Personal Safety When Travelling Alone
Helen Young
While holidays with family and friends are a great way to see the world, many people “flying solo” and taking a trip by themselves from time to time. Although personal safety is an important issue, even when travelling in a group, those who choose to holiday alone should give some consideration to their personal safety and well-being.
It is an unfortunate fact that those travelling alone may be singled out for theft/attack as they may appear weaker than tourists in a group. Another issue which solo travellers face is falling ill and being unable to get medical help . Neither of these issues should put people off travelling alone, but should make them aware that extra precautions may be necessary.
Top Tips for Safe Solo Travel
One of the most important ways for the solo traveller to protect themselves is to ensure that someone knows where they plan to visit and when. It is a good idea to provide a family member or close friend with an itinerary of your travel schedule and contact details for any accommodation that you have booked. You might also like to leave paper copies of your ID and personal documentation with family, as this may be useful in an emergency situation.
You can also arrange to “check-in” with your friends or family, regularly throughout your holiday. This way your loved ones will be alerted if you don’t make contact at a pre-arranged time, and if necessary, take action to help you. Facebook and Twitter makes this a really easy thing to do, however you should ensure that you limit details to a trusted audience.
Leave valuable items at home, and keep expensive items such as cameras and mobile phones well concealed to avoid tempting theft. If you are travelling to a less affluent area, try to “dress down” to avoid drawing unwanted attention to yourself. Remember that in some countries, dress codes, particularly for women, can be very restricted - take clues from what the majority of people are wearing and dress in the same style.
Consider whether your behaviour is that of a victim - you might feel unnerved walking down that dark street, but statistics show that you are less likely to be followed or mugged if you keep a calm, firm stride, and don’t panic. Some travellers feel more confident if they take a few self-defence classes before a solo vacation and learn the basic skills needed to stay safe.
When you first arrive at your destination, take time to note the location of the nearest police station and hospital, in case of emergencies, as well as the Consulate for your home country.
As with any travel, a fully comprehensive insurance policy is vital and will help you to ensure that you get the help you need if something does go wrong.
/images/rssicon.jpg "Subscribe to RSS feed")
Subscribe for free and recieve the latest Self-Catering-Breaks news and stories
Filed under Blog