No guys, I am not revealing my vital stats here, WoW doesn't really stand for wow!! (wink..whistle..wink)!! :)

What it does stand for, however, is what has been my status for some time now 'Woman on Wheels'!

Frantic at best is how I describe my itinerary, barring a few welcome breaks when I do manage to catch up with 'domestic life', I guess I have pretty much been living out of a suitcase. My traveling job has more often than not elicited a 'wow' from several of my friends and cousins who have a more or less sedentary life.

And like all new things we get in life, me too pretty much liked it in the begining, but as the travel schedules started getting crazier, I started fretting and sulking and groaning at the thought of packing off to a new destination at the drop of a hat. At times I really prayed hard I don't end up as a 'Woman on Wheelchair'!

Like most WoWs would agree, traveling has its highs and  lows..

The highs?

Well..the usual ones.. You get to see so many different faces, visit different places, try out new and varied cuisines, so it is anything but boring.

You get to meet so many new people, of course, I personally don't socialise at airports, but you always have that option, especially if you are a chatterbox you might just end up meeting a good listener (or victim, as the case maybe) for two hours or as long as the flight or your good times last.

You can feast your eyes with some eye candy, depending on your sexual preferences and also which flight you are taking and to where - some routes I have noticed have better looking people than the rest, so can go by stats (again, not vital stats!) and apply thumbrule here.

And the pitfalls?

All the different faces that you see may not be the nicest ones, the different places that you see may include ones with stench and bad roads and barren deserts, and the zeal with which you try out the different cuisines may end you up with a bad tummy.

Talking of socialising at airports, you may often come across bizarre people, some of them rudely snubbing at you for accidentally running your strolley into theirs, or mistakenly picking someone else's baggage thinking it is yours - There was a time when I could never identify my bags and by the time I checked the baggage tag the bag would have either happily moved on for another ride on the merry-go-round or would have been lifted by someone else, so I majorly relied on blindly trusting my copassengers' ability to identify their own lugguage so that whatever was left in the end was mine. These days I carry bags that are more or less exclusive in colour and design and can be easily spotted even from a distance.

Then you have irate cotravelers: I saw  this woman recently who was hit by a featherweight sponge ball at the check in counter and she screamed at the poor guy 'Hello! This is not a playground!'

At the check in counter, the only thing that bothers me is how soon to bag a window or aisle seat. I hate the idea of being sandwiched in the middle seat, worse if between two men and worse still if the one on the window seat has a bladder problem.

Coming to eye candies, well, we often forget that others maybe eyeing us too, and especially for female travellers this unnecessary attention can often reach various dimensions of discomfort. The last thing I want at the end of a tiring tour is some slimy stalker flashing a yellow toothed grin at me at the lounge.

Some funny people like me are scared of sleeping alone, away from home, in the dark. I invariably keep some of the lights turned on and the tv mute but on (to create the illusion that I am not alone) while I try and sleep away from the cosy comforts of my own bed. Ok I admit I may not have much company when it comes to being so chicken hearted but hey am I not woman enough to accept it! :P

Finally, traveling alone is not very appealing to people like me, if it is a nice place, I wish I had someone to share it with, if it is a not-so-nice place, I wish much the same! Whoever said solo female travelers are happy souls..I protest!

P.S. I know the list is not exhaustive, I surely have missed out the endless wait at airports, the body aches, the dark circles, personal life going for a six and a host of vital outfalls. Pl feel free to add to the cribs :)