I'd add that If you have to ask for directions, ask inside a store to a salesperson or receptionist instead of random strangers on the street.

Oh I need to add one. As someone in the hotel business Don’t be afraid to go into a hotel that you are not staying with and ask their concierge. You are lost and there is a hotel go in and and the front desk staff for directions. You have to use a restroom. Go into the nearest hotel. Ask the front desk staff. Where can I find the nearest public restroom. Or and this is my favorite, in Rome don’t go to the long line at the taxi stand. Go to any hotel and ask if the can call you a cab. It will be much faster. :)

Jocelyn.... I made a beeline to this video. EXCELLENT advice for women, BY a woman. I don't mean to offend guys, but somethings...they just don't "get". I love watching travel vlogs. But a guy traveling alone and throwing a "it's super safe here" over his shoulder always raises my eyebrow. "Maybe for YOU. What do YOU know?" And yes, PAY/BUDGET EXTRA FOR SAFETY. I have rules and criteria for where I stay, how I transport from place to place (ex: do I get transportation even IF it's walkable due to lighting, terrain, questionable foot traffic), the order of my day/evening's itinerary/stops, and sometimes the hours I keep out in public. I have stayed in hotels nicer than I would normally pay for when alone, because they are right THERE within steps of where I'll be spending time. I hate wasting money...SPENDING ON TRAVEL SAFETY IS NEVER A WASTE!!

Totally the blending in! But using a local bag is a major pro tip. I'm absolutely using that next time. This was a great list!

Great video, Jocelyn! Something I always train my Front Desk Clerks on is to never put a female solo traveler on the first floor of our hotel. Second floor or higher only!

And never share that you're a solo traveler....I always tell the taxi driver I'm meeting my husband or that my family is waiting for me.

Great advice! I would also add that especially if you're travelling alone, you should carry everything that you absolutely cannot lose - passport, money, keys - ON your person at all times. Either in a pocket inside your jacket, or in a special waist bag that you wear under your clothes.

Excellent tips! I have an anecdote that ties into a couple of them: my spouse and I went to a temple in Pushkar, India, where bags were not allowed. Our guide made a big show of telling us that we could put my bag in a locker, and I would have the key, so my bag would be safe. I had just over $50 USD in it. After we finished at the temple, our guide took us to the nearby waterfront and said that we really needed to give $50 to feed a meal to the entire village. It was a really hard sell and he didn't back down until my spouse finally yelled at him in frustration. We believe that there was a second key to the locker that an accomplice could have used to check how much cash I had. Bottom line -- I no longer keep a lot of money someplace where I can't keep it hidden on my person, and sometimes a polite refusal isn't enough.

Thank you, Jocelyn. Wise words from a very experienced traveller, appreciate your good advice.

Number one tip for women and men alike: be observant and aware of your surroundings. Most people are so oblivious a three-headed space Alien could be right behind them and they wouldn't notice it.

Great tips! Be wary of anyone approaching you while traveling. I was in a crowded train station and I do not look like a local and someone asks me do I speak English. I just said no and walked away because the person was either going to ask for directions or help finding their train which as a tourist I'm not in a position to help with, or ask for money, or distract me while someone else tries to pick pocket me. It feels harsh because it's in our nature to help but as Jocelyn says don't be afraid to be rude.

Wearing a wedding ring (real or fake) it's helpful to keep away some unwanted attention while you travel. Not wearing high heels it's a good idea as well!

Definitely agree that you should try to blend in and seem like a local. Walk like you know where you're going. I also try to plan my day at the hotel and know my basic directions for the day so that i don't have to pull out my phone for a map while I'm on the street.

Love the video! I usually dress and act like I am running late to a business meeting 😂 I also fake a call with a fake husband/friend/coworker to hint uber/taxi drivers that I have someone waiting for me at the destination. I make sure to say out loud that I am sharing my location with them too.

Love this video thanks! As a natural blonde, I am used to stares, so it's actually a reason why I feel more comfortable traveling with someone. Plus I rarely travel alone anyway (at least when traveling long-distance). This has never happened to me, but when I was in college, one of my classmates got to travel abroad to India with other students and professors. Apparently the few blonde girls in their group got constantly flirted with the local guys to a point when all of the men there (my classmate included) had to be their bodyguards for they were never alone. Thank goodness when I went to Turkey, that never happened to me (still got the stares though). Speaking of that Turkey trip, the only time it got a bit nerve-wracking was when we arrived one area via plane, we had to be quickly escorted to our charter bus because it seems the local soccer team lost and angry fans were at the airport. We never saw that group (thank God), but it was tense and I felt safe again once we got to the bus.

Excellent advice! I've been travelling for years and a few points still made me think. I would add: if you are checking your bag, assume it could go missing - pack any essentials into your personal item eg medication, chargers, electronics, all your documentation, the only sunscreen you're not allergic to etc.

