A solo female traveller has revealed her top tips for travelling alone, including booking certain floors in hotels, being rude and her scariest experiences.
Sierra Belle, a creative account director from North Carolina, USA, has traveled the world, from Croatia to Montenegro to the Dominican Republic, and says confidence is one of the keys to reducing your chances of being targeted.
It’s okay to be rude
The 26-year-old, who shares her wisdom with 22,300 followers on Instagram under the username @belletropestold Luxury travel daily: ‘The more confident you appear when exploring a new place, the less of a target you will be.
Before you can gauge someone’s intentions, it’s important not to give away information that could make you more vulnerable.
Sierra Belle has traveled the world, from Croatia to Montenegro to the Dominican Republic. The 26-year-old shares her wisdom on Instagram under the name @belletropics. She is pictured on the left in the Dominican Republic
Sierra advises women that they can be ‘rude’. She said: ‘You don’t owe anyone anything and you can’t afford to ignore your boundaries to be nice.’ She is pictured above in Lanzarote
How much you share about yourself depends entirely on how comfortable you feel in the situation. Your gut feeling can be a big help here.
‘Especially as a woman, I quickly feel the pressure to be polite and give people the benefit of the doubt.
Sometimes you feel like you’re caught in the dance of ‘don’t be rude, but don’t give people (especially men) the wrong idea either’.
You don’t owe anyone anything and you can’t afford to ignore your boundaries just to be nice.
If you allow that sense of obligation to override your instincts, you can find yourself in some difficult situations.
“You will have to get used to confidently ignoring or completely tuning out people who make you feel uncomfortable.”
Book your hotel room with care
Belle said: ‘I believe one of the best times to travel alone is when you’re in the middle of one of those intimidating or destabilising turning points in life.’ She is pictured above in Montenegro.
Sierra said: ‘Travelling solo brings an incredible amount of independence. It’s an amazing feeling that builds so much confidence.’ She is pictured above in the Dominican Republic
The traveler advised that you should never stay on the ground floor of your hotel if it faces the street. She noted, “If you ever feel uncomfortable, remember that you can always find a new place to stay.”
Sierra often gets comments from others about how over the top her travel rules are – but she refuses to conform to the opinions of others. She is pictured above in the Dominican Republic
Her next tip for staying safe is something people often don’t consider when booking accommodation.
Megan says you should never book a room on the first floor [the ground floor to Britons]or where your front door is directly on the street.
Megan said, “I learned this lesson the hard way when I booked a cute Airbnb apartment in Mexico with a frosted glass door that opened onto a relatively quiet street.
‘An hour after I arrived, I was unpacking my things when a man stood at my door and repeatedly tried to break the door down, in the middle of the day.
‘It was especially terrifying because, despite the iron bars on the door, I could literally see his silhouette through the frosted glass door the entire time.
‘Two days later, I was aggressively harassed by a man on the street during the day. He tried to follow me and took pictures/videos of me from a distance.
‘Both experiences made me realize that I never want to be on the streets again.
‘These are two of the scariest experiences I’ve ever had while traveling solo. It was just bad luck that they happened right after each other.
“If you ever feel uncomfortable, remember that you can always find a new place to stay. It may feel like an overreaction at the time, but I’ve done this twice and don’t regret it.”
Don’t be afraid to ask for help
“You just can’t realistically figure everything out on your own,” said the solo vacationer, who noted that it’s OK to ask for help when traveling. She’s pictured above in Portugal
Sierra said: ‘Travelling solo brings an incredible amount of independence. It’s an amazing feeling that builds so much confidence.
‘Sometimes I’ve avoided asking for help because I found it embarrassing somehow or because I was hesitant to trust strangers.
‘But realistically, you can’t figure everything out yourself!
‘This was an important moment when I learned that I can’t figure everything out myself and that it’s not always necessary.’
Ignore the opinions of others
Sierra often receives comments from others about how over the top her travel rules are, but she refuses to conform to the opinions of others.
She said: ‘Most of the reactions online have been very affirming, but also a little frustrating at the same time. Overall, I feel very supported in the community I have created online.
“The fact that so many women identify with this is a frustrating and sad reminder that we have to work so hard to safely have the same experiences that men can more easily pursue.
‘Finding the courage to travel alone is mostly an internal thing, but having a community of women around you can really make a difference.’
The best time to go
She said, “I believe one of the best times to travel solo is when you’re in the middle of one of those intimidating or destabilizing turning points in your life.
‘To be honest, I had never thought about solo travel as a concept, let alone as a possibility for me.
‘Many travelers you meet online seem like intrepid adventurers.
‘Before I started, I looked for resources that suited me so I had the confidence to try it.
“It’s hard to explain how life-changing solo travel can be, but there’s really nothing else like it.”
