Traveling Alone

You see, the basic and most important point that you have to remember is; we are in fact women. We may be beautiful and intelligent, but unfortunately are the prey of many predators.

For example, you may have at some point of time or another faced problems of eve teasing.

In other instances, you have either been pestered by men who want to get close or even some male relative of your family.

To help you get the most out of a trip, here are quick tips compiled from the advice of women who have traveled alone.

Tips

• Safety: To start with, you should learn to be responsible for yourself. So learn some self-defense mechanism and make yourself ready for extreme conditions.

• Packing Light: You might be in love with your Gucci and Prada, but while traveling alone, make sure that you pack a bag, which you can lift. Asking for help with your luggage in some countries are a sure shot way of inviting thugs.

• Laws and Regulations: This tip is especially very important for women to travel to Islamic countries. Make yourself very thorough with the laws and rules, before you do something wrong and are locked in prison.

• Alienating People: Though this tip may not sound very inviting, take the cue and stop inviting strangers while traveling alone. Please remember that you are not in some movie, that you will meet someone through serendipity at an airport and get married that very night. Usually, chances are that you will be robbed and manhandled, if not worse.

• Language: It is no rocket science that different nations speak different languages. Try and learn some of it from a manual, the basics at least. Or else, hire an interpreter cum guide who can show you around.

• Be careful about your personal Belongings: Traveling alone may make your nervous and vulnerable, especially for first timers.. Keep your passport, extra money, and other important documents tucked well So be on the guard and make sure that you keep your belongings in an orderly fashion.

• Attire: It is said... when in Rome do as the Romans do. Make sure you dress properly and carry yourself with confidence. Wearing revealing clothes may put you in trouble. Wear simple, comfortable covered clothes so as to keep the predators away. A good thumb rule is to dress modestly.

• Exude confidence: If you are lost, walk into a shop or restaurant and ask for directions there. Try to avoid obviously looking at maps while you're in the street. Best is, before you set out from your hotel, ask the concierge or other hotel staff for directions to the places
you plan to visit each day.

• Don't Carry Valuables: Leave all valuables, such as extra credit cards and jewellery, at home. Even costume jewellery poses an unnecessary risk to your safety, because most thieves are not jewellery experts and won't know they've stolen costume pieces until after the crime has taken place.

• Use common sense: Common sense is perhaps the single best tip for staying safe includes the usual recommendations: don't walk around late at night, don't drink with strange men, don't ride in empty compartments on trains, don't compromise safety to save a few bucks on a hotel or transportation, and know how to use a pay phone. Be aware of your surroundings and stay alert.

FAQs

• What kind of dresses should I pack? Pack dresses, which are comfortable as well as befitting the location and the purpose.

• Do I need to keep a tab on my travel health insurance? Make sure you have adequate health insurance coverage for your trip abroad and that your coverage includes medical evacuations. If your policy does not cover you overseas, you may need to purchase supplemental traveler's insurance.

• Should I keep medicines handy? Make sure that you have medicines handy, especially if you are suffering from some ailment or if you are on regular medication.

• Which is best cash or credit cards? To be fair, make sure that you have both in safe places so that the chances of being looted are less.
Smita's Advice

Overall, I think that it best for women to travel in a very practical fashion, rather than being whimsical and suffering later on. The basics of traveling in any country are the same.

However, women should remember that wearing stilettos while traveling alone and having a bag that they can barely lift are no good.

How you present yourself can make the difference between a great time and an undesirable situation.

Amazing Nosara Beaches

Located in Guanacaste, a small province in Costa Rica, Nosara is a beautiful beach town along the Pacific coast. Its natural splendor, abundant wildlife and world-class surfing make it an international vacation spot all year round. There are four major playas or beaches in Nosara, beckoning you for a holiday. Though it is no more the quiet and deserted town it once was, you can still find serene and quiet corners tucked away when you start exploring. Though surfing is the main entertainment, the beaches provide a variety of other option to satisfy the non-surfers too.

The four amazing beaches of Nosara are described here.

· Playa Ostional: This beach borders the small village of Ostional. It is especially knows for its Wildlife Refuge which has been set up to protect the biggest nesting grounds of the Olive Ridley sea turtle. Hundreds and thousands of these turtles come here every few weeks during the new moon. From May to November is the peak time for nesting, but you are bound to see at least a few of them throughout the year. There are also small groups of the giant leatherback turtles and the green turtle, which is now endangered, that sometimes make this beach their nesting grounds. Aside to the turtle attraction, the beach is also good for surfing. However, the strong currents are dangerous and you need to be cautious. There also is a risk of sharks and other predators because of the abundance of turtles.

· Playa Nosara: This is the most secluded beach but it is worth a visit. You can get to the river by foot or in a vehicle. The walking train provides a tough hike but the results are rewarding. This is where you will find the local fishermen with their age old techniques to catch and haul fish. During low tide you can swim across to the Playa Nosara. River canoeing is something you could do here. The waves are also gentle here, but the best part is the range of wildlife and birds you will get to see on this beach.

