Is Rio Safe For A Solo Female Traveler? 😧

When I told my family and friends that I was traveling to Rio, they were excited for me.

When I told them that I was traveling to Rio solo, that excitement turned into fear. I don’t blame their hesitations. Everything I read online described Rio as a dangerous place. A place full of theft and cheap plastic surgery.

Now that I’ve visited this amazing city, I wanted to share my experiences.

Are these notions about the safety of Rio just misconceptions? Or are they spot on? I’ll let you be the judge.

Virtual Safety

I rarely think about being safe virtually, because I thought I knew what to do! 🤷🏾‍♀️ I never click random links. I don’t provide personal information to strangers. I always use a VPN for my computer when connecting to public WIFI. Unfortunately, these precautionary measures did not protect me from getting hacked.

VPN for my laptop ✅

VPN for my cellphone ❌😥

Battling relentless hackers during my first few days in Rio was not the welcome I expected. From now on, I use a VPN for my cellphone when connecting to WIFI (yes - even at the hotel)!

Property Safety

I heard that petty theft was huge in Rio, so, I was diligent about protecting my purse and phone. While in Ipanema for my samba class, I followed the advice I read on blogs and went inside a Starbucks to check the map when I got lost. After class, we walked to a nearby restaurant and I felt it was safe to let my guard down while inside, right?

Wrong!

Shortly after our arrival, I witnessed a fellow patron get her phone stolen. It happened so fast and once we all realized what had happened, the thieves and her cell were gone. 😣 Afterwards, I was even more protective of my personal items, but thankfully none of my things were stolen during my time in Rio!

Physical Safety

While solo in Rio, I had LOTS of irrational fears. I have my active imagination and fascination of serial killers to thank for that. 😓 With that stated, I never went out alone at night. One of my Airbnb experiences met in Lapa and I was super nervous to attend. The main reasons being that it was late at night and I was meeting up with a group of strangers.

I’m so grateful that I didn’t allow my fears to take over, because that night turned out to be the first of many nights out with different members of this group! That one decision to attend that event alone enhanced my Rio experience more than I ever could have imagined!

Overall, I’d say that Rio is a safe place as long as you’re smart! Protect yourself and your belongings and you’ll be fine. Also, try to join an Airbnb experience. While it’s fun being alone, I definitely was able to let loose when with a group of people I trusted. But I’ll spill the tea about that in a future blog. 😉

*And no, I didn’t forget about the comment about plastic surgery. I’ll have an entire future blog dedicated to my thoughts on Brazilian beauty standards. 💅🏾 I promise you, it’s not what you’d expect.