women and travel - Blogs - Tripatini2024-03-28T21:05:01Zhttps://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/feed/tag/women+and+travelFertility Tourism: Selling Women’s Eggs for Bucks and Travel. How Right is It?https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/fertility-tourism-selling-women-s-eggs-for-bucks-and-travel-how2014-06-11T11:39:08.000Z2014-06-11T11:39:08.000ZKaleel Sakakeenyhttps://tripatini.com/members/KaleelSakakeeny<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9008863091,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9008863091,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="588" alt="9008863091?profile=original" /></a></p><p><strong>Fertility Tourism: Selling Women’s Eggs for Bucks and Travel. How right is this?</strong><br /> <br /> <em>“Female Eggs For Sale” may not be a sign you’ll see any time soon, but for all intents and purposes that’s what the global market for harvesting and selling women’s eggs is all about.</em><br /> <br /> <em>The in vitro fertilization market is a billion dollar industry that touches almost every country in the world. It touches the wealthy neighborhoods of London and reaches into the Americas, Asia and the IVF capital of the world, Cyprus, which has more fertility clinics than any other country in the world, and attracts people from all over the world: shorter waits and perhaps great</em> <em>beaches</em>.<br /> <br /> While most of the 250,000 test-tube babies born each year come from their biological mother’s eggs, many poor and uneducated women are altogether very eager to get pumped up with hormones and sell their eggs for a few hundred dollars. <br /> <br /> However, as <a href="http://www.fastcompany.com" target="_blank">Fast Company</a> reports, <strong>an American women can get an average of $8,000 per batch of eggs, but if she’s an Ivy League graduate with a high SAT score, her eggs can fetch upwards of $50,000 “while the uneducated Ukrainian gets flown to Cyprus, picks up a few hundred dollars for the extraction, and a couple of days on the beach.”</strong><br /> <br /> There is, says the magazine, a desperation on both sides: the seller for money and the buyer, eager for children, creating a vast network of IVF-related travel tourism.<br /> <br /> The bioethics of the sale of eggs is murky, as are the rules governing the process. <br /> <br /> For example, Spain reported 7,080 egg donations in 2007 accounting for half of all of Europe. British law, on the other hand, banned payments to egg donors but allowed “compensation” not to exceed $375.00 (240 pounds). So the embryo in the gleaming Barcelona clinic will likely be a child growing up in London. <br /> <br /> Turkey banned citizens from traveling abroad for egg or sperm donation, as did Israel, but Israel permits compensation to keep the women there.<br /> <br /> The trade is brisk, with Russian women rumored to be in high demand because of their bone structure and complexion, and the technology permitting instant, global fertility services is already available.<br /> <br /> There is no question fertility travel with its promise of children is an answer for older women, homosexual couples, infertile couples...anyone eager for a child, a family,<br /> <br /> <em>But if supermodels or athletes or brainy college graduates can be paid big bucks for their eggs, and the offspring sold for a million bucks or more , then the day of designer babies will have come. Or rather it’s already here.</em><br /> <br /> How great can a beach be?<br /> <br /> Is this an ethical issue or a private transaction?<br /> <br /> <br /></p></div>A Review of "Lustrous Adventure: The Best Women's Travel Writing 2010"https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/lustrous-adventure2011-10-07T00:23:55.000Z2011-10-07T00:23:55.000ZGirls That Roamhttps://tripatini.com/members/GirlsThatRoam<div><font size="4" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b><font size="5"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9008657859,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="385" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9008657859,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-left" alt="9008657859?profile=original" /></a>Lustrous adventure</font></b></font><br /><p><font size="4" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>The Best Women's Travel Writing 2010: True Stories from Around the World</b><br /> Edited by Stephanie Elizondo Grist; Travelers' Tales, 352 pages; paperback, $17.95</font></p><p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Reviewed by <a href="mailto:heather@girlsthatroam.com">Heather Cassell</a></font></p><p><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Published: Ocotber 5, 2011</font></p><p> </p><p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Get ready. Pack your bags. You are about to embark on 27 adventures that will take you all over the world, inspire your wanderlust, and journey into your own heart in the Best Women's Travel Writing, edited by award-winning writer <a href="http://www.aroundthebloc.com/">Stephanie Elizondo Griest</a>.