7 solo travel necessities

Solo traveling requires careful planning and packing to ensure safety and comfort, especially for women. Here are my essentials:

Travel insurance: it is so important to have this back up for when the unexpected happens. Make sure you are covered for medical emergencies, trip cancellations, and crime. You can not be too safe!

Personal Safety Items: carry an alarm, whistle, or if you have access, pepper spray, as a just in case.

Travel Documents: keep copies of your passport, travel itinerary, hotel reservations, and emergency contacts in both digital and physical formats.

Money and Payment Methods: I have made this mistake, relying on my bank card which froze just as I needed to use it! Bring some cash as well as your card (and be sure to tell your bank you are travelling – do as I say not as I do!). Bring something safe to keep it in, a travel money belt or secure purse, and keep it close to you.

Portable Charger: carry a power bank to keep your electronic devices charged, especially if you're using navigation apps, as well as keeping in contact with friends and family.

First Aid Kit: pack a compact first aid kit with essentials like bandages, antiseptic wipes, pain relievers, and any prescription medications you may need. Keep some personal items in there too, you can never go wrong with a few sanitary pads kept close to you.

Comfortable Shoes: invest in comfortable and durable shoes suitable for walking and exploring, believe it or not converse is not the best hiking gear!

Travel Guidebook or Offline Maps: whichever method you chose, make sure you are able to get where you are going when there is no service. Bonus points if you can connect some headphones to your directions to look less like a tourist, it is so much safer.

It may sound scary, but these are simply precautions for the rare time things do not go to plan, you never know when you will need them.