How Women Travelers Can Cope With Sexual Harassment Abroad

I’ve always wondered what it would be like to travel disguised as a man. That way, I’d know for sure how gender affects travel, and no one could challenge my political correctness when I say that, fundamentally, women have a harder time than men do moving freely over the globe.

Surveys have shown that women spend less money on the road than men (except when shopping) and tend to use more towels in hotels. But as far as I’m concerned, the big difference has to do with the aggravation of sexual harassment and the fear of molestation. These burdens shape and sometimes limit the kind of the trips we choose, despite the fact that, according to Robert Young Pelton, author of “The World’s Most Dangerous Places,” (Fielding Worldwide, Inc., 1998), there is little evidence to suggest that women travelers are victimized more often than men.

The U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs has reported sex crimes against women travelers in Mexico, Guatemala and Papua New Guinea this year. But rape isn’t the main problem. “When I’m away, I don’t feel in as much physical danger as I do here in my own country,” says Thalia Zepatos, author of “A Journey of One’s Own” (The Eighth Mountain Press, 1996). “It’s more the harassment--most of it at a low level.”

As any woman who’s traveled much knows, sexual harassment can have insidious effects. No matter how seasoned the traveler, or how much hassle she’s willing to stand, after a while you just get tired of coping with sexually suggestive comments and ill treatment, particularly if you are traveling alone. A friend of mine who recently returned from a solo trip to Italy says she almost caused traffic jams in Naples, which she didn’t take as a compliment. In Morocco several years ago, men followed me through the bazaars, asking why I didn’t like Arabs when I ignored them. And in northern India last fall, I got groped on crowded buses and along paths in the Himalayas.

Such experiences have taught me to appreciate the respect and relative freedom women enjoy in Western countries like the U.S. But those of us lucky enough to benefit from sexual liberation at home are often seen as sexually available when we travel through less-developed parts of the world, particularly if we travel on a budget, choosing low-priced inns over expensive, Westernized hotels. Even in parts of southern Europe and South America, where the culture of machismo prevails, foreign women on their own may be seen as “ ‘Bay Watch’ extras,” says Pelton, who points out that “Bay Watch” episodes are syndicated throughout the world.

Admittedly, the problem is exacerbated by women who exhibit naive behavior (such as walking along a beach alone at night) or view travel as an opportunity to sleep around, thereby supporting ill-informed ideas about Western women. But it’s worth noting that being a female traveler isn’t a complete liability in less developed, patriarchal countries such as India, where there are compartments on trains and special queues at stations for women only.

‘When we travel through less-developed parts of the world, particularly if we travel on a budget, women may be considered to be sexually available. In places where the culture of machismo prevails, foreign women on their own may be seen as “Bay Watch” extras.’

Better still, notes Zepatos, “female travelers have a much easier time meeting local people, especially the women.” And most security analysts agree that women do better than men in war zones or terrorist incidents because, sexist though it may be, women and children are still saved first.

This gives me little inclination to relax, though. Instead, I place the question of female-friendliness high on my list when I think about possible destinations. I consult guidebooks and women who’ve traveled there for information on how they were treated. Evelyn Hannon, editor of Journeywoman,a Canadian-based travel Web site, says, “I don’t spend a lot of time in places where I’m not met with respect.” Zepatos runs a simple test by chatting briefly with 10 men when she arrives in a new place. “If six or more are boors, then I assume I’m in enemy camp and think about leaving town.”

Women react to harassment in different ways, depending on their thresholds for abuse and level of travel experience, so assessing harassment levels in various countries is highly subjective. Maureen Wheeler, co-founder of Lonely Planet Publications guidebooks, says that throughout the world the risk is the same, though when pressed she reports that she had problems in Pakistan. Zepatos favors Southeast Asia over Turkey and the Mediterranean, and forcefully warns women off tourist beaches such as Kuta in Bali. Hannon has been annoyed by men in Paris, Italy and Israel. And while I had my most frightening encounters with men in India, I found traveling as a woman alone in China a nonsexist surprise.

This is not to say you can’t go anyplace you want, or need to walk through the world with fear in your heart. “If you’re going to a foreign country,” says Frank Johns, managing director of Pinkerton Global Intelligence Services, which assesses security chiefly for companies that send employees abroad, “you need to research it first.” This means finding out how local women are expected to behave--especially how they dress--and then adapting your behavior accordingly. It also means learning how to say “no” forcefully to men before an annoying situation escalates, being very careful about who you wind up alone with and cultivating a confident air. Another tip: Hook up with other travelers for potentially dangerous segments of a trip. And appeal to local women when you need help in deterring a goon.

Unfortunately, there are goons out there--but not nearly enough of them to keep me at home in my own little room.

Pinkerton Global Intelligence Services, telephone (703) 525-6111, has a useful Internet site at https://www.pinkertons.com/pgis. The U.S. State Department Internet site is at https://www.travel.state.gov, or tel. (202) 647-5225, fax at (202) 647-3000. Journeywoman online: https://www.journeywoman.com. “More Women Travel,” (Rough Guides, 1995) offers advice tailored to women on 61 countries.

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This column about women’s travel appears weekly. Spano, who joined the Travel staff recently, is a seasoned traveler who has freelanced widely. She also writes destination stories for Travel.