stay close to the staff at a bar or club. For example, sit next to the bartender or near a bouncer. Also, do not leave drinks unattended. Either finish the glass or bring it with you. That "napkin on the drink" trick is not protecting you from anything.
Bonus:
6. Save all emergency numbers and contact information on your phone beforehand: Especially when traveling outside of the United States, know the country codes needed to make a phone call. Then, in the unfortunate situation that anything happens, just dial the saved number to get help.
What travel tips do you use when traveling alone?
The winter in the Northeast US is no joke, so warm up with this drink. It's a variation of the classic Margarita: Gingerbread Margarita
2 oz añejo tequila
3/4 oz lime juice
3/4 oz Spiced Orange Syrup
1/2 oz orange liqueur (e.g. Gran Gala)
Shake ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker and strain into a large martini glass. Add an orange peel twist or cinnamon stick.
"The way my bank account is setup...I can't buy you a town atm." Follow me on Instagram and Facebook.
