Before going backpacking in the Balkans with my best friend (also female), I had a lot of people ask me how safe it would be, whether I would be okay and all those general questions. Honestly, some of the places in the Balkans were the safest I’ve felt. Out of the entire backpacking trip (Balkans, Italy and Spain), the country I felt least safe in was Italy. And that’s not to say I wasn’t safe: that’s just to illustrate that backpacking someone slightly less touristy shouldn’t be a problem as long as you take reasonable steps to keep yourself safe. Wherever you are travelling, it’s a very personal experience and different people will feel differently about a place. (Also it’s a good idea to check government advice before travel to anywhere due to changing situations globally.)
I fell in love with the Balkans by our second stop. Most of the people in the countries are incredibly friendly – with food vendors in Albania offering us free watermelon with our smoothies after a long bus ride, and hostel owners looking after me when I was ill.
Attention from Locals
It’s inevitable that in areas with less tourists, you will receive more attention than you would in somewhere like Italy or Spain. Many people came up to us while we were walking around in cities and towns (especially Albania) to ask where we were from and why we had chosen to visit the place. While at first this may seem a little intimidating if you aren’t used to it, the vast majority of people were simply curious and if we at any point tried to end a conversation, they left immediately.
This is extremely reassuring as a traveller as it meant that we never had moments where we felt pressured to keep a conversation going – with even some people asking if they could talk to us before initiating conversation.
Walking Back at Night
Me and my friend did end up going out a lot of nights, which meant walking back by ourselves (or as a group from the hostel). A lot of places in the cities are well lit. We sometimes did a walk of the route back in the daylight so we knew the area, and often chose places close to the hostels to go out to. While travelling, it’s not to say don’t go out, but just be a bit more careful than you would be in an area you know well. However, I felt no less safe walking back from nights out in the Balkans than I did in places like Barcelona.
Safety of Transport
We relied heavily on buses to get around, and absolutely loved the flexibility they gave us (as well as their price). Although you sometimes end up standing on the bus (looking at Albania again), I never felt like my safety on transport was an issue. The safety of getting around wouldn’t be something that would concern me much more the Balkans than in the UK. This said, the roads are a little less well looked after, and if you are driving yourself it may be a different story, so please do check prior to doing so.
Hostels – staying in dorms
A lot of girls we met were staying in female-only dorms and that is definitely an option most places if you’d rather not be in a mixed gender room. Me and my friend stayed in mixed gender dorms everywhere we went to hostels though, and had no issues at all. It was also a really nice way to meet a huge range of people. Whatever your personal preference is when it comes to sleeping arrangements, make sure you feel comfortable enough to get a good night’s sleep.
Some of the hostels we stayed in also had lockers by the beds (take your own padlock). Not all hostels do though – it’s something to check when you book if that is a deal-breaker for you. In saying this, nothing got stolen or taken on our trip so I wouldn’t be too concerned even if you are just leaving your rucksack on your bed.
Groups and meeting people
I did have a few days by myself in Bulgaria, and still felt entirely safe while alone. However hostels and trips (such as the Rila Monastery Tour in Bulgaria) are a great way to meet people and mean that you don’t have to be alone – on my second night I went on an evening walk with a couple of girls I’d met in the kitchen, and then when my friend arrived we went out for drinks with a larger group in the hostel.
Trust your instincts
Okay, this isn’t so much Balkan travel advice as much as general – but trust your instincts, keep your location on for people back home and if something feels off, head back to where you know you’re safe.
For anyone travelling to the Balkans with any safety concerns, please follow your instincts and your personal comfort level, but I hope this alleviates any fears over why you shouldn’t go! I had one of the best trips of my life in the Balkans and felt so safe, amongst friendly locals and beautiful scenery. It’s also such a good place to get to before it becomes on a tourist track.
First time backpacking? >>> My advice to first-time backpackers
Want to go to the Balkans? >>> A Balkan Backpacking Route
If you are a solo female traveller, or trying to understand more about what it’s like to travel alone as a girl, there are some amazing blogs out there including Girl about the Globe and The Blonde Abroad. This is by no means an extensive list though!
