Travel Safety for Women in Western Europe

I've been traveling to Europe since 1999. I went with my son, until he became 18. We usually stayed with friends or family, until I found myself traveling alone. Then I began staying at bed and breakfasts and with friends.

I've been to five European countries. My home country, has been Belgium. These are my suggestions, on how to be safe when traveling alone in Europe:

Dress in clothing that'll fit in with those around you. Jeans are usually a good choice. For a dressy situation, a knee length skirt and boots work well. American sneakers don't look like their European counterparts. I dress conservatively in Europe. I did it so as not to offend. But it also helps to keep me safe.

Don't act like a tourist. Study your guidebook at home, on the plane and where you stay. Take notes to carry with you. The same goes for a map. Write directions from a map or carry a local or hand drawn map, which is what a resident would do.

Learn about the area you are going into, to minimize getting lost and to know something about where you are going, the history, the customs and the people. When you get there, listen and observe, learn from your encounters.It helps in two ways. One, it helps you to understand the people, and it also gives you an opening for friendship.Friends look out for each other and enrich each other's lives.

Don't just go to tourist destinations. To get to know the local residents and to not stick out so much, go where they shop. I go to the grocery stores and local malls and meet the locals. Unless I talk to them, no one asks me where I'm from. I've been asked for directions by visitors and local residents.

Don't carry traveler's checks. Use currency, your Visa debit cards and credit cards.Though in the smaller towns and in some shops, only a local credit card or cash are acceptable. I exchange my money at the airport, which isn't the best exchange rate. But unless you have a friend who can take you to a bank, it's safer. Going to a money exchanger can mark you.

I suggest staying at a bed and breakfast. I stayed in bed and breakfasts for the good deal. In Belgium, they're less than a hotel,with a nice breakfast.My hostess looks out for me. She advices me on the safest areas and the best routes. You have the opportunity to meet people from all over Europe, and the Bed and Breakfast is in a private home that is being used as an inn. Which is where more of the locals stay.This is another way to not be so noticeably foreign.

In Italy and Belgium, walking, the train and buses/trams are the most common means of transportation. By walking and taking the train I inadvertently blended in with everyone else. I walk or take the train everywhere because the signs still make no sense,and two it's a lot cheaper and harder to get lost.

Go to a country that isn't having civil unrest, and don't go into areas of the country that are experiencing unrest or would be the type of areas you wouldn't go into in your own country. It's not wise to go out at night in unfamiliar areas if you're alone.

I usually go during the winter or early spring, so I hide my purse inside my jacket when out on the street and carry fabric shopping bags for my purchases, just as the locals do.

Take a flight with a reputable airline with connections that go through cities and countries that are known to be stable.

For inappropriate remarks from strange men, I wave my wedding ring under their nose and leave them as soon as possible, while being polite. For unwelcome advances, I tell them that I'm faithful to my husband, I'm polite but firm and get help from my hostess to make sure they get the message.

Don't arrive or leave the country in the dark, unless you are being met at or taken to the airport. Don't go into unfamiliar situations alone.Go with a group or go into areas where there are a lot of other people.

Source:

http://www.transitionsabroad.com/publications/magazine/0311/safety_issues_for_women.shtml