The idea of solo women travellers has been controversial for years, but nowadays, we see more and more women getting out of their comfort zones and taking on trips worldwide. Without the extra baggage of family or someone to take care of, travelling as a woman can be pretty exciting and fulfilling. With the right tips, women travellers can have a much easier and more comfortable time crossing borders and touring various destinations worldwide.
Here are ten pointers for women travellers to make the trip safer and more comfortable.
Thoroughly Research Your Destination Before the Trip
For most travellers, the planning and research are more daunting than the journey. If you want to travel to a new destination, you need to research the city or town for important information such as safety.
Pack Light
The golden rule as a woman traveller is to pack and travel light. Depending on the days you will be travelling, it’s only wise to pack and bring along very little luggage. Take your time before packing to identify what’s necessary to make the load as light as possible. Also, use a backpack instead of a suitcase to make it easy to move around.
Have a Backpack for Valuables
Besides the suitcase, it is imperative to have a travel backpack to carry your valuables. These may include Lotion, lip balm, a laptop, a power bank, a camera, a passport, and extra money. This backpack should always stay with you and allows you to move around easily with all your essentials.
Carry Extra Money
Sticking to a budget can be quite hard when travelling; from spontaneous shopping to additional costs you never anticipated. Carrying extra cash offers you cushioning in case your expenditure gets a little out of hand. This is an essential tip for all travellers but comes in handy for women travellers.
While at it, you may also want to separate your money. Divide your money across different bags and pockets for protection.
Plan for Night Arrivals
When planning your trip, planning your transport means within the new destination is essential. This includes how you will get to the hotel from the airport, bus, or train station. It’s best to arrive before dark, but this may be unavoidable at times. Have a plan for the possibility of night arrival and stick to the plan.
Bring Your Conditioner
Most hotels provide basic soap and shampoo, and only the high-end and expensive ones offer a small bottle of conditioner. Even when it’s provided, it’s not usually the good stuff you use. The best thing is always to bring the conditioner that best suits your hair as a woman traveller. It does come in handy.
Resist the Urge to Overshare
Safety is a priority as a woman traveller, especially if you are travelling solo. As a woman traveller, you will probably have numerous encounters with strangers trying to make small talk or engage you in a conversation. However, do not tell locals or strangers critical information such as where you are staying or your travel schedule.
Keep a Flexible Schedule
Planning your trip is a great idea, but it’s also good to appreciate that trips do not always go as per plan perfectly. Scheduling every minute of the journey is not the best of ideas. Schedule a few crucial things but leave some room for spontaneity. You may bump into a friend or find out about an event you would like to attend last minute.
Blend in as Much as Possible
Women travellers are seen as vulnerable and are easy targets for petty criminals such as pickpockets. As a woman traveller, blending in is much safer and more comfortable than standing out. The essence of blending in as much as possible is to avoid making it obvious that you are new in town. Different continents and countries have different dressing habits, so you must do thorough research on the destination to find out about local dress codes.
Check-in With Friends and Family
Whether travelling with some company or solo, checking in with family and friends every few days is vital. A call or brief text to your parents or a post on social media is an excellent way of letting people know that you are safe and alive.
Conclusion
Relax and enjoy all your trips with these fantastic tips for women travellers. You can also incorporate other safety and comfort aspects you believe come in handy and are not captured in this article.…
Travelling can be challenging, especially if you are new to this lifestyle. Fortunately, nowadays, there are so many travel apps available for both Android and iPhone users. These apps can help you with crucial trip planning activities, from packing to booking flights, finding hotels, trails, toilets, and buying gas. Many travellers use these apps to make their journeys more enjoyable and less stressful. These are the best five apps for travel enthusiasts you need to consider.
1. Airbnb
Nowadays, most travellers prefer to live in Airbnbs instead of hotels because they offer more privacy, more space, and a kitchen, are more affordable, and have better amenities. You can attest to this if you have been traveling a lot in the last decade. The app is easy to use and my guy at encompasslofts.com is a big advocate of Airbnb. Once you feed in your dates and destination, you can filter your search depending on the amenities, price, and home type you want. You can book straight away via the app when you find something you are interested in. You can also take control of your trips through the app. For instance, you can change your reservation, communicate with the host, and check your reservations, including directions and address.
2. TripIt
This app is another must-have for a traveller. It helps you organize your documents and itinerary in one app. You may decide to synchronize your reservations so they can automatically be directed to your TripIt app. This way, you can look at driving directions, rental car reservations, hotel and Airbnb booking details, ferry tickets, flight itineraries, travel confirmations, and tickets through the app. It will also allow you to share your travelling arrangements with a person who you would want to collaborate with you during the trip, such as the person picking you up from the airport. You can pay $49 and enjoy more services like flight alerts and baggage claim information.
3. PackPoint
This app comes in handy when you are packing for your trip. It informs you what items you need to pack depending on the activities you will do on your trip, the weather, and the duration of the journey. All you have to do is download the app, install it, select the city you intend to visit and add your travel information.
4. GasBuddy
This is the ideal app for you if you are going on a road trip. It will show you the places with the most affordable gas costs. You can narrow your search by amenities, brand, location, and price. It will also give you deals at convenience stores along your route and alert you when prices go up so you can take advantage of the best prices every time.
5. SkyScanner
This app allows you to research and compare flights with the lowest prices. The first thing you need to do is settle on travel dates. Then you can use the app to look for the best deals. You will need to filter by greener flights, the number of stops, flight length, price etc. If your dates are not fixed, use the color-coded graphs and calendars to choose the best time to take a flight for the highest savings. Ensure you go to the ‘Top Offers’ segment to look for fantastic deals from affordable airlines and get notified when prices are adjusted. This app is also helpful when finding the cheapest car hire and hotels.
Other notable holiday apps worth mentioning include;
· Google Map
· Google Translate
· Flightradar24
· Waze
· HEHA! Holidays Extras
· Trip Advisors
· XE Currency Converter
· LuckyTrip
· Hopper
· Headout
· TheFork
· Zomato
· FlightAware
· TimeShifter
· Wise
· Flush
· EatWith
· HotelTonight
· RoadTrippers
· SoundHound
· Meetup
· Kayak
· Yelp
· App in the Air
· SOAR
· AllTrails
Final Thoughts
If you are travelling to a new country as a tourist, you will be happy that you downloaded and installed some of these apps. They are essential, especially those that help you learn about price changes because you can then seize the opportunities and save money on your trips. Don’t hesitate to use the ones that you feel will be most suitable for your trip. Other travellers are satisfied with the apps, so you can also expect to benefit from them. …