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Traveling alone can be a rewarding and exciting experience, as it forces you to make new friends and allows you to make your own agendas without worrying about what someone else wants to do. Unfortunately, traveling solo can also be dangerous if you don’t take the appropriate precautions. Use these 40 or so tips to help keep your next solo adventure safe and happy.

The Basics

These are some basic tips you can use as a traveler, whether flying solo or with a friend.

1. Learn about the local culture. One sure way to stick out and possibly anger or offend those in your destination country is to not bother to learn anything about the locals before you arrive. You can also ask others who have traveled there about what areas to avoid and how you better keep yourself safe.
2. Don’t advertise that you’re a tourist. Walking around with a camera on your neck while sporting an American flag t-shirt won’t exactly help you to blend in while you’re sightseeing in most countries. Try not to make it glaringly obvious that you’re on vacation and you don’t know your way around. The less you look like a tourist, the less likely you are to be a target for theft.
3. Avoid flashy clothes and electronics. In many places in the world, walking around with expensive cell phones, handbags and iPods is commonplace. But you should be wary when traveling to parts of the world where these kind of fancy electronics and clothing aren’t the norm. They’ll just make you look like a desirable target for petty crime, so leave them at home if possible.
4. Know the area. Before leaving on your trip, do some research, whether it’s on the Internet or in a travel guide. Learn what areas might be dangerous for a solo traveler, where pickpocketing is most common, and some general safety tips for your destination so you’ll have a heads up when you arrive.
5. Always carry a little cash with you. While you certainly shouldn’t be toting around large amounts of cash, carrying a small amount with you at all times can help you get out of a hairy situation if you need to. If you feel threatened, having cash will allow you to take a cab or duck into a restaurant to order coffee and quickly get out of the situation.
6. Copy important documents. Before you leave for your trip, make sure to copy all of your important travel documents like your ID, passport, credit cards and travel itineraries so that if something happens to the original, it will be much easier to get a replacement.
7. Make sure someone knows where you are. Before you leave on your trip, leave family members with a rough copy of your itinerary. Letting others know when you are leaving, where you plan to stay, and when you should return will help them to locate you if something should happen.
8. Make friends. You may have left home alone, but that doesn’t mean that you have to spend your entire trip as a loner. Make friends with the locals or meet other travelers at your hotel or hostel. Who knows, you could have some great experiences and maybe even make a lifelong friend.
9. Listen to your instincts. If you find yourself thinking that a situation just isn’t quite right or that a person seems disingenuous, chances are good that you might be right. Your instinctive feelings are meant to keep you out of harms way, to try to pay attention to what they’re telling you.
10. Always carry a means of communication. Whether it’s a cell phone or a calling card, always keep a way to call home or for help handy. Keep it separate from your other valuables so that if those are stolen you’ll still be able to ring a cab and get replacements for your lost valuables.
11. Buy something from a local store. Want to blend in? Try making a purchase from a local grocery store. The local bag will make you look more like a native and is much less likely to be stolen than an expensive purse or day pack.
12. Read up on local laws and customs. Just because you’re a visitor and not a native doesn’t mean you’re above local laws and customs. Read up on these before you go to avoid any possible trouble. Sometimes even things you think are innocuous other might be grossly offensive and even illegal in other parts of the world.
13. Learn the basics of the local language. While it’s likely that you’ll be able to find at least a few people in your destination country that speak your language you certainly shouldn’t count on it. Before you leave, learn basic words and phrases to help you hail a cab, order food, make purchases, and do other basic day to day activities so you won’t be overcharged or cause yourself to stick out too badly as a tourist.
14. Don’t reveal too much personal information. While you do want to get to know new people that you meet along your travels, you also want to be careful about revealing too much of your personal information before you know the person well. If you feel like you’re being grilled on your personal details, steer the conversation in another direction or get out of it altogether.

For Women

Unfortunately, women often face special challenges when traveling alone that men might not. Here are some tips to make traveling alone less daunting.

15. Acknowledge your boundaries. While you want to fit in with the culture and people of your destination, realize that you might have different boundaries. If you don’t feel comfortable in a situation, no matter how normal it is where you’re visiting, don’t do it. Its better to be embarrassed than end up hurt.
16. Dress conservatively. Wearing tight or revealing clothes might fly in some places, but in many it will get you unwanted and possibly aggressive attention from men. Take your cues on how to dress from the local women. If they don’t show their legs, you probably shouldn’t either, or you could be inviting something you don’t want.
17. Respect the culture of your destination. In many places that you will visit, there are simply different norms about how women should act and dress. While you don’t have to lose yourself completely in these, you should try to respect these to the best of your abilities. It will make life much easier for you, and prevent unwanted attention.
18. Don’t invite trouble. You might get away with grabbing a beer at a bar alone at home or flirting shamelessly with men you meet, but in an unfamiliar place you could be getting yourself into trouble. Remember that sometimes visiting another country alone means giving up some of the freedoms you might have enjoyed at home. It could be a small price to pay to avoid getting hurt.
19. Wear a wedding ring. Don’t want men to see you as a single woman even if you are? Try wearing a wedding ring. It will make you look less available and drive away some unwanted suitors.
20. Always walk with others at night. In general, it’s a good idea to apply this rule no matter where you are, but it can be especially important when you’re traveling in an unfamiliar city. Find other travelers or trusted locals to help you get home or if you need to, suck it up and pay for a taxi toget back to yor hotel.
21. Keep your guard up. While you don’t want to be rude to those who could be potential friends, be wary of others when traveling alone. Keep your guard up when in intimidating or crowded places.
22. Take cues from local women. Not sure how to dress or avoid untoward comments from men? Watch the local women to see what they do. Often you can pick up a few tricks that can make your trip more comfortable and that will make you look less like a tourist.
23. Be alert. When walking through even crowded streets make sure to keep an eye out for anyone that could be following you or appears to be behaving abnormally. If you feel uncomfortable, get out of the situation immediately, don’t wait until it’s too late to do something.
24. Don’t worry about overreacting. If you feel unsafe or that you’re under attack, don’t worry about running, screaming, or getting out of a situation as quickly as possible. It’s better to look foolish than to end up getting hurt by a less than friendly native.

