Looking for advice on how to plan a road trip as a solo female traveller? Planning your first solo road trip as a woman alone can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be! Here are ten easy steps to help you plan the perfect road trip:

Why this blog? Hi there, I’m Maddy, an adventure guide & guidebook writer! I’m a full-time car camper, sea kayaker, cabin-dweller, and solo road-tripper dedicated to showing you the most beautiful parts of the American Midwest, a vastly underrated and under-travelled region. This blog is here to serve as a detailed, free resources for adventurers just beginning their journey in the outdoors. Please don’t hesitate to reach out via email with any questions!

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road trip to Washington’s incredible San Juan Islands!

11 Steps to Plan a Perfect Road Trip as a Solo Female Traveler:

A well-planned road trip can reduce stress and set you up for a fun and successful experience! Here are ten easy steps to plan the perfect road trip as a solo female traveler:

Is it safe to road trip solo as a female traveler?

There are risks associated with all solo travel for everyone, and there are steps you can take to mitigate that risk. Personally, I don’t think solo female road trips are truly any more dangerous than any other kind of travel. As with most solo travel for anyone of any gender, the biggest risk in the wilderness is usually spraining your ankle in an area without cell service. That said, I do take additional steps in planning to ensure a smooth and stress-free trip for myself.

One aspect of solo travel is that you’ll likely be taking photos for yourself! If you want to be in your own photos, you’ll need a tripod. For filming videos on my phone of myself, I use this small, adjustable tripod.

1) Research potential destinations

The first step of planning a perfect road trip is picking out a few destinations that interest you. A great way to research destinations for your road trip is to read blog posts, guidebooks, and search on social media. In addition to guidebooks, it can always be a good idea to check places like Alltrails reviews and Google reviews.

Reviews often note road conditions, closure information, and safety information.

2) Chose places to sleep in advance (my number one road trip safety tip for solo female travelers!)

One of the best things you can do to have a safe road trip as a solo female traveler is pick out locations to sleep in advance. Whether this means booking a spot in a crowded campsite, booking a hotel, or marking on a physical map all of the nearby dispersed camping options, picking out where you’ll be sleeping is a smart move.

Here’s why:

Having a map of the places you plan on sleeping can reduce stress while travelling on the road alone. Many popular campsites fill early, and by booking in advance you can minimize your travel time (and camp setup time if camping!) in the dark.

For popular campsites, I usually try and book a spot a least a few weeks in advance, and even farther in advance during peak season. When staying in hotels, you can often be more flexible. For last minute trips, I look for first-come first-serve campsites like some of those in State and National Forest Campgrounds. On these trips, I will usually pick at least three potential spots in case my first option is filled.

3) Plan your route on Google Maps (and download offline maps!)

Did you know it’s possible to mark locations, create your own maps, and download offline maps in Google maps? To make your own Google Maps, make a My Maps account.

Downloading offline maps is one of the most important things any solo road-tripper can do. You never know when you might lose cell service and access to your route. Downloading offline maps can help you stay on track even without cell service.

Personally, I always bring a physical road map on solo road trips and mark important locations and backup routes ahead of time. This way, if I lose cell service or my phone dies I’m not dependent on technology to get where I need to be.

Bonus Tip: Try and always have at least a half tank of gas in your car! You never know when you’ll get lost on a forest service road!

4) Leave your route plan with more than one person

After you’ve made and finalized your route plan, be sure to leave that plan with more than one person you trust! When on a road trip alone as a woman, it’s incredibly important to have people who know where you’re supposed to be and when.

Check in with your route plan keeper whenever you leave or reach a new destination, and let them know when the plan changes. Personally, even when solo hiking near home I always text my partner and let him know where I’m going, and when to expect me back at the latest.

Looking to sleep in your car? Check out this detailed guide to solo car camping!

I also recommend making sure one of the people you leave your route plan with is someone other than your significant other– leave your plan with a parent, sibling, or close female friend in addition to your significant other.

5) Make a Packing List of Road-Trip Essentials

Once you’ve made a route plan, it’s time to think about packing! Your packing list will look differently depending on what type of road trip you plan on taking. Here are a few quick tips to keep in mind when packing for a road trip as a solo female traveller:

• Pack more socks than you think you need! If you plan on hiking on your road trip, socks will go more quickly than you expect.
• Be sure to carry extra food, water, and blankets in your car in case of emergency.
• Hike in hiking pants instead of leggings or shorts! Hiking pants will stay clean longer than leggings, will dry more quickly, and will protect your legs from thorns and falls.
• Consider taking a 2-day Wilderness First Aid Class to help you assess risk and help others outside (Bonus! This course is one of the qualifications for many beginner outdoor guiding jobs)

6) Pack your car strategically

A lot of road trippers spend time thinking of what to pack, but don’t consider how to pack their cars. While you don’t have to build out your car to have a successful solo road trip, there are a few quick things you can do to make your car into a home!

