Buy your safety/emergency equipment.

There are some basic essentials you should buy before you go on your trip. This is the one area of your packing that I will say to pack it even if you think you won't need it. I would recommend making a little emergency pouch of bandaids, motion sickness pills, Advil, cold medicine, etc. On the topic of medicine, look into malaria pills if you're going somewhere that the disease is prevalent. I personally never took them but I have friends that did. Also, buy a gallon of water from a local convenience store for drinking but also brushing your teeth, and washing your face. (I once met a guy who got a parasite from brushing his teeth with tap water in Siargao.) I also recommend buying a lock because you can use it for your bag and if the hostel you're staying in has a locker (most do). I bought one with a thinner loop because it fits through more lockers and on the zippers on my bag. It's a little easier to cut through if someone really wants to break into your belongings, but using a lock is usually a good enough deterrent for the "if it's there, I'll take it" kind of thief. In response to my question on Instagram, some people responded that they carry pepper spray or a pocket knife with them and I would just say to check the laws of the country you're in before you try to bring these things onto a plane. I also would recommend downloading Uber, Lyft, Grab -whatever rideshare app the region you're going to uses for car rides. In addition, download a safety app specific for ridesharing such as LifeLine Response, RideSafe, SafeTrek or KiteString. I have used SafeTrek before but make sure it works in the area you're traveling in. Last but not least, download maps.me or an offline map on Google Maps so you can find your way home in case you don't have wifi, but hopefully, you'll have bought a sim card, so this shouldn't be an issue!

TLDR: Make an emergency supplies pouch, buy a lock, maybe a knife or pepper spray depending on the legality in the country, and download maps.me or Google maps.

Hide your valuables.

So, most likely, if you're staying in a hostel you're going to be in a room with a bunch of other strangers. It should go without really needing to be said that you should hide your things because they're strangers! This is where the lock I mentioned earlier comes into play. Put your stuff in your locker and lock it every time you leave the room. I often see many travelers just leave their bags and clothes out in the open but I mean, there's a saying "good for them, not for me" for a reason. I also recommend spreading out your valuables, don't keep everything in one place because if you get robbed or lose your bag, well, that's the end of your trip. Try to keep some money on your person and some in your bag in the section closest to you.

Don't be alone.

A big misconception that people have about solo travel is that you're going to be alone all the time. That's not true! If you're solo traveling and staying in a hostel, you will definitely meet other solo travelers. The hostel will most likely have some sort of common area and sometimes even events for the guests, so get out of your comfort zone. Now that you have friends, you don't have to be on your own. I would say as a general rule do not go out by yourself at night, go with friends if you must, but even then, try not to be out past midnight as you're first getting used to a place. If you do decide to explore on your own, do it during the day and in a well-populated area. It may feel counter-intuitive to go to where all the tourists are because -isn't that where the pickpocketers are?- but by doing so, you're lowering your risk of being the only tourist out. If you're out and about and need to check your phone, try to go into a store or cafe or bathroom, just someplace to get off the street so you're not looking like a lost tourist, even if you are.

Study up on street smarts.

No one expects anything bad to happen to them, but things happen anyways and that's why you're reading this article! If you're going someplace that's a metropolitan area, you're going to want to do little things to prepare for sometimes inevitable dangers. First and foremost, work on your "Big City" face. You know the one, the perpetual frown and the "don't talk to me" energy. Headphones help but make sure you're always aware of your surroundings, like one headphone in and the other is out. Always carry a little pocket change in case someone tries to pickpocket you and also keep your hand in one pocket of your jacket or pants, wherever you're carrying your phone or wallet. If someone tries to reach into your pocket, they're just going to end up holding hands with you. If you think someone is following you or staring at you, just confidently stare back, look them in the eye and you can decide to smile or not, just make sure they know you know they're there. The next one is your own judgment call but I would generally say, as a rule, don't help people. It's a 50/50 chance of you getting hurt or in trouble. They're grown, they can figure it out, don't put yourself in danger.

Let someone know where you are.

Always tell someone where you're going. And I cannot stress this enough but, always. It's important to be in the moment and disconnected sometimes, but there's always a way to do it safely. As someone who tries not to use my phone much while traveling other than for pictures, I keep my location on so my family can see where I am, wherever I am in the world. I didn't call them every day, but I would call every couple of days or at least send a picture of where I was. My family actually ended up being the ones to call me, more often than not, but I made sure to at least tell them whenever I was on my way to a new place, whether it be a new city or a new country. Someone replied to my post on Instagram that their sister would text when she would go to bed and when she would wake up so they knew she got to her accommodation safely. It doesn't even have to be your family that you tell. It's also good to tell the front desk staff where you're going and if they have any tips or advice on what to do there.