</font></p><p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Succulent and rich, Elizondo Griest brought together an eclectic group of women in the sixth volume of the Best Women's Travel Writing, which <a href="http://travelerstales.com/">Travelers' Tales</a> has published since 1995, along with other women's gallivanting tales. The book opens with a quote from diarist <a href="http://anaisninblog.skybluepress.com/">Anaïs Nin</a>, "We travel, some of us forever; to seek other states, other lives, other souls," which hints to the events that are about to unfold with each turn of the page.</font></p><p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Lusting to fulfill a dream and to journey the globe is something that can't be contained, as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisabeth_Eaves">Elisabeth Eaves</a> points out in "Wanderlust". Eaves described her own nomadic existence, "Wanderlust is not a passion for travel exactly, it's something more animal and more fickle-more like lust. … The essayist Anatole Broyard put it perfectly: 'Travel is like adultery: one is always tempted to be unfaithful to one's own country. To have imagination is inevitably to be dissatisfied with where you live … in our wanderlust, we are lovers looking for consummation.'"</font></p><p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Nearly every story in this collection sucks the marrow out of the bone of life. These women pushed and tested multi-societal and their own boundaries as they traversed through fretted affairs, memories and pleasures of food, and civil disobedience all returning home to their loved ones and within themselves.</font></p><p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Love is a common theme throughout the stories, but not the heart-fluttering, swoon-inducing kind of love found in romantic comedies. <a href="http://aroundthebloc.wordpress.com/2010/04/07/interview-with-colette-oconnor/%20">Colette O'Connor</a> ("Not-Surfing New Zealand"), <a href="http://aroundthebloc.wordpress.com/2010/03/03/interview-diane-caldwell/%20">Diane Caldwell</a> ("Desert Queen"), <a href="http://www.windowseatblog.com/2009/07/follow-friday-heather-pooles-life-35000-feet">Heather Poole</a> ("An Ode to B-Cups"), and <a href="http://aroundthebloc.wordpress.com/2010/02/24/interview-landon-spencer/">Landon Spencer's</a> ("Bosnian Blues") romantic tales are more theatrical and tactile lessons on the travelers' desires as they search for the ultimate love: true and most of all of themselves.</font></p><p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Then there were women like <a href="http://www.windowseatblog.com/2009/07/follow-friday-heather-pooles-life-35000-feet">Alison Stein Wellner</a>, who was simply out to chase the spice of life. A quest launched at a New York City Chinese restaurant during her girlhood when her grandfather's head exploded from a little extra-hot mustard. Traveling through several countries, including: Germany, India, and Central America, Stein Wellner searched to experience the same head-launching ear-blowing experience that would flush her face "purpleish red" with steaming ears the same as her grandfather's did in "The Heat Seeker". Saffron took Beebe Bahrami back to the Iranian kitchen surrounded by the women of her family in Iran before the revolution and their Diaspora to the United States. Profiling each of the women, she searches for and finds the kind of woman that she became in "Grinding Saffron".</font></p><p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Becoming the women that these women wanted to be took risk, stepping out of their comfort zones and social mores into civil disobedience with no map and few role models to refer to. They took the plunge anyway, from donating a vagina to research as <a href="http://aroundthebloc.wordpress.com/2010/03/10/interview-johanna-gohmann/#more-198">Johanna Gohmann</a> did in "Design a Vagina"; to helping impoverished women give birth in Bali as <a href="http://aroundthebloc.wordpress.com/2010/01/27/interview-with-liz-sinclair/">Liz Sinclair</a> did in "Bali Birth"; to meeting revolutionaries as <a href="http://twitter.com/ShaunaSweeney">Shauna Sweeney</a> did in "The Moustache Brothers of Mandalay"; or walking on the late <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osama_bin_Laden">Osama bin Laden's</a> week-old footprints as <a href="http://www.dianelebow.com/page/2/?s=diane">Diane LeBow</a> did in "Tea in Kabul".</font></p><p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">These women's journeys opened their eyes to a broader understanding of themselves and humanity through all of the manufactured divides: boarders, oceans, languages, race, politics, and gender. While these women simmered and settled into the flavor of their own lives, they willing entertained and shared the lessons they learned -- from understanding their limitations and weaknesses to finding their strengths -- in this divine volume of travel tales that we can all benefit and take inspiration.