Harriet R. Lewis is the Vice Chairman of Grand Circle Corp., a travel company that specializes in river cruises and other group tours. In her travels, she encountered all the usual challenges related to currency conversion, health and security, and much more. She decided to gather the best advice for meeting those challenges and publish her findings.

The company caters to many senior travelers. Among them are women traveling without a spouse for the first time, and perhaps making their first overseas journeys.

She wanted to sharpen their decision-making skills. She proceeded to discuss good travel practices with everyone connected to the trips.

The book 101 Tips for Women Travelers was created in wake of their many recommendations.

Lewis writes in the preface that the content is set up in an order that "mirrors the process of planning, preparing and embarking" on a trip. Beyond the 101 tips promised in the title, Lewis also includes sections on dress, time zones, her favorite preparatory reading, and more.

Basics about the Book

This is a lightweight paperback with illustrations and 126 pages of content. It was printed in 2012. It fits easily into your carry-on luggage or purse.

Although the book is geared for novice female travelers, there is information here that will benefit all travelers, regardless of gender or experience level. For example, "travel with two credit cards, but never more than two" is good advice that has no gender-specific application. The idea is to use one as a primary card and another as a backup in the event your top pick isn't accepted or becomes lost or stolen.

The 101 tips are spread across 13 short chapters. Many are not related to budget travel. In fact, the subject matter for these chapters is diverse. It includes "money matters" as well as "photo tips" and "etiquette and social tips." There is also variety in the people making these suggestions, which makes for interesting reading. Travelers, program directors and trip leaders were willing to share their favorite travel tips. The variety of opinions makes the book entertaining and lends credibility to the tips that are offered.

A chapter on shopping imparts advice for bargain hunting in Beijing, Paris and Croatia.

A primary goal seems to be saving money and resources. But perhaps the larger aim is to add value to each traveler's itinerary.

Not a Guidebook

This is the kind of book that whets your appetite for more research. At 126 pages, it does not pretend to be a comprehensive travel resource.

As with any publication, you're bound to value some of the tips more than others. Some of the advice is fairly obvious -- respecting places of worship or getting a good night's sleep are probably not new concepts to most travelers.

Other tips are thought-provoking. For example, women are advised to wear a gold band on their ring fingers, even if they are unmarried. The rationale? "In many countries, married women are more readily accepted -- and respected -- than women who are not."

Women are also advised not to get into a taxi alone in India, and to have a hotel concierge set the taxi fare in advance whenever possible.

Taken as a whole, there are good reminders here about adding value to your trip. The concepts are sound: don't sacrifice safety or assume that all societies operate the same ways.

How to obtain a free copy of the book

Request a free copy of 101 Tips for Women Travelers by completing registration at the Grand Circle Travel website.