This is one of Journeywoman's favorite assignments of the year. Each February we take the opportunity to review all the hundreds of female-friendly travel tips published in our newsletters during the preceding year. From there we pick our top 20 -- the tidbits that we felt best inspired our readers to travel safely and well. This year the winning list is absolutely wonderful and covers many different aspects of being on the road. We are extremely proud of it!

As always, we welcome the wise words of women who speak from experience and want to share their best experiences. These are the tips we love -- the happy ones 'straight from the heart' and not found in most guidebooks.

P.S. If you have a tip you'd like to share. Don't worry about spelling, presentation, etc. Just email your information to: editor@journeywoman.com. We always welcome your input and can do any editing your writing might need.

P.P.S. While we do our best, it's impossible for Journeywoman to check out each and every one of the tips we receive. If at any time we receive any negative comments (with merit) about anything we've posted, we are prepared to delete that information immediately. We always welcome readers' impressions and opinions.

Fantastic veggie dim sum in San Francisco -- writes Anusha in San Francisco -- Fantastic and absurdly cheap vegetarian dim sum can be had on the weekends at Lucky Creation in Chinatown in San Francisco. It's worth a special trip to this place. My girlfriends and I stuffed ourselves silly with divine all-veggie dim sum. And, then looked in disbelief at the bill which cost us about $5 USD each. Because the restaurant is really small (kind of a hole in the wall, truthfully), I'd advise going right at 11am when they open. Although they may not be fully ready for dim sum, you can order some starters, and then merrily partake of the steaming food that wafts by you. Hours: 11-9:30, daily. Closed Wed. 854 Washington St. (between Grant & Stockton) Tel: 415-989-0818.

Delicious sushi in Switzerland -- writes Karen from Bern, Switzerland -- The best sushi place in Bern is Kabuki. It's also the largest Japanese restaurant in the region serving everything from original Japanese sushi to Tempura, Sukiyaki, and Sashimi. Devine. Friendly staff, nice atmosphere. Not cheap though, but are they ever? It's hard to find restaurants here in Bern that have smoke-free areas. Kabuki does. It’s always very booked, so reservations are recommended for noon and evening. Contact information: Japan Restaurant Kabuki, Bubenbergplatz 9 (Markthalle). Tel: +41 (0)31 329 29 19

Bounce dryer sheets not just for laundry -- writes Sylvia from Ottawa, Canada -- All this time you've just been putting Bounce in the dryer, right? I just read about some new reasons that JourneyWomen who hike, bike and camp are bound to appreciate. (1) Bounce supposedly repels mosquitoes. Tie a sheet through a belt loop when outdoors during mosquito season (2) It prevents musty luggage. Place an individual sheet inside empty backpacks before storing (3) To freshen the air in your car place a sheet of Bounce under the front seat (4) Put a sheet in your sleeping bag and tent before folding and storing them. It should keep them smelling fresh.

Hostel in Melbourne, Australia offers freebies -- writes Jse Che travelling in Melbourne, Australia -- If you're in Oz and journeying to Melbourne, make sure that you stay at Greenhouse Backpackers, located on Flinders Lane, just steps away from the best coffee, bars, and cultural institutions. It's located next door to a Melbourne police division (which was a great selling point when I was selecting accommodations). Breakfast is available free each morning but there are also other bonuses that were provided such as a six- hour Monday walking tour with Kiwi Shayne. Without Shayne, I would have never ventured down the alleys of Melbourne where you can find some of the most innovative graffiti art in the world as well as charming cafes, vodka bars, and clothing shops. Every Tuesday evening, Shayne, a trained chef, returns to the hostel where he creates a delicious pasta dinner that is better than anything that you could purchase at any of the restaurants. This is, again, another freebie for backpackers. Greenhouse is part of the Friendly Backpacking hostels. Website: http://www.friendlygroup.com.au

More terrific tips 2/3/4

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