Solo Travel Safety: 10 Ways to Look Confident

May 15, 2017 by Janice 38 Comments

Now this is confident body language. We received permission from many members of the Solo Travel Society on Facebook to share their photos. Men, women, young, older – there are many faces of solo travel. If this is you please let us know.

Confidence is a solo traveler’s armor.

Let me explain.

While I’ve written extensively on the things you can do to keep yourself safe (read Solo Travel Safety: 50 Tips), there’s one area of safety that definitely requires some special attention: how to be confident as you travel.

Traveling confidently will help keep you safe. As a friend, Gwen McCauley, wrote to me:

I’m a big believer that safety is an inside job. The safer you feel about yourself inside yourself, the safer you’ll find the outside world to be. Now that doesn’t mean that I flaunt common sense at home or abroad, but it also means that I know my self confidence and self assurance make me much more likely to be the person that a hustler or scammer passes by.

This makes perfect sense to me. The con artist and other undesirables seek the weak and naive. Yes, confidence is a traveler’s armor.

Another solo traveler showing confidence. Again, if this is you please let us know.

How to Look Confident When You’re Not

What if you’re not really that confident or what if you’re generally confident but not so in a situation that makes you very nervous? Sometimes, you need to fake it ’til you make it. I did a bit of research and offer you 10 ways to increase your solo travel safety by looking confident:

Know that you’re amazing. Many people are still astounded when they meet someone traveling solo. They think you’re strong. To them you’re exotic. Think that and know that and it will show in your body language without any effort at all.
Smile. A worried look on your face does not project confidence. A smile does. Use it.
Walk with your head up and with awareness. Stand tall. Lift your torso up as though stretching your spine. Pull your shoulders slightly back so that they widen. Walk looking side to side as well as in front of you so that you look very aware of your surroundings. In a cafe or other public space scan your environment from time to time. Appearing aware of your surroundings can cause pickpockets and the like to look elsewhere for a mark.
Be decisive. A hesitant person looks vulnerable. Be decisive in your actions and you will look confident. This may require a bit of research and map memorizing so that you know exactly where you’re going, but it is worth it.
Look alert. You’re safest when you have all of your senses working for you. You know it and so do others. Don’t wear earbuds so that you can’t hear what’s going on. Don’t be distracted by your mobile phone or reading a map on the street so that you don’t see what’s happening around you.
Make a statement as a statement. When you make a statement don’t let your voice rise at the end as though it is actually a question. This suggests that you are uncertain of yourself and are looking for confirmation from the person you’re speaking with. If you have a question to ask, that’s fine. If you have something to say, say it with confidence.
Make eye contact. If you’re speaking with someone, make eye contact so that they know you are a strong person. In more general situations eye contact is not necessary but don’t hide your eyes either.
Stand strong. When standing still, stand with your feet apart (as much as 12 inches) and your weight evenly distributed. If you’re speaking with someone face them directly to look confident.
Take up space. Sit back in a chair and use the armrests if they’re there. Resist the urge to fold your arms under your armpits or fidget with your hands. Put your hands on your hips or use them to emphasize a point as you speak. Lean against a wall but don’t slouch against it. This way you look like you own the room. This is all called power posing.
Act natural. This is likely the most difficult point of all. Do all of the above as though it is absolutely natural to you.

Watch this TED Talk on how you can use body language to affect how confident you feel. You’ll learn that “tiny tweaks can lead to big changes.”

Last updated: 15th May, 2017

dryadka

Looking for advice, as a young woman who still doesn’t have much experience travelling solo: What do you do if local men try to pick you up and don’t take “no” for an answer? When I was in France, there were men who approached me, started making small talk, them invited me to dinner and pressed even when I clearly said no or even when I pretended that I will be meeting with friends or boyfriend in a while…Some just followed me around and continued to talk about the dinner. And even if I didn’t feel in danger, it was a highly uncomfortable situation. Once I had to flee in a museum with paid access before I was left alone. I don’t want to just start ignoring people trying to talk to me because lot of them were just genuinely being nice and nothing more. Any advice about what helps in this kind of situations from those with more experience? I would be grateful…
Janice Waugh

Wow! Hammers! That’s crazy.
Yes be aware of your surroundings.
Eden Valley Bakers

In London now, they are having trouble with moped gangs that are hitting people with hammers then stealing things, and riding away.

