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Welcome to Flying Solo!
By Janie Octia | Flying Solo
In recent weeks, I've read a lot of interesting articles about traveling solo. Yahoo Travel has a section dedicated entirely to it and Yahoo SHE Philippines has listed compelling reasons why everyone should do it at least once in their life. Other publications like The Huffington Post and SHAPE Magazine has written about it as well so I leave it to them to convince you to try and do it.
I have done quite a lot of solo traveling myself, both for business and leisure, and whenever friends ask me about it, one of the first concerns is about safety. Questions like, “how do you know which mode of transportation to take?” or “which places are safe for women?” are common ones for which I actually have a go-to answer in mind.
After a friend told me yesterday that I haven’t been writing anything, I decided to put all my experiences to good use. I’m starting this blog specifically for women who want to travel solo but are held back by safety concerns. I don’t consider myself an “expert” at all but I hope that my experiences will make you think about the possibility of traveling solo (if you haven’t already). I’m certainly not the best person to ask for the “top 5 things you should see or eat” but I’ll do my best to give some tips here and there.
And without further ado, here are general tips to keep you safe when traveling solo:
1. Keep your documents safe and have a back up online
This is a no-brainer. When traveling overseas, you’ll obviously have your passport and a printed itinerary. I usually print two copies, save a copy on my mobile devices and a backup in the cloud. My go-to PDF file includes a copy of my passport, driver’s license, company ID, visa (of that particular country), flight details, hotel and car reservations.
I have never figured out a pattern on when an immigration officer will ask for an itinerary so having a printed copy is always handy. I usually travel to different cities when I go to the United States so it helps to have proof that I have places to stay in these cities.
2. Know where and how to reach your local embassy and save the city’s tourist, hospital and police hotlines
Fortunately, I have never had to locate the Philippine embassy and call the police hotlines yet. But I still diligently save these numbers on my mobile phone and my notebook. Again, you never know when you'd need it so it pays to anticipate.
The second time I went to Seoul, the taxi driver could not locate the hotel we’re looking for and we were saved by the Visit Korea tourist hotline. Operators on this hotline speak English and they’ll translate the instructions to your driver (or to any local) in their local language. Not only did this save us money and time, it also saved us unnecessary trouble because who wants problems when they’re traveling?
3. Read about dress codes and local customs
Whenever I travel for business, I usually get a “101” of customs and traditions in the country that I’m visiting. This includes the appropriate clothes to be worn on business and social functions as well as things you’re not supposed to do. Knowing that you should remove your shoes when entering an Indian home and that most Hindus do not eat beef or are vegetarian will be valuable especially when you are dealing with them on a professional level.
The last thing you want to do when traveling solo is to offend the locals.
4. Be wary of taking to strangers
You may be familiar with the movie titled Taken starring Liam Neeson. Though that may be on the extreme, it still doesn’t hurt to be careful when talking to random people that you meet. My advice is to try to be friendly without “oversharing.”
On long-haul flights, it’s not surprising when people seated next to you start a conversation. But whenever somebody asks me about where I’m staying or what my plans are, I try to slowly change the topic. I consider “restaurant,” “modes of transportation” and “go-to tourist spots” safe topics. Those things are still interesting conversations without risking your personal details and travel plans.
5. Always do your research
When looking for hotels or apartments, and especially because I am traveling solo, I make it a point to do my research about the area to see if there are horror stories about it. This is where the Internet and user-generated content works best, finding these kinds of information isn’t at all difficult because there's just tons of them.
I try to see as many things as I can in a city and that means going home late at night. So before I book a room in a hotel or an apartment, I ask this question: Is it safe to walk here alone at night?
While these tips won’t necessarily ensure your safety in case you decide to travel alone, these five things have so far kept me safe and sound all these years and prevented any unfortunate incident that will make me stop from traveling solo again.
Reference: Yahoo! Philippines
Reference Link:
By Janie Octia | Flying Solo
In recent weeks, I've read a lot of interesting articles about traveling solo. Yahoo Travel has a section dedicated entirely to it and Yahoo SHE Philippines has listed compelling reasons why everyone should do it at least once in their life. Other publications like The Huffington Post and SHAPE Magazine has written about it as well so I leave it to them to convince you to try and do it.
I have done quite a lot of solo traveling myself, both for business and leisure, and whenever friends ask me about it, one of the first concerns is about safety. Questions like, “how do you know which mode of transportation to take?” or “which places are safe for women?” are common ones for which I actually have a go-to answer in mind.
After a friend told me yesterday that I haven’t been writing anything, I decided to put all my experiences to good use. I’m starting this blog specifically for women who want to travel solo but are held back by safety concerns. I don’t consider myself an “expert” at all but I hope that my experiences will make you think about the possibility of traveling solo (if you haven’t already). I’m certainly not the best person to ask for the “top 5 things you should see or eat” but I’ll do my best to give some tips here and there.
And without further ado, here are general tips to keep you safe when traveling solo:
1. Keep your documents safe and have a back up online
This is a no-brainer. When traveling overseas, you’ll obviously have your passport and a printed itinerary. I usually print two copies, save a copy on my mobile devices and a backup in the cloud. My go-to PDF file includes a copy of my passport, driver’s license, company ID, visa (of that particular country), flight details, hotel and car reservations.
I have never figured out a pattern on when an immigration officer will ask for an itinerary so having a printed copy is always handy. I usually travel to different cities when I go to the United States so it helps to have proof that I have places to stay in these cities.
2. Know where and how to reach your local embassy and save the city’s tourist, hospital and police hotlines
Fortunately, I have never had to locate the Philippine embassy and call the police hotlines yet. But I still diligently save these numbers on my mobile phone and my notebook. Again, you never know when you'd need it so it pays to anticipate.
The second time I went to Seoul, the taxi driver could not locate the hotel we’re looking for and we were saved by the Visit Korea tourist hotline. Operators on this hotline speak English and they’ll translate the instructions to your driver (or to any local) in their local language. Not only did this save us money and time, it also saved us unnecessary trouble because who wants problems when they’re traveling?
3. Read about dress codes and local customs
Whenever I travel for business, I usually get a “101” of customs and traditions in the country that I’m visiting. This includes the appropriate clothes to be worn on business and social functions as well as things you’re not supposed to do. Knowing that you should remove your shoes when entering an Indian home and that most Hindus do not eat beef or are vegetarian will be valuable especially when you are dealing with them on a professional level.
The last thing you want to do when traveling solo is to offend the locals.
4. Be wary of taking to strangers
You may be familiar with the movie titled Taken starring Liam Neeson. Though that may be on the extreme, it still doesn’t hurt to be careful when talking to random people that you meet. My advice is to try to be friendly without “oversharing.”
On long-haul flights, it’s not surprising when people seated next to you start a conversation. But whenever somebody asks me about where I’m staying or what my plans are, I try to slowly change the topic. I consider “restaurant,” “modes of transportation” and “go-to tourist spots” safe topics. Those things are still interesting conversations without risking your personal details and travel plans.
5. Always do your research
When looking for hotels or apartments, and especially because I am traveling solo, I make it a point to do my research about the area to see if there are horror stories about it. This is where the Internet and user-generated content works best, finding these kinds of information isn’t at all difficult because there's just tons of them.
I try to see as many things as I can in a city and that means going home late at night. So before I book a room in a hotel or an apartment, I ask this question: Is it safe to walk here alone at night?
While these tips won’t necessarily ensure your safety in case you decide to travel alone, these five things have so far kept me safe and sound all these years and prevented any unfortunate incident that will make me stop from traveling solo again.
Reference: Yahoo! Philippines
Reference Link: