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Appearance

Blend In

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The following tips range from common sense advice to overly cautious suggestions.  A common theme, however, is inconspicuousness.  Toning down your appearance in order to fit in can often improve your overall safety and security.  Granted, there are some places in the world that you won’t be able to fit in 100%, but your ultimate goal is to remain as inconspicuous as possible.  

Avoid Unnecessary Jewelry

We generally discourage women from wearing jewelry when they travel abroad on their medical tourism vacations.  There may be certain situations where jewelry is essential (festivals, celebrations, etc), but as a general rule, jewelry is a liability.  Our 3 main reasons for leaving jewelry at home are:  

  1. It’s cumbersome and impractical.
  2. It brings unwanted attention.
  3. It’s worth stealing.
Do yourself a favor and leave the jewelry at home...except for a wedding band (please see the next tip).

Wear a Wedding Ring

I know that we just told you not to bring jewelry, but wedding bands are an important exception.  Even if you’re not married, you might consider wearing a wedding band when you travel abroad.  Although it’s a very small detail, wedding rings signal to others that you are not a lone, “defenseless” woman.  Just make sure that your wedding band is not too conspicuous or gaudy, or you risk attracting those who make a living stealing wedding bands. 

Avoid Unnecessary Makeup

We put makeup in the same general category as jewelry.  It brings unwanted attention, it’s cumbersome, and it’s impractical.  In addition, make-up is inappropriate in certain cultures.  Some parts of the world have very strict rules regulating what women can and can’t wear, so be prepared to temporarily suspend familiar notions regarding gender equality and social independence.  Despite how frustrating this might be, it is your job as the visitor to blend in.   

For tips on clothes and apparel, we recommending consulting our section on What to Wear.

Shorter Hair Is Better

Long hair, ponytails, and braids make it relatively easy for attackers to run up behind, grab your hair, and catch you off guard.  If you are not particularly wed to your current hairstyle, you might consider cutting it short for your medical tourism vacation.  Alternatively, you can keep your hair up or wear some type of hat or scarf. 

Leave Your Purse at Home

This is often the hardest advice for many female travelers to adopt.  After all, the purse carries everything from money to passports to sanitary napkins to make-up to keys to photos.  But there are several reasons why carrying purses is a bad idea: 

  1. Purses slow you down. 
  2. They attract attention (i.e., they are worth stealing).
  3. Once stolen, you lose a lot.
If you absolutely must carry a bag, consider a day pack that fits on both shoulders.  Again, mobility and speed are somewhat compromised, but it is easier to protect your belongings. 

If you are 100% wed to your purse and can’t stand leaving it behind (or at least in the hotel room), make sure to carry it so that the strap goes all the way across your chest like a beauty contest sash.  This makes it more difficult for thieves to snatch it off your shoulder and run off in the opposite direction. 

Body Language

Walking around with confidence and purpose is one of the easiest ways to ward off unwanted guests.  Hold your head up high, speak in a audible and determined voice, and act like you know where you’re going (even if you haven’t the foggiest idea). 

If you must look at a map, do so in a restaurant or shop rather than on the street.  The same is true if you need to check for something in your bag or wallet.  Do all of your rummaging away from the street so that you don’t attract attention. 

Take Cues from Other Women

If you are ever unsure about how to dress, how to walk, or how to behave, simply observe the women around you.  Try to mimic whatever they’re doing.  And if there are no women around you, then it’s probably a good idea to remove yourself from the situation as quickly as possible and find safety in areas that have more women present. 
 
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