Travelling as a solo female in South America

I was actually surprised by how easy it was to travel by myself in South America. In fact, I never felt unsafe. I wasn`t really lonely for I followed suggested itineraries and ran into other travellers. I also took local tours and would meet other travellers then. You tend to meet so many more people when you are by yourself. Actually, I would talk to anyone! I kept a blog and that became my companion, it`s how I spent my evenings.  Read entire article »

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PLANNING YOUR TRIP

Planning a group getaway
Charlotte wanted to celebrate her 60^th birthday in a special place and decided on Tamarindo, Costa Rica. But who would join her and would they be happy? Read entire article »

Worried about travel warnings?
If you listen to all the chatter about what could possibly happen when you travel to foreign destinations then you’ll never leave home. Travel books devote pages to health and safety issues. U.S. government travel advisories are particularly discouraging. Read entire article »

What to bring
I tend to be a light packer, perhaps influenced by my backpacking days in the 70s when we were advised to bring only two outfits—one to wear and one to carry. The clothes were quick drying so we could wash them at night and wear them in the morning. Read entire article »

Meeting the mob
Recognize and plan for those times when you need to be particularly careful such as when you arrive by bus, train or plane and the crowd in the arrival area suddenly mobs you, wanting you to take their taxi, their hotel room, their tour. Read entire article »

Taking care of your health
If you’ve been really sick on the road because you were careless about what you ate and had to spend your time in disgusting washrooms because you had the runs you’ll know what I’m talking about when I say be careful about what you put in your mouth. Read entire article »

Taking care of your valuables
Travellers who are careless about their valuables are most annoying because theft casts such a negative aura. If a tourist walks around with his camera strung loosely over his shoulder he shouldn’t be surprised if it’s snatched. Read entire article »

Finding the beaten path
Many people travel inside a protective bubble, herded from place to place as part of a group or staying in an all inclusive hotel with no need to leave the property. They may think, “It’s comfortable in this bubble and what lies beyond?”  Read entire article »
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WHEN YOU’RE ON THE ROAD

Travelling with young kids
Craig and Carla spent three weeks travelling in Costa Rica (Tamarindo and around Arenal) with their young children. Zack was four years old and Lucas was eight months old at the time. Most of their friends thought they were crazy to do it. Read entire article »

Being kind to yourself
Be particularly kind to yourself the first few days when travelling in a foreign destination. ‘Arriving’ can be tough. The culture you’ll encounter may be shockingly different from your own and you’ll need time to adjust. Read entire article »

Worried about not knowing the language?
Language should neverbe a barrier to independent travel although it is often cited as one. People who backpack around the world obviously don’t know the language of all the countries they’re travelling through. Read entire article »

Finding a great place to sleep
What should you look for in a property? I look for a hotel that’s in the centre of things, close to restaurants and an Internet cafe, with an outdoor area for people watching. If I bring a laptop, which I usually do now, I look for WiFi. Read entire article »

Getting from place to place
You can spend a lot of time worrying about how you’ll get from one point to another on your itinerary but as long as you’re on a route that many foreigners follow there will invariably be a local infrastructure to take you wherever you need to go. Read entire article »

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WOMEN TRAVELLERS

Women travelling on their own
It seems more and more women want to travel internationally and if they can’t find someone to go with them then they’re doing it on their own. I’ve been travelling solo for years and while it’s not always easy I now look forward to doing it at least annually. Read entire article »

Female friendly places
If you are a woman travelling by yourself, try to stay at female-friendly properties. Youth hostels are often a good choice, particularly for younger women; some offer private rooms. Or look for bed-and-breakfast establishments or small locally-owned hotels … Read entire article »

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MONEY TIPS

Travelling on a budget
Lack of funds has never stopped me from travelling. Obviously, I’ve stayed in my share of cheap hotels and travelled on more “chicken” buses than I wish to remember. I usually do it more comfortably these days. Read entire article »

Handling money on the road
Think about money before you leave home, something I sometimes ignore and usually regret. I arrived in Sarajevo late in the day after an overnight flight from Canada. I had no cash, not even Euros, a currency that is widely accepted there. Read entire article »

Bargaining
If you want to be kind to yourself don’t get too carried away with bargaining. After all, you’re wealthy compared to most people you’ll be bargaining with. Fellow travellers will regularly ask if you got a good price for something you are showing them. Read entire article »

Giving money on the road
Foreign travellers are often struck by the poverty they run up against in developing countries. Even those travelling on a shoestring know that they are comparatively wealthy simply because they have the funds to be out-and-about on the other side of the world. Read entire article »