Description

THIS SERIES Over the last few decades, I’ve interviewed nearly 2,000 world travelers and adventurers. I am weaving the best of their nearly 10,000 fantastic travel tales into a psychology of travel as revealed by these very telling stories. These are travelers I’ve encountered on planes, trains, buses, ships, tours, safaris, and in campgrounds, bars, cafes, restaurants, and pubs. These courageous travelers have freely shared their most personal travel experiences, some good and wonderful and others even horrific and life-threatening, which I, in turn, get to share with you now through my True Travel Tales series.

THIS BOOK deals with the safety and security of the solo woman traveler. It is about how to travel safely throughout the world. Unfortunately, travel today finds us in a world of growing threats and dangers. For people who travel, having to deal with dangers and threats is daunting in the least. For most of us, travel is exciting and relatively safe, but for many, especially women traveling in some countries, particularly in North Africa and the Middle East, parts of Asia, Africa, and the Central and South Americas can often be risky and downright dangerous. Many travelers have been caught up in very dangerous situations. The majority travel relatively safe, however, some of us may find ourselves confronting and dealing with a variety of dangers. Fortunately, most travelers can remain relatively safe; some escape with only minor difficulties, and, sad to say, some travelers have been unable to escape some of the dangers they have confronted. Traveling to potentially dangerous and forbidding places is not for the faint of heart. Many relatively inexperienced travelers are sadly unaware and must be exceedingly careful in their travels. Every traveler abroad needs to know about and prepare him- or herself to deal with a variety of dangers. Again, while mostly safe, travel can also be foreboding and downright dangerous at times, and one must always be prudent. People have shared their travel stories with me about how they have had to fend off the unwanted approaches of people, ranging from verbal harassment, unwanted overtures, and, yes, sometimes pickpocketing, robbery, assaults, and even rape at times! People have said to me, “Yes, I should have known better; I should have seen the signs. I should have taken better precautions.

DISCLAIMER Please be forewarned that some stories in Travel Tales: Women Alone may be graphic, unpleasant, and disturbing. Reader discretion may be advised. This series is generally aimed toward a more mature adult audience, yet, no doubt, some material ought to be communicated clearly and responsibly to younger and relatively inexperienced and naive travelers, who could benefit by knowing how to travel more safely and securely.