· Playa Guiones: White, crescent shaped beach extending up to nearly three miles is the beautiful Playa Guiones. There are numerous ranchitos on the beach for you to sit and enjoy the beach while escaping from the hot sun. This is the best surfing spot in all of Nosara, though it is good for swimming to. Towards the south part you can enjoy the pink sandy beach and small tide pools ideal for snorkeling.

· Playa Pelada: You will find a path from the north side of Playa Guiones which will bring you to Playa Pelada, surrounded by trees and tidal pools. If you are on vacation with your family, you must visit this beach. It is a wonderful place to sit and enjoy the gulls, herrings and pelicans that are abundant here. The powerful sound of the sea is an experience in itself. Numerous rock formations are seen and blowholes on it are a gorgeous sight during changing of the tides. You can't surf here as it is dangerous, but you can definitely walk along the river and enjoy nature.

If a beach vacation is what you are looking for, this little seaside town has so much to offer. These four amazing beaches have much more to offer than surfing and snorkeling. Stay here for a week and experience the ultimate Nosara vacation.

Great Pamplona Bull Run

The Bull Run Festival of San Fermin in Pamplona, Navarra - is an annual religious festivity celebrated from July 7 to 14. This event has been known internationally for its annual bull run; a spectacle, whose intensity is hard to duplicate anywhere else in the world. The bulls are made to run through the streets of Pamplona, to a site where a bullfight ensues later on in the day.

This fiesta is celebrated in honor of the Catholic saint, San Fermin, the patron saint of Navarra. This international event gathers multitudes of people from all around the globe. These festivities have always been described as: one exhilarating fun, non-stop partying, and euphoric excitement, to all of its participants. The bull run, despite of its inherent dangers is really the heart and soul of the Sanfermines fiesta.

Among the highlights of the festivities are as follows:

1. Launching of the Rockets

The start of the bull run heads off when the church bells of San Fermin strikes at eight o'clock in the morning of July 7. The people who have gathered around the casa, awaits the announcement of the mayor that the fiesta is about to begin. After the announcement, a rocket is fired marking the start of the celebration!

This first rocket also signifies that the gates have now been opened, and that the bull run is about to start.. Runners, with red scarves around their necks pray for a safe run to San Fermin, at this juncture. A second rocket would announce that the bull run have started with the runners following the route towards the bullring. A third launching would further announce that the bulls have now entered the bullring. A fourth and fifth rocket would be fired to signify that all the bulls have now been contained in the bullpen of the building, and that the bull run had ended.

2. The Pamplona Bull Run

The bull run starts at eight o' clock every morning, from the 7th to the 14th of every month of July. Runners should be in the area before the start-off time, to avoid confusion that may ensue later on. The route starts at the corral of Santo Domingo towards the bullring, which is 825 meters away. The average run is three minutes but can last to ten minutes, if some bulls go off track. The bull run starts at Santo Domingo, then passes through the Ayuntamiento Square and continues down the street of Mercaderes. The route would also pass through the dangerous pathways of Duque de Ahumada and the dead-end sections of the route, on the way to the bullring.

3. Running with the Bulls

The immense popularity of the Pamplona bull run had increased the number of participants that take part in the festivities yearly. Running along the bulls, that weighs an average of 700 kg each, poses undue danger to would-be runners. The number of drunks participating during the runs had also increased the risk several times over. There are plenty of watchers and security personnel manning the route, but they can only do so much during the bull run. Accidents have now reached to around fifteen (15) people dead, and two hundred (200) injured, since 1924 when these bull runs started.

4. Excitement in Watching the Pamplona Bull Runs and Bullfights

You can savor the excitement and fun without the dangers posed in joining the actual bull runs. To do this, you need to be early at the site to get the best vantage points along the route. Since the best spots are always taken before sunrise, it would be advisable for you to be at the site before dawn. Or you can watch it at a nearby bar or restaurant which airs it every morning - live on national television.

The tickets to the bullfights are normally pre-sold before the fights. The seating capacity is only for twelve thousand five hundred (12,500) seats - hence, the clamor for said tickets. There may be scalpers that sells tickets around the area, but these would already be at highly exorbitant prices.

The fun that would be experienced by any spectator or participant in these festivities are exhilarating and simply out of this world! Though the adventure may pose some dangers and risk - it is one fun-filled experience to behold that can last you a whole lifetime!

Consolacion S. Miravite is a Certified Public Accountant, Real Estate Broker, Lead Farmer, Trader, Accounting Professor, Free-Lance Writer and Blogger. She has written for several companies, institutions and website owners on topics ranging from - Finance, Accountancy, Computers, e-Commerce, Online marketing, Crafts, Relationships, and others.