It’s no secret that solo travel is one of the most engaging, enticing and exciting activities any of us could partake in. The idea of moving across the world at your own pace, learning a new culture, and doing so completely independently can be thoroughly romantic for many. Of course, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. Traveling alone takes from you the most important element of safety – being around other people who have your back.

That being said, it’s more than possible to travel safely while traveling solo, you just need to care for and understand a few important practices to keep you cared for. You will need to practice awareness and avoid making rash or silly decisions, as you would during any vacation. This can help you stay safe while also giving you the means to enjoy a fantastic, thoroughly exciting vacation. No matter if you’re traveling to educate yourself, to soak into another culture, to make new experiences or all three of those things, you deserve that baseline level of safety.

Here’s how you’ll go about it:

Stay In Touch

Stay in touch with those you love, or those who care for your safety. Ensure that you check in through social media or a call now and then, and keep them updated on your movements and where you hope to travel. It can seem romantic to cut yourself off from civilization, but when experiencing trouble this is the last thing you will likely wish for. Using the Postcard App MyPostcard you can also keep all of your friends updated not only with your locations, thoughts, feelings and intentions, but also with curated photography you have been developing during your travels, allowing them to follow your journey with amazing clarity.

Socialize & Bond

Socialize and bond with those who are surrounding you in your journey. Meeting the locals, heading to authentic restaurants or cafes, or bonding with other solo travelers in your hostel can be worthwhile provided you are careful with you who befriend, and do not trust someone simply because you may sound the same or have the same journey. That being said, having a network of people who know your name as you move from one place to another can only be a positive, especially if you need to rely on immediate help.

Keep Your Wits About You

Some may feel that once they have become seasoned travelers, they are able to avoid standard safety considerations and instead rely on their gut. Of course, it’s true that you may be a little wiser and more accomplished since you have last travelled, but that in no way suggests you are thoroughly able to ignore standard safety measures.

Taking care of your cash, protecting your valuables, ensuring social protection such as putting a hand over an open drink in a bar, and researching as to common techniques used by thieves or how to avoid the bad parts of town will always be important to keep on top of, and you should never fail to keep your wits about you.

With this advice, solo travel will thankfully become all the safer.