Practical Resources & Inspiration
For Women Who Travel (or Want to!)
Advice for Women Travelers: Developing
Countries
Some of the most astounding, exciting travel destinations are in
developing countries. By "developing", I mean countries that might
not yet be full (or even partial) democracies, where the
infrastructure (roads, trains, electrical systems, plumbing, etc.)
aren't as good as "developed" countries such as those in North
America, in Scandinavia, in Western Europe, Japan, etc., where
poverty may be pervasive and even extreme, where crime and pollution
may be pervasive, and where women may not have equal rights, nor
equal access to education, employment and life choices, as men do.
Standards of living and safety vary hugely among
developing countries. I believe that some are, per current
political and cultural conditions, off-limits to women travelers,
particularly those from the USA (such as Sudan, Congo, Syria, and
Libya), while others are wonderful destinations for such (Egypt, Jordan,
most Sub Sahara African countries - and many former Soviet-bloc countries in
Eastern Europe are some of my favorites).
Also, the infusion of cash from travelers to developing
countries is vital to their economies, so by traveling to them, you are actually providing direct
help to the people there, in addition to treating yourself
to a unique travel experience.
Consider this excerpt from: "The Missing: Why Americans need to
rediscover the world" from the book Planet Backpacker by
Robert Downes:
Over and over, I found the Middle East and Asia brimming
with backpackers from Australia, France, Germany, Scandinavia, New
Zealand, Brazil, Holland, Russia, Britain... but amazingly few
Americans. I'd scan the registries of guest houses and hostels,
finding pages filled with visitors from other countries, but few
signatures from the U.S.A... As months passed by, it made me
wonder if Americans are simply afraid to travel in the Third
World, imagining terrorists hiding behind every espresso machine
outside our borders... So, who cares? I did, because it bugged me
that my countrymen weren't part of the action out in the great
beyond... Compared to their backpacking cousins from Europe or
Australia, Americans are groping in the dark when it comes to
understanding what the world is really like. We lack the kind of
personal travel experience that no amount of reading, web-surfing
or trolling the Discovery Channel can replace. Millions of couch
spuds in America have seduced themselves into believing that the
stagey episodes of Survivor -- which don't involve an ounce of
risk -- are actual adventures.
You do NOT have to backpack to visit a developing country, nor
do you have to go with a highly-structured tourist outfit that
will keep you behind high walls and tinted bus windows. There are
hotels for a variety of budgets in most developing countries, and
a variety of ways to travel through that country. Do what
makes you feel most comfortable in terms of safety but,
please, by all means, GO.
I choose country destination possibilities based on natural and
historic sites that I have seen pictures of or heard described and
now want to see for myself. But if the incredible statue or gorge
or temple or cliffs are in a developing country, how do I decide
if the destination is appropriate for me, as a single woman
traveler (I don't always travel with my husband, and even if my
husband is with me on a trip, I may want to go somewhere that he
doesn't).
Here's how I decide for myself what developing countries I might
travel to:
- Guide books and online forums
I know I sound like a broken record, or that I work for Lonely Planet (I
don't!). But 90% of the time, the authors of the LP guides know
what they are talking about, probably because they listen to
what other travelers tell them, in addition to writing based on
their own first-hand experiences. They also offer a lot of
female-specific advice. The Rough Guides are also
good. Moon Guides
are growing on me. Basically, if a guide book exists for a
developing country or region you want to visit, chances are it's
reasonable for you to think about traveling there -- but, of
course, read the book first! You want to find out if women may
walk around alone in the day, take public transport without a
male escort, book a hotel and not have to push a bureau against
the door when it's time to sleep, etc.
- Testimonies on the Thorn Tree and other online forums are good ways to
further research destinations, but posts have to be taken with a
grain of salt: don't base a decision just on one testimonial --
look for corroboration. Also, many of the posts are male
specific: a guy may have had a great time in a particular
country, but not be aware of just how hard it is for a woman to
travel there, how she should dress, what places are absolutely
off-limits because of safety or culture, etc.
- US State Department
Travel Advice
List the risks of every country (except the USA, ofcourse).
Please note that there are risks associated with EVERY country.
After the bombings in November 2006 of hotels in Amman, my
partner and I discussed whether or not we still wanted to go to
Jordan for my 40th birthday the following January; after a few
days of thinking about it, we still
went, despite the warnings on the US State Department web
site, and we were fine (we took into account the usual safety of
the country and the kinds of hotels where we would be staying).
If you do travel to a developing country, consider registering
with this site as well regarding your trip, in case you need to
be evacuated.
- Embassy Web sites
I have a look at both the US embassy site for the country I want
to visit, and, that country's embassy web site for the USA. The
content and tone on each gives me lots of indications as to how
much that country is used-to travelers, and the most common
issues travelers to that country face.
- The News
I type the name of a developing country, or city in such, that I
want to visit, into a news search engine, such as Yahoo News, every few days
for a month or so. What comes up? If there are constant stories
of, say, attacks by right-wing youth on foreigners, or
corruption among the police, or civil war, or mistreatment of
women, I will probably want to rethink a trip to such an area. I
also type in the name of the country and phrases like backpacker
killed or camping robbery. Again, I take the
stories with a grain of salt - is it an isolated incident, or a
common happening?
- Reports by International NGOs
If a country gets continually blasted by Amnesty International or Human Rights Watch
for its treatment of women, foreigners or ethnic minorities, I'm
probably not going to go there, no matter how beautiful the
scenery. A negative report doesn't automatically take a country
off my list, but if I see a substantial, pervasive, negative
political trend in a country that I don't want to support with
my tourist dollars, I'm not going.
