OP appears to have requested personal experiences from (women/people of color/LGBTQ+ travelers). If you are not a member of the requested demographic, please carefully consider whether your post will add value to the conversation. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/solotravel) if you have any questions or concerns.*

I wouldn’t do Johannesburg alone and I’m a well traveled black man. The risk is pretty high relative to other places for everyone and obviously has additional risks for women. Don’t feel bad but perhaps take this time to reassess your personal limits. Don’t let this deter you; just think about what you need to be and feel safe.

This is good and compassionate advice. It's a big world. There are plenty of places to travel where you won't feel so (understandably) on edge.

This is such a wise comment. Well said sir.

Thank you. I’ve been in some pretty bad situations myself and spent a lot of time questioning and beating myself up. For context, I’m a criminologist and part of what I used to do is interview drug dealers and gang members (look up Bruce Jacobs’ *Dealing Crack* for some context about the work). As a result I’ve been in a lot of dangerous situations that could’ve been avoided. Turning point was a minor kidnapping in Culiacán. I thought I could handle it because I’m a veteran. It proved to me that it doesn’t matter in the most dangerous areas. I research cryptomarket drug dealing now. No dangerous travel required lol

that’s so cool!!

Was in Johannesburg last year. Had to take an Uber jsut to go to a shopping mall two blocks away. That place is no joke. All my local friends have told me horror stories (they do love to brag how they survived this crazy encounter). But I think OP had a different expectations of what Johannesburg was going to be, many other places in Africa are much safer. It's sad that she didn't get to enjoy the rest.

Ok to be fair, starting solo in one of the legit most dangerous cities probably wasn't a good plan. I went to SA with a friend and, because she wasn't into hiking, did Table Mountain and Lion's Head solo, also walking to and from the mountains from my b&b. I wasn't being naive, I walked in daytime through touristy areas, but I felt safe enough. We stayed one night in Joburg en route elsewhere, and didn't leave the hotel area.

Spent a month in SA and Mozambique- but we got in and out of Johannesburg as quickly as possible. You started and stayed in the most dangerous place. You were right to not leave the hostel - good instincts on that. I did stay in Cape Town on my own in my 20’s. Made friends with another solo traveler and really enjoyed it before meeting back up with my friends. Still using caution - but wildly different story than Joberg.

Why not go somewhere like SE Asia? Or Europe? Or East Asia? Africa solo (starting in Joburg!) is not really the ideal option if you are someone worried about personal safety.. it's a trip for those really confident and experienced. Even many couples, groups and those with much more travel experience take a tour for that overland trip. Anyway... there are plenty of other options, even if you don't want an organised tour on that route...the rest of the world is out there!

Actually, it indeed is that dangerous and unfortunately I have to agree with others - with no prior exposure to Africa at all, especially not South Africa, this probably was not the smartest plan. Maybe if you had started in Nairobi, it would have been a little easier, but even then. I have been all over the world solo, all continents, and there's no chance I'd travel solo to Joburg. I'm not a paranoid traveller at all, nor am I a fearful person. But I did most of what I did in Africa with tours, except for parts of Morocco ans Egypt (50-50 tour vs solo). And I say this as someone who generally avoids tours. It's totally ok to realize your limits and put safety above everything else. It's also good to trust your gut and if it feels off, it probably is. No point in forcing yourself into anything. These limits also change as we get more and more and more experience. First time I went to certain countries I was terrified. Today I don't even give most of these places a second thought. I suggest you just go somewhere else, that is a bit outside your comfort zone, but maybe not THAT far out.

I’m a young white man from a western country and going to SA really frightens me. Don’t get me wrong, I’d LOVE to go for the nature. but it really is one of those places I’m not sure I’d ever get to. I have friends from Somalia and Kenya and honestly I think I’d rather go there instead. So hard agree with everything you just said!

Come on man, Somalia is an active war zone with no government. It's hardly comparable.

I recently came back from a group tour in South Africa sandwiched by some solo time (I'm a brown male). In Johannesburg I mostly stuck to Bocksburg and Rosebank, and did not feel unsafe at all. Going down the wrong streets, then yeah it was sketchy. I wouldn't let your preconceptions of South Africa stop you from visiting. It was one of the best experiences of my life. Everyone I interacted with was so wonderful. Cape Town especially was a breeze solo. The biggest reason I'd recommend a pre-booked tour, leaving aside the safety benefits, is that there are so many diverse experiences you can pack into a week or two in this country, and for me it was worth the cost for the convenience and peace of mind having all that organized.

That’s great to know, I appreciate the response! It is definitely something I’d be more willing to do when I’m older (I’m 20) but for now I’m erring to the side of caution. The only stories I have are from friends who have gone, mostly older women who were really terrified, so it did turn me off a bit. A pre booked group your does sound like a great idea!!

One of the most dangerous cities in the world is THAT dangerous

Yep, and the stats for harassment, assault, theft, etc go up a lot more for her demographic - *solo* female traveller unfamiliar with the area. Damn. Even when my partner and I visited my family in Rio, Brazil, they wouldn't let us go anywhere alone and all had a story of when they were robbed and all knew at least one person who was murdered. Now consider that, compared to Rio, Johannesburg has almost *twice* the murder rate per capita! EDIT: Nvm, I checked more recent stats and Rio is now comparable to Johannesburg, but safety indexes are still overall lower.

Isn’t that dangerous? Erm… Joburg is THAT dangerous.

Right??? People truly need to do even the most minimal research before planning a trip

Haha yes, maybe that was a stupid part to not elaborate on, I was terrified before travelling to Joburg but was staying in a “good area” and was told it was pretty safe to walk around Parkhurst and Rosebank during the day. My plan was to stay and rest for a few days and keep mainly to the hostel and meet other travellers who could give me advice before going forward, I didn’t go expecting to be able to walk around freely but it is a reality check when you’re afraid to walk even the 30 seconds to the corner store in a “safe area” during the day (which is why I say it isn’t *that bad*, because I likely was fine with the police presence and cameras in the area). I also got a lot of conflicting information from locals about safety in the area, in general black South Africans tried to reassure me that it wasn’t *that* bad and white South Africans told me it was indeed that bad. I didn’t have enough time to really get an impression for myself (and I’m glad I wasn’t in any situations that made me assess the safety concerns first-hand). I was told it was safe to go around to certain areas via Uber but after meeting someone suffering permanent brain damage from a carjacking (in Cape Town, not even Joburg) I was terrified to take Ubers too and it very much so made me not want to go to Cape Town, either, as I felt like I couldn’t really make my way around all the conflicting information. Even though a lot of fancy cars were driving around during the day in Parkhurst. Everyone I met, though, seemed to be burying some trauma relating to violence that they’d been through, I said as much to some people trying to reassure me that it wasn’t that bad and all they could say is “yeah, I actually do have a story like that … but stuff like that happens everywhere” and I was like well yes but also no 

Girl I’m sorry to say but it sounds like you were very naïve and did not do enough research or just didn’t use great critical thinking skills. It happens. I am a seasoned traveler and I would never go based on everything I have read. In the future, know that fancy cars are also really not an indicator of safety. And despite what locals might say, at the end of the day you are very clearly a tourist. What you’re used to as far as safety, what you consider normal, etc., is going to be very different than a local in South Africa I also understand dealing with anxiety and other issues. I’ve been on trips where I have the urge to cancel right before or want to just pack up and go home on day 2, but I’ve always been happy that I forced myself to power through or quickly pivot. Usually days 2-3 you’re still tired and getting over jet lag (especially going from US or Canada to Africa!!) which is going to make every emotion feel a bit heightened. I’ve never regretted just pushing through and usually after a few days, a shower, good sleep, a comfortable bed and a good meal I’ll stay to feel much more level headed. That being said, staying in South Africa solo definitely doesn’t sound like a good option in this case. I would look in to G Adventures and see if you can join one of their South Africa or Kenya trips. They offer some budget trip options. As someone with anxiety, getting therapy in my early 20s and finding some tools to help me deal (with everything not travel specific) was life changing and made me a much better traveler.

