15 Life-Saving Tips For Woman Living Alone For The First Time

It’s not a safe world out there. We’re all responsible to ensure our own safety at all times. And as women, we’re often seen as the easier prey by many people, prompting many women to share street smart tips to stay safe out there when you’re traveling alone or walking around at night.

From how to deal with creeps to making sure your loved ones know where you go, here are some important tips you might want to keep in mind!

1.

“Was once walking in a new city for the first time and a stranger asked me for directions. As I was about to inform him I was not familiar with the area, my aunt interrupted me- giving him the directions. After he walked away I asked her how she knew where that was, as it was her first time in the city too.. she said she didn’t- she made it up. Never admit that you don’t know where you are.” – wheresmybananastaken

2.

“I can’t give the advice to bring a dog if you don’t have one, lol, but she was a really great companion, especially on our hikes. It was a full four days of outdoor activities, and I had never hiked alone before. I look back on it and feel a little dumb because I went to this super remote location for a hike that was about 1.5 hours outside of where I was camping and didn’t tell anyone at home where I was. That’s my biggest lesson learned from my trip- don’t feel corny keeping your location documented with loved ones. There are far too many stories about solo hikers with a ton of experience going missing.

I’ve thought about getting an emergency locator device of some sort for my continued solo adventures because they are SO AMAZING. I loved it. All of my plans were my plans, I didn’t have to worry about making sure anyone else also wanted to float where I floated. Enjoy yourself!!” – imtallerthanyou

3.

“I also pretend to call my “boyfriend” or pretend to take their call and have an argument. Really aggressive and mean. Every time I’ve done this whoever has been approaching me or bothering usually sees that I’m aggressive and willing to fight and backs away.” – mnvallette

4.

“Buy a large pair of men’s work boots, preferably second-hand from a thrift store, get a bit of dirt on them, leave them on your porch or just inside the door where any delivery driver will see them when you open the door.” – irishtrashpanda

5.

“I got an Uber for the first time since Feb 2020. I was already nervous because of covid and because I’ve never rode in an Uber by myself. Precovid I always took Uber Pool, so there would be 2-3 others in the car. But unfortunately, my ride bailed and I didn’t have any other way to get back home.

I’m waiting for my Uber on a busy city street. The driver already got lost once so I was actively tracking him so I could flag him down (worth noting that I always use to try to stay off my phone when waiting for an Uber, but forgot about this safety tip today). As I’m standing there, a similar car pulls up and says “Uber?” I thought to myself this is strange because the app says the car is still a block. I ask the guy “Name?” And he answered “Uber”. Mind you this is a very busy area with a lot going on so it’s kinda hard to hear and he was acting impatient. I look at him and get a strange feeling so I decided to check the backplate and it didn’t match. I walk up to the sidewalk again and said a firm “NO” while staring at him and he sped away. My Uber driver pulled up a few seconds later. I didn’t realize the gravity of the situation until a few hours later.” – SunOceanLeaves

6.

“I am 5’1, 103 pounds… you know, petite and small, easy to grab. My dad told me when I was 18, when I was about to be traveling through an airport by myself for the first time, to always appear sure of yourself and be aware of your surroundings. Almost ten years later, this advice has never done me wrong. I walk with my head held high and speed walk. Even if I think I might be lost or don’t know exactly where I am going or what to do. I don’t make eye contact. I don’t acknowledge in any way when a man is obviously interested in me. Be that cat-calling or just staring at me. I will be as “rude” as I need to be in order to keep myself safe. When I’m alone, all of my senses are tingling, and I’m always prepared for anything. Even if I need to ask for a man’s help for something, I act more confident than I’ve ever been.” – p*swife

7.

“My daughter wears her headphones with no music so she can ignore any guy who says anything to her in the street by pretending she can’t hear them, but also being able to hear anyone behind her. Another thing is when walking out at night or waiting for a lift, she will call someone and stay on the phone with them until she’s not alone.” – OraDr8

8.

“This is a hard one, but don’t be afraid to confront someone acting sketchy. Many predators count on the fact that most people don’t notice anything unless it’s pointed out. If a guy on the bus brushes against you every time the bus sways, loudly tell him to stop touching you. Don’t ask. This serves 2 purposes. It puts him on notice that you’re not intimidated by him (even if you are) and he’s looking for a victim. Second, people will notice if he follows you off the bus, his anonymity is gone.

This goes for any situation where another person is making you uncomfortable. Loudly and clearly tell them not to touch, stare, talk, etc. It’s not your problem if they’re embarrassed. Don’t apologize, don’t ask. Don’t make a single thing they do look consensual because you don’t want to make a scene. If they haven’t learned appropriate behavior by this point and they meant no harm, they’ll learn it now.” – BanditSixActual

9.

“My husband and I are in a very dark place so I’ve moved to spend some alone time outside the city. The hut I am living in is very quiet, the surrounding place is large and partly industrial, partly surrounded with nature. It’s a weird place really but does the job.

