But solo backpacking trips for girls are often accompanied by various anxieties and worries—fear of encountering bad people, fear of accidents, fear of not knowing how to handle unexpected travel issues, and so on. Some worry is necessary, but as long as you stay clear-headed, stay aware of your surroundings, and master some basic travel essentials, going on a solo “budget trip” can become quite simple.
Gear
Don’t waste money unnecessarily!
Some girls think they need to buy all kinds of gear before a trip—hiking shoes, backpacks, windbreakers, and so on. In reality, most of this “gear” is optional because it’s often not really necessary. If you’re climbing Mount Everest or crossing Hoh Xil, then professional equipment is essential. But for ordinary travel, moving between towns and villages—even very remote ones—as long as you’re not doing extreme sports, you don’t absolutely need to buy that gear. A comfortable pair of travel shoes is enough to handle non-extreme, long-distance travel. It’s not true that the more remote the destination, the more you’ll walk—in fact, in remote areas you tend to walk less because you can’t rely on walking to get to the next place; you mostly use long-distance buses and trains, and small villages and towns aren’t very big, so you can walk to the end quickly. The time spent walking isn’t even as much as when traveling in a big city. A medium to large-sized backpack—if the backpack is too big, just its weight alone will be too much to bear. Carrying such a heavy load on your back while traveling can be pretty depressing. One seasonal jacket, or if you’re going somewhere a bit colder, a lightweight down jacket is sufficient.
Luggage
Don’t try to move your “home” out with you!
Women can be high-maintenance creatures who feel the need to have every item imaginable. So when some girls decide to travel, they often pack an inexplicably huge amount of luggage, thinking they need to bring this and that, afraid something might happen if they don’t. In the end, they find the luggage is impossible to carry or way too heavy. Girls with little travel experience, please don’t overestimate your carrying capacity. One female budget traveler, huh, recalled her budget travel experiences: “When I left, my bag weighed 20 jin (about 10 kg).As I traveled north, I wore more and more clothes, and by the time I reached the far north, most of my clothes were on my body, leaving the bag at around 15 jin (about 7.5 kg). Sounds light, right? But when a slim woman carries a 15-jin bag and hikes all day, it still feels heavy. That weight was within my tolerance, but the heavier it is, the harder it gets. As for those women who think they can just set off with a 20–30 kg backpack, try carrying that bag around for a few hours first and see if you’d still want to take it on a long trip.”
For long-term travelers, the longer you travel, the less luggage you actually need, because over time you’ll realize you don’t need as much stuff. For example, with clothing, just one thick outer layer (like a down jacket) is enough, and you’ll usually wear it most of the time. For similar types of clothing like T-shirts, two are enough—one to wear, one to pack—just make sure you have another to change into after washing. Two pairs of pants are enough—one to wear, one to pack, like jeans plus a lightweight quick-dry pair. Jeans are basically very versatile and can handle many situations. Also, it’s good to carry some essential medications—just one pack of anti-inflammatory pills, one of cold medicine, a small pack of band-aids, and a few packets of anti-diarrheal pills are sufficient. If you get seriously ill, medication alone won’t help—you’ll need to go to a hospital. For female travelers, the key to packing isn’t “what to bring,” but rather repeatedly checking “what you can leave behind”—if you can avoid bringing something, don’t. Don’t think you need to bring everything, or you’ll suffer terribly on the road.
Accommodation
Stay in a single room whenever possible!
For solo travelers, youth hostels are a great choice—not only are they cost-effective, but they also make it easy to meet travel companions, share rides, and there’s usually hot water for showers, and the beds are relatively clean. But if your destination doesn’t have hostels and you can only choose cheap small hotels, then having a sleeping bag liner is especially important. It’s not for warmth, but for cleanliness. The sheets and blankets in some cheap small hotels may not have been washed in ages—the dirt and odor are secondary concerns, but catching some random skin disease would be the real issue. So a sleeping bag liner is a must. If you’re worried about the weight, bring a lightweight one—around 500–600g—and they’re not expensive. You can get one online for around 20–30 RMB. If you’re only staying in international hostels, you can generally skip bringing one, as the bedding there is fairly clean.
Girls need to pay attention to personal safety, especially when staying in non-hostel small hotels. Solo female travelers should stay in single rooms whenever possible and avoid sharing rooms with strangers. When you can’t be certain about the other person’s background, there’s always the risk they might steal your valuables while you’re asleep and disappear—with no one to take responsibility. It’s not about being overly paranoid, but just a friendly reminder: when you sleep, try to block doors and windows with something heavy, like your backpack or a stool.
Money
Don’t carry too much cash in your wallet!
Every trip has a budget, but remember not to keep most of your travel money in cash in your wallet. The simplest method is to carry a bank card with you and withdraw enough money from local banks when needed. For example, if you estimate you won’t need more than 100 RMB the next day, just put 100 RMB in your wallet. For budget travel, the spending pace is relatively slow—one withdrawal can last several days. And if your wallet is lost, stolen, or robbed, you’ll only lose around 100 RMB.
Other bank cards, ID, or extra cash can be hidden close to your body—for example, by sewing a small hidden pocket inside your clothes, just card-sized is enough, so it’s not obvious and can hold important documents. If you’re sharing a room with strangers, secretly store all valuable and important items in this pocket and make sure it’s fastened securely to ensure safety. Of course, using an invisible waist pouch works just as well.
Tips
Tips for Female Travelers
While traveling, women are more vulnerable to harm, so when traveling alone, it’s essential to know how to protect yourself. Here are some self-protection tips for female travelers:
1. Avoid arriving at a new place after dark. If you inevitably arrive late, be sure to book your accommodation for the first night in advance.
2. Wear a ring similar to a wedding ring to avoid frequent harassment from the opposite sex. For unwanted romantic advances, the best response is polite yet firm rejection.
3. When registering, write only your surname, without adding titles like “Ms.,” “Miss,” or “Mrs.”
4. If you need to take an overnight train or boat, choose the upper bunk if not in a hard seat environment.
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