Like it or not, women have to take special precautions while traveling alone.
不管你樂不樂意，女生在單獨旅行時必須格外警惕。
After six months of backpacking solo in Africa, I』ve got a few ideas about how we can make the most of solo exploration — and stay safe along the way.
獨自在非洲背包旅行六個月後，我總結了幾條享受旅行的愉悅、並且保證旅行沿途安全的小貼士。
If you’re about to embark on a solo trip or are thinking about traveling alone (Go! Go!), here are nine tips to make your trek the best it can be:
如果你計劃獨自一人開始旅行，或者有這樣的打算，那麼這9條小貼士可以讓你的旅行儘可能完美：
1. Befriend local women.
結交當地女性朋友
Whether you’re in the market, on a bush taxi or sleeping in a hostel, make friends with the women who live there. Women around the globe have a sort of informal pact; we all watch out for each other.
無論你是在當地市場、合乘計程車、還是在旅社中，你都最好能和當地的女生成為朋友。全世界的女生都有一條不成文的規矩：我們都會在路上照料彼此。
Even if you』ve only exchanged a smile with the woman sitting next to you, she』ll go out of her way to protect you if necessary.
即使你只是和坐在你旁邊的女生交換了一個微笑，她也會在你需要的時候挺身而出。
This rule becomes even more important if you feel like you’re in danger; seek out the closest woman and stick to her like glue.
當你在危險之中更是如此;找一個最近的女生，像膠水一樣粘著她吧。
2. Book a bed for the first night.
預定第一晚的住宿
After Day 1, I avoid making reservations whenever possible, to fully enjoy traveling by the seat of my pants. But for your first night, book a place to sleep in advance — preferably before you leave home.
我儘量不去做第一天的活動以外的預定，這樣我就能自己憑感覺去旅行了。不過第一個晚上還是要事先預定好晚上的住處——最好在離家之前就做好預定。
This will give you peace of mind, help you get over the first-day-of-travel jitters, and give you a goal and destination when you arrive in-country.
這樣你心裡就不會有什麼牽掛，不用在旅行第一天有無謂的擔心，另外也能給剛到達的你一個目標。
3. Only bring what you can easily carry.
只帶方便攜帶的物品
It’s always a good idea to keep your backpack light, but this becomes even more important when you’re traveling alone, simply because you don’t have anyone to help you.
讓你的背包輕一點永遠不會錯，一個人旅行時沒有人能幫你，情況就更是如此了。
Traveling light could even be seen as a safety measure, because you can move more quickly away from danger (or pesky men who want to marry you) when you have less to carry.
輕裝上陣甚至可以讓旅行更加安全，讓你迅速逃離危險之地(或是想要娶你的討厭鬼)。
Make sure you have a free hand even when you’re carrying all your luggage, so you can shoo away those men or grab a pineapple for the road.
你需要確保拎著全部行李時還是能空出一隻手來，這樣你就能趕走那些討厭鬼，或者路上帶個菠蘿什麼的。
4. Carry food.
自帶食品
Nothing heavy; granola or crackers will do it. This will keep you from venturing out in the dark by yourself at night when you’re hungry. It will also help you save money! I like to carry a plastic bowl and spoon (more versatile than a fork), plus a Swiss army knife.
不要是太重的食品;麥片或是餅乾就可以了。這樣晚上獨自一人走在路上你就有辦法抵禦飢餓了。這也能幫你省錢!我喜歡隨身帶著碗和勺子(比叉子用途多)，外加一把瑞士軍刀。
In Africa, I often bought a pineapple or cucumber — or even, once in Madagascar, a watermelon — and eat it over several days. (No, I didn’t carry the watermelon; I bought it when I knew I』d be staying in one place for a while.)
在非洲時，我經常會去買菠蘿或是黃瓜，我甚至在馬達加斯加買了個西瓜，這些水果然後吃上好幾天。(好吧，其實我沒有把西瓜帶在路上;我是在知道要在一個地方待上幾天的情況下才買的。)
5. Also carry a book.
帶上一本書
Books are fabulous dinner companions. With a read you can pull out any time, you’re more likely to enjoy your solitude and less likely to feel lonely. Books are also great conversation starters.
