Welcome to the ninth edition of SINGLE PARENT TRAVEL e-zines - a continuing series of monthly newsletters created for the community of single parents and single adults who like to travel with their kids. In view of last month's tragic events the theme for this newsletter will be safety while traveling.

My family and I would like to express our deepest condolences to any newsletter subscriber who has suffered the loss of a friend or a loved one during these terrible events in our history. My daughter had moved out of Manhattan two weeks prior to the 11th of September. All of her friends and business associates were out of harm's way at the time of the attacks, however last week she saw in the newspaper that a former roommate, whom she had not seen for several years, was declared one of the missing. He had worked on the 71st floor of the World Trade Center and never made it out. The young man's family had emigrated from Portugal in search of a better life. Like my daughter, he worked in the field of finance.

Before proceeding with this month's travel safety theme, I wanted to share with you some reader feedback received during the past month. The first one comes from TS in New Jersey. Her delightful story refers to my August newsletter about traveling with teens:

"We took the boys on vacation in July to Georgia and on the way home came through the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia. My sixteen-year-old son was very annoyed by this detour and stuck his head in the pillow the entire time we drove through these beautiful mountains. This was just a waste of time in his opinion. I was very annoyed by his behavior. The following month we went camping in Lake George with my cousin and his family as we do every year. I listened in amazement as my son told his uncle about the beautiful ride through the Blue Ridge Mountains! He talked of the winding roads, gorgeous mountains, and breathtaking views. I wanted to slap him. Thoughts of your article I had just read about traveling with teenagers came to my mind and I just had to laugh instead."

The second email came from LB in New York City, who, prompted by the information on my Web site, recently returned from a single parent family vacation at Splash Resort's Caracol Village in Mexico. Although there were no other single parent families vacationing there during her stay she did say that it was a good holiday for a single parent family interested in an all-inclusive vacation. Her daughters, ages ten and eight years, had a wonderful time swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, playing archery, and making new friends.

LB also pointed out an important entry requirement for Mexico, which is discussed in my forthcoming book, "The Single Parent Travel Handbook," and which bears repeating here. For single adults or single parents traveling into Mexico with one or more children, the law requires that you present a notarized letter in which the absentee parent gives you permission to take the child or children out of the country. If you have sole custody of the children, you should carry proof of that fact. The law is not always enforced. Several times I have entered Mexico with my children as a single parent and not been asked for this letter, but single parent travelers to Mexico should be prepared. This requirement does not pertain to all countries so check with the airlines or your travel agent at the time you plan your trip.

An interesting idea came from a single parent dad, JN in New Jersey. He had to travel from New Jersey to Connecticut with his son. For logistical reasons, each had to drive a separate car. He purchased a walkie-talkie for each of them, which proved to be fun and an ideal communication solution for the trip.

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SAFETY CONCERNS
One of the major concerns while traveling is petty theft. I recently published an article about Single Parent Safety while traveling on the Web site of Parents Without Partners. That article, which contains suggestions on how to avoid being a victim of theft, is now on my Web site. Click on: http://www.singleparenttravel.net/Articles/Syria.htm

Given the recent events in our country, safety has now taken on a new meaning. It is no longer merely a concern about petty theft. Readers have written me asking advice about what to do or not do when they travel overseas and whether or not it is "safe" to go. Some Americans have cancelled vacation plans in recent weeks. Others, in spite of their apprehensions, feel compelled to travel, to attend a wedding or enjoy a much anticipated family vacation, be it within the U.S. or overseas. The decision to travel is a personal one and America is a nation of travelers. So if you are planning to go overseas, here are a few suggestions:

* To get the facts, not the media hype, and develop an informed opinion, go to the government Web sites. Start with the U.S., then try a few other English speaking government Web sites. You will find the U.S. tends to be the most cautious in its assessments.