Great video as always!! Thank you, Jocelyn. Solo female travelers plan to arrive at your destination during daylight hours if at all possible. Or at the very least when public transportation is running. Make sure you know how you’re getting from the airport, bus or train station to wherever you’re staying. You do not want to be hanging out alone in the middle of the night in an unfamiliar area. This is asking for trouble. Have a travel eSIM loaded on your phone and ready to go so you have data from the second you arrive. WiFi in a lot of other countries is not as widely available as in the U.S. Exchange a small amount of cash for the local currency before you leave home so you have it. Make sure you have more than one credit card and that your card issuers know that you’re traveling so your cards don’t get blocked. Only use Uber, Lyft official taxis or pre booked shuttles. There are a lot of ride share scams.

I love your guy’s life. Amazing inspiration

Fantastic tips. These are also good for men!

As someone who has been traveling alone for years, this is a very good video. I so far, have never had any issues at all. I just keep a low profile and don't draw any attention to myself

As a solo female traveller I love this! Please do more 🙏

Thanks for making this one Jocelyn! I’m starting long-term solo travel starting in May. This is helpful!

I watch travel videos all the time. This was one of the best ones ever, even/especially for a gay guy like me. It could be called "what every woman/man/non-binary traveler needs to hear about their safety". Really good, and thank you!

i love your videos, jocelyn, and this one is a big one. a lot of people don't know basic travel safety and a lot of women are wary of traveling alone. this video is great for ways to put your mind at ease and keep in mind things that don't occur to you to think about. i do keep my passport on me at all times but it's kept in one of those neck pouches that i wear crossbody under my shirt. i have another regular crossbody bag that is visible to the outside world that has my phone and charger. something to think about, having someone take a pic of you with your phone. i'm not comfortable with handing over my phone. i kept my old phone that has a really good camera but isn't connected to anything. i use that to have others take pics of me for me. at night, i transfer the pics over to my regular phone so if someone steals the camera phone, it's only that day's pics. i went into nyc to take pics for tourists at a couple of popular spots during the christmas season. i was astounded to how many people just handed over their phones (sometimes with their credit cards attached to it) for me to take the pics. lol granted, i'm fat and they probably felt safe enough that they would be able to chase me down, but still! 🤣😂

As a woman who travels alone, whatever hotel i'm staying in, i always put a "do not disturb" sign on my door unless i'm not there (to allow the cleaning staff in). And when i'm not there, i always put every valuable hidden in my suitcase and close it, and i try to remember where EVERYTHING is. Always take advice from the hotel reception, and i also try not to stay at hostels cause i'm just always scared for safety. However, if you're a young student who can't afford hotels, try to travel with exchange programs like AISEC and similar things, it's cheaper and at least, you're being looked after, and even if something happens, you always have someone to reach to!

Great advice that women should apply even when not travelling. I have had "incidents" in what seemed like pretty innocuous, middle classed/wealthier areas in touristy cities that I have lived in. I say don't be paranoid but always be aware of what's going on around you. I love to hike,but never go it alone. I did learn some good things from you, and will heed your suggestions. Other suggestions: keep your nose out of your phone and be aware of your surroundings carry a "dummy" wallet with a little cash and expired cards or gift cards with low limits

Just common sense but I love that one ! Thank you !

Jocelyn, thank you! And can you share more details about your ring? I love that idea!

Lots of good advice that sometimes is not thought about. I definitely think people drink in unfamiliar places, far from home. Thanks for sharing, Jocelyn 👌😊

A few months ago we were wondering around London and found ourselves in Trafalgar Square in the middle of a protest. VERY quickly walked a few blocks away

Great advice! Thank you. Also be wary of unsolicited “help” from other travelers (men) even if they are from your own country( the castle Neuschwanstein attack) . Also , bring a door wedge alarm with you for your hotel room and never let anyone other than family know what room number you are in.

Thanks Jocelyn. This is THE BEST video that Wolters World has put out.

Wonderful tips, Jocelyn. Thank you so much for providing these for us all!

So many great tips, thanks Jocelyn! And love your ring! 😊

Great advice, thank you. Would love a video from you on picking clothes for travel 😊

Appreciate the tips! Thank you!

Brilliant advice Jocelyn.

Great tips!!! Loved the video

Great advice that also could be good for men. One little things thought. Heving a weding band (no stones or flashy things) could sometimes stop you from getting unwanted attention.

Great video, a lot of useful information

Thanks Jocelyn. These are great tips as I am a single female traveler. 😊

Excellent video! Could you do a list of the most and least friendly places for women to travel?

❤ great information for everyone

Great advice! Sending this to my daughter.

Outstanding tips, thanks a bunch Jocelyn!! Sharing with my daughter 🙌

Wonderful video! Thank you!

