Wear a wedding ring, even if you're not married. Follow the custom and use your right hand when dining in India. And whatever you do, don't put your purse on the floor in Brazil. You'll find this advice, and a lot more, in a free booklet, "101 Tips for Women Travelers," edited by Harriet Lewis, co-chair of Overseas Adventure Travel and Grand Circle Travel.
"The truth is that women travel differently than men do," says Lewis, who notes that more than 70 percent of her companies' customers are now women, who travel solo or leave their spouses at home to journey with female friends. Let us look at a few more tips:
* Pack a few fabric softener sheets. They help keep your clothes smelling fresh and Bounce sheets in particular are believed to help repel mosquitoes. If you're driving a rental car, put a sheet under the front seat to help the car smell fresh.
* Take only new dollar bills -- or iron them before you go. Banks in many countries such as China or Burma will only take U.S. dollars if they appear new and pristine. Even a slight tear or smudge could be cause for rejection. Carry those bills in a zip-lock bag to keep them from getting sweaty or dirty.
* Best seat in the house? The bar. For solo travelers, a good way to overcome the awkwardness of eating alone is to sit at the bar and order your meal there. The bartender will usually try to make you feel at home, strike up a conversation and often engage others at the counter to join in.
* Bring dual-language menus from ethnic eateries in your neighborhood. If you do, you can point to the dish you want and be assured the staff will understand what you want. In fact, bring extra copies -- the owner may want one when future English-speaking customers stop in.
* Reduce camera glare with sunglasses. You can do this simply by placing polarized sunglasses over the camera lens. Hold them as close to the lens as possible and check your viewfinder to be sure the sunglass rims aren't in your shot.
The 101 tips were compiled with input from the companies' own women travelers, staff members and guides. The 128-page booklet is designed to fit easily into a woman's bag. For a copy, call 1-800-873-5628 or visit www.oattravel.com/tips.
Five-star Aer Lingus Ireland package starts at $499
An Ireland Five-Star Resort Package from Aer Lingius, the country's national airline, includes six nights in a deluxe two-bedroom villa at The Heritage 5 Star Golf & Spa Resort, round-trip airfare to Dublin, weekly manual full-size car rental, entrance to the Belleek China Visitor Center and a Shannon Region Discount Booklet worth $500 in savings (if you use all coupons, of course). 
