Buying a flight ticket without a travel companion is like jumping into a pool backwards. There are moments when you linger on the verge wondering if you should actually do it, and many times, you back off. There’s certainly a lot to think about — where will I go? How will I get there? What hotel will I stay at and what are the directions from the airport? You can’t rely on anyone to make decisions for you anymore, and it all comes down on your shoulders. And to top it off, the tragedies in India and Turkey frankly don’t have me jumping for my passport.

Every female traveler knows that there are risks when going abroad. Yet we also know that these risks can’t stop us from exploring the world outside our doors. The good news is, these are great times to be a woman traveler. And here are five reasons why:

5. The “Local” Experience

Have you ever been stopped on the street and asked for directions in a country you’ve never been to? Maybe you were taken by the hand of a perfect stranger and brought right to the location you’d been hunting around for? Let’s face it: sometimes, women are just more approachable.

I’ve been the recipient of many random acts of kindness while traveling, and I don’t doubt that my being female has something to do with it. Sometimes, it’s a free drink from the bartender, or a free song at an old Portuguese fountain, sung by an 80-year-old fado amateur (don’t ask). Sometimes it’s appreciated. Other times we could probably do without it. But the experiences that happen upon us are memorable, nonetheless.

4. Female-Friendly Hospitality

It’s easy to scoff at anything marketed specifically towards women — the feminist in me cringes when an assumption is made that we all like any one thing because of our mutual sex. Yet at the same time, an all-female environment is soothing on the road. It can be really nice to relax with the girls, and the hospitality and tourism industries are taking the hint. In fact, websites like HostelBookers.com are going above and beyond by offering female-friendly accommodations, which earn their merits through ratings in safety and comfort.

3. Role Models

Katniss Everdeen, anyone? With powerful, independent female figures in television, books, movies and — oh yeah — real life, these days our media is chock-full of appreciable role models (and they don’t even have to take their clothes off!). In the travel community, I’d point to the Globetrotter Girls, who have been on the road since 2010, and Pola of Jetting Around, who travels so heavily you would think she does it full time (and yet she still manages to keep a day job down).

Here at Go Girl, there’s Jules, who quit her job to join a traveling circus, Safia, who is one of the only female helicopter pilots in Abu Dhabi, even Kate, who fearlessly left the comforts of her home to settle indefinitely into rural Morocco. If these women aren’t inspiring, I don’t know who is.

Beth on her blue Yamaha motorcycle, cruising the streets of Sao Tome and Principe.

2. Barrier Breaking

Visiting a new community allows us to bend a few gender stereotypes. When I founded Go Girl on the back of my blue motorcycle, cruising the streets of São Tomé and Principe, I had a good laugh at the astonished looks on the faces of the men I rode by. There’s something freeing about doing something that traditionally, women don’t do (as long as you’re being respectful of culture and actual laws, of course — we don’t want anyone ending up in jail because they’re “living on the edge”). Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone a little bit — sometimes it’s out in the world that we discover an energy we didn’t know we’d always had.

1. The Sisterhood

I remember the first time I visited Portugal by myself, conveniently during “that time of the month”. I didn’t speak Portuguese yet, and was staying with a cousin who only spoke a few words of English. She watched me go back and forth to the restroom with great concern, not knowing if I was all right. When I had finally been able to communicate what was happening, her face softened. We may not speak the same language, eat the same thing for breakfast, pray to the same divine being. But we all (or at least most of us anyway) get our periods, and we all understand that simple part of human existence.

It is these things that bring us together as women on the road — the discussions about experience, about biology, about society that we share. It makes me proud of our network on travelgogirl.com. But most importantly, it makes me proud to be a female traveler. There is so much out there in the world to see. And being able to do it is, truly, awesome.

Editor’s note: HostelBookers has generously provided compensation for this post in order to help continue spreading the voice of women around the world. However, the opinions we express are our own, and we are proud of them! Click here to read our full disclosure statement.

You could pinpoint exactly when their eyes glazed over. It was when I breathed that terribly irrelevant word, “women”. Obviously, writing a woman’s travel magazine has nothing to do with them. They were still courteous and friendly, but on a deeper level, they had disengaged. Women’s travel just isn’t a part of their world.

Or is it?

Men are arguably as much a part of women’s travel as women are. They are the husbands, the boyfriends, the sons. They are the enablers and the supporters; the travel companions, or the ones who loyally wait at home. Sometimes, they are offenders and oppressors (not discounting the fact that women can also serve in this role). They are the uplifters and the recognizers.

