Traveling alone is dangerous. Traveling alone as a woman is even more so. This is not an opinion; it is a blatant fact. Does this mean, however, that women should stop traveling alone? Absolutely not. 

​ People all around the world, regardless of gender, agree that traveling is wonderful. They also agree that traveling is expensive and hard to coordinate. When you are traveling with other people, those issues only get exponentially worse. Finances alone can make traveling together unrealistic, even if the other party is paying for themselves.

Besides that, planning a trip by yourself is much less stressful than planning one with other people. Your group members will never agree about what to do and when and you might spend so much time arguing about it that you miss the events entirely. Even going on the trip in the first place is harder. You think it is hard to get time off from work by yourself? Now try getting time off at the same time as someone else. 

​ So why is traveling alone dangerous for women? Traveling can be dangerous in general since the chances of you getting mugged, assaulted or murdered are higher when you are off your guard in an unfamiliar place. But the odds are simply higher that women will be targeted.

This is by no means at the fault of the women, but it is something that they should be and probably are, aware of. Instead of having women stop traveling alone though, here are some other options. There are many things that women can do to help keep themselves safe. Carrying self-defense tools like pepper spray is a good first start. There are also apps you can use on your phone that alert trusted people or even the police if you do not check up in time, especially when you are walking at night.

Something I suggest for everyone is also taking a self defense class at least once before you go travelling. There are little tips and tricks you can learn there that can get you out of a situation where you are being assaulted by someone significantly bigger and stronger than you. In the long term, I hope that the world becomes a safe space for women to be alone, but even now, when it is not, this should not limit women in what they can and cannot do.

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