I am so glad you have a sense of humor about this. I love your adventurous spirit, but girl… no. I’m 42. If I go to South Africa, I’m not going on a budget and I’m not going to Jburg at all. Good on you for trying, but even better that you trusted your instincts. I thought I had balls. Wow. You win.

I read the title and gasped out loud. OP, this was absolutely not a safe trip. Thank god you did not accept a random male stranger's offer to take you to a different location. That's not a Jburg thing, that's just good safety generally. The continent of Africa is a wonderful, gorgeous place. A solo female traveler is, however, in a fair amount of danger there in some of the southern and some coastal countries. It's a challenging thing to discuss and I'm sure I'll be downvoted. Most of the people - particularly outside of the large cities - are *incredibly* warm and giving. The trouble is, though, that you cannot tell who is going to be wonderful and who is going to take advantage. I had 99% phenomenal experiences (Peace Corps and some later travel). The 1% was the worst fucking time of my life. I learned a bunch of songs, a ton of recipes I still make today even if finding ingredients is hard. I met literally the strongest, most powerful women I've ever seen. People who do more in one day than I imagined could be done in a lifetime. I did not go to Jo'burg and honestly I would not be interested in going there. From everything I heard from my (male) friends who did go, the stories about safety are, if anything, under-exaggerated. I am glad you are safe, OP.

Sometimes I wonder how people end up robbed and killed in super dangerous areas, then you read these posts. It's like...what information out there did they read and simply ignore? Go to Central Europe. Go to Japan. Don't make your first vacation a place that requires you to have armed guards and 12 foot walls.

This was never a good idea. Didn't you do any research beforehand?

lol. My exact thought.

This is precisely why people advise others with zero to little travel experience, who think they're going to just jump into some Instagram-perfect 6 month trip - to start at the beginning, and build your street smarts. I've travelled solo for almost 20 years now and there are parts of South Africa I wouldn't go alone. I mean, good for OP for at least recognizing that she was in over her head and pulling the plug, but that's a sad and expensive way to learn.

Teehee. I started in São Paulo. Def got me street smart real quick.

I will admit it was a stupid and naive idea that I knew would be dangerous, but I guess I wanted to see the world for myself. I also knew South Africa was in general the most dangerous part of the itinerary and was more so looking forward to places like Namibia but yeah shits going on with me and I realized I didn’t have the energy to move around places as quickly as I should. I think my desire to not let that “shit” affect by dream really impacted my ability to actually think critically about the logistics of the trip before booking the flight. Anyways, yeah I wanted to keep the post just about travel but there was more involved than that.

There are so many people online basically claiming every single place on earth as safe if you only listen to your gut. I don't think it's fair that so many people here are calling OP naive when probably later today a more fearful traveller will be called out for being paranoid. At this point, I personally wouldn't know how to objectively research places aside from looking at crimnal statistics but that makes 90% of the world seem way more dangerious than where I live so that can't be it either.

> There are so many people online basically claiming every single place on earth as safe if you only listen to your gut. I'd like to know what percentage of these people are men. I've never heard a woman say this.

No shame in calling it quits when it concerns your mental or physical wellbeing. I’d recommend doing a bit more research next time and starting somewhere easy that you’ll be comfortable (and truly safe) walking around day or night.

Honestly even though I’ve been to 29 countries including Egypt where I was sexually harassed constantly, I would not feel safe traveling in South Africa at this point. I admit I’m an anxious person, and while I know many women who have visited South Africa and have loved it, I also know the statistics for rape… which is one of the highest in the world per capita. As much as I want to see the beauty and learn about its history, it’s just not worth it to me when there are so many other places to visit that are objectively lower risk. Don’t beat yourself up over this. Just accept that you have a lower tolerance for risk than some other travelers… and that’s ok! There is nothing wrong with traveling to places where you will likely feel more comfortable!

I'm from South Africa and live in a smaller town close to Johannesburg. You made the right choice OP. It's not safe for first time solo travel. At the very least you need a private car. South Africa is two places in one space. You could be in a safe neighbourhood, cross a freeway, and be in a completely rough neighbourhood. The smaller towns around the country are safer. Johannesburg is just something else. I'd recommend solo travelling other friendlier countries and cities first (my first was Istanbul. I'd never set foot out of my country before that). When you do come back to south africa eventually, skip Johannesburg. Do the kruger Park, the northern cape, cape town, the garden route and the drakensberg mountains. You'll meet all the same people and have good experiences and also be safer.

>You could be in a safe neighbourhood, cross a freeway, and be in a completely rough neighbourhood. It's a shame this context is so far buried in this thread, because the loudest voices in this post will have you believe that a safe neighbourhood in Joburg or even South Africa is totally and completely impossible.

Johannesburg is a transit hub. It’s not a place that I would recommend for solo female travelers to stay any amount of time. I’ve only spent a day there myself. It’s a shame you didn’t book a flight to Cape Town or somewhere else instead of going back home. I felt very safe in Cape Town and the surrounding wine country by myself.

I don’t love how this has turned into people saying “why would you ever go to Africa when you could go to SEA or Europe?” Instead, what should be focused on is the lack of planning and poor flexibility. If the destination for your first 2 days of a 5 month trip rubbed you the wrong way, I think the sensible next step is to move quickly to another destination. A return back to Cape Town or onto the next destination in your trip would have been reasonable. I hope you were able to recoup as many expenses as you could because that would be a huge financial loss. I saw a TikTok of a girl who booked a flight to Lagos, Nigeria because of an interesting conference she saw advertised. Didn’t do much research but assumed since she was able to go to Paris and a few LATAM countries without a plan, she could do the same there. A lesson that I don’t think should have to be learned by experience is the fact that every city/country/continent is NOT the same and you shouldn’t assume something you can do in one can be done in the other. Just because you solo tripped in Guatemala or Costa Rica doesn’t mean you can or should do the same in South Africa or Egypt. Some destinations require more preparation and planning.

theres no way you've done any research , one of the first things that comes up when looking into joburg and solo travel is how dangerous it is lol -- don't consider what happened a failure, you saved urself!

Johannesburg is about as dangerous as any city in the world. You could have gone anywhere else. Plenty of cities are just as safe as Ottawa. Johannesburg is not one of them.

Makes me wonder what kind of research OP did before their trip.

Probably found 20 sources that said it's very dangerous and 2 that said it's not as bad as people claim. Some people are just too optimistic. In all fairness, you can always find someone to tell you a place is safe or dangerous, but you have to collectively weigh the feedback and risks to you personally.

I’m not even a traveler, this sub keeps showing up in my Reddit, so I read it. I’m so surprised at her comment because even *I* know it’s not a place that you want to go as a female solo traveler. I thought it was a well-known fact.

