#Internationalwomensday - Female Travel Tips by Streettrotter
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"For the Women, By the Women" – In Honor of #InternationalWomensDay, Tips by Female Bloggers

This womens day is special. Especially because it celebrates the women of the 21st century. 2015 has marked a year of glorious women, playing their roles of female protagonists, female entrepreneurs, female solo travelers and more. No other time in history has seen this breed with such vigor, independence and confidence. And what is most special, is the fact that these women are today laying the foundations of a world which is ‘For the women, By the women’. We together inspire and engage each other with an unseizable spirit to conquer the world on our own, needing no partner to protect or save us. We are ‘whole’ in our ourselves, and this is what this post celebrates today, on 8th of March, the International Women’s day!  

With everyone contributing to this day in their very own way, I thought it deserved a noteworthy space on StreetTrotter too. Thus in my tiny attempt to honor the ever-increasing pool of successful Women Bloggers, I asked a few of my favorites to share and recommend tips on female travel from their very own experiences. And here is what each of them had to share…

women - solo travel quotes

Be Spontaneous and embrace what follows:

My best piece of advice for solo female travellers is to be flexible!  It’s great to have a rough idea of some ‘must see’ places along your route but, in my experience, that will always change once you set off.  When travelling through South America for five months I had a handful of places that I definitely wanted to go to but I left the rest for fate to decide.  It all depended on the people I met along the way and the advice other travellers gave.  And of course, being flexible allows you to discover hidden gems and unexpected locations that weren’t on your initial itinerary, and those are usually the moments that you remember for the longest time because they pleasantly surprise you.  The people you meet along the route, and the things they tell you, make your trip go from great to truly AMAZING so embrace them all and enjoy every moment.

– WhatAWonderfulWorld by Marcella

women - solo travel quotesKnow your limitations and follow your feminine instinct: 

I strongly believe that women should travel solo at least once in their life to start loving themselves and finding their anchor of happiness and stability within themselves. There’s nothing more beautiful than a confident & comfortable in her own skin woman.

Having said all this, safety is always utmost on my mind. As a solo woman traveler I know that I attract more attention than the rest and knowing my limitations help. I mean, I would not venture into dark, unsafe/isolated looking areas after dark or with a stranger. Stay away from food/drink offered by strangers or just pretend to have it and insist on sharing the heartier portion with them.

I don’t carry pepper spray but have recently found out that perfume/deodorant is a great alternative of it. At a new guesthouse, B&B etc, check out suspicious looking objects for hidden cameras in the bathrooms. (This one hails from horrible personal experience). If traveling at night insist on being seated with a female fellow traveler (especially in India), or in an open compartment, and avoid taxis as much as possible at night, no matter in whichever part of the world you are in. Last and not the least, follow your feminine instinct. It has never let me down.

– Maverickbird by Svetlana Baghawan

women - solo travel quotes

Carry your little one as a Travel Happy Baby: 

I have always loved to travel and discover new places and culture. However having a baby can mean a little bit of restrictions on your last minute backpacker trips!

The little trick of having a travel happy baby is by attending to his basic needs of hunger, thirst and sleep. We always stock up on his favorite snacks and drinks, to pamper him a little. A smart thing to do is that we always schedule his flights to match with his usual sleeping time. While he was a little baby, we would request for the front seat that comes with an infant bassinet. Also, we always dress him comfortable for the climate and carry a few spares. Another important point is to make sure we carry his emergency medical kit and a few handy toys! Kids can always be unpredictable, but then who wouldn’t love an adventure in their trips?

– Monsoon Breeze by Blina Sandeep 

women - solo travel quotesThere are many people out there who are glad to help: 

Throughout my travels I have felt that solo traveling for women has more pros than cons. Yes there are safety issues, but sitting in one place is not the solution. Solo travelling enriches you and makes you grow, socially, emotionally and spiritually. Once a woman travels solo, even for a short trip, she is a newer person.

Being a photographer, there have been incidents where I have been photographing crazy crowds during Holi and the policemen have been really helpful, kind and considerate. Honestly, more than we actually imagine – there are many people out there who are glad to help. The good part of being a female photographer is that most people don’t have an issue when you click them. Definitely you are treated differently! Some extra tips to photograph while traveling would be to research well, get to know locals, trust your instincts, leave feminism aside when it comes to safety and just believe in yourself. Every experience will make you wiser and evolve you as a person!

