Solo Travel Safety Guide for Women: Research, Booking and On-the-Ground Steps

Women now make up a large majority of solo travelers worldwide — about 71% globally, according to industry survey data cited by the travel-risk firm Riskline — and female solo travel has grown more than 60% over the past three years by the same measure. Separate annual survey data from the Solo Female Travelers Club show that personal safety is tied with concern about higher costs as the top worry cited by solo female travelers, ahead of loneliness or getting lost. This guide compiles verifiable, source-based steps for planning and carrying out an independent trip more safely.

Before You Go: Research the Destination

The UK government's official guidance for women travelling abroad, published on GOV.UK, recommends researching a country's culture and whether women travelling there have reported unwanted attention or difficulties linked to their gender before finalizing a trip. It directs travellers to each country's dedicated safety and security advice page, along with guidebooks, online forums, and separate guidance for independent or solo travellers and for LGBT+ travellers.

Riskline, a travel-risk intelligence firm, publishes a Female Traveller Safety Map that classifies 29 destinations worldwide as "high concern" for women travellers, based on factors including the World Bank's Women, Business and the Law report and its own destination research. Riskline's analysis spreads these 29 destinations across the Americas (4), Asia-Pacific (5), Sub-Saharan Africa (9) and the Middle East/North Africa (11), citing risks such as sexual harassment, harassment on public transport, and gender-based discrimination.

1. Check the official government travel advisory for the destination and read its safety and security section specifically.
2. Search recent traveller reviews and forums for mentions of harassment, scams or safety issues reported by other women.
3. Confirm what healthcare is available locally if you have an ongoing health condition or are pregnant, since the GOV.UK guidance notes this may require specialist planning.
4. Note the contact details for your country's nearest embassy, high commission or consulate at the destination before departure.
5. Check whether the destination appears on independent risk assessments, such as Riskline's Female Traveller Safety Map, and read what specific concerns are flagged.

Accommodation and Transport Choices

Survey data from the Solo Female Travelers Club show that solo female travellers widely use practical safety tools: 57% of respondents in the 2026 survey said they always bought travel insurance, 51% always bought medical insurance, 47% used anti-theft bags, and 18% carried a self-defense item. These figures come from the club's fifth consecutive annual survey, which gathered responses from roughly 2,800 travelers across more than 90 countries.

Staying Safe at Night and Around Drinks

GOV.UK's guidance for women travelling abroad gives specific advice about drink-related assault risk: never leave a drink unattended and do not accept drinks from strangers. It notes that so-called rape drugs are normally colourless and tasteless and can leave a person unconscious and defenceless, and advises anyone who starts to feel unusually unwell after drinking very little to seek help immediately.

The same guidance tells travellers who feel unsafe, including those experiencing domestic abuse while abroad, to contact local emergency services or their nearest embassy, high commission or consulate without delay.

What the Data Say About Solo Female Travel

The Solo Female Travelers Club survey also found that safety worries are not static: concern levels drop from 72% among women with fewer than five solo trips to 62% among those with more than ten, suggesting that reported anxiety tends to ease with experience, according to the club's own analysis of its respondent data.

Staying Connected and Packing Choices

Beyond insurance and anti-theft gear, the Solo Female Travelers Club survey noted growing use of tracking devices, such as Bluetooth trackers, that let loved ones follow a traveller's location, alongside the common practice of keeping a local SIM or data plan active for connectivity during a trip.