8 Travel Safety Tips for Women

I’ve always been taught to look over my shoulder, not be trusting of strangers, and travel in groups, or at least a pair for my personal safety. However, it’s not always possible to be with someone, especially when taking solo trips.  So how can women exercise caution and protect themselves when traveling?

1. Don’t disclose hotel information. When meeting people on vacation, it’s so easy to start conversations and say “Hey, where are you staying?” Be cautious in revealing where you are staying, especially if you’re traveling alone. It’s all fun and games until you have a stalker waiting for you in your hotel lobby following you around town.

2. Don’t be flashy. While I love designer sunglasses and bags as much as the next girl, it’s best not to be so flashy when traveling.  You never know who’s watching and just waiting for you to leave your bag unattended so they can swipe it.  Also, always put your valuables (including your passport) in your room’s safe.  Better to be safe than sorry.

3. Talk with the locals. By locals, I mean your hotel concierge, restaurant waiters, tour guides, etc.  They are used to talking to visitors and giving recommendations for the best places to go and things to do.  Most of the time, they’re a trustworthy source.

4. Drink responsibly. It’s always best to drink within your limits on vacation, especially if you’re traveling solo.  It’s never a great idea to drink past your limit because your judgment is impaired.  Someone may see that and take advantage of you, which brings me to my next point…

5. Never sit your drink down. My Dad always made sure to remind me of this when he knew I was going out with friends.  People are crazy and again, you never know who’s watching and waiting for the perfect opportunity to deceive you.

6. Don’t be naive. If something feels wrong, it probably is.  Trusting your gut will never steer you wrong!

7. Be safe at night. Would you travel alone down a dark alley at home? Probably not. Use the same common sense and caution whether traveling solo or not.

8. Be Confident.  If you learn nothing else from this post, learn that confidence is key.  Even if it’s an act, people aren’t usually tested if they appear confident in their demeanor.  I do my best to exude confidence every where I go, but especially when in a foreign place.  I never want to be a target!

While these tips are aimed at women to use while traveling, I believe everyone can stand to use a little caution when in a new environment.  Do you have any tips for women or people in general?  Be sure to comment below!

5 Lessons Learned From a Year of Blogging

I had the idea to start Will Drink For Travel in January of 2014 as a way to keep my family and friends abreast of my travels during my 2-month stay in Tanzania.  The more I researched, the more I realized this could be an actual “thing.”  I could start a blog about something I actually love…TRAVEL!  (Why did that take me 30 years?!)

I found a web designer (something I think all new bloggers should do), talked to blogger friends about the do’s & don’ts of blogging (shout out to Joi-Marie of The Fab Empire and Kim of Pish Posh Perfect for being my resident advisors) and off I went!  A year later…here we are and here are some of the things I’ve learned.

1. It’s hard work.

Research, consistency, time management, planning and so much more go into making a blog successful.  Before I started WDFT, I never really realized how much effort people put into making their blog visually appealing and most importantly, relevant.

When you start a blog, you’re basically building a brand from the ground up.  It’s not something you realize when you think, “Hey, I want to start a blog!”  Social media followings, content development, relevancy, and networking all matter if you want your travel blog to be more than just a place for your own thoughts and diary of your travels.

2. Your brain is always ON.

I’m always thinking about what my next move is.  How can I make my blog better?  How can I be more relevant?  What other bloggers are doing what I want to do?  I feel like I am always thinking about how to up the ante for WDFT.  I guess that happens when you care about your end product and want people to like the content you produce.

3. You actually have to enjoy blogging to keep up with it.

While I’ve only been blogging for a year, it’s taught me a lot about myself. Yesterday, I said to a friend how surprised I am that I’m still keeping up with it.  That’s the honest truth.  Usually, I have great ideas and will start something but not finish it for a variety of excuses reasons…I don’t have the time, it’s too hard or frankly, I’m too lazy to continue.

I have been surprisingly consistent in updating WDFT.  I’ve read several blogs that say you need to be consistent and come up with a weekly schedule for yourself and for your readers.  I haven’t yet mastered this but it’s on my list of things to accomplish for 2015.

4. You will be told NO.  And you have to get over it.

This one is the hardest to accept but my blog isn’t as established (yet) as some other travel blogs.  I can reach out to Tourism Authorities, hotels, restaurants, spirits or whomever, and they may tell me no.  And that’s OKAY.

I went to an event for DC Area Bloggers last week and my new blogger friend Jess of The Dining Traveler dropped a little nugget of wisdom. She’s been blogging for a few years and said that when she first started her site, she wanted to partner with a hotel and they denied her.  Years later, she’s recently worked with that same hotel and everything’s come full circle.  I have to remember that I am still new to travel blogging.  If I build it, they will come.

5. A plan and direction are important.

Once you get a blog up and running, you have to focus on building your content.  That sounds harder than one might think.  Posting twice a week for 52 weeks is 104 posts.  Coming up with 104 different posts sounds just as difficult as it is.

I may have slow weeks when I’m not traveling or can’t really think of fresh content.  I don’t believe in posting BS just to say something’s posted for the week.  But it’s absolutely necessary for me to think about what I want to accomplish with my blog and come up with a plan for the week, month and the year.  That’s the only way I will continue to have fresh and meaningful content that goes with the theme of my site.

Overall, it’s been a great year of blogging.  While it has been harder than I imagined, I’ve loved every second of it.  I’ve proved a lot to myself and have virtually started from the bottom (cue Drake).  I’ve been on the radio, featured in a few online magazines and the word about Will Drink For Travel continues to spread.  Cheers to one great year down, and many more to go!