Traveling The US Alone: How Solo Female Travelers Can Stay Safe

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Packing a bag, slinging it over your shoulder, and taking off at a moment’s notice – wouldn’t that be nice? Absolutely! But for a lot of women, the idea of heading off on your own and discovering what’s out there is neither a practical nor safe thing to do. 

There are many risks involved in solo travel, for both men and women. But traveling solo as a woman presents a lot more danger, even when you’re from the US and all you’re thinking of doing is exploring what the rest of the 50 states have to offer. 

But no woman with wanderlust should ever have to stay home just because. There are ways to mitigate the risks of being a sole female traveler, and you can use them in your plans to discover America at your own pace. Here’s what we recommend. 

Download a Local Map ASAP

Whenever you first arrive somewhere, look it up on Apple or Google Maps. Then, download that map to your phone, so you can access it no matter what the signal is like. 

And even if you’re in a well connected area, having a downloaded version won’t waste your battery or data anywhere near as fast. 

You can then use this map to navigate with more familiarity, even if you’ve only been in town for about 10 minutes. If you’re coming back to the hotel later in the evening, having prior knowledge of the twists and turns will keep you moving at a steady pace. 

There’s also less chance of you needing to stop and check, where it’s much easier for someone to grab your phone out of your hands. 

Take a Wifi Connection with You

Portable wifi hotspots are a godsend for solo travelers, and every woman heading off on a trip around the US should think about buying one. 

Not only is it easier than ever to pick up an internet signal when you’re off the grid, but with a hotspot, you don’t drain your own phone data trying to get online. You have a separate source you can hook up to as and when you need to, which will also make a solo road trip all the more comfortable as well. 

And you can never be sure how good the wifi will be in the hotels, hostels, or AirBnBs you’ve booked either. But if you’re bringing the wifi with you, you know your loved ones are only ever just a message away. 

Pack Self Defense Tools

You’re allowed to carry personal self defense items on you when you’re in the US. Make sure you keep this in mind when packing for a solo trip – you’re fully able to get yourself a 

taser for women and have it on hand at all times. 

That makes traversing unknown streets or being out in the dark a lot less intimidating than it was once. And if you’re the kind of person who loves to get lost and/or enjoy the nightlife scene, a tool like this will be indispensable to your travel plans. 

You may also want to attend some self defense classes before you go on your first solo trip. With a bit of expert knowledge on how to hold yourself in a confrontation, or how to defend yourself if you’re grabbed from behind, you’ll feel even more confident. 

Have Multiple Copies of Your Booking Information

Most travelers download their booking info to their phones these days. It’s easy to store them in your phone’s wallet or files, and you can bring them up on your home screen with just one tap. 

But what if your phone dies, or gets stolen? What if you forgot to download your ticket or pass before you arrived, and now the signal is a bit too shaky for it? You’re going to want a backup! 

Make sure you have at least one physical paper copy of any booking info needed for your trip. Keep it on you at all times, and never leave it behind in your room, even if you can put it in the safe. You want to be sure it’s there if you need it, no matter what happens. 

Be Careful About Location Sharing on Social Media

A lot of solo female travelers post about their amazing journeys on Instagram and TikTok. If you follow an influencer like this, you’ve probably been inspired to undertake solo journeys of your own. 

That’s totally fine, but what might be a security risk is sharing your journey as you go. You need to be extremely careful with what you share with the world, especially if you’ve already told it that you’re off on a solo trip in a place you’re not all that familiar with. 

Even when you’re an adult, when you’re on the internet, you can’t ever be sure who’s looking at your posts or following you. Tagging your posts with geo-data on where it was taken could make you a little less safe, so try to limit the available information. 

Try to obscure identifying features, like business names and road signs, or simply wait until you’re home again before you post about the adventure. 

Female Solo Travel: Stay Safe and Enjoy the Trip

Solo travel is both risky and enjoyable – one doesn’t quite seem to exist without the other. But you can make your solo trip a bit safer when you’re out there. 

Download a map ahead of time, make sure you can get online if you need to, and have another copy of your booking information stowed away on your person somewhere. 

And above all, make sure you’ve got a self defense tool that you feel comfortable using tucked away in your bag or jacket.  

You shouldn’t forget about your social media activity either. If you’re going to post pictures of the trip, either keep location information to a minimum or wait until you’ve left. That way you can be sure no one is tracking your movements off of the screen.