How to stay safe when traveling solo

Traveling on your own is, in my opinion, one of the best experiences of a lifetime. You can go where you want, see what you want, gain confidence, make new friends and more. However, anytime you are visiting a place that is foreign to you, it's important to take a few safety precautions especially if you're traveling solo.

I've visited a few places without a companion and one of the biggest things I've learned is to always do your best to blend in and not look like a tourist. Nothing says, "I'm not from here, please come and relieve me of my wallet" better than a fanny pack and USA (or in my case, Canada) Rules T-shirt. This, and 9 other helpful safety hints are listed here.

Some of the other hints include keeping a phone and a small amount of cash on you at all times in case you need to make a quick escape from a shady situation, making copies of all important documents -- especially your passport --and keep them separate from the originals (it's not a bad idea to leave copies with someone you trust at home as well) as this will make it easier to replace items that are lost or stolen and always make sure that someone knows your basic itinerary in case you fail to show up somewhere -- at least they'll have an idea of where to look for you.

To see the rest of the tips, visit this page. Do any of you seasoned solo travelers out there have any more advice?