When we do readings and events, we hear the same question over and over from women in the audience: “I would love to do what you do, travel the world, but...” There are a number of reasons that prevent us from fulfilling our dreams, but if one of your fantasies is to travel, here's how to make it happen:

1. Choose a destination where you speak the language. I know my fellow W's are rolling their eyes right now, but let's face it: being able to communicate in a foreign country greatly eases the anxiety. If that's your stumbling block to travel, then let's remove it. Even if you're embarrassingly monolingual like moi, an English speaker can journey to exotic climes from the North Pole to the Australian Outback. But if your dream is to explore China, then you best learn some basics of the language.

2. Sit down with your calendar and decide when you can take a week, a month, or a year off, and write in ink: Gone Travelin'. Then refuse to make any other commitments during that time.

3. Start a savings account exclusively for your trip and label it: Italy! Tahiti! or whatever location has always tempted you. Collect your change in a piggybank, cash in your burgeoning recycling collection, give those size 4's to the consignment shop, host a garage sale, deposit your income tax refund, take a side job, or sell those Enron stocks. Funnel all these resources into a fund for your trip.

4. Think about what type of journey you want to have. Do you love art? Then maybe a tour of London museums is for you. Have you always wanted to research your Irish ancestry? Organize a trip to the Emerald Isle to track down your kin. Are you a bit charred around the edges from working 24/7? Consider a leisurely cruise of the Caribbean. Are you someone who hates sitting still? Take a hike in the Canadian Rockies, or Italy's well-traveled Cinque Terre. But be honest about your expectations and limitations.

5. Get your passport and see if you need a visa for the region you're visiting. Allow several months for these activities unless you enjoy stress and rush charges. (To learn more about obtaining a US passport, visit http://travel.state.gov/passport_easy.html#easy6.)

6. Buy your plane ticket as soon as you decide on a location and schedule. This, more than any other act, will ensure that you'll actually be taking a trip. In spite of all the hype over discount web fares, some of the best deals (and easiest to purchase) are still to be found in your Sunday paper's travel section, those little ads offering flights around the world. Plus you can speak to a real person and ask questions.

7. Do your homework. Buy a couple of guidebooks for the region and find out all you can. Choosing good lodging is a critically important decision and worth researching. I consult my guidebook and check the customer comments at www.TripAdvisor.com. (You can also check out our R&R hotel reviews for honest recommendations.) Read the literature of your destination--history, novels, and memoirs. Before my first trip to Paris I read Hemingway's A Moveable Feast which enhanced my experience immeasurably. Travelers' Tales publishes a terrific series of anthologies, each dedicated to a specific region; these narratives with their multi-faceted view of “place” are more telling than hard facts.

8. Book your hotel, train, rental car, dinner, theater or museum reservations from home. You may need to juggle things once you get there, but that will be minimal work compared to dealing with all these time-consuming issues in a foreign country. You can purchase almost everything on the Internet now and pay for it in advance, frequently with cheaper rates than you'd shell out abroad. And best of all, you can transact your business in your native tongue. I always ask my hotel to send a car to pick me up at the airport after an international flight; the price is frequently cheaper than a taxi and I am always grateful to have the chauffeur guide me safely back to my lodging where I can recoup before dealing with a strange city.

9. Use a calendar for planning your trip day by day. Be aware of issues like local holidays, Sunday closings, museum schedules, daylight savings time (which happens on different dates in different countries), and crossing international datelines. (You won't be the first chagrined traveler whose flight left SFO on a Friday and was shocked to learn they landed in Frankfurt on Saturday.) Avoid covering too much territory during a short stay, and remember that every day you spend traveling is a day you won't get much sightseeing done. Resist the tendency to overbook activities—remember this is a vacation!—and schedule some free time to explore whatever strikes your fancy.

10. Read our tips in this issue, advice on money matters, packing, safety and dining alone. Don't take anything you can't afford to lose, no sacks of cash, jewels, or family heirlooms. The last thing you want is to spend your trip worrying about possessions, or make yourself a target for thieves. Instead you want to focus on actually Being There and open yourself up to the high that has produced so many travel addicts. Bon voyage!