This Traveler-Friendly Social Media Group Could Be The Ticket To Safer, More Satisfying Vacations For Women

Traveling has never been easier or more stress-free than in today's digital age. There's no need to flip through thousand-page guidebooks in search of restaurant information, peruse wrinkled city maps to find hostel locations, or hunt for internet cafés to check messages from family and friends afar. Nowadays, smartphones provide instant messaging, maps, and banking apps right at your fingertips. Plus, the multitude of traveler-friendly social media groups and websites that have popped up recently increase the ease with which jetsetters can connect with others in the same destination. Some provide planning information for visitors, while others are city-specific groups for expats and digital nomads. There are also more general Facebook travel groups that help members meet up all over the world and foster a sense of community. Some of the more popular and helpful ones include Nomad & Chill | Solo Travellers & Backpacking, I Need a Travel Buddy, Girls LOVE Travel, and Find a Travel Buddy — this latter group has well over 2 million members.

However, despite the convenience and level of support available for present-day globetrotters, women still have concerns. According to a study conducted by Monasteries.com, a niche accommodations finder, while female solo travelers vastly outnumber men (67%), around 88% of the women interviewed expressed feeling unsafe when traveling alone (via Travel Noire). This lack of security impacts the destinations they choose to visit (and many even consider America one of the least-safe countries for women traveling solo). As well, it affects where they feel comfortable staying. However, this is where groups like Host a Sister come in. It was launched in 2019 by founder, traveler, and Kuala Lumpur native Rashvinda Kaur. And it's moved beyond its origins on Facebook as a women-only hosting group to become a worldwide network of travelers, friends, and "sisters."

As Kaur shares on Host a Sister, "I've always loved the idea of people opening their homes to visitors. However, I noticed that many women felt uneasy staying in a stranger's home, especially when their host was a man. This inspired me to create a safe, women-only hosting community." Of course, websites like Couchsurfing.com and Airbnb have long allowed people to bring travelers into their homes, sharing their culture and lives with them. But, as Host a Sister is specifically for women and non-binary individuals, it helps alleviate the discomfort many solo female travelers feel about staying alone with male hosts. There are additional levels of security, too: All hosts need to be members of the community (by first making a request, which is then approved by the group's admin). Moreover, members offering to host or looking for a host post their requests publicly in the group (posts also require approval), so there's a communication trail.

This network isn't just for mediating sleeping arrangements. You can meet up with locals while you're in their city, connect with potential travel buddies for a future trip, do a house swap with another member, or request house-sitters. Beyond that, Host a Sister co-organizes small-group, women-only excursions, maintains a global women's business directory, offers virtual classes, and has an extensive resource library on a range of travel-related topics — all of which are free for members. So, meet up with a local in Dubai, an ultra-modern destination ranked the safest city in the world in 2025. Or be a guest in a member's home in Copenhagen, an iconic, breathtaking European city that's great for a first solo trip. Either way, you can rest assured that you'll have a secure place to sleep — and maybe even make a lifelong friend.