GirlGI | Girl Gone International Issue 9 | Page 49

1. Don’t get drunk!

It sounds so terribly spoil sportish but
after years of travelling I’ve come to accept that
the times things tend to go wrong is when I’ve
had a few too many. Alcohol interferes with your
instincts, it makes you more likely to take silly
risks, but most significantly, it makes you
vulnerable and a flashing target for unsavoury
characters. If you just can’t help yourself then
keep it to a couple of drinks and stay far, far
away from the shots!

2. Dress like the locals

There’s an argument that to be empowered as
a woman you should be able to dress how you
want and stick two fingers up at those who are
offended by it. Unfortunately, not everyone in the
world is as liberal or as progressive as us
independent ladies and this means it’s best to
cover up. Lone foreign girls always attract
attention no matter what part of the world
they’re in. But wearing low cut tops, short skirts
or hot pants is guaranteed to attract attention of
the more insidious kind. As a general rule, dress
as the locals dress. Not only will this keep you
safer but people are more likely to offer help if
you do run into trouble.