The following is a guest post by Emily Gerson. If you’d like to guest post on Go Backpacking, please read our submission guidelines.
Let's face it: Women have to be more cautious than men while on the road. It hurts to admit it, but we are inherently more physically vulnerable than our male counterparts.
These 10 travel safety items for women will help give you peace of mind and protect you as you explore the world.
1. Doorstopper alarm
Some women feel vulnerable staying in a hotel room alone, especially if they get stuck in a room on the first floor.
Buy a doorstopper alarm and push the bottom of it under your door from the inside. If anyone tries to open the door while you're in the room, a loud alarm will sound. The wedge-shaped stopper will also jam the door, preventing the intruder from opening it.
2. Personal alarm or whistle
Walking in a dark alley or street alone at night isn’t wise, but sometimes it's inevitable.
Carry a personal alarm that goes around your neck or on a keychain, or wear a small whistle under your shirt. This allows you to easily make noise and indicate that you need help should someone unsavory approach you or try to hurt you.
3. Small flashlight
Carrying a small flashlight is also a must when walking alone at night. Besides helping light your way, it should also make criminals less inclined to take advantage of you. There are many bright flashlights that can attach to your keychain or bag. A few manufacturers make combination personal alarm/flashlights.
4. Portable hotel door & drawer travel lock (example)
This portable lock allows you to add extra protection to your hotel room door at night. You can also use it to lock a drawer inside the hotel room for your valuables when you’re staying somewhere without a safe.
We all like to think that our belongings are safe in our hotel rooms, but I’ve heard countless stories from friends about money, jewelry, cameras, and other belongings being taken from suitcases. Lock it up and take the key with you while you go out.
5. Fake wedding ring
If you have a nice wedding or engagement ring, leave it at home when you travel so it doesn't risk getting lost or stolen. But whether you're married or not, you should travel with a plain fake wedding band.
It's said that women are less likely to be harassed if it appears that they're married, as it usually implies that there is a man nearby. It also allows you to easily make the excuse that you need to leave somewhere because your husband is waiting or around the corner. Stop by a Target or Claire's Jewelers to get a cheap fashion ring that could look like a wedding band.
6. Bra stash (example)
Money belts can be easily spotted on women who wear form-fitting clothing. Wear a bra stash instead, which is a small pouch that goes in the middle of your bra between the ladies. It allows you to unassumingly carry money, credit cards, a hotel room key, and any other small valuables.
7. Travel dictionary
It’s very important that you have the ability to communicate with locals who can help you in an emergency. While it’s vital to memorize key phrases such as “help me” and “leave me alone,” it’s also a smart move to keep a foreign dictionary in your travel bag for easy reference for more complex important phrases.
8. Pacsafe Backpack & Bag Protector
It’s frightening how easily someone can snatch a bag from you while on a train or subway, or even for someone to pickpocket you from your backpack.
The Pacsafe bag is covered in a mesh cages that makes it impossible for someone to get into any of the bag's pockets. It also has cables that allow you to securely lock it to a pole, perfect for if you're on a train alone and want to doze off–it prevents someone from running off with it.
9. First aid kid
This one’s a no-brainer, but every woman should have a small first-aid kit in her backpack. Tote along some Neosporin, bandages, anti-histamine, aspirin, antiseptic, etc. You can buy small pre-assembled kits or put together your own.
10. Anti-theft messenger bag (example)
Purses are easy pickpocket targets; their straps are easy to cut quickly, and we often carry them in a way that someone could reach in from behind to grab something. Backpacks are even easier to get into if someone is walking behind you—they can just unzip a pocket.
Invest in a travel messenger bag that’s front-facing and has cut-proof straps for while you’re out and about during the day. Some travel messenger bags also have locking zippers.
Pin for Later
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About the Author: Emily Starbuck Gerson is a 20-something professional writer and editor based in Austin, Texas. She's a travel junkie who runs the blog Maiden Voyage in her spare time. You can find her on Twitter at @TheMaidenVoyage.
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Irina Sazonova says
February 5, 2011 at 7:23 amFunny to admit this now, but when I made my first forays into solo travel, I would sometimes put a knife under my bed at night and supposedly it made me feel more protected than without the knife.
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nixe says
February 5, 2011 at 8:50 pmApart from the wedding band and bra stash I don’t see why this is only directed at women. Men don’t need travel dictionaries? A man wouldn’t appreciate a doorstop alarm, first aid kit, or a flashlight?
