We ask Jennifer Hopps, the Marketing Manager for Red Dot Tours who moved to Sri Lanka from the UK in 2016.
There has been much excitement in Sri Lanka about being ranked by TimeOut as the safest country in the world for women travelling alone.
Is Sri Lanka generally safe for female travellers? YES.
Sri Lanka, by and large, is rightly known to be a comparatively safe tourist destination. Overall, it is easy-going, happy and helpful. The country wins accolade after accolade as a prime tourist destination.
But just steady on a moment. It’s not the time to get complacent. It’s time for a reality check. Is Sri Lanka really one of the best places to travel solo as a female?
Frankly the TimeOut award that everybody is celebrating was a dud. Based on no research whatsoever, not a fact in sight. Just another easy-read listicle with no specific information and essentially entirely worthless. Irresponsible even.
It is good to celebrate any sense of female empowerment, to assert the absolute right of a solo women to travel alone in safety. It has many benefits: a sense of freedom and independence, the chance for self-discovery, and a boost to your confidence and self-worth.
And Sri Lanka is an easily manageable place for the solo traveller – a country of infinite variety, but not exhaustingly so, and with a proven set-up for tourists.
However, as a woman with experience of solo travel, I would warn that it is always sensible for the next generation to take precautions, even in a country as friendly as Sri Lanka. Not to dissuade women from grasping the chance to do what they want when they want, but to help ensure their safety as they explore cultures that can occasionally feel less liberated.
Casual lists like that offered by TimeOut do a disservice to single women travelling alone: for their safety, they deserve better. And, at a time of global culture wars, they also do a disservice to those in Sri Lanka who are fighting to promote a more modern culture.
With that in mind, I asked the group of battle-hardened single women at Red Dot to come up with some real advice for those planning solo female travel in Sri Lanka. They were passionate about the subject. These are a few tips we came up with:
14 tips for solo female travel in Sri Lanka
1. Keep people informed
Your independence is to be cherished and you might prefer to make spontaneous decisions rather than plan every second of your day. But you are precious and you deserve someone to cover your back. Share your phone number and location with somebody reliable and tell them your plans.
2. Respect the culture
This blog refuses to subscribe to the view that women dressing inappropriately or provocatively invite their own problems. And Sri Lanka can be HOT so who want to wear very much? But outside tourist areas, Sri Lanka remains a conservative country and it’s disrespectful to bare too much skin. Keep swimwear for the beach and get the balance right elsewhere with long, loose clothing.
3. Beware the sleazebag
By and large, female travellers are treated protectively and with respect in Sri Lanka, and the Sri Lankan Smile is renowned. Sri Lankans love hearing that you are enjoying the country. Nevertheless, you might occasionally experience sleazebag behaviour such as strange clucking and kissing noises, inappropriate propositioning and sexual innuendo and name calling.
4. Take special care at night
Dangers increase after dark all over the world. At the end of the night, try not to travel home alone. If you must, ask a friend to monitor your journey back to your accommodation and arrange to ring them when you return.
5. Find a driver you trust
If you find a tuk-tuk or taxi driver you feel particular comfortable with, get their number and use them regularly. Or even better ask friends you meet if they can recommend anyone they know. Suspect any random suggestions to take you somewhere not in your plans. If you are unhappy with your driver, get out somewhere safe.
Apps like PickMe (local sims only) or Uber (international) give you instant access to licenced vehicles in Colombo and other major cities such as Kandy.
6. Be wary on public transport
Crowded public transport offers opportunities for inappropriate touching. Be assertive. The highway coaches are strictly seated travel only and are therefore preferred by many women over chaotic train carriages and local buses. And, if your budget stretches to it, consider hiring a car and driver from Red Dot Tours which will allow you to see so much more of the country.
7. Learn useful phrases
“Ehata Yanna” – please go away. You can have that one on us. A little Sinhala now and then communicates that you are in control and cannot be conned.
8. Choose accommodation wisely
Obviously, accommodation depends on your budget. But many women travelling alone prefer hotels and guesthouses to AirBnb because of the staff support. And in smaller guest houses, the support of the owners can be as important as the look of the place itself.
9. Deal with the staring
There is a lot of staring in Sri Lankan culture. It is probably not as marked as in India, but if you are a single woman travelling alone, that staring can be unsettling. It is often merely innocent interest, occasionally it feels more intrusive. Set your own boundaries and avoid making eye contact.
10. The boyfriend question
Like it or not, and we don’t, if you travel alone as a woman in Sri Lanka, eventually someone will ask you where your boyfriend is. It might be just social chit-chat or an attempted pick-up line, so be prepared to deal with it. You could even consider wearing a fake wedding or engagement ring.
11. Consider alarms
Vigilance on holiday is sensible. If you feel you need to take precautions, don’t be guilty about it, just do it. Personal alarms, door stop alarms, pepper sprays. Whatever takes your fancy.
12. Get social
Research social groups, especially those designed for women travelling alone. It is good to get feedback from like-minded people. And no matter how solitary you are, meeting new friends while travelling can be a joy.
13. Don’t share too much
You can learn so much from local people or other holidaymakers. But why did you tell that complete stranger where you are staying? Trust your instincts.
14. Consider travel company support
Solo travellers are not all youthful backpackers on a tight budget. If you can afford a more upmarket holiday, consider a travel company that understands the special requirements of a woman travelling alone and that will choose your driver and accommodation wisely. With more than 20 years’ experience, Red Dot is a company you can trust.
Remember, as I said right at the beginning, Sri Lanka is a great tourist destination. Don’t let our advice spook you. And don’t let one uncomfortable experience ruin hundreds of good ones. I have lived here happily for years.
