Solo travel can be one of the most exhilarating experiences in life. So I decided to plan my vacation systematically and enjoy safe vacations. With every holiday I return with a rich treasure of memories and pictures.

I travel sometimes to explore and at times to just be in a different place and relax. All holidays are not necessarily meant for combing the geography of a place. So here’s how I manage…

HOW I PLAN MY SOLO TRAVEL

RESEARCHED: I Google searched the safest places for solo women travellers and found many blogs giving the necessary information.

DOWNLOADED THESE APPS:

• Google Maps: Gives me directions and information on tourist attractions, food malls, shopping areas, etc.
• World Tourism app: This app is available in Google Play for Android mobile devices . It helps me to search for cities and towns, gives information on the local currency, time zone and the local language.
• GateGuru app: Available both in Goggle Play and App Store, this app is compatible with both Android and iOS devices. I can search for the best hotels, the best amenities at every airport terminal on my journey, flight status, etc. And most importantly it gives information about the expected waiting time during security checks.

ASK ABOUT DRESS CODE: Why enjoy at the expense of someone else’s displeasure? That’s my motto. I usually enquire with the agent while booking my fare (or research on Google) about the dress code in the destination country.

WHAT I DO AT THE DESTINATION

Chat with the hotel staff: Not just managers or those at the Reception; but even waiters and concierge can give you an insight into the safe places to explore. I asked at the Reception for all the local emergency phones numbers. God forbid that I ever need them, but even so it’s best to have the numbers with you.

Keep family in the loop: Facebook and Whatsapp are my constant companions on my every trip. I use the CheckIn on Facebook to let my family and friends know where I am at a given time. Whatsapp chatting and calls assure them that I am safe at all times.

Always use hotel transport: If I am not using the taxi service through the hotel, but are using a local taxi, I always click a picture of the registration number and the driver before I get into the vehicle. I send it to friends via Whatsapp so that it is on record.

In fact, this habit turned out to be very useful. Once I left one of my bags in a cab in Barcelona. The hotel staff helped me to find the whereabouts of the driver and retrieve my bag with its contents. But I have always taken the cab through the hotel service ever since.

By following these simple rules I have comfortably managed my solo travel to many different parts of the world.