Useful Tips For Women Traveling Alone

There has been an increase in the number of Americans traveling abroad - especially women traveling alone either for business or pleasure.

Each country and culture has their own views of what is appropriate behavior for women.

Although you may not agree with these views, it is wise to abide by the local laws and customs to avoid problems.

Please become familiar with the laws and customs of the places where you wish to go.

Here are two examples of situations you may encounter:

It is illegal in Laos to invite Lao nationals of the opposite sex to one's hotel room.

Foreigners in Saudi Arabia have been arrested in the past for "improper dress."

Women traveling alone can be more vulnerable to problems in certain cultures. Keeping in mind the following information can help make your trip as safe and rewarding as possible.

PREPARING FOR YOUR TRIP

Passports & Visas:

Make sure your passport is still valid or apply for a new one long before you plan to travel. Make sure you have the right travel documents and visas for your destinations. For information on individual countries' entry and exit requirements, refer to our publication Foreign Entry Requirements.

Your Destinations:

Make an effort to learn about the locations you plan to visit, their culture, and any problems that might be occurring there.

Many exciting and exotic destinations may have very conservative views about women. Being a foreigner makes you stand out; a woman traveling alone can be even more of an oddity in some places.

What to Leave Behind:

Leave a detailed itinerary and a copy of your passport's identification page with a friend or relative at home. Include names, addresses and telephone numbers where you will be staying. Leave a copy of your flight and ticket information with them as well.

You may wish to establish certain check in dates when you will either call, e-mail, fax, etc. to let someone know that you are all right. But remember that if you happen to miss a check-in, your loved ones may assume that you are having a problem or are in trouble.

Leave any valuables, extra credit cards and jewelry - even fake jewelry - at home. Thieves often won't know the real from the fake until after they take it, so why risk your personal safety?

Health:

Make sure you have adequate health insurance coverage while abroad and that your coverage includes medical evacuations. Your policy might not cover you overseas and you may need to purchase traveler's insurance.
See our publication Medical Information for Americans Traveling Abroad.

If you have any condition that might develop complications- especially if you are pregnant, check with your doctor before you go abroad. If you experience complications, a medical evacuation might still take several precious hours to arrange.

If you take prescription medication, make sure you have enough to last the duration of the trip, including extra medication in case you are delayed. Always carry your prescriptions in their labeled containers as many countries have strict narco-trafficking laws and might be suspicious of pills in unlabeled bottles. Bring your prescription information and the names of their generic equivalents with you just in case.

OFF YOU GO

Safety and Security:

Use common sense and be alert and aware of your surroundings. If you are unsure in general about the local situation, feel free to check with the American Citizens Services section of the local U.S. Embassy or Consulate for the latest security information.

Don't announce that you are traveling alone! Some guides for women even advise wearing a wedding ring if you're single. If you feel like you're being followed, step into a store or other safe place and wait to see if the person you think is following has passed. Do not be afraid or embarrassed to ask for someone to double check for you to see if all is safe. Display confidence. By looking and acting as if you know where you're going, you may be able to ward off some potential danger.

Ask for directions before you set out. No matter how modest your lodgings are, your hotel concierge or other hotel staff should be able to help. If you find yourself lost, do not be afraid to ask for directions. Generally, the safest people to ask are families or women with children. Getting the right information may save you from ending up in a potentially unsafe area.

Hotels:

Choose a hotel where security is good and transportation is readily available and nearby. Check that all the doors and windows in your room have locks and that they work. If you feel uncomfortable, ask hotel security to escort you to and from parking lots or your room at night. Always use your peephole and common sense about letting strangers into your room.

Clothing:

There is no doubt that fashion makes a statement. Unfortunately, not everyone will interpret how you dress the same way you would. What you consider casual clothing might be seen as provocative or inappropriate in other cultures. Thieves might choose you over another potential target based on your style of dress or the amount of makeup or jewelry you are wearing. Other might single you out for harassment or even physical violence because they find your clothing offensive, based on their cultural norms. By taking your cues from local women, or at least by dressing conservatively, you could save yourself a great deal of trouble.

~ REMINDERS ~

1. Make sure you have a signed, valid passport and visas, if required. Also, before you go, fill in the emergency information page of your passport!

2. Read the Consular Information Sheets (and Public Announcements or Travel Warnings, if applicable) for countries you plan to visit.

3. Leave copies of your itinerary, passport data page and visas with family and friends at home, so you can be contacted in case of an emergency.

4. Make sure you have insurance that will cover your medical needs while you are overseas.

5. Familiarize yourself with local laws and customs, especially when it comes to dressing and socializing.

6. Do not leave your luggage unattended in public areas and never accept packages from strangers.

7. Do not announce that you are traveling alone!

8. Do not wear conspicuous clothing and expensive jewelry and do not carry excessive amounts of cash or unnecessary credit cards.