Important and useful video.

Thanks Jocelyn!

Fantastic video! Very thorough, including the final point on social media posts. I’m always shocked at friends who post too many details!

Good talk. Here's another tip. Situational awareness is very important. I see it as a learned and a practiced skill. I learned it when I was studying tracking. I had to learn to pay attention to the smallest things in front of me (animal tracks) while at the same time listening to my environment, the sound of the forrest suddenly going quiet for example telling me a predator is nearby. I agree that it is important to learn self defense, but not always for the reasons you think. Probably the most important thing is it gives you confidence enough to be able to get out of a situation, sometimes before it fully develops. I once was shown this by a man I was speaking to about his Aikido practice. He was a very expert Aikido master that I was considering studying with at the time. He explained the importance of Aikido in this way. He said he and his wife were walking along a street in a city in the evening and he became aware that a man was starting to follow them both from behind. The man began to quickly close the distance and he sensed it would not be a good situation to be in very soon. He suddenly turned around and walked quickly toward the man and he asked him, excuse me, can you tell me what time it is? The attacker was confused as he stammered out the current time. The man thanked him and continued on his way with his wife. Because he had been paying attention to his surroundings, and because he already knew well how to defend himself and his wife if he needed to, he instead decided to deescalate the situation. None of it would have been possible of course if he had not been practicing good situational awareness. PS: Obviously this was one guy against a martial arts expert. If three guys or more are coming up behind you, use your situational awareness to 1) get the heck out of there and, 2) walk down a different street next time. Overall this is probably good advice for a woman if she tends to be really agreeable even when she really should be setting a clear boundary with a stranger. Meditating on wide angle vision or, good situational awareness means that you can be just as loving and agreeable as you have ever been, but at the same time you have to learn when to show your teeth, snap, growl, say NO firmly (go ahead and hurt their feelings) and then without apology just walk away, remembering to at least pretend kindness to show that you and the attacker are both still human beings so he will see you less as a target (like the Aikido master did by humanizing the interaction in an unexpected way). But, do it without negotiating, just leave.

Thank you Jocelyn!!!! ☺️☺️☺️

Thank you.

This is a great video. I really enjoyed hearing all of your tips and your forthright delivery. Learned a few things! Thank you.

Thank you Jocelyn for your perspective on this. Lots of great tips!

Great tips

On both of my trips to Great Britain, I went on my own. These are a few things I and others did to ensure my safety: -The owner of my bed & breakfast asked me and the other guests at breakfast what we were planning to do each day. -I got to know the employees at the local railway station, to the extent that the ticket agent and I waved at each other. -British police are very helpful, so don’t be afraid to ask them for help. -I frequented a grocery store near my B&B, so the staff became acquainted with me. -I did things that were interesting to me where there were several like-minded people present. On my first trip, I rode a steam-hauled chartered train, on which I became acquainted with three others sitting at my table. When that train arrived back at the originating station, one of the men kept an eye on me to make sure I boarded the train back to where I was staying. I waved at him to communicate that I was fine and to thank him for his consideration.

Good stuff!

Great advice from Jocelyn, most if not all of this advice however should be followed by men as well.

Tips every woman and MAN shoud be aware of. Great video, but there's something to consider when visiting certain countries when it comes to safety and this is maybe not going to certain countries in the first place if it'll take you a lot of precautions in order to keep people from doing you harm. But every individual is unique and it is up to each individual to weigh the pros and cons of visiting certain places. And now there's the internet and a lot of vloggers showing us many countries around the globe, it is impossible not to be aware of a thing or two about any country, so it is always good to do a research about safety in these countries one is considering traveling.

Thanks for the advice hoping to go to south Africa this year.

Great advice! I didn’t even think about knowing the emergency numbers.

I could listen to you all day. ❤

Thanks for the video! I have a funny story. I was in Paris walking by Norte Dame. A random stranger came up and we started a conversation. He was very nice. At the end of the conversation, wanting “to blend in” and not use a map to look like a tourist, I asked the stranger for directions to Luxembourg Garden. His response was “don’t you have a map?” Long story short, he did give me directions and they were correct.

Glad you put this out now. My wife is thinking about taking a trip alone.

Great Tips as always. Hope you are doing well Jocelyn 😍 Harriet, Jim and Yuki

My hotel in New Orleans (Hyatt) had 24-hour desk service BEFORE getting on the elevators. Nice.

All very sound advice for everyone, Jocelyn. I could add know at least two different emergency routes out if your accommodation in the event of fire or natural disaster Research the weather where you are going,e g.Hurricane/Typhoon/Cyclone season so you can see what is coming. Check your medical cover as well, particularly for the US and some places where trearmebt is not free. Always have back up travel plans in the event of a strike or other problems. Lastly be aware of local driving laws if you hire. Efxaristo poli.

