Solo travel is one of the most rewarding things you can do, and statistically it's far safer than most people assume. The vast majority of solo travelers return home with nothing but great memories and a healthy confidence boost. But preparation makes a real difference — here's what experienced solo travelers do before and during every trip.
Before You Leave: Pre-Trip Preparation
Share Your Itinerary
Send a detailed itinerary — including accommodation addresses, flight numbers, and dates — to at least two people at home. Update them when plans change significantly. A simple shared Google Doc or a WhatsApp message with key details is sufficient. The goal is that if you go quiet, someone knows where you were supposed to be and can alert the right authorities quickly.
For more on this topic, see our guide on digital nomad guide: best cities for remote work in 2026.Register with Your Country's Embassy
Most countries offer a free travel registration service: the US has STEP (Smart Traveler Enrollment Program), the UK has FCDO's travel registration, Australia has Smartraveller. These take five minutes to sign up and allow embassies to contact you in an emergency or natural disaster. They also give you access to up-to-date safety advisories for your destination.
Research Your Destination's Specific Risks
Every destination has different risk profiles — petty theft in Barcelona differs from safety concerns in certain neighborhoods of Johannesburg or bus scams in Southeast Asia. Don't rely on generic "is X safe?" Reddit threads. Check your government's official travel advisory, read recent posts on the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree forums, and look at the Numbeo Crime Index for your specific city. Destination-specific preparation is far more useful than generic fear.
Travel Insurance Is Not Optional
Medical evacuation from a remote location can cost $50,000–$200,000. A broken leg in the US (as a foreign visitor) without insurance runs $30,000–$60,000. Quality travel insurance with medical coverage and evacuation costs $50–$120 for a two-week trip — the best travel decision you'll make. World Nomads and SafetyWing are two options consistently recommended by long-term solo travelers. Read the policy before purchasing and confirm medical evacuation is included.
Accommodation Choices That Affect Safety
For solo travelers, accommodation is both a safety factor and a social lifeline. A few principles:
- Choose accommodation with 24-hour reception for your first few nights in any new city. This matters if you arrive late or have a problem at night.
- Hostels for the first two nights is a common recommendation for first-time solo travelers — the social environment makes it easy to meet people quickly and get local tips from staff and other travelers.
- Read recent reviews specifically about solo travelers. On Booking.com and Hostelworld, filter reviews by "solo traveler" to see experiences most relevant to yours.
- Map the neighborhood before you arrive. Use Google Street View to walk the block from your accommodation to the nearest transit stop, grocery store, and restaurant. Arrive oriented rather than lost.
Day-to-Day Street Safety
Blend In
The most commonly targeted tourists are those who visibly look confused or distracted. Walking while looking at your phone is the single biggest signal that you're a potential target for theft. Download offline maps (Google Maps, Maps.me) and check them in your pocket or before rounding a corner, not while walking. Dress down — expensive watches, large DSLR cameras hung from the neck, and ostentatious jewelry all increase your visibility as a target.
The Right Bag
A day bag matters. Front-access backpacks are a bad idea in crowded metros. Use a small crossbody bag worn across the chest in busy public areas, or a backpack you can hold in front of you on transit. Keep a "street wallet" with small amounts of local currency for daily spending, and keep your main cards and passport in a money belt or neck pouch worn under your clothes.
Scam Awareness
The most common tourist scams are remarkably consistent globally: the friendship bracelet tied around your wrist then demanded payment for, the "spilled" liquid that requires a helper to clean off your bag while an accomplice pickpockets you, the taxi that doesn't use the meter, the "free" tour that ends with an aggressive payment demand. Research the five most common scams at your specific destination before arrival — a quick search for "[city] tourist scams" takes ten minutes and can save real money and stress.
Digital Safety
Use a VPN on public Wi-Fi networks — airports, cafes, and hotel lobbies all present risks to your banking and email access. Proton VPN (free tier) and Mullvad ($5/month) are solid options. Keep your phone's Bluetooth off when you're not using it. Enable full-device encryption and a strong PIN (not face ID alone, which can be compelled).
Back up your important documents (passport photo page, visa, travel insurance, accommodation confirmations) to a cloud storage account before you leave. If your phone is stolen, you can access everything from any device.
Trusting Your Instincts
This advice sounds trite but is genuinely important: if a situation feels wrong, leave it. Don't stay in an uncomfortable social situation because you're worried about seeming rude. Solo travel gives you complete freedom to say "I'm heading back to my accommodation" at any moment without explanation. Use it. The situations that experienced solo travelers describe as their worst moments almost always began with "I had a bad feeling but ignored it."
Emergency Protocols
- Save your country's embassy phone number in your phone AND written on paper in your bag.
- Know the local emergency services number before you need it (112 works in the EU and many other countries; 911 in North America).
- Have a backup card stored separately from your main wallet — hotel room safe or money belt — in case of theft.
- Know the name and address of your accommodation in the local language — taxi drivers can read it without a language barrier.
The Bigger Picture
Solo travel is not inherently dangerous. The preparation above takes a few hours before departure and becomes second nature after your first trip. Hundreds of millions of people travel solo every year without incident. The goal is not to travel in fear, but to travel prepared — so that if something does go wrong, you have the tools and knowledge to handle it calmly and get on with your trip.