For my friend Thomas Leeper Myrtle Beach had been his life and the only time that I can really remembering him ever leaving his hometown, was when he had to visit his auntie in North Carolina, hardly a long distance! I was incredibly surprised then when Thomas got in touch with me recently to tell me that he was embarking upon a 3 month trip around Asia. Thomas called becasue he wanted some tips on solo travel as a male, which I hadn’t really considered much before. Women are seen as the more vulnerable gender when traveling alone, but men have to do certain things in certain ways too. Here then is what I shared with Thomas about my experience of traveling alone as a male.
Don’t Drink
Now I would never suggest that someone going away to enjoy some freedom shouldn’t allow themselves the chance of sipping a beer or two, or even having a night out, but getting wasted should never be on the menu. When you are heavily inebriated you will not be making smart choices and you can easily end up lost or worse. If you are in a group of people you trust then I wouldn’t worry too much, but if there is a chance of you being alone at some point then just enjoy a few drinks and then stop.
Knowing Scams
When it comes to crimes such as assault or something of that ilk, men are less likely to get themselves into trouble. When it comes to scams however, the con artists know that men are just as susceptible as women to fall for their tricks. This is why it makes sense that before you visit a certain destination, that you check out what the most common scams are and how you can avoid them. For example in north Africa it is very common to have taxi scams, they get you in the back, pretend to know where your hotel is and they then take you to another hotel ran by a friend of theirs (who also happens to pay them commission). Learn about the scams before you go so that you don’t get caught out.
Drop The Ego
Let’s be honest, men can very often get carried away by their ego which occasionally gets them into some sticky situations. Something I learned pretty quickly when I was traveling on my own was that I had to drop the ego in order to stay safe. Heading to dangerous areas around the world with a ‘nothing will happen to me’ attitude is not good and it will only see you end up in trouble. Drop the male pride and the ego and you will have a much better chance of staying safe and having a great time on your travels.
Beyond these tips you just have to use your common sense, don’t advertise your belongings and most importantly, focus on having the best time possible.
