Having just returned from a one-month self-drive tour of the country, I can assure you the\u00a0destination has much to offer.<\/p>\n
Business, culture, history, landscape, food and the people\u00a0are just some of the compelling\u00a0reasons to travel to Iran, but one of the main barriers to visiting the country for many\u00a0people is often their colleagues and friends asking \u2018is it really safe to travel there?\u2019<\/p>\n
Western media often portrays Iran negatively. There is a widespread misunderstanding\u00a0about the true nature and safety of the country, which is tainted by the reputation of some\u00a0of its more politically unstable neighbours.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why people are often stunned when they are told Iran, with the exception of a few areas, is considered a low-risk country and a safe destination to visit.<\/p>\n
As a travel security consultant, specialising in women travellers, here are my top 10 tips to\u00a0ensure visitors have a safe and fascinating trip to Iran.<\/p>\n
1. CRIME<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nCrime rates are low in Iran and many women travel to the country alone without facing any\u00a0issues. As with travel to any destination, you should always take basic, common-sense\u00a0precautions, such as not visiting isolated places after dark or finding yourself alone with\u00a0men you don\u2019t know. The rates of petty crime such as bag snatching and pick pocketing are\u00a0far lower than in western countries and serious crime against foreigners is even more rare.<\/p>\n
2. CULTURAL DIFFERENCES<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nThe main danger for women travellers is falling foul of cultural sensibilities. The country is\u00a0Islamic and as a woman you are restricted in terms of your dress and behaviour. The risks\u00a0to women are two-fold; the religious authorities and attracting male attention\u00a0unintentionally. The latter is much less likely than in other Muslim countries such as Egypt\u00a0and Pakistan, where it is not unusual to feel harassed by unwanted male attention. Iranians\u00a0are incredibly friendly and welcoming, but are also very respectful of your personal space.\u00a0You are extremely unlikely to be groped in Iran.<\/p>\n
It is considered very rude to approach a woman without being invited to do so. You may\u00a0well be stared at by both men and women, but this is likely to be from genuine curiosity\u00a0and excitement that you are visiting their country. When making friends in Iran, which you\u00a0surely will as Iranians are some of the friendliest people on earth, you need to be careful of\u00a0making western-style eye contact with men in the group as you will cause them to feel\u00a0uncomfortable or worse, they may take your eye contact as an invitation. Wearing\u00a0sunglasses can help avoid inadvertently making eye contact with people you are not\u00a0engaged in conversation with. Touching, patting on the back, shaking hands with males and\u00a0physical contact is not advisable.<\/p>\n
3. CLOTHING<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nThe religious authorities do pose a threat to women travellers and it is very important to\u00a0adhere to the strict dress code by wearing the \u2018Hijab.\u2019 The word hijab can mean both\u00a0\u2018headscarf\u2019 and \u2018modest dress\u2019, but in Iran it means that your hair and body should be\u00a0totally covered and your upper body covering should not be too tight fitting and should\u00a0hang low enough to cover your bottom.\u00a0Iranian women are roughly divided into two groups with more religious women tending to\u00a0wear the \u2018chador\u2019 meaning \u2018tent,\u2019 a shapeless black gown that covers their entire body. The\u00a0other group wears bright colours, and usually a \u2018manteau,\u2019 or thigh-length, lightweight coat\u00a0over jeans. Testing the limits of what is allowed seems to be an Iranian sport, particularly\u00a0in Tehran, but the Islamic police do patrol the streets and pull people in for inappropriate\u00a0dress. Each city seems to have different standards and in more religious cities like Qom you\u00a0will not feel comfortable in your brightly-coloured manteau and will want to wear neck-to-ankle\u00a0loose-fitting black garments, as well as socks if you are wearing sandals.\u00a0Follow the guidance of local people. It is better to be more conservative and for locals to tell\u00a0you that you can shed layers rather than for them to signal for you to cover up.<\/p>\n
