Like it or not， women have to take special precautions while traveling alone.

After six months of backpacking solo in Africa， I’ve got a few ideas about how we can make the most of solo exploration—and stay safe along the way.

If you’re about to embark on a solo trip or are thinking about traveling alone， here are eight tips to make your trek the best it can be.

不管你樂不樂意，女生在單獨旅行時必須格外警惕。

獨自在非洲背包旅行六個月后，我總結(jié)了幾條享受旅行的愉悅、并且保證旅行沿途安全的小貼士。

如果你計劃獨自一人開始旅行，或者有這樣的打算，那么這8條小貼士可以讓你的旅行盡善盡美。

1.Book a bed for the first night.

預(yù)定第一晚的住宿。

After Day 1， I avoid making reservations whenever possible， to fully enjoy traveling by the seat of my pants. But for your first night， book a place to sleep in advance—preferably before you leave home.

This will give you peace of mind， help you get over the first-day-of-travel jitters， and give you a goal and destination when you arrive in-country.

我盡量不去做第一天的活動以外的預(yù)定，這樣我就能自己憑感覺去旅行了。不過第一個晚上還是要事先預(yù)定好住處——最好在離家之前就做好預(yù)定。

這樣你心里就不會有什么牽掛，不用在旅行第一天有無謂的擔心，另外也能給剛到達的你一個目標。

2.Only bring what you can easily carry.

只帶方便攜帶的物品。

It’s always a good idea to keep your backpack light， but this becomes even more important when you’re traveling alone， simply because you don’t have anyone to help you.

Traveling light could even be seen as a safety measure， because you can move more quickly away from danger （or pesky men who want to marry you） when you have less to carry.

讓你的背包輕一點永遠不會錯，一個人旅行時情況就更是如此了，只因為沒有任何人能幫到你。

輕裝上陣甚至可以讓旅行更加安全，因為當你沒什么東西攜帶時你可以迅速逃離危險之地（或是想要娶你的討厭鬼）。

3.carry food.

自帶食品。

Nothing heavy； granola or crackers will do it. This will keep you from venturing out in the dark by yourself at night when you’re hungry. It will also help you save money！ I like to carry a plastic bowl and spoon （more versatile than a fork）. Plus a Swiss Army Knife.

不要是太重的食品；麥片或是薄脆餅干就可以了。這樣晚上獨自一人走在路上你就有辦法抵御饑餓了。這也能幫你省錢！我喜歡隨身帶著塑料碗和勺子（比叉子用途多），外加一把瑞士軍刀。

4.Also carry a book.

再帶上一本書。

Books are fabulous dinner companions. With a read you can pull out any time， and you’re more likely to enjoy your solitude and less likely to feel lonely. Books are also great conversation starters.

But don’t fill your backpack with books—they’re heavy and take up valuable space. Instead， carry just one or two， and keep your eye out for opportunities to swap with other travelers.

書籍是晚餐的絕妙搭檔。你可以用閱讀隨意消磨時光，也更容易享受一個人獨處的時光，不太會感到寂寞。書籍同時也是開始交談的好話題。

不過別在背包里裝滿書——書籍很重，也會占用背包中寶貴的空間。反之，帶上一兩本就夠了，然后在旅途中注意一下有沒有機會和其他旅行者易書而讀。

5.Befriend local women.

結(jié)交當?shù)嘏耘笥选?/p>

Whether you’re in the market， on a bush taxi or sleeping in a hostel， make friends with the women who live there. Women around the globe have a sort of informal pact： we all watch out for each other.

無論是在當?shù)厥袌?、合乘出租車上，還是在旅社中住宿，你都要和當?shù)氐呐蔀榕笥选Ｈ澜绲呐加幸粭l不成文的規(guī)矩：我們都會在路上照料彼此。

6.Expect to pay more than couples.

獨自旅行往往花錢更多。

Single rooms are usually nearly the cost of a double， which can be incredibly frustrating. It’s what I call the “single tax.” In some instances， you’re going to pay more traveling alone than you would with a partner. Know this from the beginning to avoid letting that single tax ruin your travel mojo.

一般單人間的價錢比雙人間便宜不了多少，這點會讓人覺得很不爽。我把多付的這些錢叫作“單人稅”。在某些情況下，獨自旅行比結(jié)伴旅行花費更多。從一開始你就應(yīng)該考慮到這一點，不要讓“單人稅”毀了你旅行的好心情。

7.Look for roommates.

找個室友。

Find someone who can split with you the cost of a car or a guide. Buddying up， whether for accommodation or transportation or any other expenses， will help you reduce the cost of your trip. It may also help you feel safer， and it’s nice to have someone to lean on if you get sick.

找個能和你分攤車費或?qū)в钨M的人。不管是為了住宿費、交通費，還是其他任何支出，你都可以和別人交個朋友，這樣你在旅行中就可以少花點錢。找個旅伴也能讓你更有安全感，生病的時候有個人照料還是很不錯的。

8.Make an effort to be friendly.

盡可能保持友好。

Traveling solo is a fabulous time to reflect， but don’t overlook the chance to broaden your social network by reaching out to other travelers， as well as locals.

Ironically， we tend to meet more people and forge more friendships when traveling alone. That’s because if we don’t make the effort to talk to strangers， we’ll have no one to hang out with but ourselves. It takes a little extra effort to put yourself out there， but opening up those lines of communication is well worth it.

獨自旅行固然是反思的美妙時光，不過也不要小看這個擴大交際面的機會，你可以在旅行中結(jié)識其他旅行者，也能結(jié)識一些當?shù)厝恕?/p>

具有諷刺意味的是，我們獨自旅行時往往會結(jié)交更多朋友。這是因為不努力和陌生人交流的話就只能一個人了。一開始結(jié)識陌生人可能要費點功夫，不過和人交流溝通是值得你費功夫的。