Advice for woman travellers - 02

Personal safety when travelling alone

    * Insist on inspecting your accommodation before agreeing to stay. If unhappy with the room request a change or where possible move to different accommodation.
    * The lone woman traveller will often be flouting convention simply by her presence. Unfortunately women in the developing world don't have the independence that their western counterparts take for granted. For this reason, their presence, especially unaccompanied, will generate interest within local people of both genders.
    * How you dress is an easy method of self-preservation and the most immediate symbol of respect. Dress codes differ greatly from country to country and to get them wrong would put you at an immediate disadvantage. A culture's standard of dress has a lot to do with what parts of the body are considered to be sensuous or provocative. As a general rule tight and skimpy clothes are inappropriate for most countries outside of Europe and North America. Clothing should be conservative and presentable, loose fitting and comfortable. Arms and legs should be covered, especially when visiting places of worship and national monuments.
    * When travelling, try to be inconspicuous yet confident avoiding confrontational challenging situations with men by adopting an assertive, dismissive manner.
    * Remember many men can see eye contact as a 'come-on'. The use of dark sunglasses will limit this problem.
    * Be prepared to answer questions about yourself particularly if single and travelling alone. The often-asked questions of your marital status and family, are ones of genuine interest. To avoid the unwanted attention of some men, the use of a few white lies about 'your husband' and a fake wedding ring are a useful pretence.

Advice for woman travellers - 01

 Below are some advices for women travellers we have collected on the Internet.
Personal safety and security

* When travelling, particularly alone, leave an itinerary of your trip with a responsible person contacting them at pre-arranged times and dates. Ostentatious displays of money, jewellery, luggage and dress can encourage the wrong type of attention. When travelling be aware of where your luggage, particularly hand bags, are at all times. Do not leave them unattended or hanging on the back of chairs in restaurants.

* Choose your accommodation carefully:
o Try and pick accommodation which is in a safe area;
o Request a room near the lift or stair well, not on the ground floor;
o Inspect the door locks and window fasteners;
o Never open the door to your room until you have identified the caller;
o Do not identify yourself on the telephone until the caller has done so;
o Keep your money and valuables close by you at night.

* Be alert, listen to the advice of locals and fellow travellers, develop a street sense, try not to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

* In a confrontational situation a woman traveller is rarely a physical match for a man. So, the following rules can help:
o Don't turn a scary situation into a dangerous one if you can help it (e.g. it would be unwise to launch into a physical attack if the man confronting you just want your money - hand it over and avoid finding out what he may do if provoked);
o Don't panic or show fear or let the person confronting you to get the upper hand, try to gain psychological advantage throwing him off his balance i.e. compliance;
o If you do find yourself in physical danger, try to anticipate the aggressor’s next move and plan ahead for it. As the innocent party in the confrontation you have the advantage of surprise, if you are forced to strike back physically, make sure it is a crippling blow that gives you a chance to escape;
o If you are worried about your ability to gauge dangerous situations and to defend yourself then consider joining a women's self defense course before travelling.

What NOT to Pack for Your Vietnam Trip

List of things you do not need to take with you when traveling to Vietnam. What Not to Pack for Your Vietnam Trip was compiled by Caroline based on adoptive parents postings to the APV.

Overwhelmed by suggestions of what to pack on the trip to Vietnam, I was attracted by a passing remark in a posting on APV requesting suggestions on what NOT to pack.  When I didn't see too many replies I asked again.  The list below is a collation of what people said they wished they had left at
home, or brought less of.  It should be noted that for some of these items, other people said they did bring them and were glad: for example, stroller, books and tapes, PC.  I plan to use this list as a 'corrective' to the packing frenzy, when my turn comes!

o Too many clothes, for both parents and babies. (Hotels have inexpensive laundry service, and many inexpensive and interesting items of clothing can be bought.)
o Too many bottle nipples (Hotels will give you thermoses of boiled water for cleaning nipples.)
o An umbrella or raincoat (Rains are short and lightweight rain ponchos are inexpensive.)
o Cans of formula (The kinds the kids are already used to will be available there.)
o Inflatable baby bathtub (Some hotels had them, and they could be bought cheaply.)
o Too many batteries (They could be gotten there.)
o Some people did not use their voltage converters. (This might depend on whether you bring a camcorder.)
o Nylons.
o Too much reading material (too many other things to do).
o Cologne (attracts insects).
o Makeup (The weather makes a mess of it).
o CDs or tapes and a portable player (No 'down time' for listening.)
o Pot for boiling water.
o A hot water thermos (Many of the hotels had them).
o Too much packaged snack food.
o Toilet paper.
o Too large a volume of supplies like Q-tips and Desitin.
o Stroller (Light ones can be bought there and left.)
o Robes and slippers (Better hotels often had nice robes.)
o Laptop PC.
o Blow dryers (Many hotels had them.)

Tips for Traveling with a Two Year Old Child

 Therese Bartlett shared us some tips

   

We took our two and a half year old daughter (Moya, adopted 12/98) with us in December, 2000 when we adopted our son, Nathan, from Binh Thuan Province.

1.  We took our digital video camera with us. Uses very small tapes. We taped from VHS cassettes to the small digital tapes several of Moya's favorite videos and played them on the plane, in the hotel, and whenever she needed a "fix" of home or just some quiet time. This was our number one lifesaver. Be sure to save some new videos for a little surprise.

2.  We brought lots of snacks for her, although her favorite ended up being a fishy cracker that was available for very cheap at Tax market in HCMC. The adults liked 'em, too. They were like Chicken in a Biscuit in fishy shape. The bananas and fruit available there were hits also, as was the freshly squeezed orange juice from our hotel kitchen.

3.  We brought juice boxes for the plane ride there and saved some for the ride back. Also a good idea. Milk not easily available (nor can you trust that it's all pasteurized if you DO find it) so vitamins are a good idea, too.

4.  We had lots of toys to keep her occupied on the plane:  drawing things of all kinds, a doll for the plane and one more hidden in our checked luggage, simple card games, books and a few of her smaller favorites. But we also brought some things she didn't see before we left. Every day or so, when she would get "out of sorts" from the attention paid to her new little brother, or from boredom or just the change of schedule, something NEW really brought a change of spirit. Now, it was Christmastime and gift-giving wasn't unusual, so thankfully she didn't return home and expect new things everyday. She definitely knew this was a special time.

5.  We brought some gifts that were to ge given to Nathan from her, and some from Nathan to her. Helped in the bonding between siblings, although she just loved everything about him and being there with us was the best thing for her and us. It just was right for us. I know it's not right for everybody.

6.  Bring a shovel and pail. We (and subsequent families, we've learned) had a hard time finding one there and we were near the ocean beaches for a good portion of our trip.

7. Clothing for kids is no different from here in the US. Moya wore shorts or sleeveless dresses the whole time, except in Hue where it rained and was almost cold by comparison to Hanoi and HCMC.  

Source:Therese Bartlett's Vietnam Packing Tips