Starting a relationship while you're traveling overseas can be extremely complicated. Whether or not your new companion is from your country, the thrill of a new relationship as you experience new places can make for an exciting romance. But being away from home is the last place you want to find yourself if a relationship goes sour, and not just because it spoils your mood.

We bring this up because many women are trapped overseas in abusive relationships or marriages. As though the abuse isn't bad enough, being in a foreign country can severely inhibit a woman's ability to seek protection from the law. That is exactly what happened to Paula Lucas, who founded the Americans Overseas Domestic Violence Crisis Center after she and her three sons escaped her abusive ex-husband in Abu Dhabi 11 years ago.

She told her story on the Chicago Public Radio Show Here & Now as part of the story "American Women Work to Help Each Other While Living Overseas."

While the women behind AG Traveler are American, we know that women of all nationalities are victims of domestic violence worldwide. Hot Peach Pages provides a terrific global resource to locate crisis centers, hotlines, shelters, refuges, and women's organizations, plus domestic violence information in more than 80 languages.

We at AG Traveler are not trying to scare you or make you paranoid. Nor are we advising you to avoid dating while you're traveling. But just as you have to be wary of bad relationships while you're at home, you have to be equally careful when you're abroad. As Paula Lucas' case indicates, it is not difficult to see how you can be especially vulnerable to an abusive partner if you do not have the law or your own government there to help. We encourage all of you to familiarize yourselves with Paula's organization, Hot Peach Pages, Domestic Violence International Resources or any other information that can help if something similar happens to you or to someone you know.

Stay safe, goddesses, and be smart about who you get involved with.

International Toll-Free Crisis Line: 866-USWOMEN (8796636)