- Packages by Travel Agents
In Germany where I lived for eight years, travel agents
advertise special deals to other countries in their shop windows
and in train stations, including developing countries. I figure
that if they are pushing packages for a particular developing
country I want to visit, it must be safe enough to do so.
Package tours can make a foreign traveler feel much safer in a
developing country, as they take care of everything -- where you
stay, where to shop, where to eat, etc.
- Blogs by other travelers
The web is packed with first-person accounts of travels to every
country on Earth. These are highly personal, prejudicial
accounts, and sometimes, that's exactly what I'm looking for.
However, I also have to keep in mind that their experience won't
necessarily be mine, and that one person's torment (lack of a
hot shower) wouldn't be as big a deal for me. Again, many of the
posts are male specific: a guy may have had a great time in a
particular country, but not be aware of just how hard it is for
a woman to travel there, how she should dress, what places are
absolutely off-limits because of safety or culture, etc.
- Other Women Travelers
Because I have worked in development,
and because I have a lot of very adventurous female friends, I
know a lot of women, including women from the USA, who have
traveled to developing countries, and I tend to ask them a LOT
of questions about their experiences. However, again, I also
have to keep in mind that their experience won't necessarily be
mine: I have two friends who loathed Morocco when they visited
more than 10 years ago because they were continually harassed
and threatened on the street, while another friend who visited
in 2005 said she had no problem at all and is ready to go again.
That friend who visited Morocco more recently would not be a
good person to ask about St. Louis, however, as a hotel employee
attempted to break into her room while she was touring there.
Hearing from other women travelers is essential
when deciding whether or not to go to a developing country,
because men simply do NOT face the same risks that women do in
such countries. Men will often talk about the ease of
traveling somewhere without realizing that, for a woman,
traveling in the same manner might be dangerous or even
impossible.
- Infrastructure & Sanitation Standards
All of the aforementioned should give me enough information to
know if there are at least marginally safe and relatively
easy-to-use trains, buses and taxis to get me where I need to
go, if I'll be able to drink even bottled water, if there is
good, safe food to eat, etc.
- Ease of online trip planning
If I am considering a hotel in a developing country, and find
that it has its own web site or is mentioned positively on travel review sites, I'm more inclined
to stay there than a place that doesn't have such. If I can find
official information about trains and buses in English, however
general, I'm going to feel even more comfortable about going to
that country. The more official information I can find online
about a country, sponsored and maintained by the country's
government and/or businesses, the more I'm going to feel like
that country can take care of its visitors -- and, therefore,
ME.
I also have to acknowledge that countries, including Germany, often
issue travel warnings about cities in the USA, supposedly a
fully-developed country, because of high crime rates, the targeting
of tourists in particular for robbery, and hot-button political
situations that could/have lead to riots. And so far, we've been
robbed in just one place: Berlin (pick pocket in a bar). There's
crime and safety concerns in EVERY city on Earth! It could be (and
has been) said that every country is developing.
If you are from the USA and are not an experienced traveler,
particularly if you have NEVER traveled outside the USA, then I
strongly urge you NOT to travel to a developing country (that
includes Italy) -- not yet, anyway.
Get experience traveling to developed countries first!
When all is said and done: do what is right for YOU. Don't let a
person bully you into traveling to a country you don't want to, or
talk you out of a trip you have researched extensively and feel
isn't a risk any more than walking out your front door.
Also see: Lessons learned from travelers stranded
because of COVID19.
_______________________________________________
Are you a woman? (however
you define that, I don't care). Have you traveled somewhere and
want to talk about it? Have a travel blog? Have an online album
of photos from your trip that you want to share? Have a tip for
travelers? You can post links to your blog at r/womenwhotravel,
an online discussion group on Reddit (a subreddit). Unlike other
women and travel subreddits and many other online communities,
this group DOES allow people to post links to their blogs,
YouTube channels, etc., so long as it's either focused on women
and travel or is by a woman who travels. Whether you are a
backpacker, a bicycle traveler, a budget traveler, a luxury
traveler, an adventure traveler, a cruiser, and whether its a
weekend getaway or some epic experience in another country, come
share your experiences at r/womenwhotravel.
And if you are an experienced traveler, join the group and help
answer questions from newbies. There's just one thing this group
doesn't allow: the question "Is such-and-such area safe."
Because that question is impossible to answer.
Quick Links
Index of resources for women travelers
(how to get started, health & safety considerations,
packing suggestions, transportation options, etc.
Advice for camping
with your dogs in the USA.
Advice for Traveling Around the
USA & Camping Along the Way.
Saving
Money with Park Passes in the USA
Advice for women motorcycle
riders and travelers
transire
benefaciendo: "to travel along while doing good."
advice for those wanting to make their travel more than
sight-seeing and shopping.
Where I've
been
A list of all of the states in the USA and all of the
countries I have lived in or traveled in, the farthest North
I've been by land, the nearest I've been to the equator,
various other stats. This includes all of the places I have
traveled to and through via motorcycle. If a place has a link,
then the link goes to my travelogue about the place
Some
of
my favorite photos from my travels. Very hard to
pick favorites.
Advice
for Hotels, Hostels & Campgrounds in Transitional &
Developing Countries: the Qualities of Great, Cheap
Accommodations
Disclaimer: Any activity incurs risk. The
author assumes no responsibility for the use of information
contained within this document.
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The personal opinions expressed on this page are solely
those of Ms. Cravens, unless otherwise noted.
