Traveling on your own can be a very rewarding experience, but women have to take many things into account when traveling on their own. Luckily there are apps available to help travelers navigate unfamiliar destinations and stay safe. In this guide, we’ll share with you some of our favorite travel apps for women traveling alone.
See our list of the best credit card bonuses and top flight deals here on HMB!
Don’t know where to solo travel to? Check out our list of the best destinations for women traveling alone.
Navigation & Transportation
Citymapper is a navigation app that provides transit maps, line status, real-time departure timings on public transport and real-time disruption alerts. It covers most major cities in the United States, Europe, Asia and Australia.
You’ll want a rideshare app no matter where you are in the world, especially if it’s late at night. Do some research and see which app is safe and popular in your destination. In the United States and Europe, go with Lyft or Uber. Grab is popular in the Asian market. Those in Spain and Latin America often use Cabify. Bolt is well-loved in France, Australia and some African countries. And Careem is the go-to choice in Turkey and the Middle East.
All are available on iOS and Android.
Safety
Smart Traveler is an app by the U.S. Department of State which offers tips and information for American travelers. It lists visa and vaccine information, as well as travel advisories. When you register your trip on the app, your information gets relayed to local embassies and consulates in your destination country. In the event of disaster or crisis, the local embassy will be able to contact you.
TripWhistle Global SOS connects you to local emergency police, fire and ambulance numbers anywhere in the world with the tap of a button. It provides your location to emergency responders while notifying your loved ones of your whereabouts.
Noonlight triggers a call to emergency services and sends help to your exact location when you hold and release the main button. If you activate the service by accident, you have 10 seconds to enter your PIN to cancel the alarm. Noonlight can connect to your Lyft, Uber and Tinder apps. Note: Only available in the United States.
Other
Tourlina safely and easily connects solo female travelers with other women. It works like a dating app, matching you with other women who have similar interests, destinations and traveling time. After entering your destination and travel dates, swipe left (no) or right (yes) on profiles. If you match, you can message each other and plan your trip together.
CalConvert is a calculator, currency and unit converter. It features basic calculator operations, mathematical functions, scientific functions, and over 600 units and 150+ currencies to convert.
Available on iOS.
You’ll have plenty of time to read when you’re traveling solo. That’s where Kindle comes into play. Access all of your purchased books and sync them to where you left off on other devices.
Finding the nearest public toilet is a breeze with SitOrSquat from Charmin. The listings even come with ratings: green for clean and red for dirty. You also have the opportunity to rate and share your bathroom experience with others.
Credit Cards To Bring With You
It is important to have a good credit card on hand when traveling alone. In addition you may need to access money and not just cash that can be lost or stolen. Look for perks such as emergency medical and dental benefits, travel insurance, purchase protection, and others. Here are some cards we suggest you take with you on your solo trip.
You may also want to take a look at our more comprehensive list of the best credit card bonuses here.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve is the best overall travel credit card and the best card for travel credits. The female solo traveler will benefit from excellent travel protections and generous earning structures.
 The Chase Sapphire Reserve offers 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase TravelSM. You'll earn • 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. • 3x points on other travel and dining • 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Travel. This card does carry a $550 annual fee and there are no foreign transaction fees. However, you're able to earn a $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year & up to $120 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre?®. Member FDIC |
The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is a fan favorite no-foreign-transaction-fee card with a big welcome bonus. The card rewards you with Ultimate Rewards points, one of the most valuable rewards currencies in existence.
Consider transferring your rewards points to one of Chase’s airline or hotel partners for maximum value. To find out more about this card, keep on reading.
 The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers 100,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. You'll earn: • 5x on travel purchased through Chase TravelSM • 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries • 2x on all other travel purchases • 1x on all other purchases • $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit • Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2027. Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase TravelSM This card carries a $95 annual fee. |
The Platinum Card from American Express is the best travel credit card with luxury perks. While its hefty annual fee may turn off some solo travelers, you will find it makes up for it with tremendous benefits.
 The Platinum Card® from American Express offers 125,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. You'll earn: • 5X Membership Rewards Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year. • 5X Membership Rewards Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. • $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts(R) or The Hotel Collection bookings through American Express Travel using your Platinum Card(R). The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay. • $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required. • With American Express Global Lounge Collection you can enjoy access to over 1,400 airport lounges globally, including The Centurion Lounge, Unlimited Delta Sky Club® Access when flying an eligible Delta flight, Escape Lounges, Lufthansa Lounges when flying Lufthansa Group, Plaza Premium, Priority Pass Select Lounges, & Additional Global Lounge Collection Partner Lounges subject to visit limitations. Lounges may have their own rules, like additional access rules and guest fees, and for Priority Pass Select, you need to enroll and there are unlimited airport lounge visits for Card Members. With Delta Sky Club Access, Card Members will receive 10 Visits to the Delta Sky Club to be used from February 1 until January 31 of the next calendar year and can unlock Unlimited Delta Sky Club Access by spending $75,000 in eligible purchases on their Card in a calendar year. To find a lounge, visit the membership section in the American Express App or visit http://www.americanexpress.com/findalounge#/loungefinder. • $155 Walmart+ Credit: Save on eligible delivery fees, shipping, and more with a Walmart+ membership. Use your Platinum Card to pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership and get up to $12.95 plus applicable taxes back on one membership (excluding Plus Ups) each month. • $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card. • $200 Uber Cash: Platinum Card Members can ride or dine in style with $15 in Uber Cash each month, plus a bonus $20 in December after adding their Card to their Uber account. Use your Uber Cash on rides and orders in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction. • $199 CLEAR® Plus Credit: CLEAR Plus helps to get you to your gate faster at 50+ airports nationwide and get up to $199 back per calendar year on your Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Card. CLEARLanes are available at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues. • Receive either a $120 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card. Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost. • Shop Saks with Platinum: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases in Saks Fifth Avenue stores or at saks.com on your Platinum Card. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required. This card comes with a $695 annual fee.¤ (See Rates & Fees), but you cardholders can enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member and Additional Centurion Cards only. Terms Apply. Terms Apply. |
The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card is the best card for international travel. For the solo traveler who is a fan of the Marriott portfolio of hotels, you will gain access to the second-largest hotel chain in the world with over 7,000 properties across 131 countries and territories. The brand’s wide reach means Boundless can help fund your trip no matter where you travel.
 The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card offers 100,000 bonus points plus $150 Statement Credit after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. You'll earn: • Up to 17X total points per $1 spent at over 7,000 hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy • 3X points per $1 on the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases each year on grocery stores, gas stations, and dining. • 2X points for every $1 spent on all other purchase • 1 Elite Night Credit towards Elite Status for every $5,000 you spend. You gain an automatic Silver Elite Status each account anniversary year. Path to Gold Status when you spend $35,000 on purchases each account year. You'll receive 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year & an additional Free Night Award (valued up to 35,000 points) every year after account anniversary. This card does carry a $95 fee; there are no foreign transaction fees. |
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Bottom Line
Hopefully this guide helps you when planning your next solo trip. Remember to pack lightly and wisely while keeping yourself comfortable and safe. For more posts like this, check out our list of credit card bonuses!
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