New York City is one of the most diverse, exciting destinations in the United States. This makes it a great destination for many who want to travel to the country and want to feel welcomed – wherever they are from. While as a city, it can be dangerous, there are many ways to protect yourself and have a thrilling time as a solo traveler in the city. With these tips, you’ll get the most out of the experience, know what to watch out for, and enjoy a safe trip.
Book Your Tickets in Advance
You’ll find that there are a lot of scalpers and questionable tours operating in New York City that like to target tourists – particularly those that aren’t honed in on what to watch out for. To avoid accidentally booking a less-than-stellar tour or buying tickets from a questionable source, book directly and book ahead. Many look to street vendors and scalpers to help them save when they are on their trip, but by buying in advance, you can spread out the cost and budget long before your flight. You can also usually pay to skip the line. Get the skip-the-line Empire State Building Tickets, and you can save an hour or more of your time.
When you only have so much time on your trip, skipping lines is one of the best ways to improve your experience while also being safer.
Get Data (But Download Key Tools Anyway)
You can usually buy a SIM card at your destination and use that on your phone so that you have service wherever you go. There will be free WiFi, but it’s always better to have your own connection. Regardless of whether you can find a SIM card and have data or not, however, you are going to want to download a few key tools:
· The offline version of the map
Never get lost by downloading the subway map and the offline version of NYC. This way, you can zoom and see all of the stores on your digital map, even if you don’t have service.
· Translation apps
Depending on your fluency, you may want to download an offline translation dictionary. You can easily do this on Google translate for several languages.
Stay on Main Streets
As a general rule of thumb, you will not want to venture too far from the main streets. The alleys in NYC are not like those in Europe and usually just take you to the backs of buildings where garbage is being stored, so there isn’t a reason to cut corners. Stick to the main streets. They’re beautiful and safer.
Be Confident
New York City does have its crime, but overall many solo female travelers feel comfortable exploring the city and even going out at night. Go with a plan, be aware of your surroundings, and adopt the classic New Yorker approach to the world and you’ll have a great time without worry.
and then