4. COVERING YOUR HAIR<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nNo one veils their face Iran, but every woman past puberty must cover their hair and\u00a0d\u00e9colletage. In reality, every town and city follows these rules to a greater or lesser\u00a0degree. In Tehran you will see some women with most of their hair uncovered and their\u00a0head-scarves just pinned to the back of their heads, whereas in Tabriz, no one will have any\u00a0hair showing at all. Take some hairpins to help keep your veil in place and be sure to\u00a0remember it every time you leave your hotel room and leave your hotel room for\u00a0breakfast.<\/p>\n
5. EATING AND DRINKING<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nOne of the things women dislike about travelling on their own is eating alone. Iranians are\u00a0so friendly and joyful that it is unlikely that you will have to endure much solitary\u00a0dining. Due to social constraints, men are unlikely to approach you but it is very likely that\u00a0Iranian women, in groups or with their family, will invite you to dine with them. Don\u2019t be\u00a0surprised if they pay for your meal even if you have declined to join them!<\/p>\n
6. ALCOHOL<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nAlcohol is illegal in Iran, but if you are invited to an Iranian family\u2019s house, you may well be\u00a0offered it. Be prudent in your assessment of the situation. There are harsh penalties for\u00a0drinking alcohol and there is always the possibility that your guide or another guest may\u00a0report the fact you drank alcohol to the authorities.<\/p>\n
7. PUBLIC AND GENDER SEPARATION<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nPublic transport is safe to use but aside from the Tehran Metro, it is probably not the ideal\u00a0mode of transport for a business traveller.<\/p>\n
The Tehran metro is cheap, clean, air-conditioned and easy to navigate. At the front and\u00a0rear of each train are women-only carriages. These were implemented for gentlemanly\u00a0rather than being sexist or discriminatory and can provide a less crowded and\u00a0more comfortable experience, particularly during the rush-hour crush in the central\u00a0carriages. Women may enter other carriages alone or with male colleagues.<\/p>\n
Other modes of public transport also feature women-only sections and separation may be\u00a0enforced on some buses.<\/p>\n
8. TOILETS<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nToilets are definitely a low point in what is otherwise a highly sophisticated society.\u00a0Surprisingly, they are not always segregated. It is not uncommon to visit the bathroom in a\u00a0restaurant to find that you have to walk through the men\u2019s toilets to get to the women\u2019s. There is however always soap for which one is most grateful!<\/p>\n
9. SWIMMING<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nThe majority of hotel pools are not segregated, so unfortunately women cannot use them or\u00a0even sit by them even if wearing the hijab. There are some segregated beaches, where the\u00a0female swimming section is screened off, but these are few and far between.<\/p>\n
10. ROAD TRAFFIC INCIDENTS<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nThe main roads in Iran are very good quality, but driving standards are poor. Always check\u00a0that your vehicle has working seat belts and sit in the back. Drivers will attempt to drive as\u00a0quickly as they can; ask them to slow down if you are concerned and feign motion sickness\u00a0if you are making no headway.<\/p>\n
Cities are safe to walk around and often you will be in the shade of trees, even in cities,\u00a0however crossing roads can be daunting, even at official crossings. Always look both ways\u00a0even on one-way streets, especially when you near the pavement again. You may find it\u00a0easier to \u2018tag\u2019 onto a local and cross in time with them. Even while safely sticking to the\u00a0pavement, be aware of scooters travelling from both directions.<\/p>\n
CONCLUSION<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nIran is a fantastic country to visit. Certain nationalities still have visa complications and\u00a0journalists or those involved in human rights can face greater risks, but for the average\u00a0traveller, a wonderful trip awaits.<\/p>\n
be<\/span>Travelwise<\/strong> <\/a>can support you and your travellers with training and education for all destinations where required.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As Iran re-opens its doors to the world, travel security specialist Justine Oliver, provides first-hand knowledge of the dos and don\u2019ts for women visiting this fascinating destination.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":995,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[53,45],"class_list":["post-994","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorised","tag-iran","tag-women-travellers"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t
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