Professional: What? Women Travel?
ARTICLES
Travel for Women: How Safe Is It?
Travel for women can be as safe as you make it. The more precautions we take and the more information we gather, the greater our peace of mind when we travel. Don’t let sensationalist news and the occasional highly publicized crime put you off taking off. The fact is – things happen anywhere, on your doorstep or around the world...
Women & Islam: Tales from the Road
Since the September 11th terrorist attacks, there has been much discussion about the treatment of women in Islamic countries. As an American and non-Muslim, I cannot speak to what it is like to be a woman on a day-to-day basis in an Islamic country. However, having traveled throughout the Middle East and North Africa, I can offer my own personal experience and insights as a window into Muslim culture...
When Women Travel, Industry Listens
Attention, travel industry: Women are now your No. 1 market. It's become clearer in recent years that women make most of the buying decisions for both business and leisure travel. Realizing that business travel is no longer dominated by men, hotels and airlines are making changes to appeal to increasing ranks of women...
East African Etiquette for Solo Traveler
As a woman traveling on my own in East Africa it soon became apparent that there was a fine line between gestures of good will and those with a more romantic significance. Conversations with friendly locals would frequently lead to justifications of why I had a problem with marrying an African man, and potential suitors quickly overtook garrulous con men and sticky-fingered pickpockets on my list of people to avoid...
Globetrotters Find Homes on the Road
The first time I visited Jakarta, Indonesia—feeling groggy after a 15-hour train ride and disoriented in this unfamiliar city—I was relieved I had arranged to stay with Margaretha and her family. As my local, Indonesian hosts, they welcomed me into their home and shared their customs, values and viewpoints with me, as well as a great city map...
Lonely Woman in Asia?
The people of India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan were mystified by the ideal of a single woman traveling for pleasure. The women were especially dumbfounded. This is not surprising in view of the fact that they would not dream of traveling further than the local market without an escort. In Pakistan women often don’t even get that far...