5 Countries Where This Solo Female Traveller Felt the Most Unsafe

For Sarah, Namibia was the most unsettling stop in her global journey. She described the experience as “one of the scariest” in her travels. The major incident that left a lasting impression was a tour guide attempting to scam her out of hundreds of dollars. That moment, combined with the coldness she felt from locals, made her feel distinctly unwelcome. “I felt like the locals were annoyed by my presence at best,” she wrote. Despite its famous desert landscapes and wide open skies, Namibia gave her a deep sense of unease.

India was always on Sarah’s bucket list, though she initially planned to explore it through a group tour. Instead, she went solo, hiring a private driver to help her feel safer. Her discomfort, however, remained persistent, especially in northern parts of the country. “I always felt like someone was watching me,” she noted, describing how even using her phone in public made her feel exposed. In one instance, her driver urged her to get back in the car when a group of men began staring. 

While Türkiye was mostly welcoming during her six week visit, a travel advisory changed the mood. During her final week, a U.S. government notice warned of increased threats of kidnapping targeting Americans. That advisory lingered in her mind, altering how she moved through the country and observed her surroundings. “Something about the threat increasing while I was there made me feel different and uncomfortable,” she shared. Even in places where nothing overtly dangerous happens, the atmosphere of anxiety can weigh heavily on solo travellers, especially women.

Despite being a familiar place, Sarah included the United States on her list because of a particularly frightening incident in New York. While walking alone to the subway early in the morning, a man repeatedly approached her, becoming aggressive when she didn’t respond. “It escalated until he got angry and started asking for sex,” she recalled. This encounter, though brief, was deeply disturbing. 

 Sarah visited Tanzania in 2020, a time marked by economic challenges in the country. Her most unnerving moment happened at a hotel, where a man followed her inside and stared until the staff intervened. She also reported being frequently approached for money and singled out at the land border for paperwork no one else seemed to require. The combination of being visibly foreign, female, and alone created a cocktail of vulnerability. Though she still appreciated the beauty and hospitality of parts of the country, she noted that the pressure and attention could become overwhelming.

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