Solo Female Travel: Tips For Choosing Trip Destinations
One of the questions I get asked all the time is how I choose destinations to visit. There’s a long and short answer to that question. The short version is that I pick a destination from my list, book a flight, and go. The long answer is that I do quite a bit of research including the things I’m outlining below to make sure that a destination is enjoyable, safe, and within my budget. If you’ve never traveled alone or if you have some hesitation about it, then hopefully what i’m sharing will be of some use to you.
Ask Around
Word of mouth is still very much useful for many things including travel. If you have family and friends, especially single female, that travel often, it may be a good idea to ask about places they’ve been, how they liked the destination and what tips they can offer you. This is a pretty good way to gauge a destination since hopefully you trust your friends and family members not to lead you astray or give you incorrect information.
Create A List of Potential Destinations
Using the information you get from people you know, destinations you may see on social media or online, and any other ideas you may have for places you’d like to visit, create a list. Mine is pretty long at this point so i’m never lacking in ideas when I decide I’m ready to take another trip. You can organize your list a number of different ways- perhaps by weather, how budget-friendly the destinations are, or how long you might want to spend.
Identify Your Budget & Time Allowance
You have to know how much money you’re working with, not only to book your trip, but also how much it costs once you arrive to the destination you choose. You also have to know how much time you have like whether you’ll be able to take off work or work remotely, how long you can stay away from children or pets, or if you may need to be home for some important event or appointment. You’ll want to know things like it’s cheaper to fly on Tuesdays, booking flights in advance can save you money, and to search for flights in private or incognito mode because if not the flight prices will go up each time you search.
One of the things I’ve learned is that it can be helpful to your budget to travel in the off season as long as there is no major physical threat by doing so like the threat of a natural disaster. Traveling in the off season is almost always cheaper and you can avoid large crowds so that you can truly experience a location. Aside from the chance of on and off rain, the Caribbean is a really good place to travel in the off season. I can fly from the east coast for just about or less than $300 and find accommodations at half the price.
Research Thoroughly
View Comprehensive Lists Online
Google is your friend. There are plenty of lists for “safest destinations for female travelers” or “best places for women to travel solo.” These can be really helpful in terms of choosing a place and getting an idea for what you can expect once you get there. Keep in mind that you may want to stick specifically to lists created by a demographic you belong to as the experience can be different. For me, a list created by a white male may be helpful to a degree, but even more helpful are lists created by black women.
Check crime rates
Crime rates and what type of crimes occur most are generally available online. You may want to check them out before choosing a location. You don’t want to choose somewhere on the no-travel list or somewhere that crimes like kidnapping or sexual assault are high.
Determine mode(s) of transportation
This is something that many people don’t think of when traveling, but it is very critical to choosing a destination. Are you comfortable walking around alone in the daytime or at night? Can you negotiate for a taxi? Are you at all familiar with taking public transportation? You need to ask these questions, otherwise you may end up somewhere that is hard to get around. Knowing how you plan to get around can really ease some of the anxiety around visiting a new place.
Choose popular tourists destinations
If you’re not quite confident in going just anywhere, choose places that you know many people visit and that are easy to find information on. It also may be easier to stay at resorts or full service hotels, that way you always have help and likely someone who speaks your language if you have any questions once you arrive.
Check destination size
Determine the size of the place you’re visiting. When I visited Caye Caulker, Belize, I knew the island was only 5.5 miles long so I could pretty much cover it in a week, while there are some places like Greece that I know i’ll need more time to cover everything I want to see. This is also important if you’re the type of traveler that likes to plan activities. When I visited Mexico, it took 1 hour to get to where I zip-lined and in Cuba it took 1 hour to get to the beach I wanted to visit. These are things you’ll want to consider when you choose a destination if you’d rather do activities centered immediately around where you are staying.
Follow Other Female Travelers/Bloggers
This is similar to asking around because female travelers are going to offer insight and information closer to what you’re looking for than a general Google search. Sometimes Google is only going to show very touristy information that is catered to a certain crowd. You can get really good “insider” information by following people that are, again, in your demographic. I am a black female so travelers like Gabby Beckford (@Packslight) or Ashlee Major Moss (@ashleemajormoss) are going to offer information, resources and photos closer to what I’m looking for.
These are just some of the basic tips I can think of but it certainly isn’t everything you should think of when planning a trip because some things are going to be specific to you. Hopefully this gives you a starting point for getting out there and seeing the world safely on your own.