And, they are the dads.

Having a dad who is dedicated to his daughter’s pursuit of travel is precious. They can serve as role models and pass along their life’s passions, as Safia’s father did. They can raise their daughters to be strong-willed, independent women, as Vanessa suggests. They can inspire their daughters to seek out a world beyond what’s in front of them, and to do so fearlessly. And, if you’re lucky, they might even pad your wallet when you’ve run out of money while studying abroad (thanks, Dad).

Fathers have the opportunity to have a huge impact on their daughters’ lives. It’s why I was disappointed (though, frankly, not surprised) when my new friends seemed to feel that women’s travel didn’t apply to them. “Do you have a mother? A sister?” I asked them. “Do you plan to marry a woman? Will you have a daughter?” And if that day comes, how will you raise her? To hide in her shell, or to embrace the world?

To the men — the fathers, the future fathers, the father figures — happy Father’s Day, in the US and elsewhere. Make women’s travel relevant in your life. Your daughter will thank you for it.

My dad had wanted to be an RAF pilot. At the time he was UK citizen and had applied for an interview. He apparently got it and had written to his mum but she made him swear not to go. When I was 16 and had come home excitedly with plans to be a helicopter pilot I was met with enthusiasm but caution. I was ready to quit school and get it going but I was made to promise to finish my A-levels. The next two years were excruciatingly long as I studied math, physics and chemistry when all I wanted was theory of flight, metrology and navigation. When I turned 18 I did my first flight in an airplane . Your first solo flight is probably the biggest deal ever and as I taxied in, relieved that I had not done anything stupid, my dad surprised me by being there. He had seen everything. A very proud papa indeed.

I later went on to be a commercial helicopter pilot. I had found my passion. While airplanes were very comfy and you had access to a toilet and coffee, helicopters could go backwards and hover and do spot turns. My dad shared my enthusiasm and would listen to my silly stories. He would tell anyone who would listen what I did for a living.

In late 2007 he was re-diagnosed with cancer.He had been a cancer survivor for four years. My goal was to be a Captain. I desperately wanted him to see me with those four gold stripes on my shoulders before his condition deteriorated. He had been my supporter and my pillar of strength for all these years, he deserved to see the end result.

In September 2008, I finally had it all done. I was a Captain. What a bittersweet time — my father passed away in November. He had seen me through from the beginning and had held on to the end. He had been too weak in his last days for me to take him for a flight. I think he would have been glowing if his daughter had been the Captain of the helicopter he was on.

As Father’s Day approaches, I have only happy thoughts. As with many of us who have lost our fathers, we would give anything for just one more day, one more hug, one more smile. I can only hope he’s somewhere watching over me.

I was at the beach where I live one evening alone, all the thoughts in the universe swirling in my head, when I saw a heart shaped cloud. I smiled, as I would like to imagine that was my pa, sending his love for me from the Great Beyond. One can only hope.

It’s natural for a father to be concerned about his children no matter where they are in the world, but it seems that travelin’ daughters can make for troubled dads. This Father’s Day, I’d like to give dads everywhere the gift of reassurance and let them know that nothing can be greater for the father-daughter relationship than to encourage her to travel. It’s hard when your children are far away from home and in unfamiliar lands and, yes, sometimes bad things happen. But dads needn’t be too troubled – traveling is one of the best things your daughter can do for her safety and well-being.

Safety and Strange Men

While dad might be worried about wannabe Romeos or more sinister characters, the sad reality is that the most dangerous man a woman can encounter – from a statistical point of view – is her own partner. While there have been some well-known, tragic cases this year in India and Istanbul, the truth is that the biggest threat to a woman’s safety is her own domestic partner. Traveling generates self-confidence and self-awareness, great attributes for staying safe anywhere, as well as for choosing a respectful domestic partner back home.

Alone versus Lonely

Some of the loneliest times of my life were when I was surrounded by crowds of people. Loneliness has nothing to do with how many people are around you and everything to do with an emotional state. Being alone can actually combat loneliness – you are motivated to make new connections, you have a chance to reflect on who you are, you can enjoy the simple pleasures in life. If you want your daughter to be surrounded by good people in life, to choose a job that fulfills her, and to have a partner who respects her, give her the opportunity to revel in her own company and learn to be happy alone.

Career Crackdown!

