Safety continues to be the #1 issue facing today's woman travelers. There are many actions during the travel process (such as getting into a cab), where a woman is vulnerable but she takes with blind trust because that is the only way for her to get from point A to point B or conduct her business. By arming yourself with some tips, tricks and tools you'll be prepared to feel more confident and safe and handle the unexpected turbulence that might come your way.

Some key security tips that every traveler should use:

Check-in Checklist.

In a hotel, don't let the desk clerk announce your room in a voice that can be heard by anyone but you. If you are signing a hotel charge to your room, do not leave the signed receipt on the table; give it directly back to the server. Keep yourself safe and keep unwanted visitors out - check to be sure there's no one else in your room every time you enter, check the phone to make sure it works, and use door bolts and chains. Fire safety: don't trust the map on the back of the door; do a dry run - drop your bags and find the closest exits, then relax. When you go out, leave a note in your room detailing where you went, what time you left and what you were wearing.

Identity Insurance.

Do not allow your name, credit card number, home address or phone to be discussed or printed on any visible document, including luggage tags.

Put Your Best Foot Forward.

Do you like to run as part of your work out routine while on the road? You don't have to run alone - contact a health club or running store and inquire about running clubs; and join one of them for your daily run.

What's in your Wallet.

Minimize the number of credit cards you carry. Good rule: one for business and one for personal. If you are traveling internationally, alert your bank that you will be out of the country and to expect uncommon charges.

Divorce is always painful. Even if you are the leaving party, the last months or years of an unraveling relationship take their toll on self-esteem and the ability to give and accept love and sex. If someone left you unexpectedly, the toll on your self-image can be more devastating.

The natural reaction is to hide and tend to one's wounds for awhile — and in many cases, that is a realistic and appropriate thing to do.

But there comes a time to stop all that and reclaim one's womanliness, one's sexuality and one's bliss and fun in life. My Rx is to go out and date, flirt, and see where it all leads — hopefully, eventually, to bed. I do think the best cure for a wounded heart is to re-engage in the world — and, if not find a new love, at least a new lover. There is much to be said about the healing properties of an orgasm.

A lover is just not that hard to find these days. Even if you are over fifty, even if you have thighs and a tummy, there is someone worthy out there who will adore you. I am living proof of that statement. After my divorce from a 23-year marriage, I had to get back out there and put my body and ego on the line. While I had the advantage of being a sex/relationship researcher (and the relationship expert for Perfectmatch.com), it still isn't easy to start dating and mating again.

However, it was and is worthwhile. Sex was no less passionate than it had been in my twenties.

My ego was actually more resilient. And good men and lovers — and love — were available too.

Online dating is a boon to older people and, while you may have to take an anthropological lens on some of your outings to find a way to enjoy some of your dates, eventually you will find someone special.

Smart, attractive, talented women everywhere are falling victim to “The Good Girl" Syndrome. If you have been feeling inhibited — whether it be with regard to your career, relationships, or parenting your kids — it is likely due to unconsciously trying to remain "the good girl."

So ask yourself this…

Question: What is the adult version of "the good girl?"

Response: We remain "the good girl" every time we say yes when we want to say no. We are "the good girl" when people hurt us and we don’t say a word about it. We are "the good girl" when we totally disagree with a situation yet go along with it anyway.

Question: Why do we succumb to being "the good girl?"

Response: This happens in those times or areas in our lives where we question ourselves. We question whether we could get a better job or intimate partner. We question if we what we have to say has merit. When these things are in question, though, what we are really in doubt of is our own value. Doubt of our value can lead us to look toward others for validation of our worth. "Being good," or trying to please and meet the needs of others is is one way by which we try to achieve that validation.

Question: What impact can this have on us in the long run?

Response: Being "the good girl" can leave a successful and attractive woman struggling to find her ideal partner. Being "the good girl" can leave a strong intelligent woman stuck in an unfulfilling career. Being "the good girl" can leave this fabulous woman to in a perpetual struggle with a particular member of her family.

Question: How can we avoid reverting to being "the good girl?"

Response:

When FWW asked me to do a segment on travel destinations for divorced women, I thought about the places I have enjoyed since the lucky day when I became an ex-wife.

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA

Here you always have a dance partner when you visit places such as Rock-n-Bowl on Zydeco night (Thursdays) or Tipitinas for Cajun night (Sundays). Yes, you can check out the room and ask the best-looking gentleman to dance. It's the custom in a town where the motto is "Let the good times roll". There are wonderful places to eat at the counter - Emeril's NOLA in the French Quarter, RICHIE (by Todd English) at Harrah's Hotel, and LUKE (John Besh's latest food venture) on St. Charles Avenue. Just check out the counter before you sit down and pick out an interesting-looking companion. It's perfectly acceptable for the woman to begin the conversation. And then there are wonderful bars such as the revolving Carousel in Hotel Monteleone or Napoleon House (both in the French Quarter). The best place to meet interesting foreign tourists is at Cafe du Monde on the edge of Jackson Square, where the new man of your dreams at the next table may have just arrived from Paris or Rome.

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA