Travelling alone
(especially female travellers)

I travelled alone for almost three months, and I had a great time doing so.

I don't blame you. It is scary when you haven't experienced solo traveling before.

But if you manage to take that huge step, I will promise you that it will change you in ways you've never felt before...

If you`re sceptic about travelling alone as a female, don`t worry. I can personally tell you that during my trip, I met a lot of female travellers going solo. Most of them hadn`t faced any particular problems regarding their gender.

For solo male travelers -- I've got a dozen male backpacker friends who frequently travel to Thailand and India. They come back home happier than ever.

Sure, they messed up when they got drunk and lost their passport (which they shouldn't have carried to a bar in the first place), but they didn't encounter any real dangers. The only thing I heard about which can be annoying is the attention from lady boys/prostitutes in the big cities!

Either you`re male or female, you can get away with almost everything using your common sense.

But still, either you are planning to travel alone, or you split up with your travel companion(s) during your trip, safety must be on your mind.

Here are some tips on how to be safe:

Read up on local customs! It's practical to know how to dress, and how to behave so you won't provoke locals!

I've already done some of the dirty work for you! ;-)

(all links open in a new window)

Thailand Culture

Malaysia Culture

Culture of Philippines

Cambodia Culture

India Culture

The obvious part: Seek crowdy places. Don`t walk alone at nights on empty places, dark streets or alleys. And avoid places with bushes and trees.

If a stranger approaches you, and asks about your status (which is common in Asia) make sure you don`t give them the address to the guest house or other sensitive info. It doesn`t matter how nice they are. When retrieving from a conversation, just smile and be nice.

Dressing modestly is a sign of respect for local customs. As you probably know, wearing a mini-skirt, a tight tank top and a naked belly is not the way to dress modestly. It will just provoke locals, and get unwanted male attention.

It`s OK to say no

Example: If a stranger wants to buy you a drink, and you feel uneasy about it, just say no thanks. Follow your gut feeling.

Ignore the situation when you have to

There's a difficult line between saying "no" and at the same time being friendly.

When we traveled in Sihanoukville and Siem Reap in April 2010, my boyfriend was offered drugs in the streets -- even if I was walking with him! First they wanted to just talk, and they were nice.

But afterwards, they showed off their "stuff."

In downtown Siem Reap, my boyfriend was offered drugs at least twice within 100 meters. He constantly said no, but they followed us a while. When we walked into a crowded area, they immediately disappeared. Being nice travelers was out of the question.

Beware of the possibility that a prostitute may approach you in the street or at a bar (like Patpong/Silom area in Bangkok). Remember that it`s a common problem that prostitues steal..

When you`re waiting for the train or bus and you need to go to the toilet, always bring with your backpack when going to the toilet. It`s a drag, but as I mentioned earlier, fellow travellers steal from each other and that`s a fact. And of course, locals may be tempted to steal as well.

The backpackers who steal from each other

It's sad, but there have been reports on travelers stealing from each other.

When you meet new fellow backpackers, enjoy! But make sure you practice the same common sense when it comes to strangers. Travelers are humans too -- they're not saints.

When travelers run short of money, some of them will return home -- and some of them will do it the cunning way -- steal.

Eating Alone

Probably one of the things you have to do a lot by your own is to... eat alone! (unless you're invited by other travelers of course) Since there has been a steady growth of solo travelers, the sight of backpackers eating alone at food stalls/restaurants is a common sight.

But I won't hide the fact that eating alone can be weird, especially when you haven't done it before. When I sit at a cafe here in Oslo alone, I think that is weird!

The fact that you're eating alone in Asia doesn't make things any less strange...

But I've found a couple of things to do to ease the weirdness:

• Do the obvious thing and read a book, newspaper or magazine!

  Reading a book occupies your mind and you won't even notice that people are staring at you (which they sometimes do).

• Write a travel diary

• When you're comfortable eating alone, you will slowly notice that you don't need anything to distract yourself.

  When I traveled alone, I sometimes had the habit of observing the life on the streets, the people and just daydreaming or thinking about the next destination.

India

But as most places, there are issues like rape and robbery.

So, how can you avoid rape? Scroll down to "Thailand", and read the tips there.

Here are the latest news on rape incidents in India:

My goal here is not to scare you off from travelling, but to prepare you...

March 2009: "Student arrested for attempting to rape Oz tourist"

January 2009: "Five get life term for raping German tourist"

Other incidents:

January 2008: "India tourism bosses worry after rape complaints"

After listening to so many stories from solo female travelers who experienced groping or sexual harassment -- I start to think that Indian men don't respect foreign women the same way as they do with Indian women.

I will paint the picture for you...

