Safety Tips

Watch out, Cookies! These are the most common types of travel scams you will encounter on your travels that are designed to con you out of your money, possessions, and/or physical safety and control of your body. Of course, you want to do your research and find out what scams are more common in the areas you’ll be traveling. But this list of the most common travel scams and con archetypes to avoid will get…

As we know all too well, it can be very hard for womxn to set and enforce our boundaries - and not just when we're facing violence and sexual assault. We're conditioned by society to believe that we are acting rude or bitchy whenever we speak up for ourselves or try to set our boundaries. But that’s bullshit. And just plain disrespectful. You are always allowed to say no, or tell someone to stop, or…

This article may contain affiliate/compensated links. For full information, please see our Disclaimer here. Ah COVID-19, that stubborn travel buzzkill that just won't quit. We've been feeling the pang of longing for adventure here at Tough Cookie Travel, and I'm sure you have too. Thankfully, things do seem to be getting better bit and bit. Vaccinations are finally getting around, conditions are improving, and restrictions are lifting. Slowly but surely, it's looking like we might be…

That's right, self defense is just as mental as it is physical. There’s a mental shift that needs to happen before you are ready to defend yourself. It’s not just about learning how to use your body to fight back. It’s not just about learning to pay attention to your surroundings and look for potential dangers. It’s not just knowing how to react and what to do. It’s also about being ready to do so. …

In-Person Classes Near You While my Tough Cookie Travel Self Defense Courses offer comprehensive, holistic and realistic training to keep you safe and strong wherever you roam, they are still online only. So if you want to round out your self defense training with more hands-on instruction (which I highly recommend), then look below to see if there are any classes I recommend in your area. These are the organizations with my Tough Cookie stamp…

This article may contain affiliate/compensated links. For full information, please see our Disclaimer here. I love martial arts. I’ve been studying various styles for many years and I highly recommend them for many reasons. But if you want to know the best martial arts for self defense, I have to be honest with you. There aren't many styles I would say are useful in their entirety for self defense. A few do prove helpful in…

This article may contain affiliate/compensated links. For full information, please see our Disclaimer here. Travel Safety Mini Online Course Want to learn to travel safer and stronger like a Tough Cookie, but don't have the time or monies for a full-length course right now? I got just the thing for you, boo: my Travel Safety Mini Course! Learn the most essential travel safety tips in a quicker, more bite-sized package that won’t be as hard…

This article may contain affiliate/compensated links. For full information, please see our Disclaimer here. Self defense is not about fighting. It’s about surviving. That’s why we call ourselves survivors. Even so, one must still prepare for battle. Self defense is 90% caution and 10% confrontation. As Mr. Miyagi says (and we’re paraphrasing here), we train to fight so that we don’t have to. To help you learn how to defend yourself like a true Tough Cookie,…