Ladies, travelling alone will be one of the best things you ever do - but make sure you do it right, says Claire Cohen. Here she shares some of her best tips for staying safe while exploring the world.
1. Read as much as you can before travelling. Forums such as Thorn Tree are crammed with insider tips. Leave details with those back home.
2. Do as the locals do: Study at what local women are wearing. Do they have their shoulders covered? Are they sunbathing? Avoid drawing unwelcome attention to yourself.
3. Plan your itinerary each day and make sure you know how to get there and back.
4. Wear a 'wedding ring' or carry a photo of a burly man in your wallet. Pretending you're about to meet your husband can be a good way to deflect unwanted attention.
5. Don't travel alone at night or in quiet areas - take a taxi to your front door if it's safer.
6. Making eye-contact or smiling can be interpreted as a sign of encouragement in some countries. Be polite, but reserved.
7. If you're concerned about going out after dark, get an early start each day and eat your main meal at lunchtime.
8. Stay sober and never leave a drink unattended.
9. Travel light and leave anything obviously valuable - an expensive watch or special item of jewellery - at home.
10. Reassure family and friends by doing your research (did you know that the homicide rate in the UK is significantly higher than in Tonga?) Be grateful that they care about you enough to worry.
