If you’re a female who wants to experience life on the road, here’s our advice on how to best stay safe while travelling alone in your van.
As most gals know, part of the, erm, joy of being a woman is keeping one eye open to the dangers that lurk around life’s corners. And that eye can grow very wide when one pulls into a deserted campsite where no one will hear you scream.
But is it an option to let fear hold your campervan dream hostage, or cause you to live a half-life filled with yearning? Hell no, girly.
Be smart and don’t forget to save these pointers, honed over three years of vanning far and wide as a solo female traveller.
1. Choose your van wisely
Many vans that have separate living and driving spaces can look seriously spacious and impressive. Clever design options truly abound when you’re able to utilise a bulkhead wall. But when travelling alone as a female, being able to access the driver’s seat from the back is downright essential. You want – no, need – to be able to clamber over the seats and fire up that engine quickly if you have to zoom out of there.
2. Always travel with a portable toilet in your van
Having to exit the van for a midnight wee when you’re alone or feeling a little vulnerable in your surroundings isn’t ideal. Travelling with a portable toilet means you’ll always be able to do your business within locked doors. It doesn’t have to be fancy chemical toilet, either. I travel with a Thunder Downunder (essentially a bucket with a toilet seat attached), which I line with two tough garbage bags quarter filled with scented cat litter. No nasty smells and it works a treat.
3. Trust your gut when pulling into a campsite
As a woman, your instinct is the best tool you can take with you on a solo roadtrip. Make sure you arrive at a campsite in daylight hours, so you can assess it with an eagle eye and move on if necessary. Note the vibe and what kind of people are around. Are booze bottles strewn around? Is it well lit? Is there a caretaker or camp host? Does it feel secure? If the hair on your neck rises, or someone gives you the creeps at a campsite, don’t stop to reason why. Just start the van and move on.
And look, unfortunately, remote off-grid camping does come with some risk when you’re a woman travelling alone. Off-grid sites are often devoid of people and usually without mobile reception, so weigh it up carefully. It may be worth taking off-grid trips with a friend, or only doing them during peak holiday season when you know others will also be around. That said, some van-lifers feel much safer in remote places with nobody else around. It all comes down to what you’re comfortable with, so – again – trust that gut and listen those instincts.
4. Lock your van doors like it’s your religion
This may sound obvious, but you’d be surprised how easy it is to leave your doors unlocked when moving in and out of your van. Check, check and double check that your doors are locked, especially when bunkering down to sleep for the night.
5. Park strategically at campsites
When arriving at your campsite, always make a mental note to reverse your van and/or vehicle in. That way, the front of your van will be pointed toward the exit route and, if you need to get out of there quickly, you can. This is especially important in summer when bushfires may be a risk.
6. Carry an alarm in your van
Some people fit their vans out with some pretty fancy pants alarm systems, but a personal alarm will squawk loudly enough to scare off most petty thieves or would-be intruders. I travel with a cheapie and always make sure I leave it hanging up on a hook in the same spot each night.
7. Fit your van with blackout curtains and/or a dark window tint
Quality blackout curtains are a van must-have when travelling solo in your van. Not only do they help you to get a decent night sleep (some campsites can be lit a little too well), and a lie in, but they also maintain your privacy when in a campsite. From keeping your goods hidden from peeking eyes, to hiding the fact you’re on your lonesome, blackout curtains are a serious winner on any roadtrip.
8. Give the illusion that you’re not travelling alone
Some solo female travellers take it to the next level by setting up two camp chairs outside their van. It’s not something I’ve resorted to, but it’s not a bad idea if you’re feeling nervous about travelling solo.
9. Add internal latches to your doors
Some women I’ve met feel safer sleeping alone in their van at night by adding internal latches to their van doors. But if this feels a little excessive to you, you could always try the old truckie’s trick of looping the seatbelt through the door handle to prevent the door being opened internally.
10. Put a steering wheel lock on your steering wheel while you sleep
This one is an easy fix for feeling more secure while sleeping alone in your van at night. No, they’re not foolproof and yes, a talented would-be thief can get into them if they really want to, but a steering wheel lock is still an excellent deterrent (and would certainly buy enough time to wake and alert you if someone did try and get it off). Just don’t forget to keep the keys in the same spot so you know where to find them.
11. Place an Apple Airtag in your glovebox
I won’t leave the country without an Apple Airtag in my suitcase, but when it’s not being used for intercontinental escapes, I leave it in the glovebox of my van. That way, if anyone hot tails it out of there with my van while I’m on a hike, I can track my van and belongings every step of the way.
13. Always put your keys and phone in the same spot at night.
This sounds a lot easier to do than it is in practice! I highly recommend installing some overhead hooks or an over-the-seat pocket and get in the habit of leaving your keys and phone in (or on) them religiously. My van is lined with these IKEA hooks and they’re a vanlife gamechanger.
If all this “one eye open” talk has made the hair on your neck rise, take a breath. Travelling alone as a solo van gal has been, hands down, the smartest most fulfilling and fabulous thang I’ve ever done. Do it! Do it! Do it!
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