I have traveled a lot across the world, all alone. However when I meet people, most of them tend to behave very skeptical about a woman traveling all by herself. They simply cannot adjust to the fact that a female alone in United Kingdom is traveling alone and often ask what special safety precautions I take. Honestly, I have never had any.
After my years of solo traveling experiences, I have learned certain things which I could talk about or probably the budding travelers could learn out of.
The Basics
Keep a copy of your Passport, driving license and health card in your email drive. In that way if you lose your passport, it makes getting a new one much easier.
Always let someone know about your whereabouts because if something happens, at least one person knows where you are.
Trust your instincts
Being a woman, you should be able to trust your instinct and also understand if someone is try to approach you with wrong intention.
If someone is making you feel uncomfortable, do not worry about being rude. There are many times I have ignored men who approached in a way that didn’t feel right.
Smile
If you be gentle and friendly, there would be others who would try reaching out to help you. Once I had offered a seat to one pregnant lady while traveling and gradually we started talking. I was all alien to the city and when I was a tricky situation, her husband in turn came down to helped me.
Be extra caution while taking Public transportation
Make sure you do not carry anything in your back pocket, cause you have chances of getting pick pocketed. Be aware of your surroundings. It’s not just men that pickpocket, and at times it’s a group of women who will subtly bump into you .
On buses to other cities, I introduce myself to the bus driver and tell him where I’m going. It seems a bit silly, but a lot of the bus drivers will call my name when we reach my destination,Some are kind enough to pull down my backpack and help me with my luggage.
Lastly, find out how much a cab will cost from the bus station. Because many of them tend to ask for a much higher price on seeing a new comer.
Carry minimum stuffs
Keep your extra baggage in the guest house or hotel you are putting up.
On travel days, my rug-sack carries a water sipper, notebook, my DSLR, my mobile phone and chargers. My DSLR beautifully captures all the possible moments I come across and when I am too tired traveling I usually relax myself a bit by playing a few rounds of online bingo, using my mobile device which even gets me some cash handy!
Be aware
Ask people if they can point out the bad areas of town.Also also ask if there are common scams that you should be knowing about.
Be aware, not afraid. I take steps to minimize risk, but sometimes it’s all about luck!
