Girl travelling alone in Europe/UK
Hey, I'm just wondering if people can give me any tips on keeping safe etc - I'm 18 and will be leaving in April next year. I'm pretty smart when it comes to keeping safe by myself but obviously being in a different country I don't know rules that will seem pretty basic to anyone living there. Are there places in certain countries that are not hugely safe for a girl travelling by herself to go? Is there anything I should keep in mind?
BTW, I'm going to be staying mostly in backpacker hostels and couchsurfing (http://www.couchsurfing.org/) so any tips on that would also be appreciated. Thanks!
Maja Rose
Hi,
I live in England and I have all my life so I have an experience of the situations in our country.
Basically it is common sense if you want to keep safe. You don't want to be standing at a roadside in skimpy clothes at 5am. I suggest be careful in major cities like London, Amsterdam etc. Not that I dislike these cities because they are full of art, culture and fantastic music. If you stay in public places and keep common sense, I'm sure you'll be fine.
From my experiences, Europe is a fairly safe place as they come so long as you maintain the obvious safety rules and keep common sense in mind.
During my school days we done a lot of trips where we were in hostels and the sort - during a trip to france we actually had a drunk break into one of the girls' rooms! Thankfully nothing happened but He came through the backdoor and when the staff were notified, they basically shrugged their shoulders and said there was nothing they could really do (our teacher didn't bother filing a report with the police as we were only there two days). So keeping that and other experiences in mind, I'd say be sure to keep an eye on your stuff, lock your baggage/doors or ask the frontdesk staff if they can keep it behind the desk or in their locker areas when you leave the hostel.
Another note on hostels - be very careful about bathroom hygiene. Make the extra effort to get toilet seat covers, disinfectant wipes etc. if you can. This can make all the difference in helping to feel more assured and confident about using such facilities. Hope that helps, have fun on your trip!
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