Dads are right to be concerned if their daughters seem to be drifting aimlessly through life, but there is a big difference between needing some time to find yourself versus not having a dream or focus or interest. Dropping out of college or a career to travel can be a wonderful thing and a great way to launch a successful career in line with her passions. In our global community, travel is a real career asset – it proves her independence, creative thinking, and communication skills.

Drifting Apart?

Many fathers feel uneasy about the relationship with their daughters. Conversations and laugher that flowed so easily when she was young now seem a bit more awkward when you are both adults. It’s not uncommon for fathers to feel their daughters will drift away even more and, for technology challenged dads who rely on face to face time to communicate, keeping in touch can be a real challenge. Be proactive on this matter. Take a computer class to brush up on email, Facebook, and Skype skills. Learn how to send photos as an attachment. And embrace what I call the $50 challenge. Transfer a surprise gift of $50 to your daughter with only one word of instruction. It might be “purple” or “fresco” or “chocolate”. Give it on the condition of receiving a full report and sit back and enjoy how she bought purple silk in Istanbul, did a Segway tour of Roman architecture, or shared chocolate with the kids on the train in Argentina.

Go Join Her!

Your daughter made the brave steps to see the world – how about you, Dad? It’s time to see her world! Why not join her for a week in Bangkok, Brisbane, or Boston? Or even just go away for a weekend a few hours from home? You will see your daughter with brand new eyes and will come to admire her daring, adventurous, spunky spirit – and maybe some of it will rub off on you as well

So what does this have to do with jet lag, I hear you ask?

While many folks argue that jet lag is an unavoidable result of multi-time zone travel, there are also those out there who believe that it can be avoided.

Jet lag occurs when our body clock becomes out of synch with the time in our destination, our internal clock registers daylight and darkness that doesn’t coincide with its regular pattern, and it becomes a trifle confused. Then, when our body rhythms that dictate the times at which we eat, sleep and generally function, no longer appear to match the environment, further confusion ensues. In struggling to realign itself, the body clock quite simply becomes a confused and exhausted mess, venting its frustration by afflicting its host with jet lag.

Jetlag, can it be overcome? Photo courtesy of www.medicaltourismmag.com

Some say, however, that avoiding this affliction need not be complicated and need not cause you any undue stress or strain. Here are some simple steps to help:

1. Think Positively

Instead of telling yourself that you’re going to suffer from jet lag and over thinking the whole issue, you might as well just roll over and accept that you will. By not giving jet lag a thought until you’re at the airport, you may already have won half the battle.

2. Watch Your Consumption

When you’re on the plane, don’t eat too much and avoid alcohol. Though one gin and tonic might not affect you on the ground, it will definitely affect you in the air, and a single spirit can have the alcoholic equivalence of a double. This, of course, leads to dehydration and inevitably, tiredness.

3. Snooze, but also Move

On the subject of tiredness, if you feel as if you want to take a nap on the plane, go ahead and do it, but be sure to get up and move around the cabin at least a couple of times during the flight.

4. Get a Head Start

It may also help to adjust your watch to the local time at your destination, and you can do this as soon as you board the plane. This way, it’ll give your body clock a helping hand to begin adjusting itself to its new time setting.

5. Force Your Body to Stay Awake (or Go To Sleep)

When you land, regardless of what the time may be, some say it’s essential to ensure that you stay awake until at least 11pm local time, avoiding, at all costs, that often overwhelming desire to take a nap. Repeat this pattern the next day, ensuring that you still don’t hit the hay until at least 11pm, and you will most likely find that you’re back to your usual sleep pattern.

I for one hope that the above tips can stave off jet lag, as I have a multi-time zone flight of my own coming up, and I don’t intend to let my body clock deprive me of a single minute of my time overseas, no matter how upset and confused it might be!

Check out their article here, and don’t forget to miss a special one-hour Twitter chat on Monday with @MashLifestyle and @GirlsThatTravel talking travel tech for women!

Read more details about the chat here, and see you on Monday!

Go Girls love to travel and explore. We know how to pack light and adjust to the ups and downs of the travel process, but that doesn’t mean we appreciate each of the “downs” equally. Even within one mode of transport–in this case, airplane travel–there is a hierarchy of annoyances. Each of these hypothetical circumstances has recently been experienced, and found trying and true, by yours truly.

Nevertheless, it is the possibility of these circumstances which adds to the excitement of the travel process. Experiencing the little annoyances and the hassles–and doing so with relative ease and enjoyment–helps to make travel as powerful and rewarding as it is.

