Going Solo - Travel Safety Tips for Women - How to Travel Safely Around the Country or Around the World

Book excerpt: Table of Contents Going Solo Travel Safety Tips for Women Introduction Getting Prepared to Travel Traveling Internationally When to Call Your Embassy for Help? Potential Trouble Situations Dress Code What to Have in Your Purse? Woman Safety App Money Money Money While on a Journey In an Unknown Neighborhood Parleying in the Local Lingo Harassment Harassed by Flirts Silence is Golden Meeting New Acquaintances Driving Rules Travel Plans Conclusion Author Bio Publisher Introduction Going Solo… Thanks to the world shrinking due to more advanced transport facilities, more and more women are taking the first step of traveling to other countries and exploring the new cultures, and horizons open to them. It is the first step outside your own safe and secure circle, which is rather daunting. So for most of us Going solo is not something which people normally do because let me tell you frankly, I have noticed that a number of my women friends, colleagues and acquaintances consider any sort of traveled to be a bore. Who really wants to undergo the hassle of being a woman all lonesome on her own traveling to a strange country or city? Traveling all alone in your own country or abroad, – you must be joking, DJ. This attitude was rather surprising, because I took travelling alone to be a part and parcel of my own lifestyle, while growing up and I definitely did not have any hassle in picking up my small travelling bag and catching my train, all alone on a long journey, even when I was 15. But then I was just going from one known destination to another known destination. So I did not bother much about the safety aspects, then, because I knew both destinations well. So for me, at that time, Going solo was the rule, and not an exception. But things changed later, while working. It was a different matter altogether. I never knew when the call would come from the top for me to get myself to such and such place by such and such time to attend such and such a meeting or meet XYZ. At that time, I always had a bag packed in a corner because I never knew when I had to drop everything and fly down to all corners of the compass on official duty. Sometimes I had my team of colleagues and juniors with me. Sometimes I was needed to go alone. And half of them just hated the idea of traveling because they were not used to it. Even when tickets, hotel stay, transport and all other facilities were laid out for them, they just did not want to go and see a brand-new place and experience a brand-new culture. How much they have missed out of life. This book is for all those adventurous souls who want to go out somewhere and experience new experiences, but there always daunted by the thought that it is not safe for women to travel anywhere in their own country or outside. And definitely not traveling solo in this world full of crime, and xenophobia. This book is to explode some of those myths. This book is also going to give you lots of useful information about safety tips for women traveling alone, based on my experiences, as well as the experiences of my other peripatetic friends. Also, there are some amusing anecdotes and episodes recounted to me by my well-traveled father, which may not exactly touch on safety, but can touch on some of the experiences that you may face when visiting a new country! So let the adventure begin.