Woman travelling alone

Barbara B. · Post by **Barbara B.** » Wed May 23, 2007 11:14 am

Dear all,
I am going to Tobago in Nov/Dec this year - alone. Some people asked if i am insane doing this and I am now a bit concerned. I booked an appartement in a private home of a german ex-pat. in Bon Accord that was reccomended by some divers. I do not intend to go for a walk in the middle of the night on dark roads but I heard about rapes in some parts of the island during the day. As I plan to rent a car for a few days to see the island I want to know if there are places to avoid. Are taxis and public busses generally safe? I do not fancy guided tours and rather go on my own.
Do men on Tobago accept a polite "no thanks" as I am definitely not interested in holiday-affairs?
Maybe I should mention that I have blonde hair.

Another thing is that I get bitten by every insect - normally I buy "local" repellents but I never had sandflies - any suggestions how to avoid these bites? Long sleeves and pants are not really a help for me.

Also need your oppinion about reliable dive-bases in Crown Point. A lot of divers recommended the extra-divers. Any other hints?

Lots of questions - hope some of you can help.
Barbara

Post by **Steve Wooler** » Wed May 23, 2007 11:34 am

Hello Barbara

Welcome aboard!

Provided that you conduct yourself in a normal, polite, sensible manner and observe all commonsense precautions, then I am confident that you will have a wonderful holiday.

It has to be said, howeer, that you ARE going to have a 'problem'. Let's be totally honest about this. An AWFUL lot of single ladies go to Tobago for a spot of holiday romance. The reason they go is because Tobago has always been such a safe destination and is - and remains - one of very few places where they feel confident travelling on their own.

The local men know that and will tend to assume the same of you. The fact that you are blonde and opposites attract can only make the situation worse. So, sadly, you will have to accept constant approaches. The good news is that 99% of the men will take a polite rebuff without offence or rancour. Mind you - they might keep trying. Be polite, but firm.

Treat all these allegations of rape as distorted. I can count on one hand the number of "genuine" visitor rape that I know of that took place on Tobago in the last five years.

You are not interested in a holiday romance, so this last tip is not really relevant. NEVER EVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES take a local that you have just met back to your accommodation. Most hotels/guest houses will strictly forbid this but obviously there isn't the same control over self-catering apartments, cottages and villas.

This was almost certainly the reason behind the recent and horrifying Language School student attack. Nobody seems to have asked why armed robbers should have attacked poor students rather than the "rich" visitors in surrounding villas. I understand that it wasn't the first time that the language school students had been targeted. It was equally known that some of the students were less than sensible and did not hesitate to take locals back to the property. Remember this, the sort of person who hangs around nightclubs and bars looking to pick up visitors is often looking for a lot more than casual sex and being taken back to their accommodation is an ideal way of casing a joint and is often followed, days or weeks later, by a burglary.

David Watkins · Post by **David Watkins** » Wed May 23, 2007 1:17 pm

Hello Barbara,there are a lot of ladies who visit Tobago on there own,and return year after year.As Steve says,just say no and there won't be a problem.
David

Hugh S · Post by **Hugh S** » Wed May 23, 2007 1:24 pm

Judging from past posts (including photo evidence) the only person you have to worry about is DAVID!!!

Hugh

David Watkins · Post by **David Watkins** » Wed May 23, 2007 1:26 pm

Doh

Hugh S · Post by **Hugh S** » Wed May 23, 2007 1:50 pm

Sorry David, I now remember that the woman in the photo was married so single women may still be safe.

Hugh

Debbie Dalseg · Post by **Debbie Dalseg** » Wed May 30, 2007 12:56 pm

Hi Barbara;
Ive been travelling to Tobago for over 15 years. I made my first journey with a friend but returned many times on my own. Tobago is a very safe place, and using the same common sense you would at home, will be as safe.
Most beaches are quiet and you will not be constantly approached by men. If you head to the more busy ones, such as Pigeon Point or Store Bay, you may get more attention as you are walking around than suntanning. Most of these fellows are used to foreign women and will quickly move on if discouraged.
I walked all the time when I first went down, and particularly if you are staying in a village, walking at night on main roads is fine-they have lights and many small pubs and grocery stores are open and people are about in the early evening liming.
Mosquitos drove me crazy-but I used mosquito coils for the nights, and repellent was only needed in the early morning or evening when the sun went down.
Take in all it has to offer, Tobago is wonderful. Learn to catch local cars-they are shared and you can get a ride to town for less than $2 USD. Scarborough is an experience-go to the market, head to the bank, peruse the local shops-you'll feel like you moved there. Have fun and dont worry.