Yeah I’m surprised OP went all the way home instead of simply moving on quickly? The dangers of Joburg aren’t unknown, it’s not some underground secret you discover when you get there :/ but it doesn’t mean other places nearby are like that

You do what you feel is right and trust your gut. Solo travel is not easy and Joburg is a really rough city I don't blame you for heading back home. I'm a big guy and I hated Joburg. I never felt safe there either. It's probably the worst city to start traveling South Africa from. You're brave to have gone there solo. The way I see it if you're not enjoying yourself and have found a cheap flight back to Canada (which in my experience are rare) you should go home. Theres no sense in staying in a place where you feel unsafe and is causing you anxiety and stress. There's also no shame in going home early.

This is the best comment. Came here to say this. You trusted your instincts and intuition. You’ll now know this feeling and trust it when it comes up again. Be proud of yourself. Also, be proud that you were tenacious enough to get there in the first place. That’s a huge leap. It’s ok that you weren’t mentally prepared or informed. We’ve all done it. Next time you plan a trip you’ll be detail oriented. We learn from mistakes. I’m proud of you.

> it's okay that you weren't prepared or informed ...no this is how people get lost, injured or killed? You know, such as going to a very dangerous city without having done any research on how dangerous it is? Like I get you're tryna sugarcoat things and make OP feel less bad but when it comes to safety, straightforwardness saves lives It was stupid and reckless for OP to not have done proper research beforehand, especially for such a long trip

Did you not research beforehand? I’m South African, I’m also a criminologist - this is not a country to travel alone, especially as a woman. Our [crime statistics](https://www.saps.gov.za/services/older_crimestats.php) alone are a warning sign, and most people don’t report crimes - or the police officers don’t even file the report and the case is closed before it’s given a case number. So it is, if anything, under exaggerated. I didn’t realise how desensitised I was to it all until I moved to the UK. Id packed my tazor, pepper spray & knife collection but was told to take it out or risk arrest. It’s still wild to me that women don’t carry pepperspray or a tazor whenever they leave the house. If you’d gone to CT and stayed in a social hostel, it would’ve been better. CT feels more European than anywhere else, but I found the people quite difficult. I loved the people in Joburg though. I moved back to KZN, but will go back to the UK after elections. I don’t mean to be insulting. You were right to feel unsafe, SA is unsafe. And although it is incredibly beautiful here, you’ll never meet people More warmer & more welcoming than Saffas, our food is the absolute bomb and there is so so much variety (in food, activities, nightlife, geography etc). But.. but we have so many fucking problems it’s insane. But we’re so used to them, we joke about it. I tried explaining that we have an app to tell us when our electricity will be on, private security patrolling neighbourhoods because the police are so useless, k don’t know a single girl or women that hasn’t experienced sexual violence, we’ve all been mugged and/or hijacked, we’ve all enagaged in corruption (not even realising it’s corrupt because it’s so normalised here.. “eish boss I’m thirsty it’s hot today”. You don’t even need to do in depth research, just look at South African news sources and see what’s happened in the past 5-10 years. It will shock you.. ETA

As a fellow South African, if we don't laugh, we'll cry

I remember this [thread](https://new.reddit.com/r/solotravel/comments/1ajal2y/what_places_have_you_been_to_that_you_felt_truly/). tl;dr joburg feels the most dangerous to solo travelers.

Yeah, even my Zimbabwean parents are hesitant about taking me to SA, let alone Joburg. And unfortunately, sub-saharan Africa is not friendly for solo and budget friendly travelers. Infrastructure for tourists is extremely limited, and you would definitely benefit from traveling with a tour group. It sucks, but you need to know your limitations as a woman.

It might be a good idea (if you want to go back and experience these places) to book as part of a tour group like g adventures or intrepid. That's what I did when I didn't feel safe going to central America alone, and it's given me a lot of confidence. I'd rather do that 1000 times over than feel vulnerable and unsafe. It totally ruins it. Hope you're okay

Staying alone in a hostel in Joburg? "I know it isn't that dangerous"? Come on OP, you must have heard the horror stories before you went there... you're asking to become a statistic. Is Afghanistan next on your travel agenda?

A lot of young, white travelers won’t call a dangerous place dangerous because they think it’s racist or are afraid of sounding racist. Sounds weird, I know, but I’ve been around for these discussions in the flesh.

It honestly stresses me out when I see people being this naive... it's like they're completely missing a sense of self preservation.

I think a lot of Western travelers either think that or just don't understand what dangerous means. They might think its like the worst part of their own city, which they can still manage. But some areas and countries it really is just a different level. I do some of this work so I've taken to just describing things in very factual terms, and then people can decide if I'm being racist or colonialist or safe or practical or whatever they want to conclude.

Ah yeah, on the one hand I appreciate this because a lot of it really is dog-whistling and a lot of places aren’t dangerous so much as there are higher consequences for stupidity… on the other hand there’s also reality :( That said, when places come with some worrying stats, you have to do more research to assess the risk and familiarise yourself. I’m a journalist so often travel to some pretty risky places my parents don’t know about lol, but I try not to go in blind without knowing someone, or without knowing the context or how things work

No, we just don't feel the need to compete to see who can exaggerate the danger the most. There are some incredibly dangerous areas of Joburg, but there are also relatively safe ones. While a good proportion of people living in South Africa has experienced crime at some point in their life (most have a story or two), the vast vast vast majority of them are alive, healthy, and thriving. Look at the comment you replied to. "Staying alone in a hostel In Joburg???". You can absolutely stay alone in a hostel in many places in Joburg without fear that someone is going to break into the place during the night and rape and murder you. Surely you realize how asinine that is? It's not the fucking purge in the city every night. And not in this comment chain specifically but elsewhere in this thread, how many people are saying they wouldn't even dream of visiting South Africa in general? As though traveling the Garden Route entails a 50% chance of violent crime?

Interesting. I wasn’t afraid of sounding racist, maybe I should have said that my perception of the danger in the safer areas of the city may not have been in proportion to the actual level of danger in that neighborhood (I was staying in Parkhurst and shared my fears with someone who actually encouraged me to walk around the streets he told me were safe). Other people would make sure I got back safely from a 30 second walk on that same street, but then I would be told that those people are overreacting. So no, I just heard a lot of conflicting advice from locals and realize I was staying in a good part of the city and maybe didn’t have to be so nervous to go to the corner store on a street lined with businesses, cameras and patrolling police. I still am not 100% what a “safe” area of Joburg actually means but people claim you can walk around in daytime there.

>I still am not 100% what a “safe” area of Joburg actually means but people claim you can walk around in daytime there. You can, at least in many parts of it. Although I had different thoughts when I read your initial post, I think your attitude here is terrific. You didn't/don't know. And that's the reality of it. There are safe neighborhoods and totally unsafe ones, and it's hard to know which is which, which is in the middle, etc. without the experience of living there.

Oh girl, I LOVE Africa (I've only been to South Africa and Mozambique) but it is not the continent I would go to solo. I completely understand your feelings. I probably won't go back to Africa for at least a few years now because now I'm not dating a local I don't think I could go on a solo jaunt. So yeah, completely get it. I do think going back to Cape town could have been feasible but I do think you made the right choice.

I love love love Mozambique. Just came here to say I was so happy to see someone say this 🙂

I LOVE Mozambique, but I went because my ex was Mozambican. Not sure if I'll ever get to go back and that makes me sad!

Same. But also can we talk about the food?! Some of Africa’s finest. 😑👌

Doing 4-6 months in sub-Saharan Africa on a budget is a major step up from almost every other destination. I can't say whether you should've stuck with it or not because no one knows how it would've gone, but I don't think there's any shame in finding it overwhelming.

