5 Solo Travel Safety/Security Tips

No Street Cred

Fireworks or gunshots? I don’t know the difference!

I can’t brag about my “street credibility”

From childhood, my family mostly lived in “inner cities”. We were far enough to not be “hood hood”!

I never feared walking home alone at night. 

I was very carefree for someone with no form of physical protection.

Maybe that was my training ground in a sense. Not much has changed since then.

Bad things can happen in even the best of neighborhoods. I try not to let statistics scare me off.

Criminals target groups and solo travelers alike.

The Dirty South (Safety Drill)

I do understand the importance of having a safety plan.

Do I follow every safety step I’m listing to the letter? No.

I’m more of a “pray and go” type traveler. I truly believe in divine protection.

My audience will all be at different comfort levels. That is to be expected.

New Orleans, for example, has one of the highest crime rates. Ironically, it’s my favorite city.

I have felt safe on each visit.

Nawlins

Essence Festival takes place there and after nightly concerts, all rideshare apps crash from surges.

Most of the large crowd walk back to their hotels.

I’ve done it for each of the 3-night events.

Crime and danger are everywhere.

It is almost impossible to avoid them.

Be aware at all times! Don’t allow paranoia or hearsay to ever stop your adventures.

I traveled to Kingston, Jamaica recently.

I would have missed a cultural encounter of a lifetime had I listened to negativity.

TIPS 1-5

1. Be a vigilant/wise solo traveler

I will not assume or say this is common sense.

I live in Miami. I’ve seen tourists driving with large maps on their laps.

A better alternative for safety is to use your phone’s GPS and try not to make that too obvious.

You don’t want any behaviors screaming, “I’m not from here!”.

If you’re driving, lock your car doors.

Don’t leave valuables visible.

Baggage Claim

When it comes to purses, “the smaller the better”. This is one of the hardest for me.

I like carrying large totes filled to the brim.

The downside to this is they become heavy and I’m always looking for places to put them to pose for a picture.

A cross-body /small book bag or fanny pack is lighter and gives you less to think about.  

As a solo traveler, you are your own best friend.

You must be fully aware of your surroundings at all times and you can’t do that under the influence of drugs and or alcohol.

It’s okay to make new friends. Don’t share too much personal information (like how you’re traveling solo)!

Try to familiarize yourself with the basics of the area you’re staying in. (Police station’s location, nearest restaurants, neighborhood type, distances, and hospitals).

BONUS TIP: Purchase travel insurance.

I don’t pay for travel insurance on every trip. It did come in handy when I injured my ankle on a cruise.

Two in One

2.Organizational Safety

Step two’s heading is not a typo!

Organization comes naturally to me and I think it is invaluable in solo travel.

Safety and security are twins.

I hope to never feel the vulnerability in realizing your wallet is home. (While you check your carry-on mid-flight.)

I think the trip being “last minute” threw my game off. That just gave my family more to worry about.

It’s understandable that they have reservations about my solo travel. I hear it in their voices and see the concern in their gazes.

This may be your struggle too. I found a way to help alleviate the worry.

I typed up an itinerary of my whole trip and emailed it to those closest to me.

Make a list…check it twice

If you’re a ‘plan as you go’ solo traveler, your list may not be as detailed.

I sent full day plans:

• Locations of tours/companies/website links (AIRBNB)
• Phone numbers
• ETA or duration of tours
• Round-trip flight schedules
• Possible ‘plan B’
• Round-trip transportation info (shuttles/times/dates/cities),
• *Time zones  
• *WIFI availability times if sketchy

Most websites give you the option to send confirmation to multiple email addresses. From experience, I know that Expedia is one.

This was my first time implementing this safety measure and it was eye-opening, to say the least.

Jamaica is an hour ahead of EST time.

My cousin was worried when I didn’t answer her call.

She was going based on her time zone.

The email allowed her to contact my tour guide to make sure I was ok.

Without this information, her panic would’ve lasted much longer!

Advance Booking

I tend to book most tours ahead of time and there are pros and cons to this.

I’m learning to practice more spontaneity. But my forethought came in very handy this time.