Some Web sites are:
U.S. State Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs: travel.state.gov
Britain: www.fco.gov.uk/travel
Canada: http://voyage.dfait-maeci.gc.ca
Australia: www.dfat.gov.au/consular/advice/

• * Try to avoid dressing like an American. Avoid bright colors, English slogans on shirts, American Sports jerseys and college sweatshirts. Wear walking shoes instead of sneakers, which usually proclaim your status as an American. In many parts of the world the locals tend to dress more conservatively and more formally, especially in the cities. Rather than jeans you will see slacks or skirts; rather than tank tops you will see short-sleeved shirts or blouses.
• * Speak quietly when out in public. Americans are often marked by their "loud" demeanor.
• * If people ask your nationality, tell them you are Canadian. My daughter was studying in France at the time of the Gulf War. The day it broke out, the "American" population suddenly became a "Canadian" one.
• * If you hear firecrackers or a car backfiring, fall to the ground immediately and lay there until you know it is safe to get up.

During our second trip to Syria in 2000, I was sitting on the front porch of our hotel waiting for my son to join me for breakfast. I heard what I thought was someone setting off a firecracker and I stood up to see what it was. At the same time my son was in our hotel room. When he heard the noise, he immediately dropped to the floor. I had never heard live gunfire before and he had. By the time he reached me, we had determined the sound came from a misfired gun held by one of the nearby bank security guards. He was upset and angry with me when I told him of my immediate reaction. Before the trip we had agreed we would drop to the ground at the first sound of danger and if my creaky knees couldn't get me there fast enough, he was prepared to yank me down. I guess I needed some practice sessions.

These measures may sound draconian but these were the procedures we followed when we traveled in countries where there was a possibility of unrest.

For those of you concerned about safety while flying and the possibility of a hijacking, there was a recent article circulating on email, which reprinted a speech by a commercial pilot to his passengers. He thanked them for flying so soon after September 11th and told them what to do if they ever felt they were being hijacked. "Take control of the situation," he said. "There are only a few of them but many of us. Throw everything you can at the hijacker and his associates - pillows, shoes, books, food, anything. Get him unfocused and off balance and then throw a blanket on him and wrestle him to the ground. We'll take care of the rest and fly you safely to the nearest airport." Not long after that speech there was what passengers thought was an attempted hijacking on another plane by a mentally unbalanced man. The passengers subdued him.

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SOLE SUPPORT We would like to bring your attention to an excellent Web site and organization. Sole Support is an association of mutually supportive single parents, including divorced, separated, widowed, never-married, custodial, non-custodial and foster parents. Sole Support addresses the financial, educational, and emotional needs of single parents, for the good of the kids. They provide practical low-cost services including: car repair, appliance repair, compatible roommates for single parent families, and many other services. Please visit their Web site: http://www.solesupportonline.org.
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Fifty new members have joined our newsletter since last month. Welcome to you all! We now number over 400 and growing each day. For the new members, as well as for other members: * If you have not done so already, PLEASE take a few minutes to fill out the Single Parent Travel Survey. Remember you need not be a single parent to fill it out. You are qualified if you are single or married and have traveled or will travel alone with children. The results have been coming in steadily and we have been gathering information to take to the travel suppliers. EVERY SINGLE OPINION COUNTS, so please, click on the survey page and take five minutes to fill it out now. Thank you. http://www.singleparenttravel.net/Survey/survey1.htm

The completion of my book, "The Single Parent Travel Handbook," has been re-targeted for the end of October. Other projects have taken some of my time and the events of September 11th broke my focus for the past two weeks. This means that there is still time to gather additional travel stories for my chapter entitled "Single Parent Dads Tell Their Stories." The ones I have are informative and delightful but I welcome more. Please contact me if you, or anyone you know, could be a contributor. You do not need to be a professional writer or even a good writer. I will be happy to interview you and write the story for you. It doesn't matter whether your trip is exotic or close to home, readers will enjoy reading about your experiences. Single Parent Dads from their 20's to their 60's have contributed stories. Single Grandparents are welcome to contribute as well. Please contact me at globalbrenda@yahoo.com. Publication of my book will be announced via the newsletter.

POSTING MESSAGES
Feel free to send me your comments, queries or feedback to me directly at: globalbrenda@yahoo.com or to the list directly at: SingleParentTravel@yahoogroups.com. Please note that comments sent to the list must pertain to single parent travel.