Last Friday some uni students (my age) threw a huge rave party maybe 100 meters from the hut. I could see and hear everything. A couple of guys came to the hut and sat right outside, drank a few beers, and were quite rowdy. So I went outside and asked them to just take it down a notch because I was inside. I told them they could stay but asked them to talk less loud. They were super friendly (drunk, yes, but friendly) and respected my request.

I don’t know why. And some of you may now think I “asked for it”, but honestly I’ve always felt really safe being alone. I had a quick glance at the rave party and decided to just go and have a look – because I was curious. I didn’t want to mingle, just wanted to see what was going on and return to the hut, so I went.

When I entered the space of the party, I came across a group of guys, maybe 5-6 guys, who were definitely on some kind of hard drugs. I don’t live in an English-speaking country, but one guy approached me, asking whether I was alone in English. He was so sh**-faced, eyes swollen, red, and running with a weird grin on his face. The other guys were watching us really closely. I returned his answer in my country’s language – and without even thinking about it, without reflecting upon the lie, I just automatically said “No, I’m not alone”.

“Whoa OK. Are you sure?” I go: “Yes, I am sure” Him: “OK. Hey, I’m just going to follow you now.” I took a long, hard look in his eyes and said: “No, you’re not.” He says: “Yeah I am.” and nods with a smile. I go: “No, you’re not.” I don’t break eye contact at any point. My body is facing him fully frontally – and I don’t have the urge to turn away. I just look at him calmly. Silence. Then he goes: “Why not?” I say: “You have no reason to follow me.” We just look each other in the eyes for a couple of seconds. Then he raises his arms in a surrendering manner, smiles at me, and retreats.

I just turn my back to them and walk back to my hut. It was when the incident was over I was able to feel how much my heart was pounding! Like what the f**k just happened!” – howcannamingbesohard

10.

“Acting hella sick is also a good way to get a potential rapist to leave you alone (in the scoping-out-potential-victims phase only, that is). Like just start having a sneezing/coughing fit, and don’t be afraid to look gross. Actually, make sure to look gross. Even more effective with the current pandemic!” – stellamarisetal

11.

“Look for cans behind your tire when walking up to your car. Hiding one back there is a good way to get you to step out of your car while it’s unlocked and running because the sound is alarming and people get out to check their tires. I’ve read about this tactic being used to steal cars and/or kidnap people.” – Ryansb*tcha**wife

12.

“A few safety tips I wanted to pass along, in case it helps another woman in need.
1.) When getting an Uber/Lyft, give the driver a password. When you think you have your ride, stand a safe distance from the car and ask them for the password. This can prevent you from accidentally getting into a scam vehicle, that will take you to God knows where.

2.) If you feel like you’re being followed, and don’t think you’ll make it to a safe haven in time, start a live Facebook or YouTube video. This serves two purposes: Creeps are less likely to attack if they know they’re on camera, and if heaven forbid worst comes to worst, police will know the circumstances behind your disappearance (as will everyone else).

3.) If you feel like a creep is staring at you just a little too intensely, pick your nose, or let out a MASSIVE belch. People tend to recoil in repulsion/disgust in response to this. When the creep reflexively looks away, you have a moment to bail. I am often making use of this little trick.” – Adeisha

13.

“Always order two meals and use a male name if you live alone. Ordering one meal is a tip-off that you are a woman home alone and could put your safety at risk.

I live alone in an apartment and I’m doing my best to stay indoors as much and humanly possible. Prior to the pandemic I never had groceries or meals delivered to my home. Saturday night, after dark, I ordered a burger, fries, and a drink from a meal delivery service. I provided instructions on how to find my apartment within the complex and asked for the meal to be left on my doorstep. I heard the knock at my door, went to the window and gave the delivery guy a thumb’s up, and watched him head down the stairs. When I opened the door the delivery guy was waiting for me maskless a few steps down from my porch, he really startled me. He explained he likes to wait and make sure the food is collected. Then he started berating me because he was irritated with my instructions on how to find my apartment within the complex. I engaged with him for about a minute and then brought my food inside.

In hindsight, I feel a mix of furious and foolish. How dare that delivery man wait for me, startling me, and then scold me! Also, how foolish was I to not realize that ordering one meal to my apartment is telling a perfect stranger that I’m a woman home alone?” – MardiMcLeod

14.

“An old trick for taking a ride from someone you don’t know well: keep something made of paper in one hand (a map, a brochure, a bunch of napkins, whatever) and a lighter in your pocket. If they start taking you somewhere you don’t want to go, light the paper on fire and throw it in the back seat. They’ll have to stop to deal with the fire, and you can make a break for it.” – ValiantArp

15.

“Learned this here yesterday… always keep your car keys next to your bed at night and if you hear or see anything crazy, push the panic button on your key… it should make your car alarm go off and dispel any would-be intruders from entering.” – Bacore