Planning a solo vacation? Be prepared with these safety apps.

1. TripWhistle

Any savvy traveller knows to save emergency numbers on their smartphone. But if disaster should strike, there may not be time to rifle through your contact list to find those contact details. That’s where TripWhistle comes in. You can dial the local emergency services in whichever part of the world you’re in and share your GPS coordinates.

2. MiBlackBox

This local app works similarly to TripWhistle in that you can use it to call emergency services. But it also has a panic button if you’re unable to phone and you can record your situation through images, videos or audio recordings. Voice recordings are sent directly to your specified emergency contact.

3. Sitata

Sitata calls itself ‘the most comprehensive travel safety platform on the planet’. Like the apps above, it gives you access to emergency numbers, and also hospital locations. It provides the latest health and safety information required for your trip and updates you on current events, such as disease outbreaks and bombings, taking place in the country of your destination. You can also get in touch with other travellers to find out firsthand about their experiences.

4. Safeture

This app provides much the same features as the above: local SOS numbers, environmental alerts and location sharing. It also allows your family and friends to track your movements if you feel unsafe (walking home from a club late at night, for example), and shares local news from the country you’re in, in English. Messages and texts can be translated into 90 different languages, so you can always understand what is happening around you.

5. bSafe

This app relies on live streaming to relay your situation to your family and friends while it’s happening. Once you verbally activate the SOS button (you don’t even need to physically push a button!), your loved ones will receive an audio alarm and your location. It also has a Follow Me feature and you can set a timer so the app will send an alarm to your loved ones if you don’t make it to your destination within a specified time. Fake Call does exactly what it says to get you out of a threatening situation.

All apps are available on Apple Store and Google Play.

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