Solo travel: ‘The inbuilt phone feature that gives me peace of mind while travelling solo’ | 9Travel Tips

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As a woman who does a lot of solo travel, one question I get asked a lot is how I stay feeling safe.

Of course, I choose my destinations and accommodation carefully, and always keep my wits about me when I’m roaming around.

But the one thing that gives me the most peace of mind is a simple setting that’s built into my phone.

During a year-long solo trip through Europe, I would always make sure to tell a friend back home, or my mum, when I was going out for the night.

Then I’d text them when I got back home safe to my accommodation. If they didn’t get a text, they could figure out if something had gone wrong.

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But of course, a few times (after maybe a few too many cocktails), I’d forget to send the text, and would wake up to worried messages.

That is, until I figured out my phone’s ‘Check In’ feature, which makes me feel so much safer.

On my iPhone, I can create a setting that automatically sends an alert to a certain contact as soon as the phone arrives at a set location.

So if I’m leaving a bar and getting the train back to my hotel, I can start a ‘Check In’ with my partner.

‘Check In’ monitors the journey, gives us both an ETA, and notifies him if my iPhone isn’t progressing for an extended period of time, or if it doesn’t reach my destination as expected.

Once I arrive, the ‘Check In’ automatically completes and notifies my friend that my iPhone has arrived.

And if that ‘Check In’ doesn’t happen, they can tap in to see my phone’s location, battery percentage, phone signal, and more.

How to set up ‘Check In’ on your iPhone

To start a ‘Check In’, open a conversation in the Messages app and tap the plus sign on the bottom left. Tap “More,” tap “Check In,” and then tap “Edit” to add details. You can choose “When I Arrive” or “After a timer.” Tap send.

At the moment, it’s only an iPhone feature, but hopefully something similar will soon be available on Android.

If you don’t really want to share your location with anyone, but are guilty of forgetting to message people when you get home, an alternative I’ve used is by setting location-based reminders.

You can create a note in your Reminders app that will alert you once you arrive at a certain location – like your hotel. Just create a reminder and tap the location button – then tap ‘custom’ to add your own location. 

This is also great for non-travel-related daily life, like remembering to preheat the oven when you get home or to take out cash when you arrive at the shops.

Your phone actually has a lot of functions that you may not know about, which can really help you while travelling.

For example, if you create a guide on Apple or Google Maps, you can access your list from anywhere and share it with friends.

And in iMessage, if you text someone your flight number, you can both tap on it in the app and it’ll show you real-time flight updates. 

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