15 Useful Tips for Solo Female Travellers

Travelling the world by yourself is one of the best things you’ll ever do and not only will the whole experience make you appreciate the little things (like hot water), you’ll also return home more confident than ever.

But before you take the plunge, here’s 15 top tips that every female should know before they travel:

1. Decide Where To Go

Research all countries before you travel to see where appeals to you.

Work out if the destination is affordable for your budget and check online for safety advice and other tips. Some countries are much better than others for solo travel, so check places you should definitely avoid.

Consider if you are looking for culture, history, world famous bucket list destinations, beaches or wild parties. You could plan a trip to mix all.

If you are planning a trip for the first time popular options include seeing famous attractions in Europe, backpacking to see the best places in south east Asia or travelling the east coast of Australia - just to name a few.

2. Research Cultural Norms

Read the local customs and etiquette to make sure you stay on the right side of the locals and the law. Countries in Europe and the Americas are generally more relaxed in terms of rules compared to Asia and the Middle East for example, but most destinations have certain cultural sensitivities you need to be aware of.

3. Keep in Touch with Your Friends & Family

Let your friends and family know where you’re going to be even if it’s just a sketchy itinerary. Leave a copy of your general itinerary and always make sure someone knows where roughly you are going to be.

4. Don't Overpack

You only need enough clothes for a week or so then you can wash them. This will really help you to save carrying a really heavy backpack.

If you are travelling to a hot climate you don’t need a hair dryer. Also unless you are a travel blogger, do you realy need to be lugging around a laptop? A tablet or phone might be just fine.

A small hotel size shampoo will last for about 3 washes and is much better than a big bottle. You could also buy eco soaps, or just book accommodation where these amendities are included.

5. Choose Accommodation Carefully

Somewhere to stay can be one of your biggest costs. Choose the largest dorm for the cheapest price and be sure to read reviews. Some hostels offer dorms just for females which can feel safer. You could also try Couchsurfing if you are on a tiny budget, this is a great way to stay with local people around the world for free.

6. Take Vitamins and Supplements

Fruit and heathy food may not be easy to come across depending on where you are.

7. Eat Locally

Eat from outside street sellers instead of nice restaurants or cook your own meals in a hostel kitchen and take breakfast bars with you. This wil help save you lots of money as eating out for breakfast, lunch and dinner adds up quickly.

8. Be Social

Traveling solo can be amazing to do what you want when you want but sometimes it can be lonely. Some of the best ways to meet people when travelling is by taking part in group activities, you might like to view tours, gap year programs, volunteer programs or cookery courses. All offer a great way to make new friends along the way.

9. Plan Your Itinerary

Remember to build rest days into your itinerary. You may think you can do three overnight train journeys in a row but your body may think otherwise. You’ll be thankful of a day to recover.

You might want to consider arriving into new destinations in the morning or afternoon rather than at night, everything at night can seem more daunting especially as a solo female in a foreign country.

Download offline maps to your phone which can also help you to navigate your way around a new destination.

Ask your accommodation to write the name of where you are staying in the local lingo (or take a card of the hotel), so you can show someone if you get lost.

10. Learn the Language

Be sure to learn the basics of the language in your destination, even if just hello, please and thank you. Its fun, and will really be appreciated by locals.

11. Currency

When changing money, get as small dominations as possible and make sure you have local currency on you incase there are no ATMs around. Also be sure to use up or exchange before departing as in some regions like south east Asia it can be difficult to exchange local currencies, especially for a good rate.

12. Don't Flash Anything Expensive

Leave your expensive jewellery and valuables at home, or be cautious so you’re not a target for crime. Walking around especially at night with a brand new iphone or watch isn't the best idea especially in developing countries.

13. Safety & Gut Feeling

Girls have great intuition so listen to your gut feeling and go with it. If something doesn't feel right, don't do it.

You should also make a photo copy of your passport and travel insurance to give it to your family and keep another copy online.

View more safety tips for female travelers.

14. Make Use of Skills

If you’re a hairdresser offer your services to other travellers or teach English to local people - these are great ways to make money as you travel. For another way to live abroad with little cost you could apply for jobs abroad if you are lacking the funds to travel for a long duration.