Be a Wise Woman While Travelling

1. ALLOW TIME TO ADAPT
However long you are travelling for, landing in a new country is a daunting prospect, so the first vital point is not to kick yourself if you feel homesick or even physically sick from a change in food or altitude - it's all normal, you'll feel far better in a few days!

2. DRESS APPROPRIATELY
This one is especially for western women as sadly we are often misunderstood in many cultures as promiscuous, due to the limited clothing many are percieved as wearing. Be aware that in many cultures it is respectful to cover the shoulders and knees at the very least. In many parts of India for example, walking around in a bikini top or even a strappy top is the equivalent of being naked in the streets of London - and you wouldn't do that!

3. WEAR A RING
This may seem a little extreme as a way of warding off unwanted male attention, but trust me, it works! Simply wearing a fake engagement or wedding ring is a perfect way to show your unavailability to anyone who, with the language barrier and cultural constraints, may have got the wrong idea!

4. BE STREETWISE
When abroad, particularly in developing countries, you have to be extra aware of locking up valuables, taking little money aound the streets with you and perhaps opting against that one more cocktail! Of course you want to have fun but be aware of your safety at the same time. It may seem obvious not to walk the dark streets alone or trust a local stranger straight away but it is very easy to get carried away, especially after a few months of calling this new country 'home'.

5. FEMALE HEALTH AND HYGEINE
While men seem to have the ability to urinate standing up and keep their 'misters' relatively sanitised, it is of course a lot harder for women. It is very important that while living rough you remember to take care of your body. During your period it is important to try to keep to your good habits of protecting both yourself and the environment by disposing of sanitary products efficiently. In most cases sanitary products can be disposed of in bins, however if you are out trekking or in remote regions you may even be expected to dig a hole for used tampons and sanitary towels - this will be the norm so just go along with it! For your own hygeine, using wipes such as 'Femfresh' are brilliant for keeping away bad bacteria and fight against infection - stock up before you leave!

6. CONTRACEPTION
Obviously you are a knowledgable female to be considering lone travelling and are aware of the importance of contraception however there are a couple of points you may not have known. Firstly if you are travelling to a malaria prone area and are using the Doxyclycline pill to prevent it (the cheapest and most common) be aware that this can dramatically affect the reliability of the contraceptive pill. Therefore if this applies to you make sure that you are using condoms as well to prevent any unwanted pregnancies. Secondly it is best to take your own condoms abroad with you, even if you don't plan to meet anyone it can happen. Using condoms marked with the kite sign show that they are extremely effective, whereas buying cheap ones off a stall in Thailand for example will not be nearly as reliable.

7. THINK BEFORE GIVING MONEY
With regards to beggars and street children it will be very uncomfortable and against your human and maternal instincts to decline money. However, you must try and see that the money you give will more than often go on buying drugs, further corrupting this upsetting situation. In my experience the best way to ensure that you are actually helping a beggar is to give them the food itself (not the money for it). If you are buying something like a carton of milk, take the top off first - a simple action like this will ensure that the milk is consumed rather than sold for drugs.

8. TRAVEL LIGHT
It is very easy to overpack but try to keep space in your bag for the many souvenirs you will be bringing back from the country. In most places suitable clothes can be bought at a very cheap rate on arrival, so you could even leave home with the bare essentials and get on fine, hair straighteners for one are a leave at home jobby! I always believe that rather than helping our department stores at home, you will always be helping more by buying anything you need from small shops while travelling, helping the economic system of the country and helping the shop worker simply feed his family.

9. DON'T BE SCAMMED
One extremely common scenario in the likes of Thailand and India is businessmen noticing tourists and, seeing their naivity, getting them involved in a scam involving "cheap 'armani' suits" etc. It is so easy to be caught up in these situations and from my experience the best way to deal with it is when asked: "how long have you been in this country?" rather than reply the truth "2 days", reply "3 months, I work here" a simple fib will mean you are no longer bait for any scam. These businessmen only target the vulnerable, so even if you do feel this way, simply act like you're in the know and you'll be fine!

10. LEARN THE LINGO
One of the best ways to get around and to get respect from the locals is to learn basic greetings in the local language. Sparking up conversations with guest house managers and shop workers will be a good way to test your language skills and in haggling for goods or taxis knowing at least the words for "how much money?" will get you very far!

I hope these ten tips have been useful, please comment me if you need any more advice, and best of luck!