A Woman Traveling AloneBy Anna Lynn SibalIt is tough to be a woman traveling alone. Not only do you have to deal with the usual hassle that a tourist has to face, like getting around the place, getting over the language barrier and all that, but women traveling are also vulnerable to being on the receiving end of unwanted attention, especially if she is traveling alone. This is particularly true in countries where women do not enjoy as much freedom as women in, say, the United States do.Safety is a special concern for a woman traveling alone. A lot of enterprising people find a woman traveling alone to be an easy target for whatever heinous heist they may have in mind, so it is very important for her to take care of herself.The first thing that a woman traveling alone should do is to secure her lodgings. As much as possible, her lodgings should be something she should not cut corners with. She should check in a reputable place and make sure that her room is not on the first floor, where many people come and go all too easily.Another precaution that a woman traveling alone ought to take is to keep her room number to herself. Keeping her hotel room door locked at all times is also logical. She should never let anyone inside her hotel room without first identifying who that person is. When she is ordering room service, she should ask room service to call her when the waiter is coming up to her room with her order. While the waiter is laying out her food on the table, she should stay by the door.Whenever she eats at one of the restaurants at the hotel she is staying in, a woman traveling alone should sign her bills with her initials instead of her full name. After signing these bills, she should give them directly to the server and should take care that no one else sees them. Whenever a stranger approaches her, she should feel free to say that she is busy and does not feel up to entertaining casual conversation with people she does not know. But if she feels inclined to it, she should be careful of the things she says to the person she is talking to. Never at any time should she reveal her itinerary for her trip. Also, a little white lie can also keep her safe.If she is going out, a woman traveling alone should leave a note at the reception, notifying the hotel of her destination and the time she left. She should also check in regularly with someone at home. When she is going about the hotel, she should steer clear of the stairs and instead use the elevator; in this case, safety comes first before burning calories. Upon returning to the hotel after going out, she should not hesitate to ask the concierge to escort her to her room if she thinks she is being followed or spied upon.Most of all, a woman traveling alone should wear sedate outfits and do her best to blend in. She should leave her provocative clothes at home, and she should not stash her cash and valuables in one place alone.These safety precautions may seem paranoid, but it is better to be safe than sorry. A woman should have fun and peace of mind during her trip, even when she is traveling alone.
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Tips on Rental CarsBy Anna Lynn SibalIf you are planning to visit another city or another country, it may be more practical to rent a car rather than brave the public transportation system of the place you are going to. Just relying on the public transportation system can limit your mobility, especially when there are places where you want to go that are not covered by the public transport. Depending on the public transport so you can get around can also put undue time pressure on your gallivanting and eats away a little at the element of fun that you are supposed to have when exploring an unfamiliar place.Moreover, when you are traveling with a group and that group includes children, herding the group around through the public transport system can become a nightmare. It is possible to arrange for rental cars before you actually leave for your journey. You can do this through telephone or the Internet. But before you make your reservation with a rental car company, there may be a few things that you will need to consider before you actually reserve a car for your trip.Here are a tips for renting a car:Transmission. Do you go manual or automatic? In some countries, manual transmission is the norm, and if you are someone who relies on automatic transmission, you may need to make an early reservation.Fuel efficiency. While most rental car companies hire out fuel-efficient cars, it is best to make sure that the car you will be using is indeed fuel efficient. Otherwise, you may find your travel budget being sucked dry by fuel prices.Interior space. The interior space, the size of the seats and the legroom of some cars are not always what you think they are. In Europe, for instance, the inside of the car is often smaller than what Americans are probably used to. Therefore, always check out the size of the car you are thinking of renting before actually booking it.Storage space. What goes for interior space also goes for storage space. If you are going to bring stuff with you while you drive around the place you are visiting, choose a car with ample trunk space suitable to your needs.Extras. Never assume that the car you are renting automatically has air conditioning or stereo or GPS tracker, or whatever accessories and features you would expect from a car. Specify what features you would need if you have to.Smoking or non-smoking. Always ask for a non-smoking car. It is highly likely that the non-smoking car hired out by rental car companies are a lot newer and cleaner than smoking cars.If you travel frequently, you may want to become more loyal to one particular rental car company, although it is always best to patronize another company as backup. Just like with airlines and hotels, rental car companies always have something special to offer exclusively to their loyal customers, whether in the form of discounts or other perks.*For all your travel and rental car needs go to http://www.gottitravel.comRead more…