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IWTL how to travel the world for FREE(r/IWantToLearn)
Edit: I fail at formatting.
Edit 2: Thanks for the gold strangers – wasn’t expecting that! And I thought I should mention this is very general, cautious advice and will obviously alter depending on your location. I’ve done home stays in some remote villages where people rarely see tourists and it’s a more honest (and preferred) experience versus shiny tourist hubs like Khao San Road. But to each their own.
Edit 3: Some good suggestions below! Made some edits to reflect those. Modified a few things for clarity as this is slanted more towards travel in developing countries.
I highly doubt I’m the the most well travelled woman here, but I went across SEA and through Korea alone, eventually meeting a friend who lives in Seoul. I’ve been along both US coastlines, some of France and Southern Africa (not alone in Africa, however). I’m currently planning a route from SEA that follows the Himalayas. I have female acquaintances who are much more well travelled than I and have some amazing stories from South America, the Middle East and Mongolia. I’m in my mid-20s now. I don’t think my 17 year old self would have had the prowess to travel solo. So for those teenagers asking, I’m going to suggest having a buddy with you for your first go, however I’m sure some of you are skilled nomads already.
I don’t want to hijack this topic, but it seems to be worth posting here instead of PM so in response to some of the comments…
I don’t think it’s naive to travel alone, regardless of your gender. If you’ve ever questioned what kind of person you are, you will likely discover the answer very quickly. I will agree, however, it is very naive to think you are completely safe, whether you are a man or woman. You should first realize that the significant dangers you will encounter do not choose victims by gender. For instance, I’ve narrowly missed being in what would have been a major road accident in almost every country I’ve visited and that part is out of my control. With that said, yes, as a woman you should take some extra precaution and because you are alone you may need to forgo activities you could have done with a trusted companion. These are some “brief” suggestions I think could assist plenty of men as well. Not everyone may agree, but it’s based off my experiences:
1 Research.
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Limit the use of government tourism websites as they tend to glaze over things. Travel message boards like lonely planet and expat message boards are excellent sources that tend to not be bias and have both negative and positive experiences.
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There are usually online English language news sources for expats in most countries. Take advantage of these.
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I like to keep a loose itinerary and don’t book guest houses in advance (unless necessary), however I have a preplanned selection of potential places to stay, because I don’t want to be wandering around at night with no where to go.
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Learn some basic phrases in the local language! You don’t need to know much but the basics (hello, goodbye, how much, where is, etc..) and it is probably the most important thing you can do. I saved me from being scammed more than once and was often asked if I was working or volunteering in the country.
2 Be respectful to the customs of where you visit.
- Dress Appropriately No spaghetti strings, no shorty shorts, no little dresses. Yes, in North America and Europe it’s usually fine. However, depending on the country it can be an outfit of prostitution and considered offensive. Forget getting into some temples with as much as your knees or shoulders showing. In some Buddhist countries, swim wear for locals is shorts and t-shirts. With that said, locals tend to have a more forgiving eye when it comes to the dress of westerners.
3 Don’t flaunt wealth.
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Don’t look like you’re worth mugging – if you’re truly backpacking, you probably won’t. Leave the laptop, hide the cellphone, keep your cash somewhere discreet.
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Don’t keep valuables in a day pack. Snatching happens. Do have day packs that you can keep close to your body and if possible, across your chest.
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If you don’t like stuffing cash in your bra, there are bra wallets and money belts to keep money out of pockets that might be picked and bags that might be snatched. I would keep most of my money and my phone in my money belt where it couldn’t be seen. I would take out the money I expected to spend for the day in the morning. This actually helped me budget since I didn’t want to be stuffing my hands in my pants/bra to pull out money in front of someone.
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IF you are mugged, DON’T fight them, just give them your bag. It’s not worth it to fight.
4 Be careful after dark.
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I feel like this should be simple to understand but if I hear about someone being robbed or attacked, it’s almost always because they were walking alone after dark. This isn’t saying you shouldn’t enjoy the night life. I personally love being out at night in a new place, but it’s always with active awareness.
