In 2007, I studied abroad in Rome, Italy. I traveled for the first time out of the USA to somewhere other than Canada. Hopping the pond alone to Europe was a journey in and of itself, but I wanted more. Through my study abroad program I traveled with all my fellow students to places like Assisi, Naples, and Pompeii. Moving with a tour annoyed me because I wasn't able to do all the little things I wanted to do. A group setting makes it difficult as well. The people that I traveled to Venice and Paris with had trouble waking up in the morning exhausting my valuable time to really explore the city.
I felt sometimes, that I was being dragged around by the collar to take quick snapshots of the scenery and then keep moving. However, the best thing about a tour is that you receive a complete excavation of the city along with historical and cultural facts. If traveling alone I would suggest going through a tour just so you don't get lost. You can deal with an annoying travel guide for a few hours.
This is one advantage of traveling alone. With enough research into the cities you’ll be traveling, you can spend as much or as little time as you want in every city of your choosing. I traveled to the Czech Republic alone and even the passport checker (or Czech checker) said “You’re a brave lady”. I didn’t find much brave about it although I was traveling alone through Eastern Europe; I felt safe because I knew so many people in Europe and even a girl who was in Prague if I needed her help.
When I arrived in Prague, I felt a great sense of relief to be there. I had made it to the city unscathed and even observed some of the smaller Czech cities like Tabor from the window of my train. I had no idea how to do everything, so don’t think I’m some sort of savvy experienced traveler. I actually almost ended up taking the wrong train, which I don’t know where I would have ended up.
Once in Prague, a nice German man and his Slovakian wife helped me with my metro ticket. I thanked them and moved on even though they seemed friendly enough and wanted to talk. Traveling alone should add a bit of skepticism and mistrust just to everyone who seems too interested especially men who approach you.
I traveled alone through Austria, Spain, Italy, and France. I wore a jeweled band on my ring finger just so men would think I am married and perhaps leave me alone. No avail. Men definitely still approached me and called after me as expected for a woman walking alone (especially Italian men and street merchants). If they came up to speak to me I would politely talk for a while then move on. I would never take an offer from someone, not even a woman, who wants to drive you around.
One time I was left out on the street alone, but this was in my host city, Rome. It happened because a group of thoughtless roommates all took one cab and left me to take the next one. Well, it took a while for it to come, and I stood out on the street early in the morning with strange men offering me a “Taxi”. This is usually always a trick so just be knowledgeable and avoid it.
Another bit of friendly advice is to never diddly daddle around and end up missing your plane like I did. While I was in Spain I had a plane booked from Madrid to Rome and ended up taking the metro in the wrong direction which left me stranded in the city until the next morning! Also, have a dictionary of the language of the country you want to travel, although it doesn’t always help. When I was in Paris I asked “Ou se trouve la salle de bain?” or “Where is the bathroom?” I was in a department store, so no wonder they sent me to the room where they sold toilets and bathtubs! However, even if you aren’t fluent in the language a few cordial words such as “thank you”, “hello and good-bye”, “yes and no” will help you.
For a woman traveling alone, I wouldn’t feel terribly concerned if you traveled alone through Europe. It’s a different environment and probably less of a threat than even the United States. People will only attack if there’s some sort of misunderstanding or after a soccer game where a lot of alcohol has been consumed. I can’t speak for other countries, but be wary of traveling to some countries in South America or Portugal. Countries where there’s a high crime rate or high poverty rate means desperation. Grown women have been snatched up and sold as sex slaves, so the threat is very real.
Like I said before, I felt safe traveling through Europe because I knew so many people all over the continent in Spain, Italy, France, and the Czech Republic. This safe feeling may have been practical or irrational, but I still needed to explore the world on my own terms. Just have some street smarts and don’t trust anyone further than you can throw them!