9. Before leaving your hotel ask for directions.

10. Ensure that the hotel you plan on staying at has good security and easy access to transportation.

Source: Federal Citizen Information Center

Traveling and Playing Golf Today

Taking the family out for a holiday and you play golf! If you're a golf enthusiast, you will know that golf is all about who you play golf with and where you play golf. It makes a world of difference! In fact, it's a good idea for you to take your family on an outing or a holiday in a golf course. Although not all your family members will like to play golf with you but you get to kill two birds with one stone. You get to play your golf and your family gets to enjoy the luxurious hotel and resort setting and visit from travel destinations.

The golf courses will keep changing to give golfers a fresh layout Before you start looking for a golf resort to play golf in, check whether the golf course is actually a public one, a private one or a semi-private one. The classifications determine whether you'll get to play golf there or not. A private golf course is reserved and is not open to the public. The semi-private golf courses are a membership-based golf course that allows certain public to play on their golf courses, for instance, hotel customers. Bear in mind that re-design and renovation of golf courses is an extremely common thing. Hotels and golf course owners usually renovate their golf courses consistently because people get bored playing in the same golf course over a certain period of time. So, to make it more attractive for golf enthusiasts, they will renovate or improve on the layout of the golf courses. It'll also be more challenging for return golf enthusiasts.

Keen on improving your golf? Enroll in a golf school, of course! And if you're keen on improving your golf, you can even enroll yourself into a golf school. A one-on-one golf course is probably going to cost you an arm and a leg - especially if you're talking about engaging the services of a professional golf instructor. Budget and time may become an obstacle to a golf enthusiast. So, what is the next best thing to do? To enroll yourself in an affordable golf school, of course. You'll get to play and have fun at the same time - and if it's a crash course, it won't take up too much of your time because the syllabus is cramped into a certain period of time. And because these golf schools give golf lessons in small groups and not on a one-on-one basis, the cost of enrolling in the schools is much more affordable. The newer and broader types of packages offered from some of these golf schools can accommodate golf enthusiasts with all kinds of abilities - from amateurs, beginners to expert golfers.

Savings for Business Travellers

With hotel prices soaring and London losing its affordable hotels to demolition and refurbishment as parts of big hotel chains, business travellers are often forced to pay premium prices for a hotel room. Many companies have found a simple and more affordable solution to their housing dilemma - a serviced apartment. Serviced apartments are available for rent through Executive Roomspace. They are cheaper than regular hotel suites and offer the feeling of home to a business traveller who may be weary of yet another standard hotel room in yet another city. Such apartments can be rented from one month and discounts are available for long-term stays.

Charlie McCrow, Managing Director at Executive Roomspace, said that foreigners coming to the UK, for the first time stay in a hotel first of all, but those who have been to the city before, opt for serviced apartments. "Many spend their first two nights in a hotel and later move to an apartment. Renting a short-let for a short term as opposed to staying at a hotel makes a lot of sense because they can be a budget option for business travellers, especially in the face of a looming 30 percent increase in hotel room prices and 100 percent occupancy at the hotels".

Help is at hand through apartment booking companies such as The Apartment Service, where the benefits of their advice will outweigh any perceived savings of self-booking on-line an apartment and negotiating direct.

The serviced apartment market has emerged as a most cost-effective alternative to hotel accommodation and, at times the only option to consider. High in comfort, low in cost with complete consistency. Three C's that provide a good benchmark for anyone needing to stay, for whatever length of time, away from home.

Executive Roomspace was founded in 1997 as the first UK-based, branded apartment product. It quickly established itself as the largest UK brand of medium priced corporate apartment accommodation, with over 250 units in 30 locations throughout London and the South.

For further press information, please contact Natalie Wakefield, Marketing Executive at Executive Roomspace, 01934 519 518 or e-mail: nataliew@apartment.co.uk

EXECUTIVE ROOMSPACE 5-6 FRANCIS GROVE WIMBLEDON SW19 4DT

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Notes to Editors: About Executive Roomspace: Since 1997 Executive Roomspace has been the first brand named apartment product amongst regular corporate housing bookers. Aimed at the medium budget with a minimum stay of a month, the ease and flexibility of booking has pushed apartment accommodation as the favoured spacious alternative to the standard hotel.

www.roomspace.com

About Apartment Service: The Apartment Service founded in 1981 as the first UK company to offer a global apartment reservations network for serviced accommodation. Now the largest serviced apartment booking company in Europe, with over seven hundred locations worldwide. For business or leisure.

For stays of a day, a week, a month or a year, serviced apartments offer a spacious, flexible and cost effective alternative to restrictive hotel rooms. With an average saving of 15 - 30% on an equivalent standard hotel. Stays in an apartment can be tailored to suit your location, budget and departure requirements. Although you will receive an extremely professional service, The Apartment Service endeavours to meet all personal requirements.

www.apartmentservice.com