Ladies, if you plan to travel solo, plan to lie. A lot. When traveling alone, strange men seem to have radar for the lovely solo woman. If you want to get through your adventure without having to be too polite, be strategic about what you tell men in other countries.

In parts of Asia and Latin America, honorable single women do not travel without a chaperone. Brothers and fathers are considered the protector of women’s honor in these parts of the world. Saying you are traveling with your father or brother means that you come from a good breed of women who would never spend time with strange men. Lying strategically and in a culturally appropriate way can make men bug off faster than mosquito repellent.

The other option is to wear a wedding ring and say that your spouse is in the hotel sick. I recommend using the term husband over the word boyfriend, as some cultures might have different impressions of the importance of western style uncommitted relationships.