Tips & Advice · 6 min read · October 16, 2025

9 Essential Solo Female Travel Tips

Don't let the "Safety Tax" limit your freedom. Discover practical, tech-savvy, and street-smart tips for women to travel safer and more confidently abroad.

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This Holiday Extras guide offers practical travel advice for women planning to go abroad solo, focusing on ways to feel safer, more confident, and prepared. It highlights how to reduce the extra mental effort (“Safety Tax”) many women experience when travelling alone by suggesting research on destinations, sharing your plans with someone back home, timing arrivals for daytime, blending in with local customs, using useful travel apps, and bringing simple safety tools like offline maps or portable door wedges. It also touches on general travel basics like choosing flights and packing smart.

The 'Safety Tax' at a Glance

Our new survey of 1,000 UK women reveals a "Safety Tax" - the extra mental and behavioral effort women exert to feel secure abroad.

The Gap: While 81.4% of women felt safe, 51.6% still changed their behavior specifically because of their gender.

The Cost: On average, there is a 37.8% difference between a woman feeling safe and actually acting freely.

The Extremes:
• Switzerland: The highest safety rating (83.3%) with the lowest "Safety Tax."
• Croatia: High safety perception, yet 41.7% of women avoided going out alone.
• Morocco: Reported the highest "psychological load," with 21.4% needing to stay constantly alert.

Practical Tips for Navigating the ‘Safety Tax’

While the "Safety Tax" is a systemic issue, there are practical steps solo female travellers can take to lower their mental load and reclaim their sense of freedom.

1. Research the "Lived Experience"

Official safety rankings tell one story; traveller reviews tell another. Use solo female travel forums (like The Solo Female Traveller Network or Hostelworld’s female-only filters) to get a sense of the "street feel" of a destination before you book.

2. Make sure someone knows where you are

Reduce your psychological load by setting up automated safety nets. Use apps like Life360 or WhatsApp's Live Location feature with a trusted friend. Knowing someone knows where you are allows you to focus on the sights rather than your surroundings.

3. Arrive in daylight

Try to time your arrival for between 10AM and 3PM. Navigating public transport or finding a hotel in a new city is significantly less stressful - and feels much safer - when the streets are busy and the sun is up.

4. Look at what the locals are doing.

In destinations where cultural norms differ (like the UAE), look at what local women of a similar age are wearing and doing. "Mirroring" local behaviour is one of the fastest ways to blend in, reducing unwanted attention and the need for constant alertness.

5. Download offline maps

Nothing makes you look more like a vulnerable tourist than standing on a street corner staring at a paper map or a loading screen. Download Google Maps for offline use so you can navigate confidently with a single earbud in, keeping your eyes on the environment.

6. Trust your gut

If a situation feels off, leave immediately without worrying about being polite. Your intuition is your most sophisticated safety tool. It is better to pay a small "social tax" by being "rude" than to pay the "safety tax" of staying in an uncomfortable situation.

7. Download "Women-First" apps

NomadHer: A community app specifically for verified female travelers to find buddies and hosts.

GreetHer: Connects you with verified local women who act as "welcomers" or guides in a new city.

8. The "Door Stopper" hack

Pack a lightweight rubber door wedge or a portable door alarm. Using this on the inside of your hotel or Airbnb door provides an extra layer of physical security.

9. Book verified transport

Use ride-hailing apps (Uber, Grab, Bolt) rather than hailing street taxis. They provide a digital trail, driver details, and the ability to "share your ride" in real-time.