Top 10 Travel Tips for Women

Since the Lonely Planet editors in the end rejected my boxed text submission for the new Nicaragua book to come out next month, I've decided to repost my top 10 travel tips for women. Maybe this will one day be included in my own travel book. Who needs Lonely Planet anyway? Thanks Liz for the edit

Let's face it. Traveling as a woman has its challenges and men just don't understand. With such little room in our backpacks, we need to make the most of the space we have considering hygiene, beauty and safety needs. In order to make traveling easier, below are my top travel tips for women. The first few are not bad advice for a weeklong getaway. The last few will prove your mettle as a hard core travel diva. Guys, just be grateful for all that you don't have to deal with, and one tip for you-NEVER blame her mood on "that time of month".

1) Face Wipes-Although an obvious addition to bring these, this is more of a reminder. Face wipes keep your face clean at all times of the day especially on long dusty bus rides and so don't leave home without them.

2) Wristband Fleece Wallet-It has a zipper opening to keep money and keys inside and is fashionable enough to wear out on the town at night. No purse to worry about losing and it can double as a sweat band when jogging.

3) Fake Wedding Ring-Great distractor to keep local lurching men away. Just simply flaunt the ring when an unwanted on-looker asks if you would like a boyfriend, usually meaning him.

4) Leave-in Hair Conditioner-Being on the road can take a toll on your hair and leave it fried and frizzy. Leave-in hair conditioner or just leaving in the conditioner helps smooth out the tension to keep your hair looking healthy all the time.

5) Sarong- Use it as a towel, beach blanket, dress, wrap around to change into a bathing suit, shawl, and much more on the road. This one item serves multiple purposes and takes up very little space.

6) Tiger Balm-This little menthol cream is a catch all for everything under the sun. Put a little on your temples for a headache or for heat exhaustion, on your body for aches and pains and to relieve the itchiness of mosquito, bedbug or flea bites, under your nose to remove stuffiness, and even on your wrists as last minute perfume.

7) Tinted Eyelashes-For women with light colored eyelashes, tinting them avoids having to wear and apply mascara every day. Additionally, the panda look after swimming is not attractive. Each tinting lasts about a month.

8) Laser Hair Removal-Yes, it is expensive, but well worth the cost in the long-run. Forever you will be bikini-ready. Ingrown hairs and the ugly in-between stage are not an issue. Laser hair removal takes between 4-6 sessions over a 6-8 month period depending on your hair and so start early in your planning


9) The Pee Funnel-This is the ultimate in female empowerment-to pee standing up. Avoid squating over dirty outhouses during the day and searching for them in the middle of the night. You can even join the men as they line up on the side of the road during a long bus ride. Best part-you can write your name in the sand.

10) Diva Cup-No longer do you have to search every pharmacy for tampons and be weighed down by them. The Diva cup is all you need. It is a silicone based cup that fits inside you to catch your menstrual flow. It is reusable for up to 10 years and therefore environmentally friendly. It's simple to use and comes with its own carrying case. On a related topic, Multi-month Birth Control Pills can help regulate periods and simply life. With certain combo estrogen/progestin and progestin-only birth control pills, you only have to worry about your period once every 3 months by taking the daily pill. This provides so much freedom in traveling, however, it is not for everyone. Talk to your doctor for more information and for what is most appropriate for your body.