Police are also warning people to not have phones out looking at them while they are walking as you are a perfect target for thieves to drive by and steal your phone.

Just be aware of your surroundings and who is, possibly, bumping into you.
Cecilia

Great idea!
Cecilia

Yes I also study maps beforehand. But even when I’m lost, I still act as though I know where I am going, until I find a safe spot to study the map. For example in Bogotá or Lima I would sneakily check for street signs, then later step inside a juice shop or whatever and study my map there. Not outside on the corner of a street.
Cecilia

In very touristy places in Indonesia (for example Kuta, Bali) you needed a mix of behaviors to avoid the many hawkers. The main thing was a very unnatural one to me: AVOID eye contact and not anser any of their questions… completely ignore them. As soon as you made eye contact with a hawker, however fleeting, or if you said “no thank you” (in English or Bahasa Indonesia), he/she would follow you around trying to sell something, sometimes up to 15 minutes through the whole town. It felt very rude to ignore people like that but it was the only way to avoid those clingons.
What also helped was to walk with confidence (“I already know your tricks, and where I’m going”), and to have a tan! (At least I think they did know to prey on the very pale tourists mostly; those were most likely to be just off the plane and very naive.)
Barbara

I rely heavily on my ears when I’m in a suspect place. I listen to everything around me.
Tore Haaland

Actually-if you want a shady guy-look among those in the taxibusiness-be it taxis, tuktuks, rickshaws or whatever type in use in the area. That business is heftilly overrepresented when it comes to scammers, cons and even criminals. After a lot of independent travel (a 19 month trip in south america, a current 18 months and counting in Asia an a lot of shorter trips, i would say-be polite-but assume they are out to rip you off one way or another-until they have proven othervise.
Lois O.

Oh my….that would certainly hurt to have your head STUCK behind a camera. If one tends to do that then perhaps one should not try to travel solo!!!
Lois O.

My pleasure!
gstrick99

About not looking at a map on the street – Unfortunately, It seems to be universal to be looking at phones everywhere, so using it to find your way around might be less obvious. Of course we shouldn’t get so involved in it we are oblivious to our surroundings as many do. I like to download a city specific map that shows offline. I’m leaving for Barcelona in a few days and having been there, I know it’s easy to get lost, especially in the El Born/El Gotic areas I like. I’ve downloaded the Ulmon city guide and marked the hotel and the places I want to see. Also have the metro map that will route destinations for me. I’ll do that in my hotel with wifi and save when I go out. You can explore apps to find the one that suits you for where you are headed and especially find maps you can mark and save to use offline. Just hold on to that phone tightly, especially in high pickpocketing areas.
Janice Waugh

Great tip about the camera. Thanks!
Lois O.

As I am often photographing…..if I feel the least bit odd…I will aim my camera in their direction…..not exactly at them….but …well….they now know….I see them….and I am not a victim. I have actually taken pictures of licence plates if I feel unwanted eyes.
Being a woman….I am careful about my surroundings. I will often put my back to a wall and have a good look around. If I am in a very touristy area….I make sure everything is secure and close to my body…not in an unnatural way. When I want to get from one part of a plaza, let’s say….to the opposite side….I walk like I am NOT dazed or confused! I carry with me the best defense of all…FOCUS.
Maybe they still know I am a foreigner…but….not a naïve one.
I also try to dress as closely to the style of the locals…..blending in gives me a step up on being noticed or targeted. … ….
funkyboots

