Are you excited about your first solo trip to South America? Looking for Patagonia tours? This guide is designed for Women solo Travelers and we hope you find it useful!
Updated to April 2024
The thrill of traveling alone is incomparable. It is a squabble-free trip where you are your own boss. You do not have to worry about bickering matches with siblings, parents leading the way, or friends pressuring you into trying trendy things.
1. Recommended Baggage for Patagonia
When traveling in any big city, you need to be wary of pickpockets and muggers. This is why while packing up your suitcase you should:
- Travel light. You don’t want to be weighed down due to heavy luggage.
- When in Rome do as Romans do. Petty criminals usually target tourists; you may be able to fool them by dressing like a local.
- Always carry photocopies of your passport and other important documents. You never know when you face an emergency during your itinerary.
- Kind of cliché but pepper sprays and maces can actually save your life.
2. Keep Your Guard On
You will often bump into friendly strangers on your walks around the block. There is no harm in befriending them but be wary of who you trust and how much you tell them. This is also about following your instinct: solo traveling also teaches you to trust your gut!
Never tell inquisitive strangers that you are alone. You can tell them that you are waiting for a friend or that your family split up before lunch.
Always ride a radio cab when commuting. These cabs are registered and safer than the local taxi.
Avoid walking in dim-lit areas and quiet alleys. Dark remote places are the home grounds for petty criminals.
On the bus or coach keep your bag or coat on the window seat and sit in the outside seat. This gives others the signal that you don’t want anyone sitting beside you.
3. Learn some Spanish Words
This can help you to interact with locals during your Patagonia Tours, to make friends, or in case you need any help. This is a good tip for any solo traveler, but as a female, there are some words that can be useful to get what we need, for e.g:
Woman in Spanish is mujer, but in Argentina, it can also be piba, chica, or mina (though the last is a bit too slang, it’s a word that originally came from tango songs).
For THOSE days of the month, you should know that in Argentina and Chile you can go to a supermercado (supermarket) or a farmacia (farmacy) to buy a tampón (tampon) or a toallita (pads).
You may hear people talking about foreign people as gringo or gringa (the female version). People coming from the U.S., in Argentina use yanky (no female version for this one…). Don’t worry, though it can be a bit cutting, it doesn’t necessarily mean a bad thing.
4. Stay in Women Only Bedrooms
If you’re a hostel traveler and you want to save some money by booking shared bedrooms, it’s a good idea to book female-only ones. Not just to avoid an awkward situation, but also to find out new female solo travel tips! It’s always a good way to share information, especially when we’re traveling solo.
5. Discover your Best Travel solo Ability
When traveling solo you realize that you can be very good at many things you may have never thought about. This is the perfect opportunity to realize
- How good you are saving money to keep on moving.
- Picking the best places to meet locals and learn about their traditions.
- Scheduling your activities to make the most of your day.
- It’s only when we step out of our comfort zone that we discover we also have an amazing inner world to explore.
As an expert woman solo traveler, do you know any other tip that is not listed above? Please, share it with us and help other female travelers to enjoy their Patagonia Tours! Now you have all the information you need to have your ultimate traveling experience, you can start planning your solo South America expedition.
