Fellow Wanderer - Protect Yourself

Hello my Fellow Wanderers,

It has been a long time since I left my travel tips for you... 

Perhaps you've been on some adventures since then... If so I'd love to hear from you ☺️

Mauritius is treating me very well, but I never forget that it is only with many trade offs that I can learn to enjoy myself...

Photo de Stéphane ❤️

So here is a small entry, as a reminder for those who are taking a trip soon, whilst flights are cheaper and weather is milder... 

Protect Yourself:

⭐Smile with caution🙂

A smile is a wonderful way to feed some joy into someone's day. A way to extend a greeting without saying a word. 

But for some Travelers, particularly solo females who find themselves in certain parts of the world, a smile can mean an invitation that you may not wish to extend. 

So if you find yourself inviting unwarranted attention, even if you are simply trying to spread some love, or you are unconsciously smiling to someone who takes too much meaning from it, just keep your calm, politely decline any unwanted attention or offer, and proceed with your day. 

Being firm is not being rude. Hold your shoulders back, look confident and walk quickly. 

In many situations you are probably very safe, but until this is guaranteed, take it from someone who has made the mistakes before: smile cautiously 😁

 ⭐ Share your location 🌏

Yes yes yes, I'm a hypocrite. 

But as my wonderful host here checked on me one evening when I was out late, living life to the full, I had my lightbulb moment 💡 

It's not so hard. There is an option to share your ride trajectory on Uber, share your live location on Google Maps. Whatever you're doing, let someone know. Even if they are a friend on the other side of the world. 

This is not to say your date will kidnap you, or the friends you meet on the road have bad intentions. This could also help in case your car breaks down, you get caught in a storm or some crazy 127 hours sh*t goes down... 

Let someone know where you are 🙏

⭐Never sacrifice safety for money 💲

In all my travels, this is one of the most important and toughest lessons I ever had to learn. 

Backstory: I am Irish (worse, I'm Northern Irish). We are hagglers by nature. Always looking for the best price or bargain. So naturally I extend this when I'm abroad. 

I am not known for my planning when it comes to travel, but one thing I am meticulous about is my finances.

I will never go somewhere if I don't have the means to fly back Belfast, if I don't have a safe place to stay. 

But this should extend to everything you do when you travel. If you're doing water sports or adventuring, pay more to ensure you have good equipment and professionals guiding you. 

Don't buy food that looks dodgy because it will likely result in you spending the rest of your holiday in the bathroom.

Don't accept lifts from people or hitchhike if the vibes are off. Hire a car and plan your journey to make the most of it. Enquire about the public transport options. 

Don't trust that everyone around you will be as innocent as you hope they are 😔

Obviously there are many more things to consider when to globetrotting, in order to keep safe... But these three will serve as an excellent foundation...

Protect yourself, Fellow Wanderer, so you may continue to wander as long as you wish 🤎