Five Essentials For Solo Women Travellers

In the past few years, the trend of women in India — especially Millennial women — travelling alone has gone up significantly, thanks to greater empowerment, financial independence, and a desire to set her own goals and improve the quality of her life. 

As per recent reports of travel companies, most women are from tier-1 cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Chennai. Moreover, with rising income levels of women professionals, there has also been a growth in the number of women travellers taking international trips. Travelling solo means a woman can be her own boss, answering to no one, and the only person she needs to worry about is herself. 

But traveling without family and friends, or her significant other, also means that she is the captain of her own ship and will have to make all the preparations to sail alone. This would include choosing her destination and planning the itinerary, air or rail and hotel bookings, safeguarding travel documents, cash and cards, and personal safety. 

While those are the basics, women also need to take other precautions, especially if it’s their first solo excursion. Here are 5 essential items that can come in handy and are designed to help prevent or negotiate a range of compromising situations you may encounter on the road. 

Portable USB charger: This is one of the handiest gadgets for any trip, solo or not. It's practically a lifesaver. Make sure it is put away in your backpack or luggage long before setting off on your trip. When you are travelling and sightseeing, chances are you will be taking pictures and recording videos, using more data and battery than you would normally do, and you don’t want to be stranded in the middle of nowhere with little or no access to the world. So it’s wise to invest in a portable charger and its related tools.

Medical kit: While traveling alone, it is of utmost importance to carry a medical kit in case of emergencies especially for a woman traveller. The kit should be very practical as well as lightweight with just the right number of items needed. It should be customized as per the destination as well as personal needs. 

Travel card: The chances of being robbed or mugged in unknown and deserted places is very high, more so for solo women travellers. For solo women travellers, this can be exhausting as there is a long list of items that one needs to be mindful of. To be on the safe side, you would do well to carry less cash on you and instead use a travel card that is linked to a mobile app. 

Backpack: A backpack is the first and the most essential item for any solo traveller, as it spreads the weight of your belongings evenly and keeps your hands free. A good backpack with comfortable straps comes with zippered pockets and compartments that can be used to store travel documents and other important items. 

Survival whistle: These whistles are handy from a safety point of view. Carry it in your pocket or, better still, round your neck, so that it’s easily accessible whenever you sense trouble. So while traveling to remote islands or staying in tiny villages this can be a handy item and should definitely be part of your travel list. 

If solo women travellers carry these five accessories with them, rest assured they will have a safe, smooth, confidence-boosting and an enjoyable excursion, to whichever part of the world they may travel to.