First, use bins to organize your belongings. I like to have a bin of hiking gear and clothes, and a separate bin of camping and kitchen gear near a cooler. Keeping my kitchen and camping gear organized makes it easy to set up camp by myself. Bins also allow me to set up a sleeping space inside my car.

Check out REI’s Pack-Away bins for easy road trip organization!

In general, I prefer to sleep in a tent when road tripping, even as a solo female traveler. Still, tents famously do not have locks on them, and having the option to sleep in your car can add a lot of additional safety in a pinch, be it from weather or people. I always keep my bins and travelling gear on the drivers side of my car, and keep an inflated sleeping pad & sleeping bag ready to go on the passenger side backseat.

From here, I can even climb directly into the drivers seat without exiting the car with relative ease.

Bonus Tip: I always keep one small bag with a headlamp, water, food, spare batteries, and a phone charger accessible and near me. At night, I’ll keep my car keys here and sleep with it near so it is all easy to find even in the dark.

7) Don’t be afraid to connect with other travelers!

Just because you’re traveling solo doesn’t mean you have to be alone! While meeting up with other travelers can be intimating as a solo female road-tripper, it’s a great way to enjoy your trip and make memories that last a lifetime.

Find other travelers on social media sites like Instagram, or post in a local women’s hiking Facebook group to see who you can meet. When possible, opt for public and group met-ups, rather than meeting for the first time at the trailhead.

Bonus Tip: Don’t post your location on social media in real time! Wait until you have already left a location to post that you are there.

check out my gear recommendations list, for all of my favorite gear from 5+ years of guiding & working in the outdoors!

8) Be flexible and take your time

While it’s great to have a detailed plan, the key to a (mostly) stress-free road trip is flexibility. Allow yourself plenty of time to get from destination to destination, and don’t be afraid to change plans if needed. Some of my worst solo travel experiences could have been avoided if I had just changed the plan the first time it felt like plan A wasn’t working.

Being flexible on your road trip can look like…

• Giving yourself plenty of time to travel between destinations
• Being willing to create a new plan
• Keeping a positive attitude in the face or delays or challenges!

9) Have several road trip backup plans

It’s a lot easier to be flexible and change plans in a pinch if you have more than one plan to begin with. Creating backup plans as a solo female traveler can look like…

• Having alternate destination or route options available to you
• Keeping a list of alternate hikes or activities in mind in case your first pick doesn’t work out
• Having bailout plans and options: if you need to end your trip early, that’s okay!
• Having good car insurance, AAA, and a spare tire (and knowing how to change it!)

10) Keep someone back home updated on your whereabouts & carry a Garmin InReach

This might seem obvious, but one of the best things you can do to stay safe on your solo road trip is to keep someone back home regularly updated on your whereabouts. When you leave a campground, let them know. Let them know where you plan to hike on which days, and what you are wearing. Carry a Garmin InReach with you while you hike.

Keep in mind that it is so much more likely that you sprain an ankle in the woods and need help than someone else hurts you. While it’s good to be prepared for every emergency, it’s also important to be prepared for the most likely scenarios.

Coming with a Garmin InReach is a great way to make sure you are prepared to call for help should you fall or become hurt and unable to hike out or otherwise call for help, or even become lost!

The most common cause of hiker deaths is falls, most often in off-trail areas.

11) Pack your own food to cut costs!

Looking for an easy way to save money on your road trip? Grab your YETI Cooler and pack it with food from the grocery store instead of eating out. I also like to pack my Jetboil too cook at camp if I’m solo travelling, rather than a full double burner. I also will sometimes use a smaller, cheap camp stove like this one.

For meals, I’ll carry granola bars and sandwich fixings for lunch, have oatmeal with dried fruit (buy in bulk at costco!) and a banana with nutella, and for dinner I’ll usually eat quinoa bowls with fresh fruit and veggies. To reduce the amount of cooking I’m doing, I’ll often prep quinoa for several days at a time and either heat over the stove or eat cold like a quinoa salad.

12) Trust your Gut

One of the best things you can do to keep yourself safe and enjoy your solo road trip is trust your gut. If you have a bad feeling about something, listen to it. Worst case scenario, you’ve overreacted, and there is nothing wrong with overreacting if it keeps you safe, or even just contributes to your peace of mind.

13) Take a deep breath: Solo Female Travel doesn’t have to be stressful!

While there is a lot you can do to plan a smooth road trip as a solo female traveler, don’t stress too much! Experiencing the world and appreciating your own company is one of the most magical experiences you can have. One of the best reasons to plan your road trip in advance is to reduce stress while actually on the road.

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