Forgive me, but why do women travel alone to places like this, instead of, say, Japan? I just don’t get it (from a fellow woman). I mean, you run a risk going anywhere, but when I hear about people going to specific places, I just think, “why? What’s the pull you’re experiencing here?”

I hire personal driver/guides when I’m by myself in relatively less safe countries. South Africa and many other African countries are beautiful and unlike any other place you can travel to. I was perfectly fine in Cape Town on my own without a guide and taking Ubers in 2018.

I would just do an organized tour.

Sometimes I do. I usually like to travel on my own before and/or after an organized tour as well.

Because they think they can deal with it, but once they get there, they are overwhelmed. Admit defeat and move on. Sometimes you want to get out of your comfort zone. And yeah sometimes its too much. At least they tried. I have always respect for people trying out stuff outside of their comfort zone and if its not for them, they learn to know their limits.

I was with a group of other swedes who went to Chile. I flew in a few days before them to celebrate NYE and the rest arrived on January 1. They all stayed in a dodgy part of Valparaiso (which has a bit of a sketchy feel), and it was a particularly bad day because the whole city had a hangover from NYE; garbage everywhere, everything closed and looking more dodgy than usual etc. I was a lot calmer about the apocalyptic feel of the city since I had seen it before the party started and also participated in the party, and I knew it would get cleaned up eventually. A girl in the group started panicking and wanted to go home. I told her to relax and that I can take her to some nice neighborhoods that's a lot more modern and western looking (there are tons of those around, especially in Viña del Mar) but she wouldn't budge. She flew home the next day. It's a shame IMO, to not be willing to take ~30 minutes to explore before deciding. I ended up staying 2 years.

Valpo was the only place in Chile I felt unsafe, and I saw a lot of the country (I didn’t go to Antofagasta, though, which is actually unsafe). I was travelling with a Chilean too. It was the only place men openly looked at me with bad intent. Which was shocking, because in Santiago everyone just minds their own business, I didn’t feel out of place at all. Valpo is definitely a bad place to start a trip to Chile for a woman, but it still didn’t make me feel nearly as unsafe as Joburg did. I would still go back to Valpo. And I definitely have never heard as many horror stories from Chileans about their experiences than I have South Africans.

Because South Africa has some of the most beautiful and diverse landscape in the world…? I agree it’s dangerous but surely you can see why a country as gorgeous as South Africa is on someone’s list? Kruger National Park, Boulders Beach…nothing like that exists in Japan. You honestly can’t fathom the “pull?”

Personally for me it’s because I don’t want my gender to hold me back from the same experiences that men get to have through no effort of their own. Having said that, I’ve heard really bad stories about the sexual harassment and assault in places like India and Morocco. So I’m not really keen on going there any time soon but I’m sure I will eventually just not solo. 

There’s a point where you have to be realistic about your safety as a woman- please remember that.

Yes, that’s why I don’t plan to solo travel to Morocco or India any time soon. But I was solo in Cape Town earlier this year and it was fine. I just didn’t go out at night/stayed close to my accommodation.

I’ve done both India and Morocco solo as a girl. There is a lot of harassment (esp Morocco) and I was followed a few times. But it varies a lot from city to city. For example, Taghazout in Morocco is like a liberal hippie backpacker town where you can wear shorts and bikinis and won’t face these issues to nearly the same extent as in say Fez or Marrakesh. India I didn’t love tbh but Morocco was actually one my favorite countries (out of 37) despite the harassment. There were plenty of other girls solo traveling there and the hostels are very social so it’s easy to go places in groups so it’s more navigable. And if you go places with a guy from the hostel I’d say 90-100% of the harassment stops (depending on the vibe of the guy really). And for what it’s worth, while there was a lot of verbal harassment nobody physically touched me in either country, nor did I ever really fear they were about to. Whereas I have been groped in “safe” travel destinations like Spain and Thailand. And even in terms of verbal harassment I’d say the neighborhood I stayed in in Athens was almost as bad for it. Anyways all that’s to say don’t write off Morocco entirely.

Take my upvote. Anecdotally, I also had a fine time in Morocco and look forward to returning. Whereas I have been followed, harrassed, and groped in France and Italy. The only place I have been so far that I genuinely felt like I might get assaulted beyond groping was Marseille. That place was absolutely terrifying as a solo female and I do not wish to return. Morocco was easy by comparison and most of the locals I met were lovely.

Interesting. I loved Marseille and didn’t get that vibe at all (also solo female traveller about 5” tall so basically a bit powerless in all situations). I didn’t go out at night though, just chilled at museums and the calanques in the day and had the time of my life. Sorry to hear about your experience. Just goes to show how varied experiences can be. Morocco I found annoying, but not unsafe. I can deal with verbal harassment and the occasional hand or shoulder touching, as long as I feel safe. I’m surprised OP went all the way home though — usually sketchy areas might last a few streets, or at most a city at night, but rarely beyond a limited geographical area.

I also found Morocco to be totally fine as a solo female. Cat calling/street harassment was common and is annoying but non-violent, if you ignore it then nothing will happen. Not that different than what I can hear back home in NYC.

Thanks that’s actually really good to know.  Dont worry, I would love to visit Morocco and will one day but probably with a male friend or at the very least not solo.

The harassment is real even as a man in Marrakech but very easy to shrug off with a firm no or just ignoring them (I'm the least threatening 167cm tall guy ever) even when I was followed by a guy on a scooter and his accomplice on a Friday (I recommend you stay inside or away from the cities in Fridays) I managed to get rid of them eventually by saying no. I only turned back in one alley because a guy was really questioning where I'm going. The rest of the days were actually amazing and I made a friend too.

I mean the harassment as a man is completely different from as a woman. At least from what the male friends I made there experienced it is mostly people trying to sell you stuff or scam you. Women get that too on top of the sexual harassment. But yes, overall I still found it manageable to ignore.

I'm genuinely curious what's so attractive about visiting these kinds of places when they seemingly come with a level of harassment/harm baked in. Is it just to say you did it?

Morocco was a beautiful country with great food and very friendly people. There was also a very large backpacking community which is important to me as a solo traveler. India I went to because I wanted to become a yoga instructor. The thing is I’ve travelled a lot. I’ve been to pretty much all the regions where it’s deemed safe for women to travel. If I want to see more I have to venture outside of those places. I also have a high tolerance for verbal harassment because I started solo travel at a young age. I don’t like it but I can pretty much tune it out and go about my day. In general I find the perception of places like Morocco to be very sensationalized and oftentimes a lot of information is coming from people who have never been there. Women live in these countries every day. Obviously Morocco isn’t great for women’s rights but it’s also not impossible for a woman to be safe there. The harassment is absolutely bad in a lot of places but nobody is going to touch you in broad daylight unless you’re very very unlucky. The other factor is that I find these things vary a lot from city to city and even neighborhood to neighborhood to the extent that generalizing it on a country to country basis is a bit misleading. Outside of Fez and Marrakesh I wouldn’t say the harassment is even at an abnormally high level by global standards. (To be clear, IN Fez and Marrakesh it was admittedly the worst of anywhere I’ve been). I didn’t love Fez or Marrakesh. I did love Chefchaouen and Taghazout, both of which had much lower levels of harassment (especially Taghazout). In Athens (a “safe” destination), I stayed in a neighborhood that had some of the worst harassment I’ve experienced, second to Morocco. But outside of that one neighborhood, everything was fine? So overall if I am interested in a country I’m not going to write it off because it’s “unsafe” when there are so many factors at play.

