Like it or not, women have to take special precautions while traveling alone. 不管你乐不乐意，女生在单独旅行时必须格外警惕。 After six months of backpacking solo in Africa, I've got a few ideas about how we can make the most of solo exploration — and stay safe along the way. 独自在非洲背包旅行六个月后，我总结了几条享受旅行的愉悦、并且保证旅行沿途安全的小贴士。 If you're about to embark on a solo trip or are thinking about traveling alone （Go! Go!）， here are nine tips to make your trek the best it can be: 如果你计划独自一人开始旅行，或者有这样的打算，那么这9条小贴士可以让你的旅行尽可能完美： 1. Befriend local women. 结交当地女性朋友 Whether you're in the market, on a bush taxi or sleeping in a hostel, make friends with the women who live there. Women around the globe have a sort of informal pact; we all watch out for each other. 无论你是在当地市场、合乘计程车、还是在旅社中，你都最好能和当地的女生成为朋友。全世界的女生都有一条不成为的规矩：我们都会在路上照料彼此。 Even if you've only exchanged a smile with the woman sitting next to you, she'll go out of her way to protect you if necessary. 即使你只是和坐在你旁边的女生交换了一个微笑，她也会在你需要的时候挺身而出。 This rule becomes even more important if you feel like you're in danger; seek out the closest woman and stick to her like glue. 当你在危险之中更是如此；找一个最近的女生，像胶水一样粘着她吧。 2. Book a bed for the first night. 预定第一晚的住宿 After Day 1, I avoid making reservations whenever possible, to fully enjoy traveling by the seat of my pants. But for your first night, book a place to sleep in advance — preferably before you leave home. 我尽量不去做第一天的活动以外的预定，这样我就能自己凭感觉去旅行了。不过第一个晚上还是要事先预定好晚上的住处——最好在离家之前就做好预定。 This will give you peace of mind, help you get over the first-day-of-travel jitters, and give you a goal and destination when you arrive in-country. 这样你心里就不会有什么牵挂，不用在旅行第一天有无谓的担心，另外也能给刚到达的你一个目标。 3. Only bring what you can easily carry. 只带方便携带的物品 It's always a good idea to keep your backpack light, but this becomes even more important when you're traveling alone, simply because you don't have anyone to help you. 让你的背包轻一点永远不会错，一个人旅行时没有人能帮你，情况就更是如此了。 Traveling light could even be seen as a safety measure, because you can move more quickly away from danger （or pesky men who want to marry you） when you have less to carry. 轻装上阵甚至可以让旅行更加安全，让你迅速逃离危险之地（或是想要娶你的讨厌鬼）。 Make sure you have a free hand even when you're carrying all your luggage, so you can shoo away those men or grab a pineapple for the road. 你需要确保拎着全部行李时还是能空出一只手来，这样你就能赶走那些讨厌鬼，或者路上带个菠萝什么的。 4. Carry food. 自带食品 Nothing heavy; granola or crackers will do it. This will keep you from venturing out in the dark by yourself at night when you're hungry. It will also help you save money! I like to carry a plastic bowl and spoon （more versatile than a fork）， plus a Swiss army knife. 不要是太重的食品；麦片或是饼干就可以了。这样晚上独自一人走在路上你就有办法抵御饥饿了。这也能帮你省钱！我喜欢随身带着碗和勺子（比叉子用途多），外加一把瑞士军刀。 In Africa, I often bought a pineapple or cucumber — or even, once in Madagascar, a watermelon — and eat it over several days. （No, I didn't carry the watermelon; I bought it when I knew I'd be staying in one place for a while.）在非洲时，我经常会去买菠萝或是黄瓜，我甚至在马达加斯加买了个西瓜，这些水果然后吃上好几天。（好吧，其实我没有把西瓜带在路上；我是在知道要在一个地方待上几天的情况下才买的。）5. Also carry a book. 