Boldly Go Solo

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In the past few weeks both a blog and a newspaper have offered up ways for solo travelers, and women in particular, to stay safe and have fun while traveling.

Some suggestions from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

-If the person at registration says your room number out loud during check-in, ask to be reassigned. (As frequent travelers know, hotels these days write the room number down on a little card and say, "this is your room," while pointing at it. That way, lurkers and creeps and encyclopedia salesmen don’t know where your room is.)

-If you fill out a breakfast room-service card, mark it for two guests, or better yet, call room service in the morning. (Except if you’re in a hurry because it generally takes awhile to get food after calling.)

-Don’t leave plastic key cards behind or toss them in the trash. The magnetic strip can hold valuable personal information. (I didn’t know that!)

From Travelhacker:

-Buy something in a local store and use the plastic bag with the store’s name on it, instead of a nice purse or backpack, to walk around the city with. You will look less like a tourist.

If you feel unsafe, don’t worry about running or
screaming. Better to look foolish than end up hurt or robbed. (This one’s tough,
though, isn’t it? It’s not in my nature to start screaming.)

-Split up cash and credit cards. If one set is lost or stolen, you’re not completely up the creek.

-Have spare credit cards and medication.

Although
I have to say, one of my most heart-warming experiences involved wandering around Enkhuizen in the Netherlands, looking for a
doctor to write me a prescription. The pills I’d packed were snug and warm in a suitcase still sitting at Heathrow Airport, where luggage handlers had gone on strike. Yes, foolishly I packed
medication rather than carrying it with me.

On the other hand, my search for meds introduced me to four lovely Dutch people, from the man on the
street carrying his little blond baby, who walked me to his friend’s
house, who told me where to go to find the doctor, who wrote out the
prescription to give to the pharmacist.

And I got this cute little pill
bottle that I kept for years. Until it wore out. Still, I agree. Take extra pills and keep them with
you on the plane. All that wandering can eat up a lot of time if you
have to be somewhere.

One last tip I’ll mention from Travelhacker:

-Learn the basics of the local language.

This
is sooo key. Years ago, I was in Santorini, Greece, wandering around a
church cemetery. The graves  contained items in glass cases that must have been dear to the departed. I was intrigued by the various photos and goblets and such.

When I looked up, I saw a wrinkled woman leaning on a wall along the road staring at me. She was dressed in black from head scarf to foot. Her face was stern. I felt terrible, thinking
I had desecrated the graves by walking among them.

What could I say? In Greek, no less? Fortunately, I came up with a clutch play. I had memorized a little Greek from a Berlitz tape (yes, it was a tape back then) before leaving on vacation. When I got near her on my way out, I pointed to where I’d just come from and said: "Ekklisia?"

"Church?"

She looked at me a second more. Then she opened the large black bag on her arm. She reached in, pulled out an unwrapped, homemade cookie and held it out to me.  After I took it, she used her empty hand to pat my arm.

It took just one Greek word to make a connection.