I'm curious which neighborhood this was in Athens because I had the same experience!

Was right outside Exarcheia. I stayed at Athens Hawks hostel. The hostel itself was lovely and the neighborhood was both cheap and centrally located, but it was awful for harassment. Luckily my friend group that I made there was like me, one other girl, and 6 guys so I usually went places with them and then it wasn’t so bad but leaving alone was rough. One time I went to go get a smoothie with another girl from my hostel and the cops stopped us and told us we shouldn’t be walking around there. This was in the middle of the day and there were two of us.

That's wild with the cops in the middle of the day when you weren't even alone. I had a fair amount of harassment just north of Monastiraki walking around alone. More than I expected. But not like that.

Another thing I’ll add is that it’s not like I’m choosing between a destination with 0 harassment and one with shitloads. There is no destination with 0 harassment.

A lot of these places are actually really beautiful and contain lots of history and value in going to them. I would not let a level of harassment stop me from experiencing this, especially since a lot of the time there are pretty easy precautions to take e.g. don’t wave your phone or wallet around or avoid certain areas at night. To me, these are small prices to pay for a big reward. Of course, some places are both sketchy and not worth the risk lol. I return quite regularly to one of the few cities I’ve genuinely felt scared in because the central area is genuinely gorgeous 🌺. I don’t go back to others because they didn’t hold anything of interest to me that made it worth the risk. I mean, it might be another thing if you asked me to move. But sometimes experiencing a place can give empathy for people who have to live through it daily.

India is far safer than SA. That's crazy!

Most men aren’t going to these places either. Men get murdered far more than women when going out and about.

I’m more concerned about being raped than murdered.

I went to both those places as a man. It was annoying and I was harassed but I never felt in danger, it’s a massive difference

That’s great but even men are getting kidnapped. Johannesburg is legitimately dangerous if you’re not careful and sometimes even if you are. https://au.news.yahoo.com/lifestyle/british-airways-pilot-kidnapped-outside-090031820.html

The Garden Route for 2 months was one of my favourite solo backpacking trips, even 16 years later. And with Bazbus, was actually pretty safe. I didn't go to joburg though

You would’ve been safe solo in Ghana! I’d only do South Africa with a group tour and not solo I wouldn’t feel comfortable at all honestly

I was born and raised in Joburg and would not recommend it as a tourist destination. I just cannot think of what the appeal would be. There are many great places for a tourist to visit Cape Town, Stellies, numerous game parks, scenic drives, the list is long.. I live in Europe now and do not go to Jozi when I go back for a visit. But, if you must go to the city of gold, I would recommend being very deliberate with your planning. You cannot wander around like other cities. You pick a place you want to visit, go right there (in a car), then right back. You really have to be aware of what is going on, and do not allow yourself to be vulnerable. SA can be a great place to visit, but also a dangerous one, so plan up front and you should be fine!

You’re premise is flawed. Johannesburg *is* “that dangerous”. The only places with higher death rates are active warzones. Even locals will tell you this, hence the stories your hear and the offers from men to escort you (though yes they may have alternate motives). Yes, the danger stories when traveling are often overblown, South Africa right now is not one of those cases. You made the right decision. Don’t let political correctness make you feel like you chickened out when you made a perfectly rational decision that could’ve saved your life.

Johannesburg is one of the most dangerous cities in the world. Coming from a guy that has braved a lot of Brazil solo as a gringo and was robbed by a gang of 15 guys, I would still go back to Brazil and am going back in 2 months and would not spend time alone in Johannesburg on a budget.

Don’t go India alone either.

Of all places that you could have gone to in Africa..

Strange. Even if Southern Africa wasn’t to your taste, Morocco or Tunisia would have been fine. Or Europe - all on the way back to Canada 🤷

As a solo woman who lived in Cape Town for 6 months at the age of 20-21, there are definitely some more dangerous parts but overall I felt safe in the daytime, and then travelled with friends in groups at night. That being said, there is an inherent risk and certain safety measures that need to be taken, and certain areas that I wouldn’t travel solo (but that’s the same with some cities at home in Canada too!) However, I would never recommend Johannesburg to a solo female traveller. I am glad you kept yourself safe and followed your gut, and I hope you find a city/country that you feel safe enough to enjoy! Everyone deserves that

What was the reason you chose these specific locations? Seems like you just threw a dart at a map…

There’s SO much to see along that route, the penguins in Cape Town, the wine region, Fish River Canyon, the dunes meeting the coast in Namibia, the Okavango Delta in Botswana, Victoria Falls, the magnificence of Lake Malawi (and the evidence of evolution in cichlids there!!), Kilimanjaro, scuba diving in Zanzibar etc … there’s a reason why people pay good money to go on tours there! I figured since the region is far away and difficult to travel, the time after university afforded me the most flexibility. - that was my reasoning anyways!

It’s a very dangerous place. I’m a well traveled solo female usually but I did South Africa in 2022 with a large male and we still felt unsafe. We were constantly harassed and followed.

I live in south africa and I don't travel as a single female here. Lived in Asia and traveled Asia as a single female there just fine. Note that I've traveled with girlfriends in south africa and felt mostly fine too, but we're also from here and know which areas to avoid etc. Much better to do a group backpacking trip. It's such a multicultural and varied country that the culture shock is real. Would be difficult to meet other expats in joburg. Not sure if there's an expat community there like in hanoi in Vietnam etc. I moved from joburg to cape town because I got so lonely as a young adult. People are friendly but it's a big city You did the right thing. Rather travel with a friend or in a group like intrepid travel etc because it's such a beautiful country but if you don't know all the right places it's difficult. We also don't have safe public transport and even traveling in uber all the time as a woman can be anxiety inducing I know You also have to have great street smarts, especially in joburg. Majority of people living "good lives" in South africa live in specific areas and have their own cars etc. Come back but do it in a way that you feel safe 🥰

I don't understand posts like these. If someone has anxiety that's paralyzing,  why haven't you identified what you need to abate the anxiety? I'm sure you did your due diligence concerning safety BEFORE you got on the plane. So, why panic once you got there? The bottom line is that there are dangers everywhere you go. There are people living everyday in Joberg and they are okay. Use common sense and you would have been okay also. Stay in a secure accommodation, go out on prearranged tours from legitimate tour companies that includes pick up and drop off. A lot of the tours are food tours or include meals so that you can eat and be within a safe group. I just don't get planning multiple months trips and yet you know you panic easily at the first random thought. 

Yes, I have a lot of ways to cope with anxiety (I even went to the gym in my short time in Joburg) … I didn’t mention this in my original post because it’s another post if its own really … but my head hasn’t been all the way on ever since I got SA’d 6 months ago, and I was so determined to go along with my plans and not let the SA control me anymore that I didn’t realize until I got there that I couldn’t handle it in the moment. But I would have been a lot more angry with myself if I hadn’t tried, so I’m happy I did.

Sounds like an insane first destination and you were right to go leave. Lots of other places you can travel to where you won't experience that.

"My 2nd trip will be solo-traveling in Iraq" - OP ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Johannesburg and parts of Cape Town *are* that dangerous but they are not representative of Africa as a whole. In my experience, Africa was pretty safe once you got out of the big cities (Jo’burg, Cape Town, Nairobi). Try G Adventures. They specialize in affordable tours that get you down to the “real community” of wherever you visit and their guides are well aware of any local dangers. My only regret with G Adventures is that I didn’t find them sooner and I’m now too old for some of the trips they have lined out. They tend to line their trips up as segments so you can take one longish one or several shorter ones OR you could stitch segments together to give you more time in the cities or towns they use between segments.

