Traveling alone can be one of the most rewarding activities that anyone can do. Not only will you learn a lot about other cultures, but you will also give yourself time to reflect on what you desire in life and what you believe in. For this reason, we recommend that everybody try traveling solo at least once.
However, traveling alone also requires a lot of safety precautions to be taken. For example, the same situations that can be very liberating for some, might feel unsafe for others. Therefore, it’s important to understand how to keep yourself safe while traveling on your own.
One of the most wonderful things about traveling is that you are able to immerse yourself in the local culture, eating and drinking things that you wouldn’t be able to find at home. Despite how much fun it can be, drinking is often one of the most unsafe things you can do while traveling alone.
Though you might typically have a friend or family member with you at a bar to monitor a drinking environment, traveling alone often means that you will be in situations that you are not familiar with, increasing your chances of having a negative experience.
That being said, there are plenty of ways to prepare for your traveling experience and make sure that you stay safe at all times while consuming alcohol on vacation.
Always Have a Way to Get Back to Your Hotel
This might seem like an obvious tip for some, but getting to your hotel while in a city or town you’re unfamiliar with can become quite difficult while intoxicated. For this reason, we recommend that you always figure out your path home before you begin drinking. If you are someone who prefers to use ridesharing applications, you should make sure that your preferred app services the city that you’re in and that your phone is fully charged.
Something important to consider when planning your trip home is that public transportation does not always run at consistent intervals. For example, in cities like Berlin or New York, it can be easy to get around with public transit during the day and evening, but the frequency of certain services slows down greatly after midnight. Make sure that you are able to get back to your hotel quickly and efficiently.
Set a Drink Limit for Yourself
Let’s face it—it can be easy to overdo it when you are out trying new drinks in a new place. To prevent yourself from becoming too intoxicated, we recommend that you set a drink limit for yourself. It’s also worth noting that you should factor in alcohol percentage when deciding your drink limit. For example, if you typically have a few beers, drinking one absinthe drink with exponentially higher alcohol content might be sufficient. Not only can having too many drinks leave you impaired, but alcohol poisoning can be fatal.
Always Turn Down Drinks
Though it’s easy to believe that everyone is kind, it’s important to remember that there are plenty of people out there with bad intentions. Free drinks are often one of the ways for predators to drug and subsequently abuse solo travelers, so you should never accept drinks from strangers or even people you’ve just met.
Know What to Say When Turning Down a Drink
We recommend that you always have lines prepared to turn down drinks. Here are some examples:
- “No thanks, I already have a drink”
- “I’m waiting for a friend”
- “I already had too much tonight”
- “No thank you, you should have it”
Use Yelp to Find a Bar
Online review sites like Yelp can be great resources for determining which bars have controversy surrounding them. When deciding which bars to go to, you should be aware of which bars are respected and which ones have certified bartenders. By doing this, you can make sure that you are safe throughout your travels. Be sure to do your research!
In Conclusion
Traveling alone can be an intimidating thing to do, but it can also be very rewarding if you keep certain safety precautions in mind. If you ever feel doubt about a particular situation, always trust your gut. It is definitely better to be safe than sorry! We hope that this list has been helpful so that the next time you’re traveling alone, you know exactly how to drink in a responsible manner!