Theft is equal opportunity. Rape is not. If you’re going to say this list is specifically for women then there should be more focus on the latter. “I’m being raped, but at least my purse is locked securely to the bench!” I expected to see the pros and cons for basic items like air horns, pocket knives, and pepper spray for self defense.
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Olga Garcia says
February 6, 2011 at 1:10 amIt’s true that as a woman, I travel more cautiously and consciously. I never thought of carrying an alarm/whistle with me. Thanks for sharing these. :)
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Anthony says
February 6, 2011 at 2:18 pmNice items listed here. Elise (fiance) loves wearing the fake engagement/wedding ring. Even though we are traveling as a couple. If I leave her for a minute, especially in countries like India, she gets hounded by men straight away. Not only that, she has lost 5 fake engagement rings so far! Thank god we didn’t take the real one away with us. Nice tips.
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Anonymous says
February 8, 2011 at 1:55 amAs a solo women traveler I have found a couple of these to be useful. I love my mini flashlight and always carry a bit of emergency cash in my bra. The fake wedding ring has also come in helpful, especially in India. The only one I disagree with is the bag with the cut-proof straps – when I was robbed I was so thankful that the robber was finally able to cut through my purse straps because he insisted on dragging me down the road while he tried to cut it off.
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Mia says
February 9, 2011 at 9:39 amI’m just planning my first trip on my own and i have to admit that these tips come in handy. The bra stash is really ingenious. Although i don’t think i can find one here, I’ll have to improvise
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Lis says
February 24, 2011 at 10:52 pmI don’t find the bra stash that comfortable – what I do use though is a money belt shoulder holster style which I clip onto my bra. Money belts are uncormfortable and hot and obvious for either sex. If you are wearing close fitting clothing – thats an issue in its self. I dress quite conservatively and found that’s the biggest thing that means men treat with much more respect. I also used to cultivate a “outraged memsahib” persona if anyone tried to physically touch me!
Safety is more about your attitude than travel gadgets – though I have occasionally put a chair under a door handle. The risk of rape or sexual assault is a huge travel myth – I don’t recall ever hearing of it except in very marginal countries (northern Pakistan) from a stranger/local. Its far more common in the party islands – which is probably more in the date rape/ too pissed to remember if I gave permission category
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Prateek Panchal says
March 18, 2011 at 9:27 amSecurity for girls are really important….
Nice safety options…
Barbados Vacations
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Chris Dabrowski says
February 6, 2012 at 12:26 pmI remember going to Rome and hearing so much about how unsafe it was around the Rome Termini and was nervous throughout my stay. Now I have ben shown the amount of products on market and now they are even fashionable, and with doorstops, door locks for hotel and rom doors as well as various alarms I look back and wish that I had these when i travelleled as the fear factor would have been greatly reduced
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Casey Camilleri says
March 20, 2012 at 1:11 pmThese are great tips. I’m going to be traveling alone in certain places in Europe. I like the idea of a Portable hotel door. Thanks!
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Sarah Yempsey says
June 10, 2012 at 12:57 pmI agree, this applies to guys too. All these lists just for women just aids the scaremongering culture of solo female travel. Sure, some of these items are great and yes, women have to be a little mire careful… But these endless lists just perpetuate a female weakness when, a lot of the time, it comes down to common sense and keeping your wits about you. And that applies to everyone!
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GringaEstudiante says
July 3, 2012 at 12:22 amFake engagement ring…. FACEPALM. Ugh brilliant idea I could so have used last year and right now. Last summer volunteering in Panama I learned oh ok so women get married in their early teens here. I kept getting bombarded with questions on “how many children do you have” and “how is that man of your’s?” (I’m a college student just for the record). The worst part was I had just gotten out of a bad breakup so yeah my dosent know but I had to sing how handsome and hardworking he is. Now I’m in Bolivia for the summer (low and behold a single lady again but that’s so I can actually be down here without “need to get back to the States asap because of man.” It’s actually working out kinda nicely). Bolivian men, like many Latinos are either really sweet, charming and respectful OR total horney that in their fourties insist upon literally shouting “SEXY GRINGA!” Besides just ignoring them when in a taxi/ chatty situation where there are other people in the car so your safe but the driver still is a flirty in standard latin man way, what is the best way to convey “dude no way” ? I’m straight and single just so not interested in icky old man.
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Tina says
September 5, 2012 at 9:34 amI am married, and I wear my Ring Wrapper over my rings when I travel instead of leaving them at home or wearing a fake ring. I got it online and it works great!