It was a good thing my Jamaican dollars and passport were kept separate. I would’ve never boarded the plane without ID.

Since most of my tours were pre-paid, I needed less money wired to me.

BONUS TIP: Don’t exchange money at an airport.

Airport rates are high. Nearly all major malls have money exchanges.

In some cases, like Jamaica, they may not have all countries’ currencies. They ordered mine and overnight shipping was available.

I would advise you to verify these timeframes with your local money exchange. Try not to wait until the last minute.

3. Secure the traveling bag safely (see step 2 if you missed the physical bag)

It would have been helpful to have my debit card linked to my cash app. I remove the cards after every transaction for safety purposes.

I don’t know any card numbers by heart.

Western Union has an app that you can connect your debit card to.

TIP: Double-check to make sure you have all monies.

Money Matters

I called all of my banks beforehand to advise them of my travels.

Most companies are doing away with this practice. I would check just in case.

I can’t stress this enough: Have more money than you need.

Flights get canceled and all airlines’ policies may not include lodging.

I never want to experience sleeping at an airport for hours on end!

BONUS TIP: For international travel, register with the state department STEP. They can offer overseas help on a number of occurrences.

Zip It

BONUS TIP: You can use luggage tags. But since I have them around, I write out my contact info on paper or index cards (name, the physical address of my PO BOX, email, phone #) and seal them in Zip-lock bags.

If you don’t have a PO Box, use your discretion with your physical address.

I put them inside the luggage and the zippered sections.

In case baggage is lost, picked up in error or delayed, I can be reached.

Luggage tags can come off from heavy handling. This is a safety back- up.

• Consider the mobile passport app
• Make copies of your documents, email them to yourself
• Invest in a portable charger.

4.Social Media (Make the proper safety adjustments)

Follow me on FB!

I love social media. I’m grateful to have a healthy purpose to be on it now.

One tip I’ve learned along the way and held on to is about location safety. I do this even at home.

As a solo traveler, please remember that we are the only ones who have our backs. Most of the time, we’re traveling to places where everyone is a stranger.

Location

If you’re active in the flow of social media land, you ‘check-in’ or post locations.

It’s safer to do this after you’ve left an area.

This way, you determine the time stamp on your posts.

Safety in Numbers

My social media friends are all over the world. I have over 2k across all of them.

It would be impossible to trust all of them.

You never know who’s watching and what their intentions may be.

Don’t assume your friends/followers are not in or near your vacation spot.

Even with hotels, I’m a little iffy of ‘checking-in’ live.

5. Be a nice/flexible solo traveler

I did not “feel” like being nice. My early morning flight was canceled.

The airline rescheduled a connecting flight in Jacksonville. That flight got canceled.

Now I would miss a whole day in Chicago.

I was frustrated. I made a decision I wouldn’t take it out on anyone.

The flight attendant directed me to the airport’s help desk and gave me a hotel directory.

It was a helpful tool and even showed which hotels offered a free shuttle.  

I arrived at the hotel with as much positivity I could muster and was automatically upgraded to a suite.

The clerk even threw in food and drink vouchers. I’m sure if I had an attitude, things would have turned out differently.

Building Blocks of Safety

Throughout my customer service training, it was stressed to build rapport or a connection with the customer. I hated it!

I thought applying my training was enough.  

I’ll go above and beyond. But you can stay on hold while I do it.

I stand corrected!

I’ve seen the difference a little conversation makes and it’s not forced anymore.

As a solo traveler, this can help to build allies wherever you may go.

Small Talk

It’s important, again, to not reveal too much.

I had a tour guide extend her tour to take me to two additional spots.

Without the rapport, I believe the tour would’ve been ‘by the book’ without any exceptions.

Making small talk in Jamaica also stopped the taxi driver from taking me to the wrong location.

Practice if it’s something new.

I thought steps would help me to not be wordy! Wrong! (Obviously).

I hope I was able to help you feel just a  little or a lot more safe on your future journeys.

Be alert, be cautious and most of all….have fun!!!

                          ~Poof…Bee Gone

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