I volunteered on a kibbutz in northern Israel one summer and spent weekends hitchhiking around the Galilee with my German friend Thomas. Mostly our drivers were friendly and happy to meet tourists. Nothing bad happened, but once an army commander told us that hitchhikers were on high alert because terrorists often target them. Continue reading

In the daytime, I felt completely safe walking around most areas of London. Here I am in front of the National Gallery of London, which seemed much like the Met in New York.

At night, things tended to get more shady. The London Underground doesn't run all night and after leaving a club, it often took around 20 minutes to find a cab. Continue reading

A couple of years ago, I spent four months working a summer job in Hong Kong. Many do not realize that Hong Kong is statistically one of the safest cities in the world for women - the rate of crime against women is relatively low, and Cantonese culture is one that in many ways empowers females. I worked with a former anthropologist who had a passion for Cantonese cinema, and she was fond of telling me that women could lay claim to a much greater representation as powerful action heroes (or heroines as the case may be) in Cantonese cinema than their counterparts in the American film industry. Continue reading

Here I am on a camel at the Pushkar Camel Fair, where 150,000 camels are traded and sold once a year in October. It takes place near the town of Ajmer in the state of Rajasthan, which is about six hours west of Delhi by train. This was my first time on a camel and I experienced a real rush as they are quite tall. Continue reading

A trip to the holy city of Varanasi is a must when visiting India. It is one of the oldest and holiest places in the country and an experience like no other. Although the city can be extremely chaotic if you keep your wits about you women can travel safely, even alone. Sunrise and sunset must be seen from a boat on the Ganges. Continue reading

Despite the fact that Ghana is considered "Africa for beginners," it tends to be off the beaten track for most Africa-bound tourists. Ghana is extremely hot, so I recommend bringing light-weight clothes, but also realize that Ghanaians value dressing nicely and conservatively. You may not feel very comfortable in very short shorts or skirts, and it would possibly draw some unwanted attention from men (and even women). Continue reading

In Tokyo, it's sakura season! Bursts of pink and white are softening the city's hard edges and obscuring the dismal architecture - even the drabbest apartment building looks positively cheery with a cherry tree out front in full bloom. Of course Tokyo has green spaces and other pockets of beauty, and they provide great escapes from the congestion, concrete and steel at all times of year, but these gems are made more precious with the appearance of the cherry blossoms. Continue reading

I went to Moscow with 20 other extremely nervous, extremely excited students to learn Russian and drink vodka. I decided to go to cold, gray, Soviet Moscow over colorful, Imperial, European St. Petersburg because I thought it'd give me more street cred. Note to reader: going anywhere in Russia will give you street cred. Continue reading