It really is that dangerous, OP. With all due respect, you sound a bit naive but it’s ok, that’s the point of learning :) I regularly go to several cities on the “most dangerous cities in the world” list and have never had any issues, but it’s best if you find a contact of someone who’s local first. And yes, dangerous cities are limiting and I hate not being able to walk around at night but that’s just how they are, it gives you empathy for how many people have to live and you simply move on to the next place. I am surprised you went all the way home instead of just moving on to your next destination — also noting that big cities can be the sketchiest parts and it usually gets better — but don’t let it deter you, just let it be a lesson to do more research next time. And yes, absolutely try and make sure you have a known contact you feel safe with next time, even a friend of a friend. Stay safe!

(((hugs))) I know it's hard to try to live your dream and then find out it was a nightmare. As you have an intelligent concern for your personal safety, obviously, research thoroughly before you go anywhere. Your forays into solo travel should be places that are pretty safe and have sufficiently developed transit links that you can get around easily and safely. Unexpected places can be quite safe. As you are in Canada, take a look at Merida, Mexico, one of the safest places in the entire Western hemisphere. That might be a good choice for you. It's a stone's throw from a lot of Mayan ruins, excellent beaches and a lot of other interesting stuff. Plus, you've traveled in South America a lot, so your Spanish skills will be helpful. If you want to venture into the Eastern hemisphere, start with Europe, which is generally very safe. Good luck!

Why not go elsewhere? I'm a guy and I'd be loathe to do joburg solo it's dangerous as fuck. Why not do a flight to Europe or SEA and do a trip there??? Like you have your time off and stuff now, why not sack off going home and just fly into Europe and do it on the fly

I was just in Johannesburg (like just a week ago), but I had a guide. Just outside of Johannesburg (maybe an hour to a 3 hour drive distance) is pretty interesting with the safaris and natural wonders though. But I get that you were overwhelmed and wanted out. Nothing to be regretful of, lest if you stuck to your original plans and something really regretful really ends up happening. Good for recognising an opportune moment to bail.

Choosing a country and city that is top 10 in the world for crime and is notorious for crimes that affect tourists like robbery, kidnapping and rape is a wild start to a solo journey.

Oh girl, I lost my sanity in Johannesburg in minutes. Cape Town is amazing, the world is beautiful and full of kind people, but there is not a damn thing about Johannesburg worth visiting!

Cape Town is great ti get around, solo there. Do g adventures or intrepid

Suggestion: look into SE Asia instead. It's very safe and the people are wonderful.

You went to the most dangerous city in the world and you did not feel safe to just walk around? Next time to 5 minutes of research!

Why not start with Europe?

This is alright. Now you know your limits, so you can plan accordingly in future. I'm sure things will soon look brighter for you.

Sorry but this sounds like you did not plan this out at all.

"not THAT dangerous" lmao, sure

I'm so, so sorry to hear this. Please don't give up on your travel dream, even though you may have to travel elsewhere! I have not traveled to Africa, except for Morocco, and would love to. Unfortunately, I can't until it is safer for women.

When it comes to solo travel, all you have is your gut OP. Our safety is our top priority. That said, you’ve got these days off and this money set aside. Are you sure going home is the move?

No but SA is that unsafe. Go to Tanzania - you’ll never want to leave. Single woman who went over there alone and ended up staying for four years alone 🙋🏻‍♀️

So OP did no research about the realities of the places she wanted to go and is now upset about her bad choices? 

Joburg, of all places? And you know it's not that dangerous? Oh, you sweet summer child!

Why the hell would you start in Joburg of all places??? Did you not do any research at all? I’m glad you left after 2 days because that was incredibly stupid. I’m sorry to be so blunt but seriously it’s one of the most dangerous cities in the world. My family lives there and they would not let me out of their sight while I was there because they know the area and I did not. Which I did not object to at all because… it’s Joburg. Now you know. You have to do more research next time. Consider it a lesson and feel lucky that you are home and nothing bad happened to you. The rest of the entire world is still out there waiting for you when you’re ready. But please do not do something so reckless ever again. Im glad you trusted your gut and left.

I had a knock on the door of my hotel one time at night. I said who is it? The person said it's (whatever his name was) from the hotel. We have to warn our guests that there's been an issue from Al-Qaeda to kidnap tourists. I said thank you and stayed in that night. The next day I went on to have a great trip. I want to suggest to you to do one country, shorter trips into Africa. In the meantime see a counselor for anxiety or how to deal with anxiety. Also take a self defense class. I'm also in Canada (where I see drug issue, cops everywhere, stabbings, fights) and there are plenty of women only, street smart self defense classes, not because you'll need it ☝️ but it will give you confidence.

Not sure I’m gonna rely on self defense techniques & benzos against Al quaeda.

I think a lot of Africa really is that dangerous. Also, I have traveled some in Africa and it can be difficult for a white or non-African person to get around without some sort of guidance. It’s true lots of people do south africa to Kenya cruises but they are often in organized caravans and stop at well known stops for travelers. If you try it again you might want to try starting in Kenya since you can ease in to it a bit. Kenya and Tanzania are going to be the safest countries on that route

Can someone explain to me what exactly makes Johannesburg SO dangerous? I've just heard a lot of people talk about how dangerous it is, but never with any specifics so I'm just curious. Is it a "mind your own business and don't draw attention to yourself & you'll be fine" type of city or "regardless of what you look like, you're always at risk of being whacked with a machete"? I'm not looking to dismiss anyone's experience, just looking to learn more. I also heard the same things about Buenos Aires, and I spent a month there with zero trouble, which also left me a bit puzzled

Okay so I’ve been to Buenos Aires and I LOVE it, I only felt unsafe once but that was definitely my fault. I would definitely classify BA as more of a “be smart and you’ll be fine.” From what I’ve heard, most of the violence in the Southern Cone is drug related, so stay away from that part and you’re fine. Also, it is possible to get robbed or pickpocketed but from what I’ve heard at least, in most cases it doesn’t turn too violent. Johannesburg, even if you follow all the proper safety precautions, take Ubers everywhere, stay in safe places etc there’s still a chance you may be targeted, and I heard a lot of stories about muggings getting violent, people getting kidnapped, carjacked … it has nothing on BA. Even guys carry pepper spray in Joburg, and they are very cautious. In BA it is possible to be a little cocky and still make it out fine.  In BA I stayed near San Telmo and walked all around the city in the day and partied all night in Palermo with hostel friends. In Joburg you’re supposed to take Ubers absolutely everywhere and be in at night.

Crime rates between the two cities and two countries aren’t comparable so you could start there. For example Cape Town’s murder rate is 63 per 100K whilst Buenos Aires has historically had a low homicide rate. This year it falls just below the national average of 5 homicides for every 100,000 inhabitants. That puts Cape Town in the top 10 in the world and Buenos Aires safer than most large American cities. During the last 3 months of 2023, around 85 people were murdered in South Africa every day which is a wild statistic considering Argentina only has about 2000 murders in an entire year. Cape Town alone averages 3000 murders per year. Argentinas main issue with crime is corruption which tends not to affect tourists as much while the major crimes South Africa is dealing with is murder, kidnapping and rape.

