Advice For Women Travelling with Strangers

Women who travel with strangers should always be on guard. Though it may not be a pleasant thought, strangers could be hiding all manner of secrets and female travellers are better off befriending strangers gradually than treating them well immediately and finding out that they are not who they seem.

Women who do decide to travel with strangers should take care to protect themselves, their valuables and their personal information at all times.

Personal Safety While Travelling with Strangers

Women who are travelling with strangers should still think of themselves as travelling alone. Just because you travel in a group does not mean you know anyone in the group, nor does it mean that any of you would necessarily feel responsibilities to each other if anything bad did happen.

Protect yourself while travelling with strangers by staying sober at all times, staying awake as much as possible and trusting your gut instincts when it comes to be alone with individuals who make you uncomfortable. Also remember to stay in well lit areas while with others and to avoid letting anyone into your hotel room or other type of accommodation.

Keep your mobile phone charged and with you at all times, and keep local emergency contact numbers with you in the event that you need help from those you can count on.

Protecting Your Valuables While Travelling with Strangers

As nice as the strangers you are travelling with may seem, remember that you have no reason to trust them with your valuables. Keep your passport, cash and travel tickets on your person at all times. Keep prescription medication, electronics and jewellery in your day pack and lock your valuables in a hotel safe when they are not in use.

Do not share you safe’s code with anyone and do not give out your room key or code at any time. Unless absolutely unavoidable do not ask others to watch your luggage and do not agree to do so for others. If you own anything truly irreplaceable, leave it at home rather than risking it on the road.

Guarding Your Personal Information While Travelling with Strangers

If you are travelling with strangers it can be hard not to disclose a certain amount of personal information. As you travel you’ll no doubt share your name, occupation, possibly even your hometown, employer and former schools. However, keeping these discussions general is critical to your safety.

The more personal information someone gleans from you, including your address, phone number, place of employment and information on relatives, the less safe you are both during and after your trip. If at all possible keep identification documents to yourself, ask that others lower their voices when discussing bookings or bills and try not to blurt out many details about your life at home. It may seem unfriendly, but it’s better to be polite and cautious than find yourself in trouble later.

The days of strangers being friends you haven’t met yet are sadly over. For women travelling with strangers, treating them with a degree of caution or even suspicion is a good idea. Only when strangers have proven themselves to be safe and trustworthy should they begin to be thought of as friends.