C10 - Sunday, October 9, 1983 - North Shore News WOMEN ON THE MOVE Common sense keeps singles safe I HADACALL the other day from a lady, recently divorced, who had decided to get away from it all and take a vacation. Since none of her friends or family were able to go with her, she bravely decided to go on her own. Fortunately, she wasn’t in the depths of despair over the marital split. I feel that anyone travelling alone should be in reasonable spirits before they depart - it’s bad enough to be shell-shocked without being thousands of miles from your support group. Travelling alone, especially for women, is much more common than it used to be. Back in the ‘‘good old days’’ it was unseemly, except in dire emergency. To take a vacation by yourself left your reputation in tatters. Today, a woman can do pretty much as she pleases without anyone raising an eyebrow. Slowly, too, we are breaking down barmers to good service. There’s so many of us on the go that they can’t seatallof us behind the kitchen door or give all of us the unheated single beside the elevator shaft. Although single male travellers can be the object of crooks, rogues and liars, too, women are more apt (to be targets, particularly for sex- ual offences. There are mild nuisances of a sexual mature - such as the proposition from some guy in a bar ranging all the way up to rape and murder. The wise woman traveller is aware of the risks involved whereever she goes and takes precautions. Resort hotels, where the guests stay for extended periods of trme are relatively safe for the unescorted woman. Here, if she meets someone who asks her for a drink or dinner, she can stay on familar turf If uneasy, she can have a confidential! chat with the hotel manager who can often say something reassuring, hike, “Oh yes Me Smith Nice gentleman comes here every year.”’ Crutse ships are even safer Although you may meet up with a sex fiend, he isn’t apt to Tape you on the pro menade deck Unfortunately. if you have a bad caperience with someone you've got to put up with his presence until you reach home port but that's one of the risks you take Hopping from aty to city is riskier | must admuat | feel uncasy walking alone to my room at oght) Remember, a's not considered odd for a single woman to request a bell hop to escort her to her WAIKIKI Alt anty WAIKIKI 8 Oays 7 Nights Ai & Hotel LAS VEGAS $305 5 Days 4 Nights Aw & Hotel RENO 285 5 Days 4 Nights Au & Hotel MAPLE LEAF TRAVEL 736-3555 Rey Agews 13) 3 \ travel- by Barbara McCreadie room, especially if she has any concrete reason to feel nervous. If you are leaving the hotel alone at night, tell the desk where you're going and when you'll be back If you feel stupid about doing this, you van say, “If there are any calls for me, Vl be at the Ratz Grrill and will be back by 10."" If you decide to take a chance and go anywhere with astranger day or might do the same thing but make your escort accompany you to the desk and say. “Mr Smith and J) are. going . Nothing deters a would be molester than to be seen with the intended victim Service best people allies are YOur Bartenders, SINGING’ IN SOuahkini) yout feat! proeotect: aly ' eeeryernsde ths ve higet eC COTO atey Yo, Avatlatite ou. | Vedt lout. sees 844 Park Royal is owhat your wHl be dorm father (rae Covyt ooo bwewss WHT at poet Prece: ' re cre | 922-9650 — waiters, doormen and bellhops don’t want any trou- ble in their hotels or restaurants and are quick to step in if you ask. I once had an obnoxious creep try to get too friendly with me in a cruise ship bar. What he didn’t know was that the bartender was an old friend of mine. | sent out a signal, ‘“‘Help!"’ and two minutes later a couple of burly crew- men escorted the gentleman outside. Whatever they said to him, he ran every time he saw me for the duration of the cruise. ‘‘That kind, we don’t need,’’ remarked my friend and regaled me with similar stories of ladies in distress. There are many portable burglar and _ fire alarms available and they work well. One brand, Wells Fargo, slips between the frame and the door and shrieks like a banshee at the slightest touch. It weighs only a few ounces and protects you from fire as well. Available at Gulliver’s, West Van. Make sure you lock all locks before going to bed and never open your door without verifying the caller. if in doubt, call the desk. Unless 1 am very sure of myself, | rely on taxis after New Management RENO BUSES from $140 DISNEYLAND BUS from * 349 12 & Under RENO AIR 3 or 4 nites HAWAII AIR DISNEYLAND AIR Adanac Tours P435A Granville ae Van V6H 3G5 736-6701 THE RAIN... COVeb babtooeot Heuer Thies Poaset tie felis: bh oe | $152 North, West Van. dark. Walking alone on dark streets or waiting alone at bus Stops or subway stations isn’t smart. No matter how delightful a restaurant) may be reputed to be, if it’s in a gringy area | go for lunch or not at all. Also, it’s wise to have the restaurant call a cab for you instead of trying to flag one unless you're right in the heart of the Strand or Picadilly. The most insidious troublemaker for the single woman is the con artist. Smooth? You bet. They hang around resorts and expensive watering holes, hoping to snag a rich one. There’s ab- solutely no way of telling a con from the real thing unless money becomes a point early on. If you're rich, you’re an automatic target. 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