7 Safety Tips for Women While Traveling With Kids

If you are a woman traveling with kids or on her own, it can be difficult to not worry. A volley of what-if questions keeps popping up in your mind one after the other, making you restless. However, it is possible and it has been done before by many others just like you.

Safety is one of the major issues when women are traveling with kids and have to manage everything on their own. To help you ensure a safe and fun trip with your kids, here is a list of safety tips for traveling. These will help ensure that your trip remains a joyful vacation instead of turning into a horrific adventure.

1. Opt for trusted cab services

If you are new to a city and have no idea about the local cabs, your safest bet is to opt for taxi giants like Uber or Lyft. You also get the details of the drivers before they arrive to pick you up.

You can also check if the city has a special Uber for women like service. This will enhance the safety of you and your little ones when traveling alone or late at night.

However, if the taxi giants have not arrived yet, call your hotel’s front desk and ask for recommendations from them. The hotel staff usually knows a reputed cab booking company and can help you out with the same. This tip for women traveling with kids will help you ensure safer travel for you and your kids.

2. Share details with someone you trust

When traveling with kids, it is natural that you are worried about your and your kids’ safety. To keep your mind at ease, share all the travel details with someone you trust. This can include flight details, hotel’s name and contact details, the room number you are staying in, and other such details. You can also keep checking in with this person at decided intervals via texting, emails or calls. This can help assuage your family or friends about your safety and will aid them in finding you in case of a mishap.

When taking a cab while traveling with your kids, you can also share the tracking link or, at least the license plate number. This way, if the cab driver tries to do anything to harm you or your children, your whereabouts can be traced more easily.

3. Don’t get into unlicensed cabs

This is an obvious tip for traveling alone with kids. When you are a traveling woman with kids, try to opt for taxi giants if you need a cab. However, if you have to go for a local taxi, just make sure that the cab has a licensed number plate before getting in.

As I stated in the second point, the license plate and other such details can be shared with someone you trust, like a family or friend. This is very useful in 2 ways: your family will stay updated about your whereabouts and safety, and they can use it to find you in case something goes wrong.

4. Keep valuables handy

Being a woman traveling with kids is not easy. Kids have specific demands and needs, and they cannot adjust to new circumstances as easily as adults can. On top of fulfilling their demands, you also have to take care of them and yourself, and look after the luggage.

But if something goes down and you lose your luggage, it will be difficult to get around anywhere. For this reason, I suggest that you keep a small sling bag or waist pouch that you carry with you at all times. You can keep important documents such as IDs or passports, keys, credit cards, a mobile phone, some cash, first aid kit, and other such necessary items. This will be your survival pack and will come in handy in emergency situations.

5. Don’t leave your kids with strangers

It might look silly to see this safety tip for women traveling with kids here but so many travel mishaps happen because parents trust strangers with their little ones. If you are going for international travel with kids, it becomes more important to keep this safe travel tip in mind.

Make sure that you take your kids with you wherever you go. Even in washrooms, little boys are allowed with their mothers so don’t leave your toddler outside alone. In the case of crowded areas, keep your contact details with your kid at all times. This way, if they get lost, someone can contact you easily.

When taking a cab in a new city or going for a road trip with kids, don’t leave them unattended in the car with the driver. Even if you are just going to the washroom or the ATM, take your kid with you.

6. Trust your instincts

If you feel uncomfortable in a new place when traveling with kids, feel free to leave that place. It could be because you feel that someone is staring at you because you feel that the hotel is not good enough, because the cab driver is behaving weird or because you just don’t trust the general vibes of a particular city. This is definitely relevant when you are a woman doing international travel with kids.

Spending the extra money for you and your kids' safety is an investment that is a necessity rather than a luxury. Feel free to end a cab ride in between, change hotels, or even fly to a different city at a short notice. Do what you need to do to ensure a safe travel experience for you and your little ones.

7. Learn self-defense

When you are a traveling woman with toddlers or infants, you become an easy target. The kids are dependent on you for their safety and you will have to ensure that you are up for the task. You can take self-defense classes to ensure that you will be able to defend yourself when needed.

You can also carry a taser, pepper spray or a whistle for your safety. But if you are on international travel with kids, make sure that you check if it is legal to carry such self-defense weapons or not. If such weapons are not allowed, then you will still be able to use your self-defense training whenever needed.

Do what feels right for you

There is no foolproof way to ensure a 100% flawless trip. However, using your common sense and being alert at all times can help you assure a safer trip with kids. When traveling, it is crucial to do what feels right for you. Ask for help or leave if you are trapped in unwanted or potentially dangerous situations. Do not give out personal details or your hotel’s name to random strangers and make sure that you follow these safety tips for women traveling with kids.

Bon voyage!