Thursday
Jun252009
June 25, 2009 One woman, one bag
“I have one 22-inch piece of luggage that goes with me as a carry-on, and I can travel for a month on that. I can travel for a year on that.” - from an excellent Q&A at NYT online’s Frugal Traveler
Reader Comments (4)
I found her interview naive. Her packing advice was spot on, but her safety advice was just plain wrong.
I certainly have no fear of sensible travel alone in major cities in the world, most of the US and Western Europe. But there ARE places where it is regarded by the male population as "asking for it" to travel alone. And I am white; I know from my black friends that it is worse for them. Have you looked at the recent rape statistics for South Africa?
Her friendliness and enthusiasm is great: her safety advice - dangerous.
She is 5'2" - tall and fat? Look at the photo. Something went terribly wrong there. :)
I actually really like her attitude. It is perhaps a bit naive but it is better than those overly fearsome women that are afraid to cross the super market parking lot when it's dark. (not directing that to the previous poster)
I'd also advice women to be careful and follow some precautions but keep it real and enjoy the trip. Otherwise, why bother going?
When I went backpacking in India at age 19/20 the first person I talked to was a pretty, blonde girl (yeah, I'm lucky) on the bus from the international to the domestic airport in Bombay. She was obviously a seasoned traveler at age of 22 max. I was awestruck. She told me she was on a one year round the world tour. This was half way for her. I think she was Swedish but not sure, she spoke English very well. She told me of how some buddhist ermite monks had given her shelter in their cave and she slept with them there (not sexually). Even if that was not true, the story is worth telling. I asked if she was afraid of anything. And she only said that what is bothering her is people hitting on her (I hope she didn't mean me) but safety had not been an issue so far.
There are definitely places where I would be seriously worried for the safety of a woman but with a little common sense those can be avoided.
Liz, I tend to agree with you and I'm sure my wife would. It does mean more coming from you (a woman) than me. Thanks for pointing this out and speaking up.
Maybe it's because I'm also 5'2, blonde and raised in New Jersey, but I agree with her. I've traveled all over the world alone, on a budget, and safely. But as she says, you have to listen to your intuition and exercise basic caution. Planning and research also help. You are most vulnerable in unplanned and unknown situations. I read up on my destination and its culture before leaving and try to catch movies with street scenes that show how local people dress. I was never able to master the sari when I was in India, but I did manage to dress in respectable cotton shalwar kameez outfits that were easy to hand wash and dry and identified me as a non-tourist with links to the country. I make friends with local women and families, which helps me integrate into the culture as well as providing a lot of warmth and fun.
That reminds me that packing light is very important to safety. With a small bag over your shoulder or on your back you are much less vulnerable to men on the make and crooks aiming to steal your property. I've stood on railway platforms surrounded by my baggage and experienced that sense of utter helplessness. Never again.
Years ago I was jumped in a sleeper car on the Venice-Simplon express and ever since I've been wary of sleeping on trains. I've found that it is usually much safer to sleep sitting up in the public compartment of European trains, or in the open AC sleeper cars on Indian Railways. I rode the rails for four months in India, never had a problem, and met many wonderful friends.
Put in that ounce of preparation and you will have a safe and memorable trip.