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It doesn’t matter whether it’s 7pm or 2am, just spend the extra money on a cab or tuk-tuk to get you back to wherever you’re staying. Share it with other travellers if you can. Again, your life is worth more than the cost of the ride.
5 Don’t get wasted.
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If you’re planning to party hard, travel with someone you know and trust. If you’re alone and you get wrecked with the wrong people, you could be in trouble.
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Think about how you would feel to see a tourist in your city acting like an idiot, treating your favourite bar/restaurant/beach as their playground where they can do anything without repercussion. Don’t be that tourist.
6 Be skeptical.
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While rape, robberies, muggings will statistically happen to a local before you, scams are the one thing that will always be targeted towards tourists.
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If someone, including a child, approaches you and starts asking personal information or demanding things, it could be a scam. Scams are often reported on travel message boards and though I have run into a few, I was prepared to shut down the conversation.
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When asking for advice on places to stay/eat or things to do, get multiple opinions from tourists and locals before making a decision. Not everyone stands to make a profit off you, but in popular tourist centres you might as well be a walking ATM.
7 Don’t be rude. If anything, save face.
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Understand that wherever you are people are trying to make a living and tourism is big business especially in poorer countries. You will ultimately be harassed at some point to buy, donate, spend money on whatever – or as a woman you may be uncomfortably approached.
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After trial and error I’ve found that just saying “no” was the most ineffective response I could give. Instead, saying “no thanks, I already have [item]/a driver/friends expecting me/etc.” worked far better.
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You may or may not want to make up a fictitious boyfriend/husband. I’m not sure it helps. Funny, when I mentioned to a local I was visiting alone, without my boyfriend, they refused to believe me. If you’re really being pressured, try to ignore them and move out of that situation as quickly as possible, but stay in the vicinity of others. You may be followed for a bit. Whether you feel the need to approach authorities is up to you, but be wary if the authorities are known to be corrupt where you’re visiting.
8 Safety items worth bringing:
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Door stop alarm. Luckily, mine has never been tripped. They are loud enough to wake up a few floors of a hotel. If anything it’ll give you a sense of peace when sleeping. Make sure it works ahead of time. I use this one: www.amazon.com/GE-Personal-Security-Door-Alarm/dp/…
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A padlock
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Money belt
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bag locks
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~~keys~~ Self defense classes – the only thing I’ll add here is (and you will probably be told this if you take any martial arts) unless you’ve had extensive training the point is to quickly stun an attacker to give you a few seconds to get away and/or to break free from a hold.
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Contact numbers and locations of embassies and tourist police. Depending on the country you may want to register with your embassy.
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Photocopies of your passport. Email a copy of your travel documents to yourself. (However don’t expect to find much in the way of computers, copiers, or ATMs in remote locations – although this is slowly changing)
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Travel sized first aid kits/painkillers/necessary medications
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SIM CARDS – not really a safety item, but cheap and useful. They are available in most countries, usually around the arrival gates in most airports. I’ve yet to not see English instructions on how to make a phone call.
Lastly, when I say research I really, really mean it. My travel bookmark folders are packed with resources and are broken down something like:
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Country a
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Safety Resources (vaccines required, known scams, etc.)
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Budgeting
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Travel supplies
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Transportation (reputable bus companies, train routes, schedules, etc.)
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Culture
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City a (Hostels/hotels, Restaurant, Sites, Avoidances, etc.)
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City b (Hostels/hotels, Restaurant, Sites, Avoidances, etc.)
*Country b
- etc…
I don’t agree with every said in these blogs, but they are worth a look:
I’ve met wonderful, beautiful, and kind people when travelling and others I was happy to avoid (these were often other tourists, interestingly). It comes down to instinct, research, wits, and a bit of bravado.
TL;DR: Use common sense. Research, a lot.