Every day we leave our houses and go about our day without having a second thought about it, right? Actually, for many, not so much. According to many surveys, more than 50% of women and girls claim to feel scared walking alone, with numbers rising to 66% if that walk is done at night. 1 in 5 women never go out by themselves at night.
While avoiding dark areas, or picking clothes that don't call too much attention can make you feel safer. The onus should not be on women and girls. Feeling safe walking, traveling, and commuting should not be a privilege for some.
So in order to help you, we have compiled a few tips to empower you during your walk and help you feel confident when taking that first step out the door.
Tip 1 - Make sure your phone is charged
Having a reliable form of contacting others can act as a second layer of safety. Download a safety app on your phone, so you’ll be able to discreetly alert someone if you feel threatened or see something suspicious.
Tip 2 - Look for areas with a lot of public traffic
Always stay close to areas where foot traffic is high. Having people around you can make it harder for others to see you as vulnerable and decreases the possibility of someone targeting you.
Tip 3 - Map out the route to your destination
Planning your route before leaving can help you not get lost, especially in an unfamiliar area. Making it easier for you to follow our next tip, which is to feel confident wherever you are going.
Tip 4 - Walk confidently with your head held high
When traveling abroad you do not want to look like a tourist. When walking alone you want to look confident, like you know where you are going, and have a handle on the situation.
Tip 5 - Use SafeUP as your walking buddy
Sometimes no matter what we do, bringing our phones with us, walking in high traffic areas, and mapping our destinations doesn't provide us with the confidence we need, and that is ok too.
Have SafeUP downloaded to your phone so you can easily connect to your local guardians. They are equipped with all the tools to help support you in this situation. Guardians can connect with you through a phone call, video, or face to face. Feel free to ask them for whatever of these options makes you feel more comfortable and get to your destination safely anytime, anywhere.