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MaryBeth Wilkinson Profile - Woman Road WarriorWoman Road Warriors are accountants and artists, techies and team builders, entrepreneurs and educators. They cover millions of miles each year to maintain that all-important in-person presence in the often impersonal and increasingly global business world. Here are just a few fellow Woman Road Warriors: 
MaryBeth Wilkinson Lawyer, Road Runner, Old-Fashioned Gal Don't get into a staring contest with MaryBeth Wilkinson. The Chicago attorney and frequent traveler once used her fiercest litigator look to scare off a would-be mugger. "A man came up behind me in another country and grabbed my bag. I turned and made direct eye contact with him. The look on his face turned to sheer panic. He let go of my bag so forcefully that I ended up falling down from the impact." She says she's had a few close calls like that on the road and her biggest safety tip is to stay alert. "It's a dangerous world. Seriously." MaryBeth is serious about exercise when she travels as well. She always has workout clothes and shoes in her carry-on. Another must-have in her bag - good hair conditioner. "That's because in a lot of countries, people don't know what it is. Hotels don't provide it. Sometimes, they've thought I was asking for air conditioning!" One thing she does ask for from a hotel concierge is a map to the nearest park or gardens. She also likes to check out a city's art museum. "I think gardens and museums tell a lot about people. What they value. How they dream." Her dream trip would be to Patagonia, planned by a travel agent. "I prefer to have someone else do the travel arranging if possible." When asked about the strangest place she's ever been to, MaryBeth is kind but firm in her recollection - "It would be impolite to say but let's just say that I was washing my own dishes in the cold weather, half-freezing and trying to imagine any way to escape. A boat was involved and I hope never to see my hosts again." To escape stress on the road, she likes long, hot baths. Her favorite creature comfort is Sketchers Shape-Up shoes. "They somehow prevent/relieve cramping legs and backs on planes. Genius. They have Mary Janes you can actually wear with trousers for travel." When it comes to staying in touch on the road, MaryBeth says she's an old-fashioned gal. She carries a Blackberry, international mobile phone and a laptop. She prefers to talk by phone or e-mail and doesn't friend or tweet. She says the worst thing about traveling is the long lines at airport security and coach class. She's tall so she'd love even just an inch more per row. Her favorite airline perk was on an Air France flight out of Beijing to Paris. They "served lovely cheese and then espresso. It was like heaven at the time." She says the best thing about traveling - she's been doing it for 13 years, the last eight internationally - is the people. She says she's learned that "being quiet at first, in different cultures and in new places can go a long way. Respect and good manners can open most doors worth opening." And what about being a woman road warrior? "Two best things - (1) meeting other women who are kindred spirits and (2) meeting respectful and well-mannered men who also help move the world forward. Always refreshing."
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