– Quirky Wanderer by Divyakshi Gupta 

women - solo travel quotesPush yourself only as much as you are comfortable with: 

The more I travel, the more I realize how picky I am about the companions I’m travelling with. Sometimes, even good friends make for way-less-than-perfect travel companions (only, you can’t always tell them so!). Which is why I prefer travelling either as a twosome (made sure my boyfriend checks most boxes on my Ideal Travel Partner list), or solo. There are enough blogs out there about the awesomeness of solo travel but for females contemplating their first solo travel or looking for tips, here’s my two cents. Trust your instincts: If someone doesn’t give you great vibes, be polite but firm and walk away. Push yourself only as much as you are comfortable with: you don’t have to go along with the crazy party bunch you just met, if you don’t feel up to it.

Try being connected as much as possible through a local/roaming SIM card and/or internet. Know where you are: Even if your GPS doesn’t work, say on a remote trek, did you know that Google Maps can often work offline if you opened the map (and kept the tab active) while you still have internet connectivity? If required, keep something on you that gives you confidence – pepper spray or a Swiss army knife. I always carry pepper spray; though I haven’t come remotely close to wanting to use it, it’s a great psychological support. Just take sensible precautions you would anyway take while commuting in your own city, and know a little beforehand about the place you’re visiting – that’s all it boils down to. Happy and safe travels, girls!

– A Yearful of Sundays by Amiya

On a parting note, StreetTrotter wishes everyone a very Happy International Womens Day, and I also thank all these wonderful female bloggers to help me put together this post – even on a very last minute notice. I also request all the other lovely women reading this article to comment with their added tips and suggestions, to continue this circle of #FortheWomenBytheWomen !

P.S. – Men are invited to comment too. 

To read further on Solo Travel Tips, visit : The SAFETY GUIDE to SOLO TRAVEL

CategoriesCULTURE
STREETTROTTER

StreetTrotter is a Travel, Culture & Lifestyle blog, inspiring people everyday with real stories to look good and travel even better. Founded in 2012 by Shraddha Gupta, Founder & COO, this space is all about experiencing new things in life, be it a daring mountain trek, a frugal backpacking trip, a runway look made local, or simply anything that scares you enough to live a little more deeper.

    1. Thanks you too! My favorite from urs was the tip on matching the flight with baby sleeping schedules, and also the front seat of the plane. I wonder why the mom’s I know never thought of it! Wise moves. 😉

      1. Ah! That comes with the experience of having to deal with an ever running restless toddler on a flight 😉 After that we always make sure to match his sleeping schedules with the flying time. It was easier when he was a little baby sleeping in the bassinet! Now is his chance to explore the world around him just like we love it 🙂

    1. Glad you appreciate the effort Renuka! Please do share a bit of your wisdom and quick advice here! Will be nice to have a bit of your experience too. Wishing you a very Happy Womens Day!!

  1. A wonderful post – thanks for making me a part of it. 🙂 It was great to read tips and experiences shared by fellow travel bloggers – and there’s some of my favourites too in there! More power to all of us, to this fast growing tribe of female travellers. 🙂

    1. Thanks to you too! I have done such a post quite a few times before when I used to work as an Editor for a magazine. But this time it has been even better because of the lovely replies and also the spontaneity with which all of you answered! I wish everyone on the planet was this media friendly.

  2. maverickbird says:

    Great compilation Shraddha and very helpful tips too. Proud to be a part of it. Brilliant post and Yayyyy to all the strong ladies out there. We Rock. Happy Women’s Day and hugs Svetlana

    1. Off late, I have become an Airbnb lover, and taking your advice I will be sure to lookout of suspicious things. And even though I am completely sold over the concept, it is still a great precaution. Thanks! 🙂

  3. Reblogged this on A Yearful of Sundays and commented:
    On the occasion of International Women’s Day, some tips on travelling far, wide and safe by female travel bloggers on StreetTrotter. With two cents by yours truly. 🙂

  4. Shikha (whywasteannualleave) says:

    Some really inspiring words from many fellow travel – loving women – great idea for a post!

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  6. Maria says:

    I am planning to travel to Pondicherry on my own, I guess I am confident for it. It helps if you make a plan on what to site visit and explore in the new place and find out the convenient way of transport, that is where is the bus stop from where one can catch buses to go to different places. Also ask locals, if you get lost immediately figure out how to go back. Book a hotle that has good reviews, be brave, vocal and if you face any dangers don’t feel weak or victimized, keep composure and handle situation. Don’t go to unknown places very late at night. Mingle with the locals and have a good time and be comfortable and confident. You can take help from travel desk at hotel or guide, group tours or do research and find hot spots to travel. I think better you see some hot spots instead of all, do it indepthly, instead of tiring oneself going to too many hot spots. Be safe and enjoy, it will help if you can find a suitable companion at times, you need not stay together but travel and routes together perhaps. With GPS thesedays women can be solo smart travelers for sure.

  7. Pingback:A Complete Guide to Air Travel with Babies and Toddlers - Monsoon Breeze

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