It depends.  Everyone has a different definition of safety.  The truth is, I have felt relatively safe in almost every country I’ve visited.  However, there are some places I don’t let my guard down as quickly but still felt safe.  

Some countries deal more with petty crime, and I avoid flashing my valuables.  Other countries are more conservative, and so I dress more conservatively and respect their norms. Unfortunately, in some places, women deal with more catcalling.

There are places where you can feel uncomfortable because they have different cultural behaviors to your own, but in general, people are kind and try to make you feel welcome.

So, traveling solo as a female can be safe, just make sure do some research a place before going.

If it’s your first time, go to countries that are considered safe, speak your language, and are similar to yours.  Doing so, will help you to not experience culture shock.  Then, get out of your confort zone.  I assure you, no matter where you go, you will have wonderful experiences.

Some places I recommend solo are the UK, Spain, Hungary, Thailand, Mexico, Colombia.  Perhaps some of these sound dangerous, but interestingly, there are a lot of solo travelers in these countries and it’s easy to make friends.  

I plan my travels through online research. Here is a list of all my favorite travel planning resources I use.  

For inspiration, I’ll start with Pinterest to find blog posts.  Then I’ll go on Instagram to save pictures of spots I want to visit.  Lastly, I’ll jump onto YouTube to get informed about a place..  

My number one way to make friends while traveling is by staying in hostels. This is where I find like-minded people who also love traveling. If you don’t like sharing rooms with other strangers, hostels have private rooms and shared spaces. Perfect for making friends but still sleeping in comfort.

Another way I make friends is through tours. There are always other solo travelers you can meet and someone you can strike up a chat with.

I’ve also made friends through Instagram. Before traveling to a destination, I look for travel accounts of influencers who live there. Then, I start liking and commenting on their photos as I look up ideas of what places to visit. 

Eventually, I’ve asked some of those people if they want to meet up. I’ve made some incredible friends this way. Lastly, one way to make friends is through volunteer work and study abroad programs.

I carry very little on my trips and fit it all into my 40L backpack. The things I always travel with are my packing cubes, power bank, and a converter. For photography, I have my camera, GoPro, and my phone.

Here are the products I use. 

Traveling can be very cheap if you want it to.  My number one tip is to stay in hostels or B& B hotels.  If you’re out exploring, where you sleep doesn’t matter as much.  My second tip is to earn points through a travel credit card.  This save you money on flights.  

The third tip, is to eat cheap.  Walking away even two blocks from touristy areas can save you lots of money on eating.  Lastly, cut your spending in other areas.  You don’t need new shoes, you just want them.  Trust me, some 80 dollar shoes can buy you up to four flights in some countries. 

To be honest, yes.  But that’s only before arriving to the destination.  Once you arrive and you make friends, the fear goes away.  Most of the fear is made up in our head because of pre-conceived ideas.  To the day, I have never felt in danger anywhere I’ve been.  But, there are definitely places I practice more caution.  

Here are some solo safety travel tips.