10 Free Resources Solo Female Travelers will LOVE

Planning a trip on your own can be overwhelming, especially if it’s the first time you’re going it solo.

The good news is you don’t even know yet how much you have to look forward to! The gifts of solo travel are abundant, and there are many ways to make it all easier so that you can receive them. The following are some awesome free resources to help make solo female traveling easier and more enjoyable. Some of these I created, and some are apps and free playlists for you to enjoy:

1. For Your Ears:

Sometimes on long bus rides, train journeys, and flights you just want to look out the window with a bomb soundtrack to narrate your experience, am I right? It’s one of my favorite things when I’m traveling and I love how hearing some of those songs again now brings me right back to the time and place when I initially had them on repeat.

A few girls have commented on my Instagram videos asking for a playlist for some of the best music to listen to while traveling, so I compiled nearly 5 hours of my favorites on the She Travels Solo playlist. They are empowering, beautiful, sexy, and eclectic.

Spotify is free to use although there is a paid version that eliminates ads and allows you to access the playlist abroad.

2. For Meeting Other Solo Female Travelers:

Throughout the years I’ve been asked so many times if I knew of an app or a website where solo female travelers could meet and plan trips with each other. I never had a good answer. Then I was like, wait, we have the community right here! We just need a platform for women to talk to each other. Hence, the BMTM Solo Female Traveler Connect Facebook group was born!

It’s been such a supportive and vibrant community with women from all over the world, like seriously all over the world, speaking with and supporting each other and making plans to meet up. It’s growing like crazy in the short time that it’s been around so if you identify as female and want to be part of it, click here to join!

3. For Your Health:

Exercise routines can be so hard to keep up on the road! I know this all too well. For this I really love finding Pilates and other dynamic exercise videos that allow me to do a workout without any equipment, just using my own bodyweight as resistance. These workouts are still super tough and can help you stay fit while you travel. All you need is the space that a yoga mat takes up, and ideally a yoga mat to use.

My favorites are Blogilates, MadFit, Yoga with Adreine, and Popsugar Fitness.

4. For Packing Peace of Mind:

Packing can be the most confusing but also the most fun part of planning for a trip. I love going through my closet and finding things that I had totally forgotten about and then imagining how I might work it into some of my experiences abroad. I also have found it to be a source of a lot of stress and worry over the years when I have no idea what I’m getting into.

So because I know what it’s like, I made THE end all, be all packing list for everywhere in the world, covering different continents, climate, and modesty considerations as well. You can access it here.

For more info on modesty requirements with user-submitted comments, check out the somewhat dated but still good Journeywoman.

5. For Staying Found:

Google Maps + Maps.me is a killer combo I only recently found out about thanks to one of the comments on my post about 13 things I always do when I land in a new country. You can download both maps offline and then import the Google Maps into Maps.me for a double accurate offline map.

I don’t know why, but despite all of the years of traveling my internal compass is still completely wonky. Seriously I get lost even trying to come home to the apartment I’ve lived in for years. This could potentially lead to calamity abroad so I download Google Maps and Maps.me so that I can have offline maps at my disposal. I’m basically never without some kind of GPS to guide my way. These apps are both free and while Google maps is sometimes more accurate than Maps.me, Maps.me has a lot more landmarks and trail information if you’re hiking, so I like to combine both.

Obviously, do this while you still have reliable internet. You’ll also need ample space on your phone which, if you’re like me, is a constant battle!

6. For Free Flights:

I know that costs are one of the biggest reasons why traveling isn’t a bigger part of many women’s plans. However there ARE loopholes. Ever since I discovered travel hacking everything changed for me.

I’ve only bought one international flight over the last two years because I’ve relied solely on mileage and credit card bonus points. If you have clean credit, are a responsible spender, and especially if you live in the US, you can do this too! You can read more about how to travel hack here.

7. For Easier Planning:

Speaking of making affording trips easier, we should talk about which countries in the world are cheaper to visit than others. How can you plan a trip that incorporates all of the things you want to see without spending a bunch of time planning?

Start by looking at this post with the cost to travel everywhere in the world.

Followed by itineraries for most of the places covered on this blog. If you don’t see the right itinerary for you, check out the destinations page for a travel guide on every country I’ve ever visited.

8. For Amazing Travel Selfies (That Don’t Look Like Selfies):

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Photography is such a big part of the travel experience. For many women on the road, but especially for solo female travelers, how can you make sure that you come back with amazing photos of yourself? How can you make sure that they’re not all terrible ones that strangers took where half of your leg is cut off?

I’ve written a few blog posts on the topic to help you set up your camera for selfie mastery.

9. For Calmness:

Whether you meditate regularly or just want a way to check out and connect a bit more with yourself, meditation can be a nice way to connect more with your present moment and enjoy your experiences, as well as alleviating some stress. The following are a few apps I like with both free and paid versions:

• Headspace
• Insight Timer

10. For Something Entertaining:

Finally, podcasts are an awesome way to pass the time when in transit. Maybe sometimes you will have met someone interesting to talk to but for the times when that’s not the case, a podcast can feel like a nice conversation partner. Here are some travel-related ones recommended by me and also women in the Facebook group:

• The Thoughtful Travel
• Travelogue by Condē Nast Traveler
• Women Who Travel by Condē Nast Traveler
• The Budget Minded Traveler
• She Explores
• Women on the Road

I hope these resources help to make traveling more comfortable and easy for you! For more on solo female travel check out the resource page devoted entirely to solo female travelers.

If you have anything to add, let us know in the comments below!