Rip up ypur guide book! But constructively! We always look different if we are not local, especially when wearing travel clothes and with a pack on… but nothing screams ‘TARGET’ as much as taking off daypack, digging out guide book and standing in the middle lf the street, looking for the relevant pages,,, read up before you leave your accommodation, then tear out the couple of pages you need and stick them in your pocket… Much easier to have a sneaky peak, then, and without the book you may not need anything as big as a daypack, either. I agree with the comments re eye contact in some parts of Asia… I do make eye contact in India but only with women. And for me the easiest way to avoid unwanted male attention is to dress very conservatively … yes, I look like a sack of spuds but I get v little hassle, while I see naive young Western girls in shorts and skimpy tops getting way more attention than they want. On my first 3 month trip to N. India I styled myself on ‘the Victorian Lady Traveller’ … not a look I would go for in many places, but it worked wonders in terms of how I was perceived by local men! Added to the dress style was an imperious look and tone when required, and that deflected any unwanted attention I did get – it felt like a horribly colonial attitude but it did the trick!
Gillian Frances

I just read old posts and realise this has been written before…sorry for the repetition.
Gillian Frances

Just one small addition. I try to avoid standing looking lost looking at a map, particularly in more risky areas. Yes, it can prompt kind people to come and help, but it also attracts the scammers and hustlers. Hide behind a bush before you open your map (-;
Carola

Agree very much that confidence most of the time works but again eye contact is a culturally very different behavior in many Asian cultures and sometimes as Lena states less is more. I have also found that at times a certain amount of “shaming” works to ward off undesired advances. Once asked a Tunisian cab driver who was becoming a little too forward how he would feel if some man talked like this to his mom or sister…. ended the advance immediately. In Japan, with which I am very familiar (I speak Japanese) as a young woman had many annoying encounters and there pretty straight aggression in response was fine as there isn’t much danger of physical counter aggression. Not something I would recommend other places unless you are pretty familiar with that culture.
Suzanna

Terrific post! I find myself doing all those things when I travel and to a lesser degree here at home. I live in a safe city (Boulder, CO) but I still don’t want attention that I don’t invite. In addition to your suggestions, If I do feel uncomfortable about someone, or if I’m walking in an area while traveling that I’m unsure of, I not only make make my shoulders wider but actually adopt the look bodybuilders use, with their arms slightly away from my body, as if I have too much muscle to have them hang straight down. I think it’s a more forbidding appearance. Seems to work for me.
Megan

Fantastic advice. I’m a woman from Chicago, and it wasn’t until I lived in Montreal (a considerably safer place) that I realized that I pretty much walk like this naturally. Taken out of my natural, sadly violent habitat, I actually got comments from people asking why I was so paranoid (clutching my bag to my body, walking tall and with purpose are all natral to me now). People are much more relaxed there, because they can be. But I can tell you first hand, just looking like confident and aware significantly reduces unwanted attention.
Sarroj Sulman

i think mostly you are right , the only points i,d like to say here 2

1- you don,t need to make eye contact with everyone that could be misunderstood in some places ..
2- don,t try to engaged talk with ppl you are actually don,t need them i mean don,t be nosy and you,ll be ok
Janice Waugh

I agree. A color that blends in is better than one that stands out. Color confidence at work is different that color confidence on the road.

Thanks for contributing,
janice
Janice Waugh

Good point. I so agree. It was just a pic of someone looking confident but not right for travel in many countries.
Steven Verdekel

May I suggest, at least to those of us travelling in the “Third World”, or the vast majority of countries not in North America/western Europe? Ditch the sport coat! You’re on your own with the skinny jeans, but I don’t recommend those neither.
Carlo

This made me do a google search on ‘colours that exude confidence’ (for clothing). Plenty of results so might be worth a look. For example: http://insego.com/what-colors-make-women-look-more-confident/

On the other hand, some of these colours seem to be ones that standout more so perhaps they’d attract more (unwanted) attention.