<br /></font></p><p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">To purchase reprints, contact <a href="mailto:editor@girlsthatroam.com">editor@girlsthatroam.com</a>.</font></p><p> </p><p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Link to Girls That Roam:</font> <a href="http://www.girlsthatroam.com/GRead/Lustrous_adventure.htm">www.girlsthatroam.com/GRead/Lustrous_adventure.htm</a></p><p> </p><p>Take the International Women's Travel Survey September 15 - November 15: <a href="http://girlsthatroam.com/GTRWTSv1.htm">http://girlsthatroam.com/GTRWTSv1.htm</a></p><p> </p><p>Sign up free for Girls That Roam: <a href="http://eepurl.com/f_Icf">http://eepurl.com/f_Icf</a></p></div>When Women Travel Solohttps://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/when-women-travel-solo2015-10-01T23:00:00.000Z2015-10-01T23:00:00.000ZKaleel Sakakeenyhttps://tripatini.com/members/KaleelSakakeeny<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9008700066,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-left" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9008700066,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="350" alt="9008700066?profile=original" /></a>Many women want to travel alone, or with other women, and not a guy... a fact most men find very difficult to accept.<br /> <br /> And while we think there are too many movies and books that give us too many images of women as helpless victims, the truth is that a majority of women say that security issues are their number one concern when traveling alone. Or even with female companions.<br /> <br /> But it seems that the joys of travel are so strong, these women would rather travel alone than not travel.<br /> <br /> There are real challenges to being female and on the road, like sexual harassment, including being touched or groped or receiving inappropriate or uncalled for remarks.<br /> <br /> Women are more likely to be the victims of theft, too.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.smartertravel.com/travel-advice/ten-fabulous-female-friendly-destinations.html?id=2653167" target="_blank">Smarter Travel</a> has a list of female-friendly places but for those women who don’t want to be confined to a category, there are bits of recurring wisdom for women traveling solo.<br /> <br /> Perhaps the key piece of advice we’ve heard, is to ask directions from other women or women with families, and not from men.<br /> <br /> A woman’s take on what’s safe is very different from a man’s.<br /> <a href="http://www.gutsytraveler.com" target="_blank">Mary Bond</a> is a bit of a legend among women travelers, and indeed among all travelers, because she more or less opened up the discussion about women road warriors.<br /> Her site, The Gutsy Traveler, is filled with all kinds of useful and important tips facts and advice for women (and families) on the road.<br /> <br /> <br /> Obviously, another important consideration is to be sure hotels are be near easy transportation with well-lighted parking lots and lobby areas.<br /> Some experts suggest women sport a wedding ring to discourage unwanted male attention, especially in male-dominated cultures.<br /> <br /> Other women say this is “sexist” advice, and is giving in to the image of the “helpless woman.”<br /> <br /> Experienced female travelers suggest avoiding unwanted advances simply by remaining silent when approached; not making eye contact and simply moving away from the source of irritation.<br /> Also, remember that what you think is OK to wear at home or for a night out with women friends, can be provocative in other places.<br /> <br /> Take your cues from what the local women in the culture wear.<br /> <br /> What’s standard dress for them?<br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/women_solo.htm" target="_blank">Rick Steves</a> has some very good, soft advice for women solo travelers that include keeping up with the political trends of the destination you’re visiting, getting some language skills in place and the kinds of backpacks to carry to avoid theft.<br /> <br /> And there are several all-women tour groups offering women only trip and travel, like<br /> <a href="http://www.gadventures.com/Women%27sTravel" target="_blank">Well Arranged Travel</a><br /> <br /> interestingly, women are continuing to chose to travel with other women…and happily leaving their men at home. They say it’s a different kind of travel and rewarding in different ways. And that the rewards way outweigh the risks.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /></p></div>Fall Away With an All-Girl Getawayhttps://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/fall-away-with-an-all-girl-getaway2011-10-08T16:49:11.000Z2011-10-08T16:49:11.000ZGirls That Roamhttps://tripatini.com/members/GirlsThatRoam<div><p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">by <a href="mailto:heather@girlsthatroam.com">Heather Cassell</a></font></p><p><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Published: Ocotber 3, 2011</font></p><p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Women are grabbing the last few hours of Indian summer before the holidays hit with three fun in the sun weekend getaways.