Attention, Female Fliers: What is your dream travel experience? Private jets at your beck and call? Discovering your seatmate is George Clooney? Well, Farecompare can’t help you with that, but, we can offer some great tips on creating your very own female-friendly flight.

by Suzanne Robertson

PLAY-TIME TRIPS

• Girlfriend Getaways: A survey on women travelers shows that girls-only getaways are growing in popularity because women feel the need to escape their personal and professional responsibilities. Duh. Now, for ideas on where to escape to, visit justgirltrips.com (how’s a tiny island with its own traveling massage-therapist sound?)
• Spa Sprees: Soothe body and soul with a spa getaway; you can start by visiting Spatacular, which lists a variety of destinations throughout the U.S. and Europe. The site advertises Luxury Spa Packages at Affordable Rates.
• Adventure Vacations: Why women-only outdoor-adventure trips? Well, according to the Adventures in Good Company site, you get an unintimidating and supportive experience. You can find everything from kayaking in the Caribbean to climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro here.
• Shopping Trips: The always delightful Daily Candy site has a travel section loaded with female-focused tips and products and ideas for best shopping destinations and much more.

WORKING-WOMEN EXTRAS

• Airport Spas: Didn’t have time for that bikini wax or pedicure before you left home? No worries! Several national and international terminals now offer complete spa services for the weary woman traveler (including JFK, Philadelphia, Dallas, and more). Who knew you could say avocado-mask and airport terminal in the same sentence?
• Portable Spa: Forget about that boring conference and bad coffee with LL Bean’s ingenious Travel Spa in a Bottle. A 32 oz. water bottle is packed with 15 travel-size spa amenities for just $24.50.
• Do-it-Yourself Comfort: Pack your pillow from home; add a travel candle, an inflatable bath-pillow and individual bubble-bath packets. Top off with a decadent dessert from room-service and a chick-flick on TV. Be sure to ignore the number of calories in the decadent dessert.

EASE AT THE AIRPORT

• Lighten Your Laptop Load: Laptops can be heavy; find the lightest (and best) one available at The Laptop Authority. They’ve done all the research for you with exhaustive reviews and side-by-side comparisons.
• Easy-Access Documents: Combine style and practicality with the Document Retaining Travel Scarf. The cashmere-soft scarf has six hidden pockets to hold ID, passport, boarding pass, credit cards and more. Or try the hang-around-the-neck pre-board pouch if you’re heading for warmer climates.
• Know the Rules: Be sure you’re up on the current TSA Permitted and Prohibited rules so you can zip through security lines without favorite cosmetics getting confiscated. And take a look at the flight attendant-designed, the TSA-compliant Pitotubes Travel Kit which includes six travel-size, leak-proof refillable bottles with labels in a handy, mesh storage bag.

TRAVELING IN COMFORT

• Fly Cheap First Class: The most luxurious way to travel is no longer out of reach, not if you use FareCompare. Go to the homepage for the easy directions on how to find First Class seats for less.
• Take Care of Your Toes: You know to wear easy-on/easy-off shoes when traveling. But did you know that air travel can leave feet so swollen they look and feel as if you’ve walked to your destination? Drink plenty of water before take-off and check out these feet-friendly tips.

SAFETY

Okay, so you kick-box at the gym and can lift a toddler and his 30-pound diaper bag with ease. But the unfortunate reality is that women travelers are still seen as targets for criminals. Here are a few suggestions and common-sense tips to remember:

• Fly During the Day: Use Farecompare.com to find flights that arrive during daylight hours, especially if you’re not familiar with your destination.
• If You Get Lost: If you’re lost and/or need directions, ask other women, couples or cops.
• Wedge Your Door: For low-tech hotel security, pick up a few inexpensive rubber door-stoppers, available at any hardware store. Pack one to wedge under the main door of your room and another to secure the door to an adjoining room.
• Share Your Itinerary: Email your upcoming travel-itinerary to a friend or relative so someone always knows where you’ll be and how to reach you. Send an e-mail from the road to keep people informed of any last minute changes.

AFTER YOUR FLIGHT

• Avoid post-travel blues by creating memory books to share with family and friends. Not a scrapbooking superstar? You can find an amazing array of travel journals, scrapbooks and photo albums at www.hellotraveler.com to help you get started.