Tips for Solo Women Travelers

Traveling alone overseas can be a much-needed break from day-to-day social obligations, a chance to explore independently and engage in local communities on no one’s time frame but your own.

“One of the huge benefits of traveling alone is that you do have the opportunity to get more in touch with yourself and have a deeper experience in whatever culture you’re visiting,” said Sasha Landauer, 27, who works in publishing in New York. Her first solo — during a gap year before college — was to Nepal. She has since gone to Tanzania and Kenya on her own.

Traveling alone as a woman, however, does have certain considerations, particularly in a country where the language and culture may be unfamiliar.

Here are some tips for women on how to stay safe and enjoy their travels while going it alone.

Choosing a destination

Inspiration, guides and other online resources abound for solo women travelers.

Wanderful is a membership-based network ($9 a month) with 50 hubs, including in London, San Francisco and Brussels, and an online community. Unearth Women offers online “feminist city guides,” with hotel and dining recommendations.

It’s best to choose a destination that is established but not overcrowded, advises Elise Fitzsimmons, a co-author of Wanderess, a women’s guide for “smart, safe, and solo” traveling. “I always have a better time in the countries where the tourism industry exists, but it’s not to the point of overtourism,” she said.

Overall, smaller, walkable towns or cities are friendly to solo travelers, as are destinations with reliable train systems. “Cartagena is an incredibly walkable city. It has a lot of culture, so it’s a great solo traveling destination. It’s affordable,” said Nikki Vargas, a co-founder of Unearth Women and co-author of Wanderess, who also recommends Madrid, Barcelona, Paris and Burgundy in France.

Sites like HoodMaps provide insight into where to stay, which neighborhoods are fun to explore and zones that are potentially safer to avoid.

“I like to stay close to the city center, to stay close to the beaten path when it comes to my accommodations,” said Ms. Vargas, who also recommends searching for reviews written by solo women.

When traveling abroad, sign up for the U.S. State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program for emergency travel alerts from nearby U.S. embassies.

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