</font></p><p style="float:right;width:200px;margin-left:20px;margin-right:20px;margin-bottom:10px;font-size:9pt;text-align:center;"><br /> <img width="230" height="170" style="margin-bottom:5px;" src="http://www.girlsthatroam.com/images/CA_PS_Bliss_Pool.jpg" alt="CA_PS_Bliss_Pool.jpg" /><br /><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Bliss guests enjoy the pool.</font> <font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">. <br />Photo Credit: Courtesy of Movement Productions.</font></p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">This weekend marks the third annual <a href="http://www.girlsthatroam.com/goroam/GTRBliss.htm">Bliss Weekend</a> in Palm Springs, Calif. Puerto Rico, usually known as the "Isle of Enchangement," will temporarily be transformed into the "Isle of Lesbos" twice this year, first with <a href="http://www.valhallawomensweek.com/">Valhalla</a> (October 20 - 23) and a month later followed by <a href="http://www.girlsthatroam.com/goroam/GTRPIPR.htm">Paradise in Puerto Rico</a> (November 17 - 20).</font><br /><p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">"We are committed to putting together a weekend for women who don't necessarily go on vacation," says Christine De La Rosa, co-founder of <a href="http://movementinthebay.com/">Movement Productions</a>.</font></p><p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Texas born and raised De La Rosa has created a sanctuary for women, in particular women of color, throwing a variety of popular parties weekly throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. She also produces the annual <a href="http://www.edeninthebay.com/">Eden in the Bay</a>, San Francisco Pride's women's weekend event.</font></p><p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Seeing a void in fall getaways for women she created the annual getaway for women, in particular women of color, in the California desert oasis in 2009.</font></p><p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">De La Rosa hopes that women will go on vacation. She created Bliss specifically as an affordable three day weekend. Resort rates range from $89 to $159 a night and day passes are $25 - $75 depending on the event. All weekend passes go for $125 - $150 for the all access pass.</font></p><p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">While De La Rosa is best known for her smash up parties, <a href="http://www.blissweekend.com/2011/">Bliss</a> is truly a getaway to the California desert perhaps better known to lesbian and bisexual women and lady golfers as home to <a href="http://www.ebar.com/news/article.php?sec=news&article=4637">Dinah Shore Weekend</a>.<br /></font></p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></font><p style="float:left;width:230px;margin-right:40px;margin-bottom:10px;font-size:9pt;text-align:center;"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /> <img width="230" height="170" style="margin-bottom:5px;" src="http://www.girlsthatroam.com/images/CA_PS_Bliss_Party.jpg" alt="CA_PS_Bliss_Party.jpg" /><br /><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Bliss guests partying the night away.</font> <font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br />Photo Credit: Courtesy of Movement Productions.</font></font></p><br /><p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">"Palm Springs in October is so nice, [it's] not too hot and not too cold and Dinah Shore was far enough away," she said about the event that has attracted up to 250 women from all over the world to the desert resort during the past two years.</font></p><p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">This year the Bliss women are taking over the <a href="http://www.canyonclubhotel.com/">Canyon Club Hotel</a>. Nestled up against <a href="http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=25176">Mt. San Jacinto State Park</a> and enclosed by eight-foot walls, this resort offers great outdoor (there is a giant maze with gazebos) and indoor adventures (there's a dungeon with a sauna steam room) along with a plethora of amenities making a secluded getaway like none other, according to De La Rosa.</font></p><p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Unwinding and relaxing doesn't equal boredom. De La Rosa doesn't leave the entire party in San Francisco. This year she's lined up comedian <a href="http://www.welovesandra.com/welovesandra.com/HOME.html">Saundra Valls</a>, burlesque performer the <a href="http://www.vaginajenkins.com/">Lady Ms. Vagina Jenkins</a>, and <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lady-Ryan/54068616629">DJs Lady Ryan</a> and <a href="http://djvalg.com/">Val G</a> to rock the pool parties and the annual White Party.