Excerpt from “100 Places Every Woman Should Go” (Travelers’ Tales, 2007)
Wanderlust pumps through my veins: I've explored two dozen countries and all but four of the United States in the past decade, and ache for more. Every place is glorious in its own special way, but now and then, I stumble upon somewhere sacred. It usually takes a moment to recover, and when I do, I scan the room (or wilderness) for a pair of eyes to share it with. No matter where I am—downtown Manhattan or the Mongolian steppe—it is inevitably in the eyes of another woman that I find a similar spark or sense of wonderment. Afterward, I can only describe the place as one where “every woman should go.”
I recently compiled these sacred spaces in a guidebook called 100 Places Every Woman Should Go, which Travelers Tales published in February. In addition to highlighting some of the world’s most extraordinary locales, I share the following tips for women travelers:
1. Networking. A month before your trip, send an email to everyone you know with your travel itinerary. You’ll probably be amazed at how many people have old friends/ex-lovers/third-cousins-twice-removed along your route. Ask for their contact information and arrange to meet them for coffee (or chai, or nargileh ) when you arrive to get the scoop on their home turf. Also check in with other travelers by posting a note on Lonely Planet’s Thorn Tree Forum at www.thorntree.lonelyplanet.com. Any burning questions you have will likely be answered within 24 hours (if not minutes) there, and you can find travel partners as well.
2. Packing. Take only what you can carry half a mile at a dead run. This is the golden rule of foreign correspondents and should be adopted by travelers as well. Lay out everything you think you’ll need, then pack half of it and double the money. A few things I never leave home without: a versatile pocket knife, a strong piece of nylon rope, a flashlight (or better yet, a headlamp), a combination padlock, a rain poncho, blank paper, pens, a journal, condoms, and a mountain of tampons. Which leads us to Tip No. 3.
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