“YES” LADIES, YOU CAN TRAVEL ALONE SAFELY

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20 SAFETY TIPS SO YOU FEEL SAFER TRAVELING ALONE

My late husband was retired law enforcement and safety was always first and foremost in his mind. He didn’t always travel with me, but he always offered several tips and advice to keep me safe if I was traveling alone. His favorite saying was, “Don’t talk to strangers.” The other pieces of advice were sit with your back to the wall (if you can), always know where your exits are, and pay attention to what’s going on around you, look up from your phone once in awhile. Definitely DO NOT be on your phone walking through parking lots. Be aware of your surroundings and know where you are at. Find a landmark.

The other drill was call me when you get to the airport, before you board and as soon as you land and then again when you get to your hotel. Thank goodness for cell phones.

As a travel professional I do travel alone sometimes. I’ve compiled a list of things I do to stay safe, and I also asked other female travel professionals what they do to keep safe. The 2 that responded are, Sharon Sloane of All-Inclusive Vacations, and Nancy Mize of Holiday Travel Agency. This list includes their tips as well.

1. Make sure you have all your travel documents in hand so you don’t have to stand and dig through your bag for them. Have them ready to go. This makes you appear more like a “savvy” traveler, more experienced, and saves time and makes the TSA agents, custom or immigration agents much happier. This is important because they can be a little “grumpy” at times.
2. If you take a taxi or Uber from the airport to your hotel keep your purse #1 and your carry-on (if it’s small like a backpack) with you in the back seat. If you feel unsafe and have to bail out quickly, those two items go with you. My daughter had an experience in Chicago where she thought she and her daughters would have to jump out quickly. The driver was talking to someone on the phone in a different language, but kept looking at them in the rearview mirror, then said in English, “yes, they’re Americans.” She then told her daughters, quietly “If I tell you to go, you go out that door quickly.” She keeps her purse or backpack in the backseat with her. Her daughters did too. They asked, “What about Daddy?” ( He was up front with the driver). She said “He’s on his own.” Now everything worked out fine and they were taken to their hotel, but she said it was scary.
3. Try not look like a tourist. Try to look like you know where you’re going. Do your homework before you go. Look up the airport, try to locate a map of where the transportation is located and go there. Then it’s good to know the brand of hotel you are staying at. For example, “The Grand at Moon Palace Cancun,” is a Palace Resort. So you look for “Palace Resorts” for the shuttle. Drivers should all be in uniform and have a list of people with reservations. This is also true in Dominican Republic, true with Apple Vacations, true with most all vacation groups. You should know ahead of time HOW YOU ARE GETTING TO YOUR HOTEL.
4. Follow the rules, wear your mask, do your social distancing, hand sanitizer. Do what you are asked to do and you will have no problems.
5. Be nice, smile, say “hello.” People say they can’t see your smile when you’re wearing your mask, but that’s not true, they can see it in your eyes and hear it in your voice. People are more willing to help you if you are nice. But don’t be too nice or gullible. On my recent trip to Mexico, I had 2 different people, (strangers), ask me if I would watch their bags while they went to get food, or use the restroom. I said sure. So I must have a trustworthy face. But I don’t ask strangers to watch my bags.
6. Make sure you have international calling on your phone. Don’t lose your cell phone. Carry 2 chargers. I do check-in to FB at airports, hotels, this creates a digital trail in case something happens. I also text my family members when I arrive at my destinations. They also have a copy of my itinerary, where I’ll be, and what group if that’s applicable.
7. You can’t carry pepper spray or anything that can be construed as a weapon in your purse. But you can have a small can of hairspray that’ll stop anybody long enough, so that you can get away if you had to.
8. Try to learn a few phrases of the language of the country you are visiting, some basics, hello, how are you, where’s the bathroom, hotel, taxi, hospital. Another thing you can have is a translator app on your phone. One that you can speak into and it will translate to your first language. Or you type in English and it will translate into whatever language you want and it will speak for you. They can speak into the phone and it will translate their answer in your language.
9. Make sure you do some homework and know some of the culture and make sure you are dressed appropriately for the culture of that country. Some countries require women to cover their heads, wear certain clothing, dresses versus slacks, etc. Just know before you go. Don’t talk to strangers and follow your instincts. If you get a bad feeling, then follow that feeling.
10. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Try to look for people that work at the airport for instance, or in the store. You will have to talk to strangers but pick them wisely. In Mexico I did have to ask one of the employees at the airport where the shuttles were, because the signs were a little misleading.
11. Make sure your cell phone is always charged. There are portable chargers that you can purchase and plug your phone in when you can’t get to an outlet.

Sharon Sloane from All-Inclusive Vacations suggests the following safety tips as well:

12. Wear inexpensive jewelry. That way you are not calling attention to yourself with your jewelry.

13. Don’t get in an elevator with only men if you feel uncomfortable. You can make an excuse, “Oh, I forgot something, I’ll take the next one.”

14. Don’t let strangers know you are traveling alone. If strangers ask, you can indicate that you are meeting up with friends later.

15. If strangers ask where you’re staying, you can give them the name of another hotel that is close to the one you are staying at.

16. Wear a fanny pack or small purse that can be draped across your chest.

17. Walk around when there is daylight and in populated areas and use a taxi at night.

Nancy Fize of Holiday Travel Agency says these are some of the things she does:

18. Carry only what you can comfortably carry. Women in particular tend to try to carry too much. You need one arm free. Otherwise this makes you very vulnerable. She has a roll on checked bag and carries a “day” pack backpack as a purse on days of travel. Her most important belongings, such as passport and money are in a zippered compartment up against her back. She usually carries a tiny purse or “wallet” on a crossbody strap to have access easily to some essentials so she’s not going in and out of her backpack.

19. Never put all your cash in one place. She has her credit card numbers AND the customer service numbers stored in a secure app on her cell phone. She said she was pickpocketed in Rome once and was glad to have access to stop payment on her credit cards right away. ( Of course she only carries 2 credit cards when traveling).

20. When you are in your room, keep it locked. Carry a rubber door stop that you can push under your door from the inside so in case housekeeping or anyone else tries to enter when they’re not supposed to and you are in your room, they won’t be able to get in. If you need to have maintenance come in to fix anything, a good place to stand is in the open doorway.

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