Have the number for your country’s embassy in your phone contacts. A trusted person back home needs to have your itinerary and a photocopy of your passport, just in case. If they have a copy, they can easily help replace it if you lose it. Walk like you’re at home and you know this place like the back of your hand. I have always done this, head in the air, haughty as hell, and I have never been bothered. You need to do your homework before you leave home. How are you getting from the airport to your accommodation? How long will it take? KNOW THAT. Don’t land at night. You need to land in broad daylight when going to a new place. I’d rather leave an airport in daylight hours than nightfall. Don’t stare at your phone 24/7. Be aware of your surroundings. Don’t be scared to stop walking if you feel like someone is too close behind you. Practice being loud. We are taught to be quiet and demure. Practice yelling NO in the language of where you’re going.

Last comment is definitely not least to not social media post from your travel location. I loved Spain this past fall and I waited to review restaurants and post photos when i was back home.

Great tips. Thank you! s women, we always have to be concerned about safety. The word "no" is universal and usually works. I've said, in English, "leave me alone!" and people get the hint. I own a slash-proof purse and I'm constantly on guard.

Hello, where did you get the brown backpack I see popping up in this video? Thank you ❤

What a GREAT video and I;ve only watched 57 seconds! I'd love to see more videos from a lady's prespective! Thanks, Jocelyn and I hope I spelled your name right!!! I'd love to know what's appropriate to wear in Egypt or other predominanty Muslim countries?

Hi, i and my wife met You in sears tower and I start learning English from Your films. I hope that when I learn English, I will be able to meet You again and talk with You.

I knocked on the top of my own hand and that did hurt.

In Germany where I'm from you should always be careful, especially if it's dark outside...

Do you have a link for your backpack in the video? Thank you!😊

The social media one is huge. I cannot tell you how many times someone will share a post or Story on Instagram with the geotag. They'll be walking the street & it'll say that they're in Rome or Miami or wherever. Granted, maybe they post that a few hours or even days ahead, but it just makes me cringe. Even if I'm at home or somewhere local, I don't put a geotag somewhere unless I've left the area a long time ago.

❤❤❤❤

Lots of good points. I don't like the way you were carrying your purse so loosely in Rome. I keep my purse under my arm and keep it secure

The most important bit of safety advice, for both men and women, traveling or not: trust your instincts. If anything about a location or situation seems a bit off, even if you can't quite articulate what that is, stay away.

I know a doctor who travels the world. She always carries "mugger money" - 1 or 2 expired credit cards with a few bucks cash. If she were being mugged, that is what she would hand over.

I am a man and I did not feel safe in Paris!

That's not the Souvenir I need lol! Friend and I were in New Orleans. There was a shady dude in front of the grocery store. We were with two bug dudes (our hubbies) so he left us alone. We went in the store and about 5 minutes later, we were all coughing and our eyes were watering...turned out...dude lunged at a solo lady and she peppered him rigjt in the front of the door and the ac of the store pulled it in and got all of us in there. We didnt know right away what happened and were were all coughing and this lady was freaking out..."you have covid!"...lol no. Fun story to tell but not to experience

Leave passports and other valuables in hotel safe/locker if you don't need them. If lost or feel someone is following you, cross the street and walk into any store or cafe. Never park rental cars on streets, use valet or garages even if they are expensive. Do NOT get drunk when solo, as things don't end well when you are too happy or tipsy. Keep family back home updated about your plan for the week and the names of the hotels and flight numbers. Just in case.

I need to know where you got the lovely sleeveless olive-green dress!

If I'm wearing shoes I always have emergency money inside the lining of my shoes. Enough for a cab. I lived in Hell's Kitchen in Manhattan where I learned that trick and it's saved me on several occasions. I also keep money and a card in my bra. I call it my "burse."

Traveling with others is one of the safest things from a self-defense standpoint. Even the most competent fighter is going to struggle against someone with a weapon or a group of attackers.

I tend to over pack. Do you think its realistic to spend 10 days in Europe with only a carry on?

I see guys do the bling thing while on vacation. They insist on wearing Rolex or Omega watches to show off, but you are making yourself a target, or at least you are treated like a tourist.

Pet the kitty in the background, dammit! I can hear him miaowing ❤

Leave your expensive watch at home and buy a $10 Casio watch and wear that instead (Especially in London, England. Violent watch thieves are rife in London now)!

While obviously this is much more important for women, much if this is also useful for all other genders.

Silicone rings are what we wear when we travel. No reason for anyone to suspect we have something valuable.

I flagged your scammer...

In some dangerous places, dressing and acting like an expat= sitting duck Cheers

Step 1; don't go to India.

Or you could carry a .357 in your purse like my grandma did lol

Not great that 2 of the thumbnail photos are of Paris, could you be more cliché and slightly derogatory?