Summer season is here and with that adventurous travels and trips to exciting destinations for many of you. Being a solo female traveler can bring concerns that otherwise wouldn't occur. Self Defense for women is one of those skills I believe all women should have. It has nothing to do with fear but everything to do with feeling aware, strong and knowledgeable.
The first step is to become aware of the fact that anything can happen to anyone, to you as well. In order for you to fully enjoy your journey and avoid some else spoiling it, find below some useful tips to be aware of and think about before your trip:
Research your destination thoroughly
1. Plan your trip before leaving home. Review your travel route before leaving the hotel
2. Check in regularly with family and friends at home and give them a copy of your travel itinerary.
3. Keep people you trust totally updated by your plans.
4. Use a GPS app or use a map as a last resort. Avoid pulling out a map in public and don't leave a marked map with your route in your hotel room or rental car.
5. Avoid ever get into a car with somebody, even if someone is armed. You don't want get taken to a remote area and get raped or murdered is even worse. Run, scream, get away.
Take some Self Defense classes
6. It is better to have the Self Defense skills and not need them than need the skills and not have them.
7. Get in touch with a good Self Defense school that offers Self Defense classes and sign up for a courses or a few private sessions, practise, learn and experience how to hit somebody effectively.
8. Be mentally prepared to kick some serious ass if you have too.
9. Learn how to confront your attacker and make a lot of noise to try to scare him off.
10. Know what to do when the shit hits the fan. Train yourself to strike hard and learn to use your body to strike and kick as effective as possible to defend yourself if you can’t get away.
Prepare for the worst
11. If the worst happens it is good to have a backup plan.
12. Use cloud storage to save copies of your documents, front-back copies of your credit card and important phone numbers (e.g. police offices, hospital, embassy).
13. Keep a backup cash stash.
14. Get a good travel insurance.
15. If you have had a personal confrontation with somebody, try to remember physical characteristics and report it at a police station or call your embassy. Then call a friend, you don't have to be alone.
Before you're heading off, also think about your Personal Safety. Make it a part of your travel planning.
Next week read more about my next blog: 15 PREVENTION Travel Safe tips for Women.
For more information and training please check out our events.
We'll have a special seminar coming up on Travel Safety for Women on July 4th in Amsterdam.
Stay tuned!
Synthia Stoffer
JUNO Self Defense Creator