Happy November! Where is this year going? 2019 will be here shortly and as 2018 comes to end, I bet some of you will be traveling for the upcoming holiday season. I typically don't travel much to go see family as most of us are local. However, for those who do travel it can be stressful to arrange all the details that come with it. If you need some advice on makeup essentials to pack while traveling, click here to get some ideas!
I just ended a two week stint of traveling for work as of yesterday. It was a wonderful experience getting out of the office and meeting potential clients in my field of work. However, the nerve-wracking part was that this was the first time in my life I would be traveling an immense amount of time by myself. Now, don't get me wrong I am a very self-sufficient/I.N.D.E.P.E.N.D.E.NT woman but it put a bit of anxiety in my heart to know I would be out there on my own. As a woman my main concern was my safety and comfort while traveling since I would be going to new places. In today's post I want to share my tips and advice for anyone, but especially women when traveling alone.
1. PRE-PLAN EVERYTHING
The internet and past reviews can be your best friend when it comes to finding a safe place to stay. If you can't stay with friends or family, a hotel may be needed. I spent a good hour finding a suitable yet affordable hotel for my stays while traveling to the different cities. My main concern was accessibility, cleanliness, and accommodation.
Accessibility - I wanted to make sure the hotel I stayed in was near a major highway and not tucked away on some off beaten path. Choose visible places to protect your safety.
Cleanliness is important as hotels can fester lots of germs. Make sure to scan through online pictures and not just the ones taken by the hotel management. I made sure to look at the ones previous hotel guest posted on sites like Hotels.com and TripAdvisor.com.
Accommodation - A rule my grandmother taught me was to never stay in a hotel/motel that requires access strictly from the outside. Think of like a Motel 6 or Red Roof Inn. Unfortunately, due to funding I chose a Red Roof Inn location that did not have inside corridors. However, before I booked the room I made sure to secure a room by the office for my own personal security. If you are in need of a certain accommodation most hotel management are more than willing to assist with your needs.
2. Converse with Locals
During my travel I made sure I spoke with people to get a good idea on places for dining and any interesting facts about the city. Since this was a work related trip I didn't do much sight-seeing but it was nice to get information for any future vacation trips. Conversing with locals really led me to some great places to eat while I wasn't working. Yelp is a great tool to use too if speaking with strangers isn't your thing. I highly recommend just getting the opinions from others on local eateries because it may lead you to try new some new good food.
3. Safety
I mentioned some safety tips in the above section on pre-planning. Safety is important when traveling alone and I used several methods to assure I was being overly cautious to protect my safety.
Tracking my location - I made sure to notify my family/friends on my location as I went to these different cities. IPhones allows you to share your location forever and at certain periods of time. If you don't have an iPhone I am sure there is some app that can do it for you.
Trust your gut - If something feels off while traveling be aware and go with what you think is best. I didn't have any bad experiences while traveling for these last two weeks. I did make sure to be aware of my surroundings. Make sure to be vigilante of conversations near you that may sound strange. Also protect your property and space. Don't just leave your items lounging around and be cautious of who is near you.
4. Expenses
Traveling is expensive, so be sure to keep all receipts when traveling. This is important if any dispute is needed with your bank. If possible, I recommend using a credit card and not carrying cash or using a bank card. If not, notify your bank on your upcoming trips as most banks may shut off your card if unfamiliar purchases are being made in different locations. Lastly, use several different websites when trying to obtain lodging. You can google immense amount of traveling booking websites to obtain different quotes. I also made use of calling the hotel directly to see if they offered any special rate verse what I found online.
5. Enjoy Your Time
These trips actually taught me a lot about myself. I wasn't in my comfort zone of home so it pushed me to explore alone. It was nice to see new things and meet different people. Again, since this was a work trip I couldn't do too much when it came to exploring but it gave me a push to begin to plan my own future solo trip. It is liberating, to me, to travel alone because it forces you to have to find things to do and see without the input of others. My next trip may be my own personal solo vacation, so it is going to be nice to be on my own schedule.
If you are planning an upcoming solo trip I hope some of what was mentioned above can help you! Remember safety is always the number one concern, but also have fun! Let me know in the comments any of your upcoming vacation plans.
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