Couples and even groups have been robbed and beat so badly that they have to go to the hospital. So as you might guess, travelling solo can make you even more vulnerable to being ‘jumped’.
As a female solo traveller, I can tell you about my experiences in Peru and the precautions I took.
The people themselves in Peru told me that as a female, it is best to be out and about before it gets dark. Aside from this, a taxi driver told me you should not be out anytime around 12am or later. Soon as the sun start to set, I bought my dinner and went back to my hotel. In cases where I needed to go to a night performance or a tourist flea market at night, I took the taxi directly to the highly populated area and after I was done, I didn’t walk around any dark areas or less populated areas trying to see what local life was like, I took the taxi directly back to my hotel. When I told some taxi drivers I was travelling alone, they laughed at me in shock that I would do that. Part of that may have been that it is not part of their culture for women to travel to another country alone like that, or it may be the issue of safety. But generally if people asked me if I was travelling alone, I’d tell them “No, I’m meeting my friend now”. If they ask where I’m staying, I might just say “A hotel in Miraflores” or completely make up a lie. People do ask. They may be friendly and are just making conversation, but it is better to be safe than sorry.
As a female, I didn’t feel unsafe during the day. During the night, I did feel a little bit more vulnerable. The people out at night are everyday people like us, but among the crowded areas, there are pickpockets preying on tourists. And it goes without saying, one should not be walking around dark side streets whether in groups or by yourself. As soon as you find yourself taking the wrong turn into a side street, turn back around instead of walking further and hoping you’ll end up where you wanted to go.
Tips:
1. Sightsee by day, and go home by sunset
2. Dress simply
3. Don’t carry a heavy backpack or purse with all your valuables. Carry your belongings in your pocket if possible: Your basic cash for the day out, and your hotel keys, and camera.
4. Don’t tell people you’re travelling alone
5. Don’t take a ride with anyone who is doing it as a favour or for an exceptionally attractive rate
6. If you want to go out at night, get your hotel to call a taxi for you
7. Don’t be dumb and get drunk at night and stumble around
8. Other general safety tips: http://perutraveltips101.blogspot.com/p/safely-carrying-lot-of-cash.html and http://perutraveltips101.blogspot.com/p/what-to-do-if-you-get-lost.html and http://perutraveltips101.blogspot.com/p/using-cruz-del-sur.html
