Want to stay safe when traveling? This post is all about the not-so-common tips every Black woman traveling alone should have top of mind.

Traveling is amazingly exciting and fun, but for a Black woman traveling solo, fun can sometimes be dangerous if we’re not careful.

I’ve been on domestic and international adventures galore, and interestingly, I think about safety but it’s not always the first thing on my mind. As Black women there is a little system in the back of our brain that just explicitly understands when situations are safe, and when common sense must prevail.

However, in this post, we’ll look at 5 tips we may not consciously think about but will bring a heck lot more security to our travel. After all, I’m sure you want to be able to go back home, live, and tell the story of everything you experienced.

This post is all about key often overlooked tips a Black woman traveling solo needs to know.

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Unconventional Safety Tips for a Black Woman Traveling Solo

1. Be sure you can move quickly out of any situation

You never know when you have to take your things and move quickly. Outside of this memorial in Taiwan, I was trying to take a selfie that could also show the magnificence of the building.

The kindness of a stranger then asked…well more like gestured as his English wasn’t the best…”do you want me to take your picture.”

This happens all the time when you’re traveling solo, BUT, what happens if this kind stranger goes on the move with your phone, or worse yet, a crowd or anything breaks out in your surroundings and you need to get up and go?

The last thing you have is extra minutes to gather your belongings. So it’s important to have everything compact, mobile, and able to move with you at a moment’s notice. Having luggage with four wheels especially is recommended to give you the range of motion to move as quickly as you can.

Below is a carry-on-size yet ultra roomy piece of luggage like the one I used above that will move with you, when and where you want it to.

Recreate Easy Travel Gear Mobility

2. Know What You’re Eating and Drinking

This one feels like extreme common sense. However, it gets a little tricky, especially when you’re traveling abroad in a country without English as a national language.

I got into an Uber during my Taiwan adventure and the driver offered me a drink. A coffee drink. After getting past the weirdness that I was even offered a drink the first thing I did…. check the seal. That was still in place and good to go.

Now, this bottle was written both in Mandarin and English…thank heavens. But this is one of those unconscious things that we don’t always consider, especially when we’re gung ho about new cultural experiences.

Life threatening allergic reactions, unknown herbs, or even drugs are also real possibilities with what you consume.

The bottom line, as a Black woman traveling know what you’re eating and drinking to the best of your ability. And if it’s a packaged product that’s not in English use a good text to translate app to find out.

3. Know your location

Getting lost in a new city is a romanticised idea of travel. And don’t get me wrong, that is an idea that is indulgent and adventurous.

But when you are a Black woman traveling solo, you have to know three locations:

1. Where you came from or where your lodging is.
2. Your current location
3. Your next location before heading back to your lodging.

And it may seem like this takes out the spontaneity or is too much pre-planning, but it’s less than you think. Take it from someone who is enjoyably notorious for flying by the seat of her skirt!

All it takes is a glance at your phone before you leave on your way to your destination. Or in some cases have a physical map, which trust me comes in handy when you are in remote areas.

While I was in Taiwan at the Taipei 101 building they had a huge interactive map. That was a quick fun way to take inventory of all my location points. Almost everywhere you go, if you’re in a tourist area will have a map of some sort, even out on the street. It doesn’t have to be challenging but you need to know your locations!

4. Picture of Your Lodging Details and Charged Devices

As soon as you get to your lodging destination’s it’s worthwhile to take a picture of the pertinent details about your specific room, and other relevant details.

I like to send these pictures back to loved ones. (Pro tip: If you have a shared photo album already going with loved ones, it’ll be easy to add these in and they’ll be able to keep up with all the identifying details along your journey.)

Similar to point 3 about locations, you’ll get some of that lodging info with this tip, but also and even more importantly, get into your lodging and immediately put your devices on the charger.

You never know when you may be out somewhere and need access to the internet, other important information or a means of communications via computer or phone.

I’ve had experiences of needing to take an Uber back to a destination and having a phone battery that I just prayed would stay on long enough…There is safety in charged devices!

Ensure You Always Have Charged Devices

5. Stay Hydrated -Carry Spare Water

Water is literally a life-saver. And yet, at least for me, it’s not always at the top of my list, especially being excited to check out what food and drink I can get into.

But, as a Black woman traveling solo, the effects of being dehydrated can leave you in a vulnerable position. Think about this…when you’re dehydrated you’re susceptible to passing out, or not having sufficient strength for necessary activity.

Side story: I passed out on a plane from San Francisco to Milwaukee because I was dehydrated and blood pressure dipped. Now, I wasn’t traveling alone, but might as well have been. It was a business trip, on a flight with my then manager on a red-eye with distantly separated seats. Longer story short…she never even knew what happened.

You want to stay protected, so keep water with you. I grabbed a water bottle, because I had nothing else while cruising Taiwan, but I’ve since learned carrying a travelwater bottle like this one from TakeToday, is non-negotiable.

Stay Safe by Staying Hydrated

So on your next traveling adventure…get ready and be safe. A Black woman traveling solo is a beautiful thing. Being able to have the freedom to do and go wherever you want whenever you want is a beautiful indulgence.

But remember… you want to come back home the way you left then live to tell the story and memories you created!

This post was all about safety tips for a Black woman traveling alone.

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