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Lists / Books / Women / → All Tags

100 Places for the Ladies

For all women who love to travel, and for all men who want to understand women, a book just out by Stephanie Elizondo Griest could be interesting: 100 Places Every Woman Should Go. While on the one hand we're getting just about saturated with these books of lists of all the must-sees--come on, who in the world has the money and time to follow all those tips--this one does seem like kinda nice reading. And at least it's a one-woman list, without the controversy of something like the New 7 Wonders.

You can learn about a really wide range of destinations and activities, from riding a yak in Mongolia to bathing in volcano mud in Colombia. The homes of some very important substances like chocolate and champagne also get a place on the top 100. Tips for women travelers, including the great concept of "male repellent" (for those times when you just want a guy to GO AWAY), are probably useful even when we're at home. If you can read such a book without feeling disappointed at not being able to visit every must-see place, you might get a kick out of it. Or learn when it's appropriate to kick a male.

[Photo: Jerrold]

Related Stories:
· Stephanie Elizondo Grist interview [World Hum]
· New 7 Wonders Tensions [Jaunted]

Women / Hotels / Germany / → All Tags

Achtung! Men Verboten

Japan might've started things with the women-only train carriages to put a stop to unwanted ass-grabbing, but Germany's got a few nice fraulein-friendly initiatives of their own. Berlin's Inter Mezzo Hotel für Frauen is not only free of busy crowds of beer-swilling men, but is also walking distance to the historic sit-at-Starbucks ambience of Brandenburg Gate, the inhumanly shiny Potsdamer Platz, and a hearty breakfast of delicious cold cuts along Unter den Linden.

Most importantly, the hotel supplies rooms with what women really need: Big cupboards and cotton face wipes, instead of a minibar full of whisky and shoe shine kits. However, what we really applaud in Germany is Frauenparkplätze: women driving alone get the pick of the car park spots most convenient to well-lit exits. What we're waiting for now is a female-only Autobahn. Just think how much the drivers would respect each other.

[Image via shtrbugr/Flickr]

Related stories
Female-only cars in Rio [Truthdig]
Women-only department store [BBC]
Women's floor in hostel [Jaunted]

Hostels / Australia / New Zealand / Women / → All Tags

Hostel Intent

Remember when we mentioned that adults were spending more time in hostels? No wonder, now that the truth comes out: It's not that they were so interested in slumming it, but that hostels are getting fancier by the minute. Aussie and Kiwi hostels, anyway.

Base Backpackers has locations in Wellington, Sydney and Melbourne and was named one of the top ten "hippest hostels" by Lonely Planet this year.Perhaps it's because they don't treat their residents like dirt, a welcome change from many cheap accommodations.

Unlike regular hotels, which still don't know how to cater to the ladies, Base offers a women-only floor called "Sanctuary", which has free Aveda hair care products, down pillows and hairdryers. For the men, there's a basement bar to pick up the well-rested, perfectly coiffed ladies staying in the hostel with them.

If only there were metrosexual hostels...we need mousse when we travel, damn it!

[Image via *rafaella/Flickr]

Related Stories:
·   Cheap Chic [SF Chronicle]
·   Back in the Arms of a Girlfriend [Jaunted]
·   Strange Bedfellows [Jaunted]