The Worst Travel Tips of All Time

When I first started traveling, I got a lot of unsolicited advice from coworkers, friends and family. While well intentioned — almost all of it was completely off-base. Here are a few of the worst travel tips I’ve ever received:

1. “Take your own toilet paper with you. You never know what they might use in those foreign places.”

2. “Don’t eat local food. You don’t know where it’s been. Just eat things with American branding that come in a package to avoid getting sick.”

3. “Wear a money belt under your clothes, even when you sleep. People are out to get you and you can never be too careful”.

and possibly my favorite of all…

4. “Carry a mirror with you at all times. If someone gives you the evil eye, just flash the mirror at them to send it back”.

Hi— I’m Amanda 👋 
Founder of SoFe (The Solo Female Traveler Network) and I started full time traveling in 2012… and that advice? 👆 Terrible.
(well, except the mirror thing 🤣)

I’ve been to a lot of countries. I’ve travelled for weeks and sometimes months at a time. I didn’t have a permanent address until last year. And I’ve hosted 500+ meetups around the world for solo female travellers like you.

If you’re fairly new to travel, especially solo travel, solid advice actually matters. And sharing advice about travel is how SoFe began.✨

So here are a couple of tips from one girl to the next…

1. My babushka was right about one thing — you never know what people might use in foreign places. Like bidets over toilet paper. A fun fact you may not know, is that bidets are super common in places like Italy, Northern Africa, the Middle East and even South East Asia. In some places — it’s actually illegal to flush toilet paper. So if you’re heading to any of those spots and have never used a bidet, prepare yourself.
   

2. Local food is actually the best kind of food. And if you’re trying to choose between one street vendor and the next, a great gauge is to go where the locals are. Usually they have a pretty good idea where the best food is (and where to avoid).
   

3. Wearing a money belt can be helpful as a theft deterrent. Also don’t keep all your cards and cash in one place (or the same pocket). But the truth is, most people all over the world are genuinely nice, kind and decent. Theft is more common in countries with high poverty rates— but if you use your street smarts 9 times out of 10 you’re going to be okay.
   

4. And on that last one about mirrors… well forget the mirrors. If someone doesn’t treat you well, smile and move on. The only person who can truly ruin your trip is you.

That’s all for today.
Hit me with the WORST travel advice you’ve ever received by responding to this email. I could use a good laugh. 😋

Want to join me on an adventure? 👉 Click Here

Bon Voyage,
Amanda
Founder of SoFe 💖