</font></p><p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">"This is more of a vacation. They are coming in to relax and they want to have fun," says De La Rosa excited about the entertainment. While it's a party, guests will get to relax and refresh. "It's going to be a great weekend."</font></p><p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b><font size="3">Party in paradise</font></b></font></p><p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Unlike Bliss, Thomas and her pals are pulling out all of the stops to design a weekend to "impress" and "inspire" women with the <a href="http://www.paradiseweekendpr.com/PARADISE-WEEKEND.html">Paradise in Puerto Rico</a>.</font></p><p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The weekend is luxury all the way at the <a href="http://www.wyndhamriomar.com/">Rio Mar Beach Resort and Spa</a>, with beachside golf courses and national parks, knockout parties, inspirational workshops, and activities to bring awareness to and support <a href="http://www.lupus.org/">Lupus</a>.</font></p><p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">A chronic inflammatory disease, Lupus can affect various parts of the body, especially the skin, joints, blood, and kidneys, according to the Lupus Foundation of America's website. The disease is two to three times more prevalent among women of color than white women, according to the organization.</font></p><p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The luxury four-day weekend in the Caribbean starts at $380 in the "pin up" package to $1,165 in the "Paradise" package per person with a percentage of the proceeds donated to Lupus research. The packages don't include airfare.</font></p><p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">"This is an opportunity for us to support some of the strongest women that we know," says Thomas, about raising awareness of the disease and working with the <a href="http://www.meetpuertorico.com/">Puerto Rico Convention Bureau</a> to support local Lupus organizations.</font></p><p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Seriousness aside, this trip is about feeling good inside and out. Rio Mar Beach Resort and Spa offers <a href="http://www.fs.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsinternet/%21ut/p/c4/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gjAwhwtDDw9_AI8zPwhQoY6BdkOyoCAPkATlA%21/?ss=110819&navtype=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&cid=FSE_003853&navid=091000000000000&pnavid=null&position=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&ttype=main&pname=El%20Yunque%20National%20Forest-%20Home%20">El Yunque National Park</a> as its backyard with hiking, golf courses, and more alongside the Atlantic ocean for sipping cocktails and napping in the sun.</font></p><p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">A lot of women are "still looking for that celebration that is going to couple all of their desires, whether it's a vacation to have a lot to do or a lot not to do, and to just really integrate women, period, on other levels besides their sexuality," said Camille Thomas, producer of <a href="http://www.paradiseweekendpr.com/LEZPLAY--RADIO.html">LezPlay Radio</a> .</font></p><p style="float:right;width:200px;margin-left:20px;margin-right:20px;margin-bottom:10px;font-size:9pt;text-align:center;"><br /> <img width="230" height="170" style="margin-bottom:5px;" src="http://www.girlsthatroam.com/images/PR_beach_travelwizard.com.jpg" alt="PR_beach_travelwizard.com.jpg" /><br /><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Utter beach relaxation in Puerto Rico</font><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">. <br />Photo Credit: travelwizard.com.</font></p><p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Thomas is producing the all-girl island getaway with Ms. Theresa "Queen of NJ" Randolph <a href="http://www.mstheresa.com">www.mstheresa.com</a> and Keeke "Keerocks" Lucas <a href="http://www.keerocksthejewels.com">www.keerocksthejewels.com</a>. The trio makeup some of the East Coast's "most influential women" who garnered the support of the Puerto Rico Convention Bureau to sponsor the first annual Paradise in Puerto Rico weekend, says Thomas.</font></p><p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Guests will also be able to revel in Puerto Rico's biggest annual festival <i>Día del Descubrimiento</i> de Puerto Rico (Discovery of Puerto Rico Day) on November 19.</font></p><p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">"This vacation will take them to an intersection of all of their passions," Thomas says about the variety of events from outdoor activities, parties, workshops, volunteer opportunities with local Lupus organizations, and more planned for the weekend.</font></p><p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Learn more about Bliss and Paradise in Puerto Rico, visit: <a href="http://www.blissweekend.com/2011/">http://www.blissweekend.com/2011/</a> and <a href="http://www.paradiseweekendpr.com/PARADISE-WEEKEND.html">http://www.paradiseweekendpr.com/PARADISE-WEEKEND.html</a>.