Travel Tip Brain Dump

 A few travel tips I’ve accrued, some fairly obvious, others maybe a bit less so…all from my own perspective (with my own preferences and values):


🔑 Safety:

  • You don’t owe anyone (especially men) friendliness - if someone acts too friendly or offers me pretty much anything right away I always take it as a red flag
  • Don’t have any valuables in sight and use carabiners to make it harder for pickpockets to open your zippers - carry as few valuables as possible and put passport/cash/cards in money belt (this can be safer than leaving at accommodation)
  • I’m not big on nightlife so I usually try to be back to my accommodation around dusk
  • If you take a taxi, try to use a rideshare app and try to get a highly rated driver. If they veer from the route or give you sketchy vibes just end the ride and/or call someone for help. Make sure if you have luggage in the trunk you ask them to get out and help you get it so they can’t drive off with it when you get out of the vehicle
  • Look out for yourself first, lie and be rude when you need to for your safety


🧳 Solo travel in general:

  • Hostels are great accommodations for solo travel because they are cheaper (for one person) and great for meeting people BUT reading reviews is a must. Personally, I don’t like party hostels bc I like my sleep so if people rate the hostel poorly bc it’s not a party hostel that’s a green flag for me but if reviews consistently talk about poor safety, management, or hygiene those are red flags for me
  • Public transport is often the way to go since it’s cheaper, you’re not getting stuck one on one with a taxi driver, and you get to experience more of local life
  • Always keep some calorie dense snacks on hand
  • If you start panicking just take a step back, catch your breath, and re-approach the situation. Pretty much any situation can be resolved even if it seems really overwhelming at first. Don’t hesitate to ask people for help and to advocate for yourself
  • Take care of yourself and do things that bring you joy (eat foods you like, sit somewhere pretty and rest, etc.). One of the best parts of solo travel is doing whatever you want whenever you want!
  • If you start to get lonely: communicate with loved ones, make a journal about your trip to share with others, do things that bring you comfort (comfort show, music, book)


⛺️ Accommodation:

  • READ REVIEWS! Do a ctrl + F for bed bugs
  • I generally don’t like booking thru third parties but booking.com works better than booking direct with most places and allows you to earn significant discounts thru the Genius program
  • Stay at homestays when possible!
  • Text locals, bus companies, etc. on WhatsApp to arrange things and verify info. Most ppl are responsive over text (not email) and you can get a lot of great info this way


🎧 Sensory sensitivity

  • Noise canceling headphones and multiple pairs of headphones/ear buds to replace when other ones need to be charged
  • Earplugs
  • I have single-handedly survived off of Spotify’s nature noise playlist when traveling…blasting this in ear buds has allowed me to sleep in crowded airports and read a book while babies scream on flights/trains
  • Sunglasses

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