How women can stay safe while traveling

A woman wheels a yellow suitcase through an airport terminal

It's easy to let your guard down due to the stress of traveling

(Image credit: Marchmeena29 via Getty Images)

published 10 September 2023

Welcome to The Check-In, our weekend feature focusing on all things travel.

Farrow, a retired deputy sheriff, and Frombach, a technologist, recommend developing your safety intuition before you leave home. This involves reading body language and picking up on people's microexpressions, which "flit across someone's face in less than a second," Farrow told The Week. Your brain and eyes are reading these expressions without you consciously being aware "and saying to you something about this person makes me uneasy." If you feel a pit in your stomach or the hair on your neck goes up, this is your safety intuition warning you something is wrong.

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Ensure a secure connection while using public WiFi by putting a virtual private network (VPN) on your phone, and enable Face ID so someone watching you can't figure out your password. Thieves "shoulder surf," Farrow and Frombach said, so they can try to steal your phone's data. While in a public area, never leave your suitcases alone, because "not only could someone take something away from you, they could put something unwanted in your luggage," Frombach said.

Women are socialized to pay attention and focus on other people, Farrow and Frombach said, and it's important to be persuasion-proof. "Remember, personal safety comes before politeness," Farrow said. That means if someone comes to your car and asks for help, do not roll your window down; instead, offer to call for help. "Women tend to always want to give an excuse," Farrow and Frombach explained, but all that needs to be said is, "No. That's all. No, no, no way, nada."

Solo travel is on the rise and hotels around the world are taking notice, offering special packages for parties of one. At Gili Lankanfushi in the Maldives, the Gili Solo Experience Package has a little bit of everything; the itinerary includes a spa treatment, photography session, sunset sail, Maldivian cooking class, snorkeling excursion with the resort's marine biologist, daily sunrise yoga sessions, and a "dine in the dark" dinner experience. There is a minimum four-night stay, with guests choosing their villa accommodation.

The three-night Almanac Solo package at Almanac Barcelona opens the city up for guests looking to have an immersive experience. At the hotel, you'll have a private 60-minute sunrise yoga session, but most of the time you'll be exploring the city, armed with a curated list of shopping recommendations from the concierge and a Barcelona City Pass that grants access to landmarks like the Sagrada Familia. Be sure to add the three-hour tapas tour that goes to hidden gems across Barcelona and the private shopping experience at La Manual Alpargatera, where you'll customize a pair of espadrilles.

It's going to be hard to go back to "we" after all the "me" time at The Wauwinet in Nantucket. The Take Time for Yourself package includes accommodations for three nights, as well as a $200 spa credit to the White Elephant Spa by Darya, a $50 voucher to spend at Nantucket Bookworks, a sailing excursion, a private guided hike to the Coskata Coatue Wildlife Refuge, a trip to the Whaling Museum, and a welcome basket filled with self-care items.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.