</font></p><p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">To purchase reprints, contact <a href="mailto:editor@girlsthatroam.com">editor@girlsthatroam.com</a>.</font></p><p>Link to Girls That Roam: <u><a href="http://www.girlsthatroam.com/GoRoam/GTRFallAway.htm">http://www.girlsthatroam.com/GoRoam/GTRFallAway.htm</a></u></p><p>Take the International Women's Travel Survey September 15 - November 15: <a href="http://girlsthatroam.com/GTRWTSv1.htm">http://girlsthatroam.com/GTRWTSv1.htm</a></p><p>Sign up free for Girls That Roam: <a href="http://eepurl.com/f_Icf">http://eepurl.com/f_Icf</a></p><p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></font></p></div>Protecting Women Travelershttps://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/article-on-protecting-women-travelers-september-20112011-09-21T21:07:00.000Z2011-09-21T21:07:00.000ZPeter Tarlowhttps://tripatini.com/members/PeterTarlow<div><p>TOURISM & MORE'S "TOURISM TIDBITS"</p><p>For September 2011</p><p>Protecting the Female Traveler</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Since the inception of modern tourism women have played a significant role in the development of the world's largest composite industry. The tourism industry is proud of the fact that as one of the world's newest industries, women have played a profound role in tourism success. One only needs to attend almost any tourism or travel industry conference and to quickly note that women not only form a significant proportion of those in attendance, but also often are in the majority. Women hold top CEO positions throughout the industry to the point that no one in the travel and tourism industry gives a second choice to a person's gender. In the world of travel agencies, the great majority are women and at least in the United States women are often not merely travel agents but also the agencies' owners.</p><p> </p><p>That is not to say that women have not been exploited in such roles as sexual professionals. Furthermore, women in at least some of the developing world often do not have the same gender-bias free opportunities as they do in the more developed nations. Gender equality, however is not equally distributed. Thus, while in some countries women have not moved beyond menial tasks in other nations such as Guatemala, Belize, and Tanzania women have made significant progress and are on par with their sisters in the more developed world. </p><p> </p><p>In many nations around the world women hold cabinet level positions in tourism and head their nation's tourism industry. Women not only play a significant role in the tourism and travel industry but as more and more women have entered into the work-force, women have an important segment of the traveling public. The term “single woman traveler” does not refer to a woman's marital status but rather to the fact that she is traveling alone, be that trip for reasons of pleasure or business. Because women are now such an important part of the tourism and travel industry, they demand and receive specific travel amenities. Successful travel and tourism businesses, for example, take into account specific female security needs. Here are some ideas to consider for improving the security of your tourism entity or community for the “single “ female traveler.</p><p> </p><p><span>The world is not always fair to women.</span> Although blatantly sexist and unfair in many parts of the world, a woman traveling by herself is considered to be “fair game.” The first rule of thumb then is to know the culture to which you are traveling. If the culture tolerates “sexual harassment” then do everything possible to avoid single travel. Even in highly sensitized countries women should use extra precautions.</p><p> </p><p><span>-Know your security strengths and weaknesses.</span> Never begin to think of any form of security without first doing a clear analysis. Go through your locale and develop lists of what might be a special danger to female guests. While many women are good at spotting danger, it is not their responsibility to know each and every danger spot; instead it is the host community or business that needs to pay extra attention to female security needs.</p><p> </p><p><span>-Educate your staff and then educate some more!</span> Your security is only as good as the people who work not only in security but on the front lines. Take the time to speak with all front line personnel about women's security issues. Make sure they are sensitive to the special needs of women traveling alone and know how to give good and correct advice.</p><p> </p><p><span>-Use social networks.</span> Seek out networks that serve the traveling woman. Many of these networks can provide up to the minute advice. A quick search of the web provides a wealth of information regarding women's travel networks.</p><p> </p><p>When educating your staff and/or yourself about women's travel safety consider some of the following points:</p><p> </p><p><span>*</span>At hotels, whenever possible help female guests to avoid a first-floor rooms. These are the rooms that are easiest for a potential attacker to gain access. Instead seek the third or fourth floor, and in sight of the elevator.