Must Know Tips for Travelling Alone as a Woman!
If you are considering travelling alone as a woman, this post is for you! I firmly believe every woman should solo travel at least once in their lifetime.
There is nothing more freeing and liberating than booking a trip for one to your dream destination, but it can be quite overwhelming! That’s why have put together my top tips for travelling alone as a woman for the first time.
Why You Should Travel Alone as a Woman!
Still on the fence about whether travelling alone as a woman is for you?
These are my top reasons why I believe solo travel is right for you!
Complete freedom
Plan your perfect itinerary when solo travelling as you don’t need to cater to anyone else! Talk about freedom. Choose where you go, when you go and what you do on your trip.
Expand your comfort zone
Travel pushes you to do things out of your comfort zone and to adapt and react to new and unplanned experiences.
Doing the same thing week after week, such as going to work, exercising and spending time with friends on weekend is comfortable.
“When you’re comfortable, you’re not growing.”
Step outside your routine, get the adrenaline pumping and push your boundaries. In the long run, this can boost your mental health and allow you to cope better with life’s challenges.
Make new friends
Make friends around the world on your travels.
In particular, the benefits of travelling alone are for sure the people you meet and the self-confidence you develop.
As an introvert, travel pushed me to put myself out there to make new connections. Gain more confidence in networking, introducing yourself and holding conversations with complete strangers. These communication skills are very translatable to your career.
Don’t be afraid to spark up a conversation and introduce yourself! People are generally very friendly and willing to help with local recommendations.
Travel more!
When you travel solo you can jump on cheap travel deals and fit your travels into your schedule. This means you can make the most of your annual leave by travelling far and wide without waiting around for others to join your adventures!!
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Preparation Tips For Travelling Alone as a Woman
Now that you’re convinced on travelling alone as a woman, let’s cover a few things you should tick off in the lead-up to your trip to ensure you have a smooth and safe journey.
Buy travel Insurance
Purchase travel insurance as soon as your book! As soon as you purchase travel insurance you will be covered for any cancellations or travel changes out of your control.
Choose your destination wisely
Firstly, choose your solo travel destination wisely, especially if you are a first-timer.
Solo travel can be very overwhelming the first time you do it, so I recommend you pick a place that isn’t too far from home or not too culturally different to what you’re used to. For example, if you come from a small country town in Australia, travelling to Bangkok for your first trip might be a bit much to handle. The last thing you want is for one bad trip to ruin your outlook on solo travel.
For my first solo trip, I travelled to another state in my country and did a road trip. Was a great way to build my confidence.
These are my cheapest and safest places to travel alone for the first time!
Hostels vs Hotels vs Airbnbs
Furthermore, choose your accommodation wisely. This does depend on your financial position, however, if you do have the funds and are a bit nervous about staying in a 10-bed dorm, I suggest exploring a few other options such as:
- Spending a couple of nights in a hostel dorm and a couple of nights in a hotel
- Exploring private rooms in hostels
- Checking out Airbnbs for other affordable options
Subscribe to destination alerts
Reputable government agencies such as smarttraveller.gov.au in Australia provide up-to-date information on a destination including detailed information on how to stay safe. Subscribe to alerts so you are notified of travel advisory updates.
Share your itinerary with loved ones
Send a copy to your parents, partner or best friend so they can follow along your journey and check in with you! I also suggest sharing your location via an app such as Find My Friends or Life360.
Register your travel dates with your bank
Using your debit/credit card overseas will alert the bank of unusual activity and may result in your card being cancelled. Let your bank know so they can protect your finances.
Book in with a travel doctor
Visit a travel doctor to discuss vaccinations and medications.
Save money
Expect to spend more money than you have budgeted for. Between now and your trip be a little more frugal with your spending and follow a few of my strategies for saving money fast!
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Travelling Alone as a Woman and Taking Photos’
A great struggle for many women travelling alone is taking gorgeous photos to remember your trip and share with friends and family.
But here’s the thing, taking beautiful photos and travelling solo is possible if you have the right gear and a splash of confidence! Whipping out a tripod in a busy street or in front of a busy attraction takes confidence, but it is so worth it in the end! People around you will be so consumed in themselves that they likely won’t pay too much attention to you. But if they do it only shows you are a confident social traveller!
Ok onto, the essential gear you need to take beautiful photos when travelling alone a woman
Tripod
A tripod is an inexpensive way to capture photos that replicate another person standing behind the camera. For only $30 you can purchase a tripod that doubles as a selfie stick and comes with a discreet remote controller so you can be in total control.
Drone
Next, we have drones which are a bigger investment for those wanting to really up their solo travel photography game. Ranging from $300 to $1500+ a drone is the perfect travel companion.
There is honestly nothing more impressive than footage captured on a drone, just check out some of my pictures and I am the ultimate beginner!
For a full guide on beginner drones for travel photography, check out my guide!
Action Camera
Heading to a tropical location to go diving? Hitting the slopes to go skiing? Or perhaps you are going deep into the wilderness to go abseiling. Whatever adventure you are planning, you should seriously consider an action camera!
Don’t risk breaking your phone in the elements, instead travel with a heavy-duty compact camera that takes quality footage.