I guess one other colour to consider is what colour the locals like to wear though this is not for confidence but more for blending in.
katieB21

its interesting because having lived in Kolkata this Summer i can totally relate to Lena’s post. I am a confident young woman and I felt brave (or quite possibly stupid) enough to make eye contact, hold my head high, and brush off unwanted male attention with the wave of a hand or a “acha” hissing noise. This however usually drew more attention and more and more often i realized a discreet demeanor works better. Depends on the situation really. Luckily on the metro and buses there is usually a designated area for women and if you push hard enough you should make your way to to it and be able to stand among the Indian women.
Paperclips_ca

I knew most of them, but didn’t think about #8
good to have a refresher though
solotraveler

Thanks Azmi. Hopefully, interacting with people will work better for you in the future. It’s one of the best parts of solo travel in my opinion. I’m going to post another link on the Solo Travel Society about blending in. Maybe it will help too.
TheTravelApprentice

Not sure swinging your arms is a natural way to walk but walk with a purpose… If you’re lost, step aside and lean on a wall to check the map, then continue with your head up. Standing around with an open map in your hand looks really bad depending on where you are. And don’t wear a backpack on the front, it looks like you’re protecting valuables and you’re obviously a tourist as locals don’t wear backpacks on their front.
Kevin S Hawley

Sounds like just walk like “Fonzy” and everythings cool. 🙂
Azmi

Hi. I’m a 24-year old man wanting to share my own experiences.

Unlike Ciki/Agentcikay, I seldom smile or interact with people around me. This can easily counteract against my efforts to stay safe. Being somebody who looks naturally ‘naive’ and ‘inviting’ (as my friends so aptly describe me), I always find random people stopping me and chatting me up on the streets no matter how ‘firm’ and repelling’ I try to look. Because of this and combined with my trusting (read: foolish) nature, I’ve been pick-pocketed and conned out of my money way too many times in the past. I looked – or rather made myself look – like a potential target.

Since the last 3 years or so, I’ve been applying ‘constant vigilance’ when travelling outside alone. Being aware of my surroundings has served me well and given me a strong sense of security. I always try to NOT stand out as much as possible; this includes gravitating towards random crowds and blending in like a shadow (but not interacting with them), ghosting past people in the most unobtrusive way, and not lingering about aimlessly on the streets. I also tend to look around me a lot and scan everything that looms in my direction from a distance. Although it may seem like a scary paranoia, I do these things almost naturally, so I hardly feel like I over-do them at the expense of enjoying my solo trips.
Betty George

If you think that you are being followed pretend to window shop but look at the reflection in the glass as to who is around you.
Samui Boy

I’ve found that not being distracted, as you noted, is an important part of feeling comfortable where you are and projecting an air of comfort. Also if you are concerned about being perceived as a target you should be cautious to not spend too much time with your head stuck behind the camera.
solotraveler

Now that’s interesting. Are you better protected with what North Americans would consider an unconfident demeanor?
Lena Kozlova

These are generally great pieces of advice. I have found only one drawback about looking confident in Asia – if you are a solo FEMALE traveler, confidence (so totally unfair!) puts you in the same line with, well, hookers. Because for the most part Asian women do not look confident, avoid eye-contact, don’t hold their heads up, etc. So several times my confident disposition has gotten me into trouble.
Maria Staal

Great post. It’s so important to look confident, specially as a woman solo traveller.
When I am exploring a strange town, I always make sure I have studied the map before I leave my room. That way I know where to go, without having to hold and study the map in public. Makes it look as if I know where I am going, even though this is often not the case. Only if I really don’t know where I am anymore, I will take the map out of my daypack for a quick peek.
admin

Great thoughts on the value of being friendly – looking like you see people and they see/know you. I remember getting in the cab outside a club in Jackson, Mississippi and the doorman helped me in and then looked very intently at the drive and said: “you take good care of my friend, ya hear”. He was actually saying: “I see you. I know who has her.” This made me feel very safe.
Ciki / Agentcikay

I occasionally, nod and smile to people in on coming traffic. It’s to show that I am open and friendly, yet I ‘see’ and will recognize the person- that means i will be able to identify you if something happens to me. Also, if I am being observed, people will think, hey, that girl knows someone nearby because she nodded at him/her. This might make them less likely to think I am helpless and alone. Yea, but I totally agree on what you said about being alert. that’s half the battle won. (Same goes for deterring snatch thieves – it can be pretty rampant in certain areas in my country) Thanks for sharing!
OneQT

Wonderful advice! As I mentioned before, I see too many people walking around with earbuds… If you are traveling solo, how are you supposed to hear an oncoming car, assailant, etc? Always protect yourself!

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How to Look Confident When You’re Not