Before you read
This exists because too many trips tip from beautiful to frightening in a single moment.
DAYA was created by two women who travel alone often: Diana and Alesya. Not influencers. Not security experts. Just two women sharing their own experiences - and who know that the world often treats women differently than men. The name explains itself: Diana + Alesya = DAYA.
Between the two of them: a bad taxi ride in Turkey they had to talk their way out of, and an uncomfortable hotel situation in Spain. Every page here began as a story like that - shared between friends, compared in voice notes, and written down so you don't have to learn it the hard way.
This isn't a fear guide. It's for women who go anyway - with a few simple routines running in the background, so you're prepared for the worst and free for the best.
eyes open. gut first. keys in your hand.
What's inside
Contents
Five short chapters. Read in order the first time, then keep it for reference.
The last page holds your unlock code. Keep this file.
Chapter I
Before
you go
3 small rituals in the week before departure. They cost nothing and change everything.
Read this first
Prepared, not paranoid.
Solo travel is not more dangerous. It just asks for more preparation. When you are on your own you read people and rooms more closely, and that is the skill we are building here.
This won't keep you at home. It helps you handle the first strange moment abroad.
Three rules. One: someone knows where you are, every day. Two: always have one exit plan. Three: if your gut says leave, leave.
These rules are a skill. Build it before you go.
Read this once at home. Mark what fits. Skip the rest.
when in doubt, pay for the taxi.
Packing checklist
16 smart tools
for your bag.
You don't need all of them. Just build the set that fits you. The list is deliberately short. Every single item either keeps you safer or makes you more independent. Amazon links are affiliate links - as an Amazon Associate DAYA earns from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.
- Door stop alarm. Wedges under the door. Once it is armed, it sets off a loud alarm the moment someone pushes from outside. https://dayasafety.app/go/doorstop-alarm
- RFID card sleeve. Stops your card from being scanned without you noticing in a crowd. https://dayasafety.app/go/rfid-wallet
- Passport in the cloud. One photo in Drive or iCloud. You can access it even without your phone.
- Card close to your body. A fabric pouch clipped to your bra or a hidden pocket. The card nobody finds. https://speakeasytravelsupply.com/
- USB-C travel adapter. One plug for every socket worldwide. Buy it once, use it for years. https://dayasafety.app/go/travel-adapter
- Local eSIM. You have signal before you even leave the airport. No queuing at a SIM counter. https://www.airalo.com/
- Offline city map. Your route is downloaded before you go, so having signal is optional. https://organicmaps.app/
- Power bank. Two full charges. A dead phone abroad is a real problem. https://dayasafety.app/go/powerbank-10k
- Whistle. On your keyring. Loud, light and completely discreet. https://dayasafety.app/go/whistle
- Small torch. For dark stairwells, a power cut or the back of a taxi at night. https://dayasafety.app/go/edc-flashlight
- 50 EUR emergency cash. In local currency. Well hidden, never taken out in public.
- Painkillers and electrolytes. A fever at three in the morning is not the moment to explain yourself in a foreign pharmacy.
- Emergency info on your screen. Your blood type and emergency contact are visible without your PIN.
- Tampons in your bag. Don't count on finding your brand or size on the shelf everywhere.
- Personal alarm. Set it off and every head around you turns. https://dayasafety.app/go/personal-alarm
- Rubber door wedge. The silent backup for your room door. Weighs nothing, keeps the door shut. https://dayasafety.app/go/door-wedge
THE ONE THINGMake your first night safe. Door stop, eSIM and offline map. Everything else can wait.
Something missing? Pay for the extra baggage. Safety beats a light suitcase.
First 24 hours
Three fixed steps for your first night in a new city.
01 - At the airport, before you get in a taxi: take an official taxi or app ride and send the plate number and destination to your contact person.
02 - As soon as you are in the room: lock and bolt the door, check the bathroom, the wardrobe and under the bed, check windows and balcony door.
03 - Before you sleep: charged phone next to the bed, emergency number and hotel address within reach, short message home.
THE ONE THINGLock, latch, look under the bed. Sleep is earned, not assumed.
Get the first night right and the rest of the trip gets easier.
Check-in script
One person at home hears from you every day.
Pick a person who actually looks at their phone. Mother, best friend, sister. Before the trip, send them this message and agree on the code word.
Script"Hey, I'm travelling alone next week to [City]. I'll send you one short message every day before 10pm your time. If it says 'all ok', all is ok. If it says 'tired but fine', still ok, just a quiet day. If nothing arrives by midnight, please text me once. If I do not answer within 2 hours, call the hotel: [name + number]. Passport copy, flight number, hotel address and the local emergency number are in this thread. If you ever read the word 'Birkenstock' in a message from me, call the local police immediately. Thank you. I love you."
one code word you never use otherwise.
Chapter II
On the
ground
Streets, taxis, rooms. The next seven pages are muscle memory for the first strange day.
The rest of the playbook
Chapter I is on us. The other four chapters need one line from you.
Street reads, taxi scripts, hotel-room checks, the panic protocol, embassy numbers and the city files. Enter your email and the whole thing opens, plus the 40-page PDF lands in your inbox.
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- Word-for-word scripts you can read out loud
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Chapter III
Keep it
on you
The next two tools stay in your wallet, your phone case, and inside your passport. Set them up once. Forget about them until you need them.
Chapter IV
Your
plan B
Not every trip is beautiful. Some nights are long. These pages are for those nights.
Chapter V
Numbers, tools
& the way home
The last fourteen pages are reference. Save the numbers. Delete the apps you don't use. Keep this file.
DAYA · Volume One
Solo Travel Playbook
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