Published:  12:05 Thursday - June 06, 2013

Normally, alone travellers are aware of its singular benefits, but such benefits can be blunted if you fail to make personal safety a priority. Here are 5 safety tips for solo travelers.

1. Pre-arrange accommodation and transportation.

When travelling alone, especially to a foreign country, you should book rooms in advance through website or phone number of the hotel in order to have more time to learn about hotel, location and quality through comments on the websites.

Also don’t forget to look at transportation for you to go to hotel. If you don’t pre-arrange these things, maybe you will be cheated by “umbrella” taxi or introduced to the shabby motels, far from the center…

2. Reach the destination in the daytime.

To ensure security, you should opt for flights, trains to destination in the daytime to avoid tourist trap of scammers. In addition, in the daytime, it is easy for you to find the way and the security agencies than at night or at least not be left alone in the airport or station.

3. Respect local culture

To travel safely and avoid unfortunate misunderstandings, you should spend a little time learning about the locals and culture here. Each region, the people have different taboos that you should know. For example, when coming to Sapa, Vietnam, and taking a stroll in the village, you should not laugh louder. With small children, you should not touch their head because the people think that this makes them shy and be sick.

4. Make friends with the hotel staff

Spend time chatting with the hotel staff as they will give you the effective advices of the locals and take you the safe destinations.

5. Study up on your destination.

Be aware of safety concerns as well as of local customs and etiquette, especially with regard to dress. When in doubt, opt for conservative. Women travelers should know in advance if harassment is an issue — and both men and women should get the safety lowdown on public transportation. Talk to locals about neighborhoods to avoid, especially after dark. Know the local number to call for emergencies.

 Translated by Nguyen Hao
Source: Xzone