Are you a girl who loves travelling alone? Or are you someone for whom travelling alone is an integral part of life as you live far off from home? If yes this post is for you.
Some girls may be doubtful about the fact that this post is coming from a boy.But let me tell you I have a sister and a few friends who travel alone sometimes and I have written this post keeping them in mind.
So here are the ten points.Most of these hold good even for Boys.I personally follow almost all of these.
1.First,as a girl (or even for boys) you should have something to protect yourself in case things turn bad.For this you can keep a pepper spray at all times with you.Better still, for the long term you can learn martial arts.Krav Maga is one such Martial arts that has been gaining much popularity both among men and women.Check it out.
2.Next prepare a list of minimum 5 persons whom you can contact in case of an emergency.Have their phone numbers and their email ids written down clearly in more than 2 places with you.One place can be your travel dairy.Another can be your smartphone.Yet another potential place can be in your purse.Better still if you can, memorise all the names and numbers.
3.Whenever you travel, designate one person with the following criteria as your 'control room contact'
Criteria is
a) He/she should be your close friend.One whom you can call at 3am in the night without any fear.
b) He/She should be nearby a computer with internet access most of the time.
c) Preferably one with good knowledge about the goings on of the world and events nearby.Also one who knows his/her way around the internet.
d) Preferably One with good contacts or a good network.
The idea behind this to always have some one whom you can contact when you need help like the following
-urgently book tickets
-know the status of places in case of any calamity
-when you run out of money
-know the directions to any place
etc
I think you get it by now. This is like more like a James Bond type of thing.Imagine you are the field agent and you should always have someone on the base to help you.I personally call him/her my 'control room contact'.I will refer him/her as CRC for the rest of the post.
4.My brother keeps telling me and my sister about this. Always take note of your surroundings.Wear safety belts when you are in a car.When you are travelling by a bus note down the bus number.Take a pic and whatsapp it to your CRC. And when you have boarded it always check out where the emergency exits are. Same goes when you are in a train.Always know where the emergency exits are.When you are riding a two wheeler wear a helmet.
Be mad about safety!
5.These days there are so many apps coming out about safety of women.Check them out and install one of them in your smartphone.
6.Always keep at least one person informed about your whereabouts. It can be your CRC or anyone else.
7.Join or simply check out women organisations or groups or which have members who travel alone.For example - The WOW Club : Pioneers of All Women Travel - Home or Home - World YWCA or LWTC - Home
8.Know other single women travellers. Make a little group of your own.
Also know the famous ones like Shivya Nath,Anuradha Goyal,Anuradha Shankar,Neelima Vallangi,Lakshmi Sharath and Lakshmi Prabhala.Check out their blogs.
9.Always prepare for Plan B.Always prepare for emergencies.No matter how much extra work you have to do prepare for emergencies.For example if you have booked a train , be ready with an alternate train that you can catch in case you miss the original train.Be through in your planning.Leave nothing to chance.
10.Carry a First Aid Kit with you always. Keep it properly stocked.
Some girls may be doubtful about the fact that this post is coming from a boy.But let me tell you I have a sister and a few friends who travel alone sometimes and I have written this post keeping them in mind.
So here are the ten points.Most of these hold good even for Boys.I personally follow almost all of these.
1.First,as a girl (or even for boys) you should have something to protect yourself in case things turn bad.For this you can keep a pepper spray at all times with you.Better still, for the long term you can learn martial arts.Krav Maga is one such Martial arts that has been gaining much popularity both among men and women.Check it out.
2.Next prepare a list of minimum 5 persons whom you can contact in case of an emergency.Have their phone numbers and their email ids written down clearly in more than 2 places with you.One place can be your travel dairy.Another can be your smartphone.Yet another potential place can be in your purse.Better still if you can, memorise all the names and numbers.
3.Whenever you travel, designate one person with the following criteria as your 'control room contact'
Criteria is
a) He/she should be your close friend.One whom you can call at 3am in the night without any fear.
b) He/She should be nearby a computer with internet access most of the time.
c) Preferably one with good knowledge about the goings on of the world and events nearby.Also one who knows his/her way around the internet.
d) Preferably One with good contacts or a good network.
The idea behind this to always have some one whom you can contact when you need help like the following
-urgently book tickets
-know the status of places in case of any calamity
-when you run out of money
-know the directions to any place
etc
I think you get it by now. This is like more like a James Bond type of thing.Imagine you are the field agent and you should always have someone on the base to help you.I personally call him/her my 'control room contact'.I will refer him/her as CRC for the rest of the post.
4.My brother keeps telling me and my sister about this. Always take note of your surroundings.Wear safety belts when you are in a car.When you are travelling by a bus note down the bus number.Take a pic and whatsapp it to your CRC. And when you have boarded it always check out where the emergency exits are. Same goes when you are in a train.Always know where the emergency exits are.When you are riding a two wheeler wear a helmet.
Be mad about safety!
5.These days there are so many apps coming out about safety of women.Check them out and install one of them in your smartphone.
6.Always keep at least one person informed about your whereabouts. It can be your CRC or anyone else.
7.Join or simply check out women organisations or groups or which have members who travel alone.For example - The WOW Club : Pioneers of All Women Travel - Home or Home - World YWCA or LWTC - Home
8.Know other single women travellers. Make a little group of your own.
Also know the famous ones like Shivya Nath,Anuradha Goyal,Anuradha Shankar,Neelima Vallangi,Lakshmi Sharath and Lakshmi Prabhala.Check out their blogs.
9.Always prepare for Plan B.Always prepare for emergencies.No matter how much extra work you have to do prepare for emergencies.For example if you have booked a train , be ready with an alternate train that you can catch in case you miss the original train.Be through in your planning.Leave nothing to chance.
10.Carry a First Aid Kit with you always. Keep it properly stocked.
