Sightseeing, Exploring and Getting Around

It is key to take some basic precautions to be a confident and alert traveler as a woman sightseeing and getting around. Looking like you belong is the key to making yourself a difficult target.

• Keep your head up while walking.
• Stand and walk confidently.
• Survey your surroundings and pay attention to who is around you. Take note of potential escape routes wherever you are.
• If you are traveling with others, exchange contact information in case anyone becomes separated.

• If traveling alone, do not reveal this fact. Inform inquisitive strangers that you are expecting to meet with your spouse or coworker. Try to make it appear as though you have company if you are at a restaurant or public place; place your coat on the back of an opposite seat.
• Carry a local paper or a magazine in the local language to avoid looking like a tourist.
• Do not hang your bag off of chairs or place it beneath your seat; put the leg of your chair through your bag strap if possible.
• Don’t eat or read facing the wall.
• If traveling or backpacking solo, try to use group tours and use the “buddy” system, so no one is ever alone.
• Never hitchhike!
• Avoid alleys or unpopulated areas. If you become suspicious, change locations quickly.
• Be skeptical of strangers who are being too nice, helpful or seem overly interested in you.
• To ward off unwanted male attention, especially in male-dominated countries, wear a wedding ring regardless of whether you are married. In some cultures, married men or women do not wear wedding rings to signify marriage, but it may help if you wear a decoy wedding ring and are unmarried while traveling.

• If someone asks if this is your first time here, respond with, “No, we visit often!”
• Don’t feel pressured to go along with the group, especially if you are the only female traveler and the planned activities makes you feel uncomfortable.
• Taking pictures, even inadvertently of government or military buildings or infrastructure can result in an official response that can include anything from cameras or phones being confiscated to even detention. This requirement is in affect even in some Western countries, so pay close attention to signage and be aware or your surroundings before taking pictures or selfies.