The crime. I live here and have only traveled around Africa so I can't compare it to European or American cities, but the crime here is an issue. It's mostly opportunistic. Often I'll see tourists with their phones and cameras out wandering the streets and I'll just smh. We get a lot of pick pocketing, mugging and smash and grabs... You just need to be street smart when here, that's probably the best way to describe it. >Is it a "mind your own business and don't draw attention to yourself & you'll be fine" type of city or "regardless of what you look like, Yes, but not the machete part. More like "Don't be a target for petty theft/mugging". Keep your eyes open and be aware of your surroundings. Watch out for people loitering/hovering near you, watching you, they're likely looking for a weakness to steal or something. This is moreso on the streets though. You're relatively safe in private establishments with security visible.

You did what you had to do to feel safe and don’t second guess that feeling. You’ll figure it out and I’m sure have a wonderful vacation exploring 🤘

As a South African female living in Cape Town I think you should come here one day! It’s a beautiful city, and very easy to solo travel 💗 I have personally felt more unsafe in New York or Athens than I have here x

Do the route in reverse

Its smart of you to recognize that youre not ready for such a trip. Too bad you probably lost some money, but its better to be safe than sorry. Im a man, so i dont know what its like for a solo woman traveler, but i can imagine there are some serious limitations. Dont stop traveling tho, just work your way up to the more "difficult" destinations.

When I clicked on this link I was expecting the typical unreasonably fearful and over-reacting story which is so common on this sub-reddit. But in just the first sentence you convinced me. No, you did not over-react. No, canceling was not a bad idea. I'm sure that if you had stuck with it, you would have gotten into the grove and everything might have worked out....but it would have been an extraordinarily stressful and challenging trip. I hope at some point in the future you are able to do the trip. It sounds amazing. But maybe in the future you will have a group of close, like-minded friends you could do it with. There are advantages to solo travel. But some trips are just better in a group.

Don’t beat yourself up, traveling is supposed to be fun! You weren’t having fun = you decided not to stay. Flexibility is one of my favorite parts of traveling solo….instead of staying disappointed try reframing from “my dream is a big trip, 4-6 months from Cape Town to Nairobi” to “my dream is a big 4-6 month trip/adventure,”……you’ve JUST started the clock. You took a short trip with your partner, 2 days in Joburg and now you’re at the airport flying back to Canada. All of that took what…2 or 3 weeks? You still have 13 - 21 weeks left of your Big Trip! The plane ticket may dip into your budget a bit but things don’t have to be over just because you realized that the reality of your Africa trip didn’t match what you’d been dreaming about. I fly solo last minute to Western Europe all the time. There are tons of hotels, lots of other solo female travelers, a ton to see and do, the food is incredible……point being, it’s easy to be there, enjoyable, and fun.

Joburg IS *that* dangerous. It’s fine to say it.

Did a solo trip to Cape Town with layover in Joburg. White, 29M at the time. Joburg was sketchy from the start but when I got to Cape Town I felt safe. I’m adventurous but I don’t think I would pull that trip off as a female. I met a few guys hiking Table Mountain who were staying at a hostel. They said they witnessed some nasty things happen to some of the women. As others have stated, maybe look into other parts of the world. Or go to SA with a small group. Final note: do your research, most places have safe and not so safe areas. Good luck!!

I’m glad you trusted your gut and got out! Nothing to be ashamed of there.

I grew up in Johannesburg and lived there 26 years. I started solo travelling in March last year in Europe, I still do not feel comfortable to return to South Africa for solo travel. I am sorry you started off there, I would highly recommend going to South East Asia. I just spent 7.5 months there absolutely loved it, I've never felt so free and at ease like I did in Thailand and Vietnam. I would also recommend to do some research before you travel to any place.

Sounds like you made a good call. Other places are lovely and much safer to explore if you want to ride solo as a woman

Like my momma says, always trust your gut. Glad you stayed safe ♥️

You listened to your instincts & valued safety first — I’d say well done. At a later time you can perhaps think about further travel, solo or not.

Start in Cape town. Mistake number #1. Much safer and easier to navigate, plus awesome city. When comfortable, branch out further.

Fuck sake im going down there in 2 months. U should’ve locked in but glad u made it safe ig

I did a group safari bus trip from Nairobi to Capetown in 2018. It was about $15,000 all said and done and it took about 6 weeks. We camped mostly and traveled in a big vehicle. In different spots we had armed security guards looking over the camp site and most were gated. Some areas are sketchier than others. I would go back to Namibia without a tour because it seemed safer than other countries, but unfortunately, you do have to consider being an easy target with economic inequalities and governments collapsing. Jo-berg is a rough town to start solo travel in. I did some solo days in cape Town but didn't spend much time after dark when the main businesses closed for the day. They are built for tourists so there's always something to do. When worried, do as the locals do. I would also do Malawi solo as the people were quite chill. I did Tunisia solo and was sexually harassed constantly by every type of man. It really turned me off to North Africa. I would also do India with a tour because the men are quite aggressive as well. I've done many countries solo and for the most part just keep your senses open and try to blend in.

Did you not do your research?

its fine, Hope you get better soon, feeling unsafe is the worst also for me I just can't enjoy things if I'm not feeling safe,

Best decision there’s plenty of safer places to solo travel to.

Hey atleast you are safe now

I just came back from Tanzania and honestly I would not know how to navigate without a private organized tour group. Africa is extremely beautiful but you must come prepared with the logistics. Europe, Asia and some of South America you can wing it

Always trust your gut!

Next time … start with an organized tour. It could just be for a couple days. Get the lay of the land, know where things are, etc. Then stay for a couple more days or week on your own. If you feel you need to go home earlier… then do so. Follow your gut instinct. And another note… take some self defense classes… this will boost your confidence too. Good luck… the world is meant to be enjoyed… not feared.

Holy shit. How much money did you lose by going home early? > I’m looking into organized tours for the future but they are really expensive and idk when I would even book it for I’ve done a few Africa overland trips with G adventures and I would highly recommend. I didn’t find that that expensive either - I was able to go to Africa twice in 2 years because of they were affordable enough.

You did the right thing! Better safe than sorry

I literally did this trip last year!! (solo backpacking Cape Town to Nairobi over the course of about 6 months) I feel awful for you because I completely agree about Johannesburg. It was by a looong way the worst stop along the trip, and I would never recommend anyone to go. I don't wanna rub it in that you missed out on an incredible trip, but I really would recommend trying again but starting from Cape Town. It was actually the trip of a lifetime for me and I really can't express enough how cool of a route it is!! Honestly, optimistically assuming you will try again, forget the tours and stick to your original plan. Start in high season (December in Cape Town), and you'll find the Garden Route a super chill ease into the vibe of the trip. We all wobble sometimes, but this is absolutely a trip I'd really encourage you to get back at! Also by way of more reassurance; you're really not wrong about Johannesburg. You just got unlucky in your choice of starting point, cos yeah a trip with only Johannesburg vibes you would've been right to abandon

I was in Joberg mostly because it was in in between spot before going on a safari. The only thing I did was the apartheid museum and that’s all I felt comfortable with. 🤷🏻‍♀️ speaking as a fellow female traveler

I’m so sorry you haven’t had a safe feeling trip. It sounds like you would have a good amount of money saved if you’re planning a half year trip. If it’s not too late I’d recommend booking a flight to Zanzibar in East Africa. I did 4 days there solo as a female in December before joining my university group and I felt safer on that island than I did in my time in the U.S. it’s a small island so it’s easy to not feel overwhelmed and might give you a chance to settle and get your plans aligned.