書籍是晚餐的最佳搭檔。你可以用閱讀隨意消磨時光，也更容易享受一個人獨處的時光，不太會感到孤獨。書籍同時也是開始交談的好話題。
But don’t fill your backpack with books — they’re heavy and take up valuable space. Instead, carry just one or two, and keep your eye out for opportunities to swap with other travelers.
不過別在背包裡裝滿書——書籍很重，也會佔用背包中寶貴的空間。帶上一兩本就夠了，然後在旅途中注意一下有沒有機會和其他旅行者換書。
Some hostels even have a designated book swap, allowing travelers to take a book and leave a book. And boy does it feel good when you find an awesome read on one of those shelves. (And now there’s the e-book! That should make it easier to carry more than one book at a time — so long as you』ve got a power outlet to recharge.)
有些旅店甚至有圖書交換角，旅行者們可以拿走那裡的一本書，再補上一本自己的書。天，想想在交換角的書架上找到一本好書是件多棒的事情啊。(現在還有電子書了!這樣一次性帶好幾本書出門就方便多了——當然你得要找到充電的插座。)
6. Expect to pay more than couples.
獨自旅行往往花錢更多
Single rooms are usually nearly the cost of a double, which can be incredibly frustrating. It’s what I call the 「single tax.」 In some instances, you’re going to pay more traveling alone than you would with a partner. Know this from the beginning to avoid letting that single tax ruin your travel mojo.
一般單人間的價錢比雙人間便宜不了多少，這點會讓人覺得很不爽。我把多付的這些錢叫做「單人稅」。在某些情況下，獨自旅行比同別人一起旅行花得更多。從一開始你就應該考慮到這一點，不要讓「單人稅」毀了你旅行的心情。
7. Look for roommates.
找個室友
Or someone who can split with you the cost of a car or a guide. Buddying up, whether for accommodation or transportation or any other expenses, will help you reduce the cost of your trip. It may also help you feel safer, and it’s nice to have someone to lean on if you get sick.
或者找個能和你分攤車費或導遊費的人。不管是為了住宿費、交通費、還是其他任何支出，你都可以和別人交個朋友，這樣你在旅行中就可以少花點錢。另外，找個旅伴也能讓你更有安全感，生病的時候有個人照料還是很不錯的。
8. Consider wearing a (fake) wedding ring.
戴只(假)結婚戒指
Don’t wear an expensive ring; it might get stolen. But having a band you can wave in the face of those pesky men is excellent proof that you’re married and unavailable.
不要戴太貴的戒指——太貴的有可能會被偷。不過戴只假結婚戒指，在那些討厭的人面前揮一揮，這樣他們就知道你結婚了，沒法跟你搭訕了。
I didn’t wear a ring during my trip to Africa, solely because I’m too proud of being an independent, single woman — and I ended up regretting it. A ring would have helped me avoid quite a few wannabe suitors.
作為一個獨立的單身女性我感到非常自豪，所以我去非洲的時候沒有戴結婚戒指——不過後來我就後悔了。如果戴著戒指的話，我那時就可以擺脫很多追求者了。
9. Make an effort to be friendly.
儘可能保持友好
Traveling solo is a fabulous time to reflect, but don’t overlook the chance to broaden your social network by reaching out to other travelers, as well as locals.
獨自旅行固然是美妙的回憶，不過也不要小看這個擴大交際面的機會，你可以在旅行中結識其他旅行者，也能結識一些當地人。
Ironically, we tend to meet more people and forge more friendships when traveling alone. That’s because if we don’t make the effort to talk to strangers, we』ll have no one to hang out with but ourselves. It takes a little extra effort to put yourself out there, but opening up those lines of communication is well worth it.
諷刺的是，我們獨自旅行的時候通常會結交更多朋友。這是因為不和陌生人交流的話就只能一個人了。一開始結識陌生人可能要費點功夫，不過和人交流溝通是值得你費功夫的。
（編輯：何瑩瑩）