Trust is a major aspect of solo travel, so for those who are nervous about solo travel, not knowing who to trust can be terrifying. So how can you know who to trust when travelling alone through unfamiliar countries? It’s question that can actually prevent people from travelling at all.

Who to Trust When Travelling Alone

There really is no formulae for knowing who to trust, whether this is members of your own family, work colleagues, or even strangers who you meet whilst travelling.

I have just a few tips for helping you to learn and decide who to trust when travelling alone:

• Always follow your gut instinct. Embrace the feelings of suspicions and pessimism so that if you are in an environment where you do not feel safe and secure, allow your intuition to guide you away from it.
• Understand that most con-artists operate in touristic areas and so you should be wary of being approached by strangers, pay attention to the questions they ask, their body language and whether they have friends assisting with their deception.
•  Do not hand over cash randomly. Ask and confirm prices before making an purchases – especially when considering taxis and marketplaces.
• If you are wanting recommendations, ask at your accommodation rather than local touts on the street and check prices in advance.
• Do not follow strangers to unfamiliar places and if you are going off ensure you tell someone where you are.

Ultimately, we would all like to believe that people can be trusted and that the world is safe to explore, but the reality is that the behaviour of others means that we all need to be on our guard, that we need to be observant and cautious. This is not to say that we should be disparaging and ignorant of others but we should definitely learn that each one of us are responsible for deciding who to trust when travelling alone.

Regardless of whether you travel alone or with someone, it is always important to make sure you have sufficient Travel Insurance – single trip and annual multi trip cover is available from Unite Travel Insurance

How do you know who to trust when you are travelling?

Let me know in the comments.