In a post early in the month, someone asked about traveling alone. While most of our discussion focused on safety, I also suggested some ways to start dipping your toes into the solo waters and ease into traveling by yourself. One of my suggestions was to take a tour. You're alone, but you're not.

To expand on that a bit, I wanted to mention that there are numerous tour companies out there that specialize in women's travel. Trips near and far, familiar and exotic, by, with and for women. Such a tour could be just the ticket.

The TIME article about baby boomer women that we talked about earlier mentioned one company, Gutsy Women Travel( www.gutsywomentravel.com ). Gail Golden, the owner, says that half the women who sign up for her tours are married, but their husbands aren't interested in travel. So, she goes, he stays home, and everybody's happy.

You might also want to check out Evelyn Hannon's Journeywoman.com ( www.journeywoman.com ). You can sign up for the free Journeywoman newsletter that lists dozens of wonderful trips just for women. Hannon's site and newsletter are good places to connect with other women travelers and find information about travel possibilities you never knew existed. You'll want to update your passport by the time you log off.