So, without further ado, my top 5 list of in-flight frustrations:

5. Being super proud of yourself for packing only a carry-on…

…but having to check the bag anyway because there’s no more overhead space. Missing your train/bus/whatever because you had to wait for baggage claim (and your bag was last to arrive).

4. Getting the aisle seat (and the ice shower that comes with it).

I was minding my own business in an aisle seat. The aisle beside me was less than one seat’s width. The man behind me ordered a drink but forgot to request a solid cup. Something hit my shoulder, and I gasped. The flight attendant stood above me, gabbing away, holding a cup leaking ice-cold water onto my shoulder, completely unaware of what was occurring. On a positive note, she gave me a coupon for my next flight.

Real-life in-flight frustrations don’t compare to the ridiculousness in Airplane. Image from impawards.com

3. Forgetting your deodorant.

I find it much worse to be the smelly person on a flight than to be sitting next to a smelly person. When you’re the smelly one, there are the added aspects of guilt and embarrassment. I don’t know about you, but the combination of cranked up dry air conditioning and being squished in a tiny seat, makes me sweat more uncomfortably than if I were just a little bit too warm. My apologies. I now bring travel-sized toiletries on board.

2. Losing your luggage.

When your flight was only 1 hour long and you had no connections so you don’t know where your luggage could possibly have gone. This is especially frustrating when you’re in another country and don’t speak the language and will, ultimately, never figure out where your bag went.

1. Getting the middle seat between two companions who, for whatever reason, don’t want to sit together.

“Would you like to sit together?” I asked when I noticed that the two women on either side of me were travel buddies. The one to the right of me shook her head no. Then they proceeded to lean over, talk over, laugh over, and spill over me during a 6-hour flight. And, of course, with only 45 minutes left and me mid-snooze, they asked if I wouldn’t mind scooting over to the window seat.

This is, by no means, an exhaustive list. We can’t forget “sleeping on the floor of the air terminal during a layover,” “missing your connection because the gate change wasn’t announced,” and “getting pushed to a later flight because yours was overbooked and you are less important than the other travelers.”

Yet, given all these frustrations, we Go Girls continue to travel. And, really, the stories are so absurd and the rewards so great that we wouldn’t have it any other way.

 What are your recent airplane travel frustrations or amusing stories?

Despite the drop of the alcohol ban and the dissolution of most hidden drinking dens, there are still some underground-styled bars scattered across the city, and they are known for a mock-up of the era’s famous culture, excellent specialty cocktails, and some for pure exclusivity.

I went to Raines Law Room on 17^th Street, a bar known for its expertly made drinks and its clandestine entry procedure. The sign is nearly impossible to see, as the door is down a flight of steps of a building close to 6^th Avenue. Once – and if – you find it, you’ll see a small plaque next to the black door that reads “Raines Law Room” and a small doorbell that needs to be rung in order to get any possible service.

After ringing three times, a woman popped her head out of the door, barely revealing its interior components, asked for my name, the group number and my phone number. 45 minutes later and two blocks away, we received a phone call saying we had a spot.

Courtesy of secondcitystyle

It was so dark inside not a single picture would turn out. Small lamps on the walls dimly lighted the room, and the furnishings were plush and reminiscent of an earlier time. To order a drink, we had to pull a small chain that also hung off of the wall, and magically a server, dressed rather elegantly in all black, appeared.

The drinks were amazing- smooth and well balanced. Many of them were based on gin and whisky, although champagne and tequila also made the list with a variety of other mix-ins. And although they call their bartenders, “mixologists” and the price of the cocktails ranges from $12- $17, it was an impressive place. The lack of windows and darkness created a musky, sensual atmosphere that was only confirmed with soft jazz music and a gentle roar of the people around us. It was relaxing and exciting simultaneously.

Would I go back? Definitely. My visit was on a Monday so it was particularly easy to get inside; the later in the week, the more difficult it becomes, but reservations can be made for Monday and Tuesday nights.

If Raines Law Room doesn’t work out, there are a number of other speakeasy-styled bars around the city. Just to list a few…

The Back Room
Look for a toy company, and then follow a string of steps and alleys to a posh, red velvet-furnished interior, with drinks served in teacups and beer in brown bags. 102 Norfolk St.

PDT – Please Don’t Tell
Whenever anyone in college mentioned visiting one of the city’s speakeasies, this is usually the one they tried for. It’s infamous, and subsequently difficult to get into. The entrance is through a phone booth in a hot dog restaurant- pick up the receiver and hope they have space. (Or make a reservation by phone). St. Mark’s Pl.

