Travel tips for women travelers

Whether you are a man or a woman traveling alone, keeping safe is the most important thing you should worry about. But the sad reality is that women traveling alone are more likely to get in trouble than men, in certain places at least.

While in many parts of the world equal rights is a reality, in some place women are expected to behave in certain ways that might not appeal to many of us who are used to doing whatever we feel like doing. So here are some tips that will help you make sure that things run smoothly during your travels.

One of the most touchy issues when a woman travels to a completely different country is the dress. In some cultures, there is a strict dress code that women should abide by. So, while traveling, you should do some background research on what women in that particular country wear (the web is a good place to start, but you can probably also send an inquiry to a tourist information office if there is one). So no matter how hot the climate is, sometimes it is not a good idea to wear shorts and short sleeves, even if that’s a perfectly normal thing to do in your home country. It’s unfair, but it can save you from being ignored or even harassed by the locals.

There are lots of websites which offer advice to women travelers, from useful to the downright ridiculous (you should make the hotel clerk write down your room number, not say it out loud; intentionally ‘forget’ to pack certain clothes so that you have an excuse to buy them when you get to your destination).

The truth is that there is not much difference between how a single man or woman travelers should act when they go somewhere. Of course it’s useful to keep your travel papers in a safe place and not to bring stuff that you won’t need (I don’t think that women are the only ones tempted to pack useless things – everyone is). And when it comes to exploring your destination, you certainly shouldn’t stray alone into the disreputable parts of the town or city you’re visiting. For locals, more often than not it is obvious that you are a foreigners, which makes you an easy target to mugging – so you should try to dress as boringly as you can: a pair of jeans and a t-shirt will do just fine.

As you probably realised by now, there are few tips especially for the benefit female travelers. Single travelers are always more exposed that people who travel in groups, and it is true that women are more likely to be the target of tourist-hunting evil-doers. The point is to do some background research and try not to offend the locals (and considering how misogyny runs rampant in many countries in the world, that’s a difficult feat), and practice common sense.

Some useful links:

10 important travel tips for women

Amazon: Gutsy Women: More Travel Tips and Wisdom for the Road (Travelers’ Tales)

Solo Travel: Tips for women traveling alone

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