Advice for Women Travelers:
Health & Safety

disclaimer

Don't let concerns about safety keep you from traveling. Yes, you are putting yourself at risk for all sorts of things by traveling -- but you are putting yourself at risk merely by walking out the front door of your home. Yes, many thieves and otherwise bad people target travelers specifically. But these same people also target people who are Christmas shopping in their own communities.

There are oh-so-many things women can do to be safe while traveling. And I believe learning to be more aware of your surroundings and avoiding certain risks while traveling will help you in your every day at-home life as well.

Offering a list of cautions for women travelers is NOT meant to scare women from traveling, and shouldn't make you think that traveling means feeling ever-restricted or continually afraid or never taking risks. It just means staying aware of your surroundings and assessing the risks of various situations you will encounter while traveling.

This part of my travel advice is the hardest to write, because while I want to be realistic, I also don't want to scare the bejesus out of women. Yes, I've been robbed abroad (pocket picked in Berlin). I've also been robbed in my hometown of Henderson, Kentucky. The worst thing to happen to me, from a crime point of view, and when I was targeted specifically because I'm a woman, happened as I walked to work at 9:30 in the morning on a sunny, bright, beautiful day just one block from my work place in Hartford, Connecticut. I have a British friend who went to Morocco and she never felt unsafe or particularly harassed, unlike when she visited St. Louis, Missouri a year before, when a hotel employee tried to break into her hotel room in the night. I have American friends who went all around the world for a year with their children, and never had a problem until they were back in the USA and were robbed at a DC airport. Sadly, such is life. Dangerous and/or opportunistic people, as well as wonderful people, are everywhere. That hasn't stopped me, or any of them, from traveling.

   
 
 

STAYING HEALTHY GENERAL SAFETY FOR WOMEN TRAVELERS WOMEN'S SAFETY WHILE TENT CAMPING

There are plenty of places online that talk about staying safe while camping in regards to bear safety, flood safety, insect bites, first aid, etc. But what about safety specifically with regards to being a woman?

I love tent camping. I've been way more wary of some of the hotels I've had to stay in than when I've been tent camping. I've never been robbed while camping. I've been much more scared of critters, especially bears, than people while camping. But I also haven't really camped entirely alone; I've had my dogs or my husband with me.

Are you, as a woman, more or less vulnerable to robbery - or worse - while camping than while staying in a hotel? I really have no idea - I cannot find statistics anywhere on the matter. I went to Google and typed in robbed while camping (no quotes), and the stories that came up were pretty scary - but many months and years apart, and never for the same area (often not in the same country), so relatively speaking, it seems to be rare. A Google search of raped while camping and raped camp ground brought up scary stories but, again, all months or years apart and in different countries - again, it seems to be quite a rare occurrence. One thing I do know: there are many, many, many more news stories of women being harmed in their own homes than while camping.

Still, here's some tent camping safety tips for women:

Looks can be deceiving; the quietest camping night I ever had when a camp ground was full was in a very run down camp site in Northern England, populated mostly by Travelers. My husband and I were on a motorcycle, and we left everything in our tent, in locked metal panniers, and walked across the street to a bar for three hours. And everything was still there when we came back that evening.

WOMEN'S SAFETY TRAVELING ABROAD

Regarding traveling abroad, specifically: Women from the USA are capable, independent, and grew up in a country where, for the MOST part, it is our right to do anything that a man can do and go anywhere that a man can go. Unfortunately, this is not how it is in many other countries. Other cultures may see this capable, independent attitude and lifestyle as "loose" sexually. This opinion is created/reinforced by television shows and films from the USA. Hence why extra precautions and a curtailing of your actions are sometimes necessary.

But also note that, in some cultures, being a woman may be to your advantage: you might have access to women's society and friendship that is denied to men in certain cultures, for example. You can be super friendly to women you encounter in shops or restaurants and not have to worry about your actions being misinterpreted. Or some men may be especially protective of you if you are their customer (and particularly if you are modestly dressed and making an effort to be respectful of their culture), and that may pay off in a situation where other men are being threatening or just creepy.

The most important thing is to read as much as you can about a country or culture before you go to a particular country -- and seek out women authors as much as possible, because men can sometimes gloss over cultural concerns that women need to be very, very aware of. Become aware of cultural differences, specifically that pertain to attitudes toward women (and American women). Lonely Planet books offers tips specifically for women, tailored for each country, and I have found the books very helpful specifically regarding their advice for women.

One other thing: Know how the phones work in whatever country you are in, and consider buying a phone card so you can make any local or international call you may need to at any time.

SAFETY AT BARS & PUBS

And then there's going to bars. I went to a bar in the middle of the day in Madrid, by myself, for a pint of Guinness and had a wonderful afternoon chatting with the women that worked there. But that's just not possible everywhere. And even if you are with friends, you are incurring risk, per the now rampant use of date-rape drugs. So, especially for bars, here are some tips:

FINAL THOUGHTS

Before your trip, think about what you would do if you were robbed - or worse. Imagine the plan: whom you would call (police, credit card companies, family, etc.), where you would go immediately, how you would get home quickly, etc.

Another site's information on safety for women traveling abroad

Did I scare you? I really hope not. I've followed my own advice, and it has not kept me from walking on a beautiful boulevard at night, or going out to eat and having a beer by myself, or talking to strangers, or wearing something that makes me feel beautiful, and it shouldn't keep you from doing those things altogether either. The reality is that you could follow all of this advice - and be even more restrictive in your behavior - and you could still end up being the target of a bad person, for robbery or something much worse. I'm not a blame-the-victim person, and if you are robbed - or worse - call the police (and if you are abroad, your embassy), and do not let a feeling of guilt or a feeling that it is somehow you're fault (because it is NOT your fault) keep you from seeking help.

Please, don't let concerns about safety keep you from traveling.

 
Disclaimer
Any activity incurs risk. The author assumes no responsibility for the use of information contained within this document.

 


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    Disclaimer: Any activity incurs risk. The author assumes no responsibility for the use of information contained within this document.
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