Apotheke
An old opium den-turned-cocktail-lounge,  they boast a huge list of drinks that can “cure” whatever ailment you feel. Doyers at Bowery.

The Vault at Pfaff’s
This joint has been running since the 19^th century, so of course today it’s as historical for a modern speakeasy that you can get. 643 Broadway.

Bathtub Gin
A hidden door inside of the Stone Coffee Company will lead you to a bar decked out like it’s the 1920s: from the waitresses, to the actual bathtub, it’s made to be a blast from the past. Especially with the gin-inspired infusions.  132 Ninth Ave.

Death & Company
Pretty traditional in terms of the speakeasy-style, but its LES location makes for a cool crowd, first-come-first-served, all headed for the same end game: some of the best cocktails in the city. 433 E. 6^th St.

So with all of the options NYC offers, it’s time to get your Gatsby on.

I have no problems with most test or exam situations. I have done many at school and university and usually I was prepared and knew I would pass the test.  But it is different with driving tests.  Already my first driving test a long time ago freaked me out.  After I passed it I thought I would never have to do a driving test again. I was wrong…

Twelve years later I had this crazy idea to become a tour leader and driver for an overland adventure company and drive 15 trucks from Cairo to Capetown and Rio de Janeiro to Quito. And for that I had to get a special driving license.

I have to admit even though I had a car license for twelve years I didn’t have a lot of experience. I was living in a big city for a long time and it was quicker going by bike or public transport. Many of my friends looked at me shaking their heads about my idea of driving a big truck… But I wanted to do it and I believe when you 100% commit to something you will succeed.

So I went for it in the UK.  I had to drive on the “wrong” side of the road and deal with hundreds of roundabouts, something I wasn’t used to at all coming from Germany.  Passing the truck license in England is not easy and I knew how many other people failed once or twice before they passed. I was incredibly nervous!

After three days of training I had my first attempt and … failed… for braking too harshly (and a few other minor things).  The pressure was on me: I wanted this job and without the license I would not be able to get it. I retook the test after a few days and the words “Congratulation, you passed!” were most likely among the best words I have ever heard in my whole life.

This license meant everything to me. It meant the freedom of going on the road!

My Driving Licenses from the UK and the US

I went and drove around hundreds of donkeys, kids and waving Africans. I drove over thousands of speed bumps, drove on dirt roads, swerved around thousand potholes and had to back up into the tiniest spaces you can imagine. And it felt great! I loved it!

A year later I decided to leave Africa and South America behind me and go to the United States. I fell in love with my colleague from the US driving around Africa.  And so I reunited with him after eight months being apart and decided to stay with him in North America and start our own overland business.

But…there was one tiny problem: I wasn’t allowed to drive anything bigger than a normal car in the US. A European truck license does not count and I had to get a commercial driving license.

I was disappointed and itchy to drive and had to sit in the passenger seat  for quite a long time.  I found out that I wasn’t allowed to apply for a CDL (commercial driving license) until I had a Greencard… Well, this is another story, but let me tell you it took quite a while to get this card. And finally after waiting for many months, I was ready…ready to take a test again. A test which I really thought I wouldn’t have to take a third time!

Taking a driving test…again!

Even though I had the experience of driving such a big vehicle I was very nervous. I hadn’t been driving a big vehicle for eight months and I hardly had any time to practice driving in the remodeled school bus. For some reason I panicked a bit and started thinking I wasn’t able to drive anymore.

I don’t know what it is but even after driving in the craziest situations in Cairo or La Paz I was afraid of traffic in Tucson out of a sudden! But when I sat in the driver’s seat a few hours before my test, it all came back to me. It felt as if I never had done anything other than steering a big truck.

Still I was nervous about the different rules and just to take a test I never wanted to do again. So you can imagine my relief hearing the amazing words, “Congratulations, you passed!”, again.

Finally I am again heading out on the road. This time in my own truck – our remodeled school bus, named Atka.  And this time to discover another part of the world: North America – first destination the wilderness of Alaska!

Come join us on our trip to Alaska!

Want to join my Adventures and ride along with me in my remodelled school bus? There is a special discount for GoGirls! Sign up for the 19th of August 2013 in Alaska mentioning “TravelGoGirl” and you will get a 20% discount on the tourprice! Check out your adventure on Outdoor Fun and Wildlife – Overlanding at its best! Be a part of my first year adventure in Alaska!