So, I`ll tell you a true story I heard from some travellers in India:

A German couple took the local train somewhere in India.

During the train ride, both of them fell asleep. She suddenly felt that someone was touching her thigh, and automatically thought it was her boyfriend.

When she opened her eyes, it was a local who was groping her...!

She screamed and scared off the local man, and her boyfriend woke up.

Just think about it: Her boyfriend sat right beside her, and when they fell asleep, the local man saw this as an opportunity..

I was just shocked and disgusted when I heard this story...but I wasn`t actually surprised cause I heard of other female travellers in India who also experienced being groped on public places.

So, this means that even if you`re not travelling alone in India, you`re still be a target for sexual harassment. You don`t even need to provoke someone to experience this.

And many Indian men don`t understand the word: "No."

So, in worst case scenarios -- SCREAM!

When it comes to staring...

Indians are curious people, and that's one of the reasons they turn their heads when they pass foreigners like you!

With curiousity comes the staring. And I'm not talking about short-term staring ...

Cambodia

Even in Phnom Penh.

Before departure, I had read travel advice about Phnom Penh, and it seemed like one of the the most dangerous cities in Southeast Asia. But in fact Phnom Penh is no more dangerous than other big cities!

So, use the same common sense as if you were in Los Angeles, Sydney or alike.

Example:

At nights: If you stay at a guest house by Tonle Sap Lake, and you`ve been partying on the other side of town, take the Tuk-Tuk to the guest house. Don`t walk just to save money. Foreign females walking alone in the dark are easy preys for robbery and rape.

Here`s the latest rape incident in Cambodia:

November 2008: Buddhist Monk confesses rape on Brit tourist.

When it comes to carrying/storing money in Cambodia

To read more about this, read this article on Phnom Penh Post.

So, the financial crisis has caused more unemployment. Unemployment usually leads to lack of money.

The lack of money + despair = usually leads to crime...

I met an Indian guy in Vientiane (Laos) who just came in from Phnom Penh. He told me that someone broke into his room and stole 14.000 USD dollars. My first thought was: "Why the h*** did he keep 14.000 in his room?!"

And then he told me that he met a Japanese guy who got robbed in Phnom Penh. The locals took his laptop.

So, even if this Indian and Japanese guy were business people, it taught me two things:

1. The obvious part: Don`t keep loads of money in your room. If you have to store money in your room, let it be a sum you can afford to lose... Read my money safety tips.

2. Don`t wear or carry anything that signals: "I`ve got cash, come and get me!"

   Examples: jewellry, watches, branded clothes etc.

Thailand

Just practice the same common sense as if you were in Laos or Cambodia...

BUT ...

beware that rape has been a common danger in Thailand as well...

Here are some tips on how you can avoid rape:

If you`re travelling with someone, don`t walk home alone.
If you`re travelling alone and feel uncomfortable about walking at nights, take a Tuk-Tuk or a taxi. You should do this when you`ve been drinking. Don`t overestimate your physical strength when you`ve been drinking, say, 8 Singhas (beer)...

But have in mind that there have been incidents where tourists have been raped by taxi/Tuk Tuk drivers...

At bars/restaurants: Don`t leave your drink unattended. This way, you`ll prevent someone from slipping unwanted drug in your drink.

When walking outside, walk facing the traffic so a car can`t approach you unnoticed from behind.

Carry a hair spray.

If attacked...

... scream and kick in sensitive areas (like, the balls). Then run and scream. If you can`t run, fight! (kick, bite hard, scratch)

If you get attacked, scratch the criminal`s skin. His/her DNA is a valuable proof when the police wants to track the person down. And also valuable if he/she gets legally charged.

Don`t take a bath, shower, brush your teeth or wash in any way. This may be sound hard to you, but the truth is: DNA is evidence...

Even if you`re embarrassed, report it to the nearest police station. And report it right away.

This is why:

Human memory is fragile. And one of the ways of catching the criminal, is by describing the person as accurate as possible...

Seek medical attention as soon as possible.

Here are the well-known rape incidents in Thailand:

March 2008: Australian tourist raped in Thailand.

November 2006: Men who raped, killed tourist escape death.

Malaysia

In general Malaysia is very safe. Take the usual precautions as in Thailand, Cambodia and Laos.

Women travelers backpacking outside the cities might experience staring, but mostly because locals are either curious or not familiar with foreigners.

To make it easier for you, wear long clothing. And you're not expected to cover your head with a scarve, except at the mosques.

Laos

Travelling alone in Laos is not an issue. And Laos is generally safe for female travellers.

Just practice the same safety precautions, and common sense as if you were in your own homecountry.

If you`re interested in reading about the Pros and Cons when travelling alone, click here!

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