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Solo travel can be exciting, frustrating, expensive, economical, dangerous - and fun. If you're a solo woman, add 50% to all of the above. The Single female adventurer can boldly go where macho males might never dare, often relying on the kindness of strangers. However, she will encounter challenges that a brotherhood of blokes will never see - and her travel diary will be filled with experiences that group travel can never provide.
I still vividly remember a frightening solo travel incident my daughter experienced while I was safe and comfortable at home. The phone rang early in the morning and my 20-year-old daughter told me she was in a strange and lonely place in Spain late at night and two men were approaching her.
"I got off the train at the wrong place," she said. "I think I'm in Pamplona. I'm scared - what do I do?"
Being at the other side of the world didn't help, and the best I could do was to tell her to pick up her backpack, walk confidently to the brightest light she could see, wait until the men had gone, and then ring back.
She rang back seven days later from Norway - having a wonderful time, making new friends, barely remembering her moments of darkness in Pamplona.
Travelling alone in a foreign country is not supposed to be scary - it's supposed to be fun, and for thousands of solo travellers - male and female - it's an exciting new dimension in travel experience.
You do what you want when you want. Stay in a destination as long as you like, spend as much or as little as you can afford, please yourself whether you wear the same T shirt three days running.
But when you first see the Matterhorn you have no-one to elbow in the ribs and share a moment of wonder. And, when you check into your single hotel room in
Zermatt there's no-one to share the bill.
We asked some resolute single travellers about their solo holiday experiences.
Karen Cavu, a consultant with Reho Travel, says it helps to be young and blonde:
'I toured around Turkey when I was younger, blonder, skinnier and a lot more single than I am now! Can I just say that being all of those things makes it a lot easier to cross the road - you just walk out into traffic and everything stops!
All the other girls I met were amazed that I was there on my own - they had stories of how they were hassled everywhere they went. I think when you're with someone else, much outside attention could be misinterpreted as getting hassled.
It also helps to travel just before peak tourist season - I was there April/May - before all the locals get a bit tired of entertaining tourists. I think I must have been the first tourist in Kusadasai that season - I got adopted by the whole town and I've never been better looked after in my life.'
Solo traveller Rose Young recently had her drink spiked in Cancun, Mexico and she passed out on the bus back to her hostel. Luckily she was carried back to her dormitory by some concerned travellers.
She woke the next day with no recollection of the previous night and was violently ill for the whole day, recovering just in time to catch her flight home.
Rose warns solo females to be just as wary about other male tourists as they are about the locals
"You can take all the precautions and still wind up in serious trouble.
But that doesn't mean you can't live and let loose - you just have to
stay sharp and hope luck is on your side.
"My tip is to travel with a male; it really would save a lot of hassle. But
isn't that a paradox? Males are both our protectors and aggressors!"
· Frequent solo traveller Jill Weeks, author of Where to retire in Australia, says it is harder as a solo female traveller to ward off street vendors.
"But most of the time my travel has been worry free, and I have met some great people through social and work activities who are willing to help.
Jill's tips:
· Be prepared for the unexpected.
· The men in 'orange overalls' at Johannesburg airport are not 'official' luggage carriers / valets. They will charge you high SA Rand for taking your luggage from the domestic to the international terminal. Walk it yourself with luggage on wheels (it is only a few minutes walk).
· Use ziplock plastic bags for cosmetics, lotions, shampoo. Available from supermarkets or Body Shop.
· Keep at least one bottled water in your carry on luggage.
· Caution is required when driving on freeways in South Africa (people often walk across them!) I have seen nasty accidents on them.
· Be careful of how you dress and your use of jewellery in Africa (particularly Zimbabwe and Johannesburg).
· If you are going to travel with a camera, make it small and inconspicuous.
World traveller Anne Scott says while it can be fun to explore on your own not having someone to reminisce with later is a great disadvantage - photos become your only memories.
"Overall I have been very lucky in my visits to 50 countries. A bad experience came in 2003, when I was travelling to Mexico during the first week of the Iraqi war. I had to off load in LA, collect bags, queue for two hours for luggage checks among hundreds of frustrated passengers and then arrive in Mexico City to find I had no luggage.
"I travelled on to Cuenavarca - about two hours - with my handbag, duty free whisky and Qantas tooth brush. Lesson - never book in your cabin luggage and always have the things you need for the next few days.
"After a conference in Kenya I was to visit Zambia to stay with a friend. To get to Zambia I had to fly to Johannesburg, stay overnight then fly back to Lusaka. I was to be met at the airport by a Rotarian with whom I had corresponded - but had no idea what he looked like.
"I realised I had used all my $US in Kenya and had no local currency and did not have a phone number to call in a emergency. On arriving I was met but asked to wait at the kerb with all my luggage while the guy got the car. I felt very obvious and vulnerable.
"We packed the car then two Kenyan policemen arrived and demanded that the guy go to the car park with them as he had driven out of the 'in' drive of the car park. I was left sitting in the car for ages till it was sorted out. Very scary."
