There are risks for anyone who is traveling alone, but for women, the risks go up significantly. And while none of us want to admit that, as Career Girls, we’re vulnerable to some of the terrible things that can happen, we are. And unfortunately, many women make big mistakes while traveling alone. One of my favorite travel sites, GoGirlfriend recently published their list of “4 Travel Mistakes Women Make When Traveling Alone.” This one jumped out at me:
Plan arrival and departure times during the day
A ridiculously cheap red eye can be hard to turn down – but do you really want to arrive at a strange destination after dark?
Agreed! All too often, when I traveled for business, I left after 5:00pm in my current time zone. But is it really safe to be navigating a city for the first time in the dark?
To complement GoGirlfriend’s traveling mistakes, I’m giving you 3 tips to keep you safe on a solo trip.
- Look for hotels with all-female floors. More and more in areas with high business travel traffic, hotels are embracing security for women with all-female floors and wings protected by your hotel key card. Walking into a hotel and onto a floor is still easy these days, and I’d pay a bit extra to stay in a hotel that’s highly secure.
- Get two keys. You never know who’s listening to you when you check in. Get two keys and allude to the fact that you have a travel companion, even if you don’t.
- Don’t carry your life with you. Women tend to carry purses and wallets with what we might refer to as “our whole life” inside. When you travel, leave part of it at home. Carry one or two credit cards instead of all of your cards and store cards.
Be safe, and do everything you need to in order to protect yourself, even if it seems strange. Take taxis when it appears you could walk. Walk back to the hotel in a different way. Be paranoid. It might seem odd, but it could save your life. Put safety first.
About the Author: Marcy Twete
Marcy Twete is the Founder and CEO of Career Girl Network and the author of the book “You Know Everybody! A Career Girl’s Guide to Building a Network That Works.” At Career Girl Network, Marcy provides women with information, resources, and networking to empower them in their careers and to advance the work of women in business as a whole. Prior to launching Career Girl Network, Marcy worked in numerous nonprofit organizations and as a consultant in the field of nonprofit fundraising, marketing, and community relations. Marcy is a graduate of the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, Minnesota, and a native of rural North Dakota. She is the Vice Chair of the Chicago Board of Directors for Step Up Women’s Network in Chicago and a member of the Advisory Board for Girls on the Run Twin Cities, and is dedicated to advancing the work of organizations that move the needle for women and girls worldwide.
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