</p><p> </p><p><span>*</span>Always carry a flashlight. It is amazing how a flashlight may scare off a potential assailant.</p><p> </p><p><span>*</span> If you car breaks down do not stay in it alone. You are safer on foot than locked in a car that cannot move. If you are in a car you have become a virtual prisoner of someone coming along. Being outside on foot is not pleasant but does allow for mobility</p><p> </p><p><span>*</span> A woman should never walk alone on poorly lit paths, close to bushes or in places where you cannot be seen, this rule of security is as valid in the day as it is in the night.</p><p> </p><p><span>*</span> Remember that while all women may be subjected to rape drugs this is especially true of any woman traveling in a country that is not her own. Be careful of whom you drink with, what you drink and into whose vehicle you enter.</p><p> </p><p><span>*</span> Make sure that someone knows who you are and never forget that there are those who see a single woman as a prime candidate for sexual assault.</p><p> </p><p><span>*</span> When traveling abroad, even for purposes of business, dress according to the dictates of the host culture. While it is not fair to victimize a woman due to the way she may choose to dress, the fact is that in some cultures a woman is blamed for being assaulted simply due to the dress code that she choices to follow</p><p> </p><p><span>*</span> <span>Watch your purse at all times. Purse-snatchers and other crimes of distraction artists often seek out single women travelers and assume that women are easier targets then are men.</span> Often purse-snatchers prefer crowded areas. Always stay alert in places like bus stations and during street celebrations, where you are likely to be jostled -- thieves use these circumstances to grab your purses, handbags and briefcases from women travelers.</p><p> </p><p><span>*</span> If someone does snatch your purse, let it go. If it is not a matter of life or death, then you are probably better off simply losing the item. If it is a matter of life and death, scream, run and hit the attacker where it will hurt the most.</p><p> </p><p>The bottom line: while all travelers need to practice safe and secure travel habits and no matter who the person is there is always risk, single women travelers have a higher rate of possibly becoming victims. To avoid this problem always use an extra dose of common sense.</p><br /><p>You can also read this article in Spanish or Portuguese by going to website <a href="http://www.tourismandmore.com">www.tourismandmore.com</a>.</p></div>Girls Just Wanna Have Fun: The Benefits of Women-Only Travelhttps://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/girls-just-wanna-have-fun-the-benefits-of-women-only-travel2011-08-18T15:18:58.000Z2011-08-18T15:18:58.000ZVenus Adventures Travelhttps://tripatini.com/members/VenusAdventuresTravel<div><strong>Let’s face it:</strong> women just like to do different things, talk about different subjects, shop and have fun. Without the boys around, the girls can let their hair down, not worry about how they look or how good they are at something – quite simply, they can relax. That is why a women-only trip is chicken soup for the soul. <br /><br />Trips just for women are nothing new – there are many different companies offering “adventure” or just hiking or biking trips. However there was, until now, a gap in the market for more mainstream holidays. Venus Adventures is a new company offering experiential holidays with the three main ingredients of these trips being culture, adventure and fun. And the destinations are also tantalizing – places like Morocco, Egypt, Vietnam, Tanzania or Ethiopia.<br /><br />Venus Adventures was founded by modern-day nomad and adventure guide, Julie Paterson. “There is a different dynamic when you get a group of just women together. We have interesting conversations and a lot of fun. I have lived a very full life and I want to encourage other women to do the same, which is why I started this company. Life is not a dress rehearsal!”<br /><br />Any age women a can go on these trips, although they do cater more to the over 40s age bracket. Why? Because these are women who have watched their children grow up and travel to exotic places, and now it is their turn to have some fun, but they don’t want to go alone. <br /><br />Besides seeing all the usual great sights on a Venus Adventures trip, “fun women’s things” are built into the itineraries too – e.g. taking a cooking course in Vietnam, having a belly-dancing lesson in Egypt or indulging in a traditional style spa in Morocco. Janice, 63, went on the Morocco trip in April 2007: “I think about the trip a lot and find it hard to believe I did all that stuff…riding camels in the Sahara, rafting and hiking. It was highlight after highlight!”<br /><br />The Venus Adventures motto sums it up: “Life is uncertain – eat cake!” So, come on girls, let’s go!</div>