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Old 05-10-12, 01:08 PM
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Niles H.
eternalvoyage
 
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Originally Posted by breezybikes
Hi Everyone

I'm getting ready to leave on a cross country tour in June (coast to coast)... and I'm a female going by myself. I'll have a friend traveling with me here and there, but for 3000 miles out of the 4000 miles I will be all by my lonesome. Unfortunately, the reality is that there is a difference in the degree of safety inherently possessed by a man versus a woman when traveling solo. I'm curious to hear about the experiences of women who have toured significant distances alone and the safety precautions that they took.

I've been asked by several friends and family members if I'm carrying a firearm. After much last minute debate I've decided that carrying a gun is out of the question. I'm far too inexperienced with firearms to feel comfortable using a handgun, universe forbid, in a time of necessity. And there really isn't enough time to act on such training now (classes, permits, etc.). I'm considering other self defense options, i.e. taser or mace or both. ???

Had this crossed my mind six months ago, I would have gone through the necessary training to confidently carry a hand gun on tour, but that didn't happen so I need to find an alternative form of self defense.

Any advise is greatly appreciated!

Cheers
L.
Josie Dew's books might be of interest.

It seems to me that a key element is not getting yourself into certain sorts of situations. Part of that is not getting into desperate situations where you are forced (or something close to it) to accept additional situations that you otherwise would not accept. That's what happened to Josie Dew at one point. She was so thirsty that she accepted a ride and an offer that she would not otherwise have accepted. I've done similar things, but fortunately nothing terribly severe has happened. If you read a journal on CGOAB by McShane (as I recall, Marcus McShane), he got himself into a similar situation to Josie Dew's. And he later saw that it was impaired judgment, as a result of exhaustion, that played a key roll in his accepting or getting into the situation in the first place.

I don't think that self-defense devices or techniques are as effective or as important as situational avoidance. Not that they can't contribute to your safety -- they can, at times. But they can also (sometimes in subtle ways) encourage you to accept situations that you otherwise would avoid. It is better, for the most part, to avoid getting into them in the first place, even if you have the weapons or devices or techniques.

Even if you know karate well, and even if you can win (not always the case, as Josie found out), it's often no fun to go through the fight. It can be traumatic in itself, and there can be serious aftermaths as well (emotionally, mentally, physically, legally, financially, and in other ways). The same can be said for using a gun or other weapon.

I almost shot someone once on a tour, and I'm very glad I didn't, even if I was right or mostly right. I stopped carrying a gun after that.

Wearing baggy shorts can be helpful. Not riding in certain areas can be helpful. Most areas in this country are not particularly bad, and as a previous poster mentioned, there are a number of other dangers that are more likely or more real (assuming you don't get yourself into the high-risk situations).

Another book comes to mind, in which a woman bike tourist accepted an overnight offer. She had doubts when she saw the neighborhood and the trailer the guy was living in, but accepted the offer anyway, in part because she was so tired and wanted the shower, food, good sleeping accommodations, etc. Very similar to what happened to me, Josie Dew, Marcus McShane, others.

The best I can offer is to keep your judgment in tact, don't get too desperate or exhausted, stay away from such situations, and don't compromise when you have doubts, even if it means more spartan accommodations, extra exertion, lack of comfortable physical circumstances or appealing offers, etc. When you can be chummed with offers, you set yourself up.

Last edited by Niles H.; 05-10-12 at 01:16 PM.
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