Single White Female Syndrome

I suppose I get a slightly sick thrill from being able to induce panic attacks in others just by answering enquiries about my travel plans with “No, I'm not travelling with anyone else I'm just going by myself.” For some reason this inspires images of my brutally murdered body being dug up by corrupt police after I've been mugged and tortured by drug lords. You know, after they've pulled my hair and kicked some puppies. Meanies.

Even in modern times when every uni student tells their parents they're leaving for Amsterdam/Russia/Uruguay for a week, the idea of a woman travelling alone is enough to make caring relatives flinch. If I were travelling to warzones I could understand their fears but the reality for most countries is that as a solo female traveller I'm actually often far safer than many of my fellow backpackers. Allow me to explain.

Older travellers stand out as tourists and easy marks for theft. Experienced male travellers are more likely to risk going into the dodgier ends of town in their search for the “authentic” cultural experience. Young women travelling in groups rely on each other to watch handbags and drinks and young men in groups seem to stumble into more fights than any other backpackers. And god knows a single male 18-25 yrs old will undoubtedly end up in a city's sleazier venues (yes, I'm a little sexist). There is of course an inherent vulnerability that any solo traveller faces, but the terror friends and family imprint into young women make them some of the most cautious travellers you will find.

When travelling, I'm never the one who leaves a hostel room unlocked (whether I'm in it or not). I always travel in guided tours if I'm warned a location is dangerous and I keep a strong hold of my handbag. I've still wound up in some uncomfortable situations but the same can be said for most backpackers. The key thing, though, is that as a single, female traveller; I recognise the risks I'm placing myself in and try and account for them accordingly.

Here are my tips for women travelling alone.

1. Don't just hang your handbag over one shoulder and let it bounce behind you. Pickpockets know an easy target. Carry it over the opposite shoulder so the strap crosses your chest and rotate it so the bag sits in front of you, not behind you.
   
   
2. Don't be afraid of staying in dorm rooms, but always choose the female only dorms, no matter how liberal you are. It doesn't matter if you've only met nice, friendly male travellers- it only takes one person to get the wrong idea and take a situation too far. Add in the element of alcohol and suddenly you'll find yourself in very risky accommodation.
   
   
3. Drink and smoke if that's your thing, but keep in mind that in a lot of other countries the alcohol is stronger and the tobacco is unfiltered, so you can find yourself affected a lot faster than you'd expect. Any stronger drugs should be avoided altogether since you'll not have any idea of what you're actually being given and with no companion traveller to recognise ill effects... well, you can guess what could happen. If a guys offers you cocaine for $5 (hello Cambodia), chances are that whatever it actually is; it's not going to sit well with you.
   
   
4. Think very carefully if you decide to... (how shall I put this delicately) temporarily share your accommodation with someone else. Not necessarily a bad idea, but it relies a lot on personal judgement of character. Keep in mind that harassment and rape laws are very different in many other countries. Some hold the woman at fault automatically.
   
   
5. For the love of god, don't ever drink from a glass you've taken your eyes off, even if you haven't left your seat. This should apply everywhere, but somehow we still have problems with drink spiking world over.

So those are my tips but keep in mind that this advice is to protect you from unlikely events. It's a precaution for things you will hopefully never encounter. Always be cautious but don't let it put you off solo travelling. Not only will you meet more people (you're forced to hang out with other travellers if you want company), but you'll also get to do exactly what you want without ever having to take anyone else into account. I don't know about you guys but that holds great appeal to me.