Some Tips For Women Traveling Alone

Each country and culture has their own views of what is appropriate behavior for women. Although you may not agree with these views, it is wise to abide by the local laws and customs to avoid problems. Please become familiar with the laws and customs of the places where you wish to go.

Here are two examples of situations you may encounter:

It is illegal in Laos to invite Lao nationals of the opposite sex to one's hotel room.

Foreigners in Saudi Arabia have been arrested in the past for "improper dress."

Women traveling alone can be more vulnerable to problems in certain cultures. Keeping in mind the following information can help make your trip as safe and rewarding as possible.

Preparing for your trip

Passports & Visas: Make sure your passport is still valid or apply for a new one long before you plan to travel. Make sure you have the right travel documents and visas for your destinations. For information on individual countries' entry and exit requirements, refer to our publication Foreign Entry Requirements.

Your Destinations: Make an effort to learn about the locations you plan to visit, their culture, and any problems that might be occurring there.

Many exciting and exotic destinations may have very conservative views about women.

Being a foreigner makes you stand out; a woman traveling alone can be even more of an oddity in some places.

What to Leave Behind: Leave a detailed itinerary and a copy of your passport's identification page with a friend or relative at home. Include names, addresses and telephone numbers where you will be staying. Leave a copy of your flight and ticket information with them as well.

You may wish to establish certain check in dates when you will either call, e-mail, fax, etc. to let someone know that you are all right. But remember that if you happen to miss a check-in, your loved ones may assume that you are having a problem or are in trouble.

Leave any valuables, extra credit cards and jewelry - even fake jewelry - at home.

Thieves often won't know the real from the fake until after they take it, so why risk your personal safety?

Health: Make sure you have adequate health insurance coverage while abroad and that your coverage includes medical evacuations. Your policy might not cover you overseas and you may need to purchase traveler's insurance.

If you have any condition that might develop complications- especially if you are pregnant, check with your doctor before you go abroad. If you experience complications, a medical evacuation might still take several precious hours to arrange.

If you take prescription medication, make sure you have enough to last the duration of the trip, including extra medication in case you are delayed. Always carry your prescriptions in their labeled containers as many countries have strict anti-trafficking laws and might be suspicious of pills in unlabeled bottles. Bring your prescription information and the names of their generic equivalents with you just in case.

Off you go

Safety and Security: Use common sense and be alert and aware of your surroundings. If you are unsure in general about the local situation, feel free to check with the American Citizens Services section of the local U.S. Embassy or Consulate for the latest security information.

Don't announce that you are traveling alone! Some guides for women even advise wearing a wedding ring if you're single. If you feel like you're being followed, step into a store or other safe place and wait to see if the person you think is following has passed.

Do not be afraid or embarrassed to ask for someone to double check for you to see if all is safe. Display confidence. By looking and acting as if you know where you're going, you may be able to ward off some potential danger.

Ask for directions before you set out. No matter how modest your lodgings are, your hotel concierge or other hotel staff should be able to help. If you find yourself lost, do not be afraid to ask for directions. Generally, the safest people to ask are families or women with children. Getting the right information may save you from ending up in a potentially unsafe area.

Hotels: Choose a hotel where security is good and transportation is readily available and nearby. Check that all the doors and windows in your room have locks and that they work. If you feel uncomfortable, ask hotel security to escort you to and from parking lots or your room at night. Always use your peephole and common sense about letting strangers into your room.

Clothing: There is no doubt that fashion makes a statement. Unfortunately, not everyone will interpret how you dress the same way you would. What you consider casual clothing might be seen as provocative or inappropriate in other cultures. Thieves might choose you over another potential target based on your style of dress or the amount of makeup or jewelry you are wearing. Other might single you out for harassment or even physical violence because they find your clothing offensive, based on their cultural norms. By taking your cues from local women, or at least by dressing conservatively, you could save yourself a great deal of trouble.

Use common sense, do your homework before you go, and have a safe and fun trip. 

Camping Holiday Tips For The Beginnner

When I have chosen my destination and found my camping site I think facilities, do I want to have them readily available or do I want to 'rough it'. If I were a happy hiker and carrying my tent and equipment in a rucksack then depending on where I stopped for the night I may have to forgo some of life's little creature comforts. I would also be limited to how much I can physically carry so I would have to remember to take this into account when packing.

If I were travelling by car or van then obviously I can take more equipment and can travel further afield. There are many organised camping sites available world-wide. They vary from basic sites with water and toilet facilities to ones that also include a swimming pool, shops, restaurants and entertainment. Costs will vary immensely so I always weigh up my options before I decide. Do I want peace and quiet and open spaces, basic facilities or a more sociable and busy holiday full of entertainment, the choice is mine.

I really do think it is a good idea to make a list before I embark on any trip. For camping you really do need to remember the basics. A drinking vessel, water, plate, cutlery, pot for cooking and heating water in, a torch and of course a warm sleeping bag are a definite must as is the one thing most people forget – a can opener! On a personal level, I always think it is also a good idea to take along my own toilet roll. A camping bed or blow up bed are also a must so that I can hopefully have a good nights sleep off the lumpy ground. I also take warm clothes even if I am travelling in the summer as night time can be decidedly chilly in a tent.
Normally when camping I cater for myself so I obviously will need some sort of cooker. I could by a small gas or petrol stove and can choose between single ringed stoves or larger double ringed cookers. It may take skill and ingenuity to cook a three course meal on them but they will do the job of heating or cooking my basic food. Opting for nostalgia and lighting a fire is always a last resort as my surroundings might be dry and a spark could easily set dry undergrowth alight. Apart from the safety aspect fuel would have to be collected for the fire, not easy if there are no old branches or pieces of wood in the near vicinity.

Careful thought goes into what food to take. If I only have one cooking ring then there is no point in taking food which needs to be oven cooked! Unless I can buy fresh food daily then tinned food is ideal as I won't have a fridge to keep perishable food in.

Most importantly remember to do as I do and leave my camping site as I would wish to find it, clean and tidy, I remove all my rubbish and leave it looking as if I was never there.