A Road Trip Planner for the Solo Female Traveler
For Women Traveling Alone, Automobile Travel Tips for Safe Travels
Jun 19, 2009
The idea of traveling alone can be daunting for the solo female traveler, but with some advance planning, a woman traveling alone can take a road trip relatively safely. Following the travel tips below will help make for safer travel. Included in this road trip planner are tips for preparations to make prior to the road trip as well as tips for traveling. Used together, these will make it much safer to travel alone.
Prepare the Car Before the Road Trip
It’s essential to have a vehicle in good working order prior to the road trip. Ensure that the automobile is suitable for traveling the required distance. If personal knowledge about cars is scanty, take the vehicle to a trusted mechanic for a thorough evaluation and a tune up and spare tire check prior to traveling. The car may become a shelter or a way to escape uncomfortable or threatening situations, so it’s imperative that everything works properly.
Be a Smart Road Trip Planner
Do enough research before the road trip to know exactly what’s planned on each day and where to sleep at night. Check to make sure that none of the charted driving routes or places to spend the night are isolated (if possible) or go through dangerous areas. Make a travel schedule, and share it with at least one other friend or loved one. Have up-to-date, detailed maps or an onboard navigation system for guidance.
Consider learning the firearms laws in the area of travel and acquiring a means of self defense in accordance with those laws. This can be pepper spray, mace, or a taser, depending on the laws. A self-defense weapon can provide personal protection in the event of extreme danger, such as a breakdown in an isolated area with no cell phone service, requiring the solo female traveler to walk in order to get help.
On the Road, Tips for Traveling Alone Safely
The following safety travel tips are some of the keys to a woman traveling alone having a safe traveling experience.
- Don’t stop at a rest area or tourist attraction unless at least more than one other vehicle or party of people is present. This is especially true for rest areas. If the tourist attraction is wide open with lots of visibility to inform of oncoming traffic/other visitors, use common sense about judging whether it is safe or not. Don’t stop if only one other vehicle is present at any area.
- Make every effort to avoid driving on isolated roads or through dangerous neighborhoods. Be prepared to backtrack or reroute to make a safer travel plan if necessary.
- Do not stop for the night at an isolated area or a rest area. Don’t camp anywhere, even at established campgrounds, unless more than one other party is present. Campgrounds with permanent camp hosts are a great, relatively safe travel option. Wal-Mart parking lots with security cameras and security personnel are also a decent choice for car sleeping.
- Check in with the friend or loved one at the end of each day of travel to let them know the road trip destination for the day has been safely reached.
- Bring a cell phone with service throughout the travel area, and be sure to pack a cell phone charger that works in the car.
- Pack energy bars, extra water, extra clothes, and other emergency supplies such as a sleeping bag, a raincoat, a lighter, a headlamp or flashlight, and a camp stove.
Enjoy Safe Automobile Travel as a Solo Female Traveler
The solo female traveler has to be a savvy road trip planner and automobile traveler to make it safe to travel alone. However, reasonably safe travel for the woman traveling alone is possible. By following the above precautionary tips for traveling safely, as well as making adequate pre-travel road trip preparations, women traveling alone can enjoy a relatively safe road trip.
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