1. Choose a Good Place to Visit
This step is the first and the most important step for travelers. Choose your destination with care. Besides thinking about where you want to go, you should consider whether the place is safe for you because there may be disturbing internal issues like communal tensions happening at the location you desire to visit.
2. Research Carefully Before the Trip
Before deciding to visit a place outside your country, you should find out all the related information about the place as well as ask other travelers for information on the culture, religion, the current situation in the country and so on. You can find the necessary information on travel blogs or websites like Travelfish.org and Tripadvisor.com. For example, what is the attitude of men towards women in that country? How do women dress there, modern or traditional? You should not think that it’s a nonsensical thing to do because if you prepare carefully, you will be safer. Furthermore, you should pay extra attention to traveling tips for Buddhist countries like Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos.
3. Ignore the Whistling
In some countries, whistling considered as a normal thing. But in some places, if you react to the whistling of eve teasers, you may get into negative situations like fights or sexual harassment. Therefore, the best way for you to handle such a case is to stay in control of your temper and quickly get out of that area to a more crowded place. Moreover, you should not enter shantytowns unless you know the local people very well.
4. Risk and Harassment Happen Everywhere
If you think that the travelers getting raped only happen in the Middle East, Asia, and India, it is an erroneous conception. A short survey on the Internet shows that similar situations occur even in developed countries such as South Korea, Australia, Spain, England, and New Zealand. We cannot predict when the worst circumstances will appear, but you should pay attention to what is happening and believe in your own hunches to ensure your safety.
5. Catch a Safe Transport
Safe and cheap flights are always the most interesting to women when traveling. You should book your flight ticket before traveling about 1-2 months in advance to avoid an unavailable ticket situation, especially during the peak tourist season. The popular transport choice of tourists is a taxi. However “Taxi scams” is the hottest word on travel forums recently because a lot of tourists get into bad situations with taxi drivers such as paying much more money than usual or even fighting. Hence, you should find a reputable taxi branch to call for one. You can ask receptionists in your hotel to help you call the taxi or give you the phone number of a reliable cab service. It is advisable not to catch a taxi on the road to avoid getting scammed.
6. Say ‘No’ Strongly
Sometimes, you will hear enticing words such as invitations to the park, a terrace with scenery, beautiful views, or even a free stay in their homes. In such cases, you should say “no” boldly and not worry about seeming unfriendly or impolite. In fact, there are a lot of kind local people who really want to help you from their heart, but vigilance is never redundant while traveling alone because you cannot easily distinguish between good and bad people.
7. Do not Go to Another Place with Strangers
Most perpetrators of sexual harassment will take their victims to another place where they feel safe to perform their acts. Therefore, when someone who is stranger offers to take you somewhere alone, you should refuse resolutely and remain in a public place or go accompanied by another person you know clearly.
8. Choose a Safe Residence
Homestay is popular with tourists, especially people traveling alone on a budget. In fact, the “hostel” type is quite a favorite with tourists, but it has a lot of problems which you should be careful about. Homestay means that you will stay with local people and other travelers who you don’t know. Additionally, when deciding stay with local people or in a hostel, you should find more information about the place to make sure of your own safety.
9. Do Not Share a Bed with a Stranger
Despite the advantages of a homestay or hostel, you should think more about other boarding options if the house owner asks you to share the room with a stranger. It may seem like the best time to make new friends with other tourists, but it also puts you at risk of dangers such as theft or sexual harassment.
10. Go to the Embassy if Bad Situations Occur
If anything bad happens, you should stay calm and go to the embassy of your country before you go to the local police. In some countries, the local police may be unfriendly and the rules may not be in your favor. Therefore, you should go directly to your embassy to get the advice and protection to get you home safely. Featured photo credit: averie woodard via unsplash.com