I personally didn’t want to splurge on a GoPro and instead opted for a dupe, the AKASO Brave. For essentially the same functionality and for a quarter of the cost, I highly recommend the AKASO Brave 7LE for those considering an action camera but not willing to fully commit to a GoPro’s price tag.
Mirco SD Card
Interested in a drone or action camera? Then you’ll need a microSD card to ensure you are taking the highest quality content and aren’t maxing your device’s storage.
A cheap necessity that you can purchase from Amazon or any electronics store.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t stop there. You will also need to pick up an SD card reader adapter so you can transfer the footage onto your laptop to view/edit. I recommend grabbing a multipurpose adapter that also includes an HDMI and USB reader to get more bang for your bag!
Travel Captions
Side note, surely I’m not the only one who finds writing captions for my travel photos a massive drag?
You’ve taken some incredible photos and you’re ready to share on Instagram until you realise you don’t have any creative ideas for a caption.
That’s why I have jotted down a whole range of travel captions for you to use! Anywhere from short, funny to inspirational quotes, there is something for everyone’s feed.
See my travel captions below!
150 All-Time Best Instagram Captions For Travelling
130 Short Winter Captions for Instagram – Travel
One Word Caption For Travel – 110+
105 Unique Travelling Quotes For Instagram
70+ Instagram Captions for New York City + Photo Locations!
80 Travelling Captions for Instagram
Travelling Alone as a Woman and Meeting Others
Meeting other like-minded solo travellers can add another layer of magic to your trip.
Travelling alone as a woman allows you to meet others from around the world and on a similar journey to you. Make friends for a season or a lifetime, travel is one of the most special ways to meet others.
So, onto some actionable tips to help make friends that little bit easier.
Consider taking a tour
One of the easiest ways for me to make friends when solo travelling is to book a tour. Book your whole adventure with a tour company like Topdeck or Contiki or book a day trip via Get Your Guide or Tripadvisor.
A longer tour gives you more time to build relationships and a day tour allows you to connect over a shared experience such as a food tour or snorkelling trip.
Jump online
Don’t be afraid to join Facebook community groups such as Girls who Travel or Digital Nomad Girls Community to meet up with others who are also looking for travel buddies. Almost daily I see girls connecting and travel planning in these groups! Or on your nights off join a pub crawl or local meet up.
Stay in a hostel
Staying in hostels not only saves money but it can also be an easy way to meet other travellers. If you are not keen on bunking with complete strangers, find places with private rooms and hang out with others in shared common rooms.
Spark up a conversation
Don’t be shy, say hello, and introduce yourself! Whether it be chatting to the barista making your coffee, the shop assistant styling you or a girl standing by the bar, a small compliment, witty comment or simple hello can spark the beginning of a new friendship.
Fake it till you make it
Us introverts aren’t usually the first ones to initiate a conversation or group outing. That’s why you gotta fake it until you make it! I find pushing my comfort zone in a foreign country a little easier as you live totally separate lives from those around you and often have different lifestyles. There’s a sense of safety in this. Does anyone else find that?
Tips for Avoiding Loneliness
Often times people associate travelling alone as a woman with loneliness. And yes it is possible to get lonely when travelling alone, it’s possible to get lonely without evening travelling as a matter of fact, but don’t let that hold you back.
There is a range of ways to meet others to fill your social cup as discussed above, but there is also a range of other things you can do to avoid feeling lonesome.
Below I have outlined my key tips for avoiding feeling homesick/lonely.
Plan a busy itinerary
Keeping busy is my go-to strategy for avoiding feeling lonely when travelling alone. When you are constantly on the go, cramming a tonne of activities and sights in your day, you won’t have much time and energy to feel lonely.
Book a few group tours
I love booking my own travel and planning my perfect trip so I never really opt to take a tour for the whole trip. However, I do love a half-day or full-day group tour to break up my travels, meet others, and venture to spots that aren’t easily accessible or safe to do so on my own. My go-to sites for finding cost-effective, quality tours are Get Your Guide and Tripadvisor.
Facetime loved ones
When travelling alone as a woman, home can feel lightyears away, when really it is only a phone call away. Share the magical ups and challenging downs of your trip with your partner, family or best friend. Schedule a regular facetime call or use your long travel days to send photos and share stories.
Listen to podcasts
This especially applies if you are on a solo road trip. Download a few of your favourite chatty podcasts so that when you listen to them it feels like you’re sitting with your girlfriends. Or perhaps you’d prefer a murder mystery podcast that instantly captures your full attention and takes your mind off any other thoughts.
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Travelling Alone as a Woman Safety Tips
I have a whole post on the risks of travelling alone as a woman and how you get best prepare for your trip.
The number 1 tip I continue to stress is, travel insurance is non-negotiable.
If you can’t afford travel insurance you can’t afford to travel FULL STOP! No buts no ifs.
Travel insurance is likely not as expensive as you think. For example, a 25-year-old Australian traveller visiting Thailand for 2 weeks can purchase travel insurance from World Nomads for only $115.
For a detailed guide on how to stay safe travelling alone as a woman check out my post: The Dangers of Travelling Alone: How to Stay Safe
PIN FOR LATER!
Those were my top tips for travelling alone as a woman! Let me know in the comments where your next solo trip will be! Mine is Vanuatu!!
