woman travelling alone

I just completed a 3000 mile round trip in my TT. The advice on this site gave me a lot of confidence in using my equipment. I stayed overnight at rest areas on the highways alongside truckers and felt very safe. Very friendly guys and never felt threatened. I have three corgis that can make quite a racket! I'm former USMC and can handle weapons easily but choose not to because they can easily be taken away and used against me. Trust instincts-if it didn't feel safe, move along. On the first night the TT next door made pancakes for everyone. My trip was from VT to Iowa and all highway, no campgrounds except at destination. Anybody thinking of dogs for protection need to understand pack behavior to insure the human is alpha. My beta dog is the oldest female, followed by a male and female. They all have a strong instinct to protect the pack, which developed over time with training and consistency. They all know their place in line and are happier when it's reinforced. There is a ton of info on,how to do this. An Akita I had made me learn fast and my dogs are much happier now and in control.
Common sense and instincts. And please no guns.