Protecting Your Valuables

While losing your valuables isn’t the end of the world, it sure can ruin a what would have otherwise been a great trip. Use these tips to help keep your stuff safe while you’re away from home.

25. Be wary of people approaching you. This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t make friends when you’re traveling alone, only that you should be very careful when being approached by people on the street. Many times thieves devise stories to distract you while you’re being robbed, so be on the lookout for anyone you feel might be trying to pull the wool over your eyes.
26. Research petty crime. Some destinations are known for their proliferation of pickpockets, thieves and scam artists. Find out statistics beforehand through a government or independent research site or ask other travelers about their experiences so you’ll know what to expect and the level of vigilance you should have.
27. Hide your valuables. Don’t walk around with your wallet, purse or money belt in plain view. Hide them inside a jacket, shirt, shawl or under your clothes. You don’t have to make them inconvenient to access for yourself, but you also don’t want to be advertising their location to potential thieves.
28. Split up cash and credit cards. When traveling, alone or otherwise, it’s always a good idea to keep at least some of your money and credit cards separate. This way, if you do lose one set you’ll have another to fall back on and your trip won’t be disrupted as heavily.
29. Keep your bags close to you and closed. If you’re walking around with a bag during the day, make sure to keep it on your arm, looped around your leg, or otherwise in your possession throughout your sightseeing. This makes it much more difficult for thieves to snatch and ensures that you won’t forget it somewhere either.
30. Have spares. When bringing valuables like credit cards, medications, and cash along, you should always have a backup supply stored somewhere separately. You don’t want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere with no way to pay your bills or take important medications.
31. Use the hotel safe. If you’re worried about leaving valuables like cameras, laptops and jewelry unattended in your hotel room, then lock them up in the hotel safe. It might take a little extra time, but it can be worth the hassle if you don’t have to deal with stolen goods.
32. Never leave luggage unattended. While it might be a pain to drag your clunky luggage with you everywhere you go, even that quick bathroom break, leaving it alone is just asking for it to get stolen. Always keep your belongings with you or at least within your line of sight when you’re traveling.
33. Be careful about using ATMs. Solo travelers should be wary about removing money from an ATM. Try to only withdraw cash from machines during the day and in areas where there are other people around.

Lodging and Travel

Transportation and hotels are likely to be a big part of any trip, so make sure you take the necessary precautions when traveling alone to ensure your safety.

34. Safeguard your room. When you check into your hotel there are a number of things you can do to make sure your stay will be as safe as possible. First, make sure your room number is given to you discretely so other ill-intentioned persons won’t be able to easily locate you. Also, try to avoid staying in ground floor rooms where windows and doors can easily be broken into. Finally, bring a small rubber doorstop with you to help prevent intruders from entering your room.
35. Keep your hotel’s phone number and address on you. You don’t want to end up stranded in a foreign country with no way to get back to your hotel. Keep your hotel’s business card with you so you can show it to the cab driver if you don’t speak the language and have the number handy so you can call if you need to.
36. Don’t order room service on the doorknob hang tag. Ordering room service for one on the outside of your door might be convenient, but it also advertises that you’re staying in a room alone and what time you expect someone to be knocking on the door so you’ll be willing to open it. If you want room service, make the call from your room instead.
37. Only take licensed taxis. Don’t just take a ride from any old taxi if you can help it. Look for drivers that are licensed to be taxi drivers. You’ll be less likely to get ripped off and more likely to arrive at your destination safely.
38. Lock your suitcase. If you’re going to be leaving your luggage in the hold of a bus or in your hotel room, make it less tempting for thieves by locking it. It won’t stop someone from slashing it if they really want what’s inside, but it will help reduce the temptation of theft if it’s less convenient to get into your bag.
39. Ask the concierge. Not sure where it’s safe for a single person to go to lunch or take a stroll? Ask the hotel concierge to give you recommendations and help you safely navigate around the city. He or she will be able to tell you about safe sightseeing as well as make recommendations to improve your visit.
40. Book at least one night in advance. Many people hate taking trips with set itineraries, but when you’re traveling alone it’s usually a good idea to have at least the first night of your trip booked in advance. This way, you’ll know there will be room for you and you’ll know exactly where you’re heading when you arrive.
41. Use the do not disturb signs. It’s best when you’re traveling alone not to encourage anyone to enter your room, not even the cleaning staff. That isn’t to say that they can’t be trusted, but while they’re cleaning the room they could leave the door open, allowing anyone to come in. After all, they don’t know what the person staying there looks like. Hang the do not disturb sign from your door and get fresh towels from the front desk if you need them instead.

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