How lucky we are! Throughout the year, on a daily basis our e-mail lines are buzzing with fabulous women-centered travel tips from travellin' females worldwide. Our job, here at the JW office, is to categorize this enormous amount of excellent advice and decide "where" to post "what" at the website. The best of the best (12 per issue) are always reserved for our free travel tip newsletter which goes out by e-mail on a regular basis to the thousands of members of our Journeywoman Network. To mark the New Year 2001, we decided to publish this article which contains some of the best newsletter tips we sent out in 2000. From moderate hotels and solo-friendly restaurants to shopping and culturally correct dressing, there's something for everybody. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

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Shopping mecca in Vietnam -- writes Mei Yin Tao from Vietnam -- I recently spent a few days in a wonderful little town called Hoi An in the middle of Vietnam. They have an amazing number of seamstresses there who have cloth shops. A great shop with a friendly staff, modern designs and professional work is Khoi Cloth Shop, 134 Tran Phu Street, Hoi An, Vietnam, Tel: 0510 861113. I got five pairs of pants made and three dresses and it cost me $68US. A great deal. They take all your measurements so the clothes fit perfectly. If you want them to make changes, they'll do it at no extra charge. They'll work in your time frame, either having the clothes made that day or the day after. These good businesspeople also gave me a lantern and a purse as a gift. Very hard to resist and a fun experience!

We serve wonderful low fat breakfasts -- writes Brenda of Vancouver, Canada -- The Manor Guest House is an Edwardian mansion right in the heart of the city of Vancouver, on the southeastern edge of downtown, in a safe, elegant neighborhood, walking distance or easy access to everything you'll want to do. Beautifully furnished large bedrooms with private bath and TV. One block to public transit and all amenities. Helpful hosts. Great low fat breakfasts. Visit our site at www.manorguesthouse.com. E-mail: info@manorguesthouse.com for further information.

Be an insider in Melbourne -- writes Leonie Loveday from Australia -- If visiting Journey women enjoy Indian curries, the best value-for-money is the quirkily named "Indian Trendy Restaurant" in Johnson Street, Collingwood. This is not one of the most fashionable inner suburbs of Melbourne but it's interesting, and close to lots of other eating places you might like to try. P.S. Don't worry. Collingwood is not far from the city (or downtown) district.

Cafe a Mecca for NY singles -- writes Cynthia from New York City, USA -- Afternoon tea, or coffee anytime, a terrific place for being on your own or with girlfriends is "Drip", located on Amsterdam between 85 and 87 or so. This is a funky dating service well disguised as a coffee bar. You come in, buy some coffee (regular or spiked), and browse the loose-leaf notebooks of prospective Mr. or Ms rights. Profiles have no personal info, so all first dates are arranged by "Drip" and you must have them there where you can be chaperoned. This very chatty place is also a very safe place to be. My best friend and I often stop by even though we are both married, either to giggle over the notebooks, gaze sneakily at the couples being introduced to each other by the Drip staff, or just to have an intimate conversation on their big couches. It's mostly an under 40 crowd, but I did on one occasion notice two 60+ ladies having coffee and chatting away.

A great guide in Morocco -- writes Rosemary Sheel in Camarillo, USA -- I'd like to recommend a reliable, honest and knowledgeable driver/guide for those women who plan a trip to the south of Morocco. I have used Ali Mouni (fax 05 57 79 50, phone from U.S. 011 212 1 56 36 11) for four photography trips, plus a couple of sight seeing trips with friends. We have traveled through the Middle Atlas, Taroudant/Tafroute region, and especially the sands of the Erg Chebbi. In addition to Moroccan Arabic, Berber and French, Ali speaks fluent Spanish, good English, and good German. Ali will transport you and your friends, loads of luggage and, of course, all of your shopping 'find's in a Land Rover 4WD. For more information, you can contact Ali in Erfoud through his fax or phone or you can e-mail me at rsheel@ez2.net. Ed. note: For another opinion about booking Ali, click here.

Something for every woman in Brussels -- writes Alison Li from Toronto, Canada -- A recent visit to Brussels revealed that it is full of charming, sometimes quirky, little museums. They cover what seems like every conceivable subject, from chocolate to beer to the history of Freemasonry. There's even a museum on the Belgian endive! A stop at one of these little museums can reveal some lovely little surprises and won't be overwhelming like a visit to a huge museum can sometimes be. Of course, don't forget to be ready to sample the subject matter, especially in the chocolate museum!