Safety Tips for Female Students Studying Abroad

While studying abroad can be a fantastic adventure, women should take extra precaution to avoid the dangers associated with foreign places. It might not be fair, but women often have to put up with more harassment abroad. While women shouldn’t shy away from studying abroad, these 6 safety tips can help prevent crimes of all natures.

1. Learn some language: Whether you need to tell a guy in a bar that you already have a boyfriend or you need to ask a friendly stranger how to get from the train station to your hostel, if you’re able to speak at least some of the local language, you’re less likely to be seen as a mark. Use language classes, language-learning apps and phrase books to bone up on basics before you arrive. Once there, you’ll make local friends and increase your vocabulary.

2. Know Your Limits: On average, students drink twice as much alcohol when studying abroad as they would at home, Time magazine notes. Lower drinking ages in other countries make it easier to get alcohol in bars, and peer pressure may lead students to overindulge. Know and respect your limits to retain the good judgment to get out of a bad situation.

3. Be aware of how others might perceive you: In America, it’s perfectly normal to go out in short shorts and a tiny tank top. In your host country, this might send the wrong image and invite trouble. Cultural training will help you understand how others may perceive you and help you avoid trouble.

4. Secure your stuff: Passports, money and credit cards are targets for pickpockets or thieves. Protect your documents by using a money belt or by locking them in your luggage when you don’t need them. If you want greater piece of mind, consider signing up for an identity protection and monitoring service such as Lifelock. People have Lifelock jobs that consist solely of monitoring user accounts for suspicious activity and alerting users to any suspicious activity. This way, even if someone does get your credit card or card number from a discarded receipt, you won’t suffer financially.

5. Make friends and have fun: There’s truth behind the saying “safety in numbers.” If you’re walking back from a movie late at night and you’re alone, you’re an easier mark for a predator than if you are with an international group of six friends. So, even though there are greater safety risks for women studying abroad, continue to have fun.

6. Learn where the U.S. embassy and/or consulate is: The Embassy or Consulate can walk you through local laws and criminal justice proceedings, contact friends or family on your behalf and connect you to English speaking attorneys, notes the U.S. Department of State.