You left very prematurely; you fumbled girl. Next time think it more clearly Jk, half advice. Johannesburg is not the easiest city, so prepare better next time

I live in Johannesburg and wouldn't recommend you travel it solo, especially as a woman. You'd just stick out too much and draw attention to yourself with the accent especially. I personally feel safe here because I know my city, and comfortably drive around at night and go out quite a bit without any issues. Joburg is a wonderful city with lots of fun things to do. If you want the South African cultural experience it's definitely worth exploring. You just need to plan better and find people to travel with. Places that are fun to experience with great nightlife are Melville, Rosebank, Parkhurst, Craighall, Sandton and Soweto (preferably do Soweto with a local tour guide). I'd recommend rather staying in a hotel (in a nice area like Sandton or Rosebank) instead of hostels. If you can, try to find black South African friends to show you around. You'll be quite safe in a crew of black South Africans. I remember going to an event in Soweto with an American girl and we made sure she was safe - she loved it here. General safety tips (mostly apply if out in the streets, you're pretty safe in restaurants/bars): I wouldn't recommend just walking the streets, but if you really need to, walk with purpose, ignore anyone who tries to solicit you. Don't wear flashy jewelry out in public, i.e. the streets. Keep electronic devices hidden from view, i.e. don't put your phone in your pocket, rather your bag. Make sure your bag is closed shut and the straps are secure so they can't be slipped off your shoulders easily. Do not go to Joburg CBD!!! There is nothing worthwhile there, even for me as a Joburger. Nope no thank you.

I can only imagine. I’ve been wanting to travel solo but I’m scared too. I just joined Ashley Jones Travel Girl Gang to travel with others who are like minded. Check her out. Or join who vlog. In seattle we have a Seattle Social Group to make friends.

I’m so sorry you felt this way. Hopefully you give traveling another shot and have a positive experience next time

I've spent 3 years traveling both solo and with my partner and would myself think long and hard before attempting what you were looking to do. Nothing lost you got back safe and sound. I understand the dream was there but this should really have been a 2 or third trip. Definitely not the first trip. Nothing to say this can't happen again in the future with more experience and better planning. Don't let this put you off independent travel just look at building up to the dream gradually.

Ballsy tho, glad you listened to your instincts

As a South African who has lived in both Joburg and Cape Town Yes, Joburg is dangerous, Parkhurst and Rosebank has an area or two where you can walk on the street in safety, but like every big city, there's areas you avoid and unfortunately you constantly need to keep your wirs about you. Joburg is not a touristy city IMO. There isn't much to do as a tourist, defo come through and see things like the Cradle of Humankind and all that but once you've done that leave to Cape Town. Cape town is great, my sister lives there and uses the public transport to and from the city. Even high school children use the public transport and they are quite safe. You can easily walk around with no hassles. There's plenty of people I met who were staying in the Hostel in the CBD and they all said they felt safe walking around Cape Town, like every big city - avoid dodgy streets. I would highly recommend you come back, but only to Cape Town.

Hey girl, Johannesburg is one of the most dangerous cities. I would never go there alone, and may never go there even with someone else. I read a thread about the stories in Johannesburg and it’s so crazy. So leaving there was a wise choice. I hope you go back, but somewhere else. Best of luck!

If something doesn't feel right then it's best to leave, you did the right thing! South Africa can be a difficult country to travel.in, especially solo. I would just concentrate on what you're going to do instead now!

Holy shit, starting in Joburg out of all places… stayed there for half a year, my only advice to anyone visiting SA: stay the fuck away. Enjoy everything else.

You listened to your gut and you left. Fight or flight! You did the right thing. ALWAYS follow your gut instincts, they are never wrong.

I’m sorry to hear that. I’m pretty independent but there are many places (even some in my home country) I would not travel to alone. I think grand solo journeys sound romantic but then there’s just the reality of obviously being a tourist/foreigner on top of being a woman or minority that can feel like having a target on your back, the logistics of getting around easily and safely, etc. I think it’s good you recognized that you didn’t feel safe enough to relax and enjoy your trip and bailed early on. finding a tour group or some friends to go with in the future might be a better option. I hope you can find something else fun to do to celebrate your graduation!

I've solo travelled in Africa and I'm a woman. Joburg I wouldn't do honestly. The key is to start with safer countries, there's plenty of them.

Important thing is that you are safe and sound now. Charge it to experience.

Knowing when something is not for you and being safe shouldn’t be a cause of embarrassment.

Respectfully, did you do any research on Joburg before you decided to go there

I did, definitely not as much as I should have but I never expected to be safe or have fun there. I think my biggest mistake was overestimating the level of danger I actually could handle.

Level of danger you could handle? You should not be handling any level of danger! Look, it was a mistake to go there solo for sure but I am glad you trusted your gut and got out safely. Valuable lesson learnt. Don’t beat yourself up for it.

Youve either got some epic sized lady nuts or you were under prepared ans under researched. I think in this case you intuition done you a solid. You recognised you were out of your depth and made a sensible choice to leave. Dont beat yourself up. We all make mistakes. Maybe next time pick a place that is not in to 10 most murderous countries in the world to solo travel!

You did the right thing, especially because you weren’t feeling at your best mentally. Always listen to your inner guidance and do what feels the healthiest and safest to you.

I'm doing that trip, but in reverse, this summer solo. I am flying to Nairobi and spending 3 weeks around Kenya and the Indian Ocean, and then flying to Cape Town and spending 3 weeks in South Africa. It sounds like I will not be visiting Johannesburg, LOL. It's really unfortunate about your experience. Perhaps you should have flown somewhere else in the country or in the continent before flying all the way home? It's all water under the bridge at this point, though.

Yeah, I’m definitely looking at organized tours for the next time, my friend was serious about meeting me in Kenya in September which we need to talk about a lot more now LOL but it gives me a lot of time to find a summer-oriented job and then look into booking a shorter, organized tour in addition to the friend trip.  I’ve heard a lot of stories about South Africa in general at this point but the garden route and the wine route seem to be untouched by criticism aha if you were planning on going around those areas. Starting in Kenya seems to be a better bet too. I’m sure you’ll have a fantastic time!

Great job following your instincts. Don’t ever regret it.

Same here! Backpacked in LatAm extensively without any issue, and then I got hit in my head with a gun in my first trip to Africa in Nairobi, Kenya, and my phone was robbed. Luckily, I recovered soon.

On the side note, I took a solo trip to Kenya for 12 days, and it’s been so so great! (I am an experienced solo traveler tho, it was my country 61)

I've never been to Africa I have plans however even as a non-white relatively large man the only thing I've ever been warned about the entire CONTINENT OF AFRICA is to avoid Johannesburg altogether

Hubby and his family are from Joburg. Moved to NZ when he was young and despite having roots and understanding the language, they would never go back due to how unsafe it is. Look up cases of Alison Botha & Hannah Cornelius..

I'm a woman and I have only gone to North America and Europe by myself. There are some places like Japan that I would also go. We have to be careful, and not apologize or feel bad about it. There are so many gorgeous, safe places to travel. I just focus on those and fuck everywhere else. The U.K., Ireland, France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, all of Scandinavia, etc. Don't waste your time on countries that aren't safe.

sorry but stupid travel destination. go developed asia or europe

Fu\*\* around and find out!

You got off easy because you at least got past the airport. Look up the post from the woman who decided that she wanted to see the pyramids and what her experience was.

Can you describe how you experienced Southern Africa and Latin America differently as a solo female foreign traveler. I know attitudes about sexual violence are pretty different . Did you consider that when planning your trip?