By popular demand our own Kaila Krayewski from www.BlondeTraveler.com is back with another round of excellent travel suggestions for female travelers. The first article, Queen of the Road generated an incredible response from our community so we asked Kaili to offer a few more of her insider’s tips aimed at helping women travel better, be safer and get more pleasure out of their journeys.
At the end of the article we invite all of our readers, male and female, to post their best travel strategies for making international journeys more enjoyable and rewarding.
Standing Room Only
Don’t be afraid of squat toilets – they can often be more sanitary than Western toilets, especially when the surrounding areas are quite dirty, as you don’t have to touch anything. Make sure you face the wall (not the door), and squat all the way down, but don’t touch anything! You may need to work on your balance for this, but you’ll get it after a while. If there is a bin, put your garbage and any sanitary napkins/ tampons in it. Flush by pouring the bucket full of water down the drain.
Going Coconuts (It’s more than a Marx Brothers movie)
Coconut oil is your best travel friend – don’t leave home without it! Make sure you get extra virgin, cold pressed coconut oil. It is a multi-purpose beauty aid that can be used as a hair conditioner (leave on for 30 minutes or longer, and wash out), a skin moisturizer, sunscreen (provides just under 10 SPF), a make-up remover, and cuticle oil.
This worked for Mae West
Sew pockets into your bras before you leave – and store money and small valuables in it while you’re traveling. Muggers will not ask you for your bra (hopefully), so this is a great place to keep a $100 USD note, and your diamond earrings (though, to be honest, it’s not advisable to bring the diamond earrings in the first place unless you’ll be attending formal business functions).
Black is the New Black
The LBD will not fail you! Your favourite little black dress is always a winner in your travel wardrobe. It will take you from business meetings to dinners of all kinds, to cocktail receptions, and even to the dancefloor, should the mood strike! Pack a pair of strappy black heels to match.
Smell the Roses
Put down the Crackberry, set aside your iPhone and pry yourself away from your Android and simply take in the sights. We know that it’s important to stay in touch while you’re away, but too often, business travelers get sucked in to what’s going on back home, and don’t take the time to enjoy their trip. Try to spend some free time exploring the city, interacting with the locals, and using all your senses to take it in, only using your smart phone to take photos.
While the journey is certainly as important as the destination, we in the modern world need to remind ourselves that the now is also as important as the future. So don’t process your travel after you get home, enjoy it now. If you’re traveling to some of the most exotic places in the world you owe it to yourself to make sure you enjoy the experience. Pack smartly, follow our tips and enjoy the ride.
