11 Precautions I Had to Take as a Woman Traveling Solo That a Man Would Never Have To Do
It wasn’t until I got back from my 18-day cross-country road trip and told my guy friends about it that I realized I had to take slightly paranoid safety precautions that a man would never have to consider. After hearing that I didn’t just have to get an atlas but also mace, they also realized how privileged they’d been when they traveled solo. I had to read all kinds of articles, ask fellow lady solo travelers for advice and even took some of my worried parents advice to feel prepared. Not only was I going to be a woman traveling solo but I felt like I would be a target seeing as I was going to be shooting photography with my DSLR. So here are some tips on what I did to feel safe on my trip.
Why Every Woman Needs to Travel Solo
A major focus for women in 2017 was self-love and I was no different given my mantra was: fall in love with yourself. An awesome follow-up to 2016’s mantra, “Do whatever you want.” I liked going to museums, dinners and hikes alone and dealt with loneliness whenever it came around but I wanted to take it up a notch. The next natural step on my self-love journey was to travel alone. This would technically be my first solo trip anywhere. I didn’t count my two study abroad trips in college. And, considering I’d traveled extensively outside of the U.S., I figured a cross-country trip was in order. It was about time I got to explore this country’s natural wonders, a.k.a. Native land, like the Badlands National Park, Grand Tetons, and Grand Canyon.
Cinco De Mayo 2012: How Mexico Feels About America’s Cinco De Mayo
Before you buy your plane ticket to Mexico to get the real Cinco de Mayo experience, make sure you don’t go looking for an American-style Mexican St. Patrick’s Day, full of cerveza, bar hopping and, yes, sombreros.
Like visiting Germany for Oktoberfest, traveling to Mexico to celebrate Cinco de Mayo may be a way to heighten or enrich one’s experience.
The Delicious Tacos in Mexico City You Have to Try
Who doesn't absolutely love tacos!? We wondered what a real taco from Mexico tasted like . . . so we packed our bags and went straight to the source: Mexico City. Specifically, Taqueria Los Cocuyos near the historic center. We tried the champechano taco which is made up of suadero (thin cut of beef from the intermediate part of the cow) and longaniza (sausage similar to chorizo) all delicious and super succulent. The best part was, Mario — or taco master as I now refer to him — broke down what makes a real taco. That's right, with more than two decades under his belt making tacos at this taqueria, you better believe he knows what he's talking about.