I want to address the 'budget travel isn't safe' myth head-on, specifically for solo female travelers in Central America.

I did Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala over 8 weeks on roughly $40/day. Here's my actual safety experience: no incidents. That's not because I got lucky — it's because I made informed decisions.

The specific things that work: staying in social hostels rather than isolated cheap guesthouses. Traveling by shuttle or reputable bus companies rather than local chicken buses at night. Learning the difference between 'dangerous by reputation' and 'dangerous in practice for tourists moving through.' Tegucigalpa and San Salvador have rough areas — I didn't spend nights there. The tourist infrastructure in both countries routes around those zones anyway.

The most useful resource was talking to other travelers who had just done the route I was planning. Hostel common rooms are an underrated intelligence network. A woman who'd come from Leon two days ago has better information than any guidebook or Reddit post from 8 months ago.

None of this means you should be cavalier. Dress down, don't flash gear, trust your gut when something feels off. But don't let fear of a region stop you from going — do the research and make a real assessment.