Anne's tips:
· I have found most people will help a woman on their own if you look confident!
· Arrival at airports can be challenging and difficult if you have lots of luggage. London underground is a nightmare if you don't know the station, but being a white haired lady helps. I have had skinheads pick up my bags without asking and dump them at the top of the stairs. Budget for taxis if possible.
· Eating alone can be lonely so I always try to find an interesting and different eatery where there are people around to get a feel for the local culture,
· Go on conducted tours so that you see a lot and can meet people.
· Have a good book as a back up.
Karsten Horne, head of Reho Travel, says his company has six female consultants in the Melbourne and Sydney offices who have travelled extensively on their own and consequently provide expert advice for first-time solo travellers.
"We also direct them to the www.smartraveller.gov.auwebsite, and there is a government publication called Tips for Women Travellers which is available at travel agencies.
"When I was 17 I travelled around South America on my own for six months and I found the worst part was having to keep my backpack on the whole time, as there was nobody to keep an eye on it.
"I would get lonely in the evenings and when I was sick it was sheer hell. Sometimes I'd go through days on end doing nothing, lacking total motivation. When you are travelling with others you often don't want to be seen as lazy or not getting full value out of the trip so you push each other.
"In those days, email didn't exist so it was often weeks between news from home. Driving is tough, too - try driving on an LA freeway in pouring rain at night while trying to read a map."
With input from clients Reho have produced solo travel lists:
Advantages
· You can travel when you want to and be flexible
· You make decisions - good and bad
· There's nobody to argue with
· No one cares if you wear the same clothes or don't shower
· It's easier to meet the local people and absorb the culture
· You really only need to be alone when you want to be alone - you can chose to hook up with fellow travellers
· Greater opportunities for new experiences, the result being better stories when you return home
· You can sleep in
· You usually get a double bed to yourself
· No need to compromise
· You can eat when and where you like
· You get the window seat on the plane
Tips/Cautions for women
· Do plenty of research on your destination and its culture
· Wear a wedding ring
· Dress conservatively
· Pack a scarf and long sleeve top
· Don't wear expensive jewellery
· Arrive in a city in daylight hours
· If you are a "fun seeker" be more careful than you would be at home
· Take your own hygiene products
· Make sure you lock the door of your hotel room
· Take a photocopy of your documents and store a copy online
· Don't hitchhike
· Buy travel insurance
· Get fit before you travel
· Keep in touch with friends and family by email
· Take a mobile phone for emergencies
Confronting countries for solos
Egypt, Cuba, Mexico, Italy, Spain, Morocco, Argentina, Peru, Turkey, Jordan.
Jodie Lemon of Travel Indochina found on a recent trip to Burma that being on her own was more of an advantage than a disadvantage.
"One afternoon I went for a walk around the Indian quarter, and spent a few hours talking to shop owners, people working in the markets, playing with school children and even chatted to some local police.
"I have no doubt that if I had been with even one other traveller people would have been reluctant to invite me into their homes, offer me some green tea and share their life stories.
"Spending time with local people on my own was also great in terms of photography, as people often allow you to take a portrait of them once you have a relationship.
"On another occasions I was told that there was a problem with the train and it would be at least six hours before the train would be moving. With no food or water available people started jumping out of the train and walking to nearest road, in the hope of hitch-hiking the rest of the way.
"After half an hour I decided to join them and stood waiting with three Europeans who were travelling together. After what seemed like an eternity standing in the 40 degree heat being ignored by the odd passing car, a military truck finally pulled over.
"Although there was enough room in the back of the truck for at least four people, they were only willing to take me, undoubtedly because I was on my own and posed no threat to them.
"At first I was reluctant to travel with a group of soldiers, but under the circumstances I decided to take a risk and accept their offer. They turned out to be a group of very funny, well educated people and five hours later they dropped me off at the front door of a guest house. The Europeans arrived on the train the next day, looking worse for wear."
A major consideration for solo travellers is the additional expense - often a single room costs almost as much as a double; coach tours, cruises and other packages are usually based on twin share.
Sydney-based company, Adventure World has holiday itineraries for singles wanting their own room or cabin without paying high-priced premiums. Some of the company's soft adventure tours offer singles prices for people prepared to share with a person of the same sex. Even if there's no other single on the tour the deal applies.
Melbourne-based APT, which books packages in Australia and many overseas destinations, also waives the single traveller supplement on all its premium fully escorted tours.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade says Australians should only carry sufficient cash for their daily needs, secure their valuables against theft and avoid displays of wealth at all times. Photocopies of valuables such as passport, tickets, driving licence and travellers' cheques should be kept separately from the originals.
In many countries, passports are a prime target of theft for illegal purposes. Passports should always be kept in a safe place; if lost or stolen overseas, contact the nearest Australian Embassy, High Commission or Consulate as soon as possible.
Useful websites:-
www.reho.com
http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/tips/womtrav.html
http://www.singlestravel.com.au/
http://www.adventureworld.com.au/default.asp?action=article&ID=317
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