带上一本书 Books are fabulous dinner companions. With a read you can pull out any time, you're more likely to enjoy your solitude and less likely to feel lonely. Books are also great conversation starters. 书籍是晚餐的最佳搭档。你可以用阅读随意消磨时光，也更容易享受一个人独处的时光，不太会感到孤独。书籍同时也是开始交谈的好话题。 But don't fill your backpack with books — they're heavy and take up valuable space. Instead, carry just one or two, and keep your eye out for opportunities to swap with other travelers. 不过别在背包里装满书——书籍很重，也会占用背包中宝贵的空间。带上一两本就够了，然后在旅途中注意一下有没有机会和其他旅行者换书。 Some hostels even have a designated book swap, allowing travelers to take a book and leave a book. And boy does it feel good when you find an awesome read on one of those shelves. （And now there's the e-book! That should make it easier to carry more than one book at a time — so long as you've got a power outlet to recharge.）有些旅店甚至有图书交换角，旅行者们可以拿走那里的一本书，再补上一本自己的书。天，想想在交换角的书架上找到一本好书是件多棒的事情啊。（现在还有电子书了！这样一次性带好几本书出门就方便多了——当然你得要找到充电的插座。）6. Expect to pay more than couples. 独自旅行往往花钱更多 Single rooms are usually nearly the cost of a double, which can be incredibly frustrating. It's what I call the “single tax.” In some instances, you're going to pay more traveling alone than you would with a partner. Know this from the beginning to avoid letting that single tax ruin your travel mojo. 一般单人间的价钱比双人间便宜不了多少，这点会让人觉得很不爽。我把多付的这些钱叫做“单人税”。在某些情况下，独自旅行比同别人一起旅行花得更多。从一开始你就应该考虑到这一点，不要让“单人税”毁了你旅行的心情。 7. Look for roommates. 找个室友 Or someone who can split with you the cost of a car or a guide. Buddying up, whether for accommodation or transportation or any other expenses, will help you reduce the cost of your trip. It may also help you feel safer, and it's nice to have someone to lean on if you get sick. 或者找个能和你分摊车费或导游费的人。不管是为了住宿费、交通费、还是其他任何支出，你都可以和别人交个朋友，这样你在旅行中就可以少花点钱。另外，找个旅伴也能让你更有安全感，生病的时候有个人照料还是很不错的。 8. Consider wearing a （fake） wedding ring. 戴只（假）结婚戒指 Don't wear an expensive ring; it might get stolen. But having a band you can wave in the face of those pesky men is excellent proof that you're married and unavailable. 不要戴太贵的戒指——太贵的有可能会被偷。不过戴只假结婚戒指，在那些讨厌的人面前挥一挥，这样他们就知道你结婚了，没法跟你搭讪了。 I didn't wear a ring during my trip to Africa, solely because I'm too proud of being an independent, single woman — and I ended up regretting it. A ring would have helped me avoid quite a few wannabe suitors. 作为一个独立的单身女性我感到非常自豪，所以我去非洲的时候没有戴结婚戒指——不过后来我就后悔了。如果戴着戒指的话，我那时就可以摆脱很多追求者了。 9. Make an effort to be friendly. 尽可能保持友好 Traveling solo is a fabulous time to reflect, but don't overlook the chance to broaden your social network by reaching out to other travelers, as well as locals. 独自旅行固然是美妙的回忆，不过也不要小看这个扩大交际面的机会，你可以在旅行中结识其他旅行者，也能结识一些当地人。 Ironically, we tend to meet more people and forge more friendships when traveling alone. That's because if we don't make the effort to talk to strangers, we'll have no one to hang out with but ourselves. It takes a little extra effort to put yourself out there, but opening up those lines of communication is well worth it. 讽刺的是，我们独自旅行的时候通常会结交更多朋友。这是因为不和陌生人交流的话就只能一个人了。一开始结识陌生人可能要费点功夫，不过和人交流沟通是值得你费功夫的。