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Tipping Trauma-Women’s Travel
Tipping from The Women’s Travel Group. It seems that each time we turn around, we have to tip someone? Tipping used to be at ‘sit down’ restaurants’, in a taxi, for a porter who actually carries your bags. Now the Dunkin Donuts cashier has a tipping jar. Restaurant bills end with tip suggestions from 15%-25%. Even the cashless bakery, where I buy one lone cookie, now has a suggested tip on its credit card form?
Group included meal in Northern Italy 2023 What is this trend?…
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Travel Apps, bribe your grandchildren
Thanksgiving is around the corner. So you are not electronically savvy but need to learn if you are going on our single special river cruise in July? Bribe your grandchildren at turkey time, and upgrade your travel app skills.
There are a few bits to learn, that is if you intend to travel and have a smart phone.
1—-Go to your airline site via google on your phone. Do not click a site other than the official one. Example, delta.com is the official site for Delta.…
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How to Lose Your Trip Reservation
All travel tips from The Women’s Travel Group are based on real experiences.
Some of us ‘praying’ in India https://www.thewomenstravelgroup.com Reason One You booked on line. Your credit card was declined. This snafu can happen with a valid credit card if booking an unusual airline, or paying via a third party agent. On a real site like kayak.com you might see cheap fares. Kayak lists all kinds of tickets. I bought a one way ticket Mexico City to JFK on Kayak.…
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What I Always Carry on
Yes, I arrived in Delhi on a plane which had no luggage. The computer at Heathrow malfunctioned; no one on the BA plane to India had luggage. Here is what I learned below. PS once I bought basics,had some sleep, it was not a big deal.
Santa Fe Ladies October 2023 https://www.thewomenstravelgroup.com Always carry on:
Medicine. toss in a few optionals as ‘just in case’: bandaids, ibuprofen type pills, Immodium type liquid, eye saline. Don’t do what my son did and put all pills in one container then call his mother from Pakistan for information.…
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Cheapskates’ Wifi on Vacation
How to be cheap/smart/bargain hunter/whatever from The Women’s Travel Group. Paying for wifi overseas on top of paying a crazily expensive phone bill at home is a nasty burden. Before we start, any public wifi is insecure unless you purchase a VPN line. VPN lines are cheap but might not work on sites like Paypal or your financial sites: Bank, Stocks. Those sites usually need to identify your phone, computer or ipad.
Most hotels offer what they call free wifi; it is not really free as it is included in your room costs, or in junk fees added to that rate.…
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Two of us in airline seat 6J?
I was happily seated in Business Class 6J on a Paris to New York flight. (PS it is boringly old aged but I get on the plane, as soon as the cabin is called). The purser greeted everyone cordially, offering a glass of bubbly with juice for the flying sober. A shock: another lady approached with her boarding pass showing 6J.
An official from Air France, the airline partner in Paris, boarded and asked to see my boarding pass. My iPhone had a screen shot showing 6J.…
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What are Junk Fees?
So what is this talk about junk fees? The Women’s Travel Group never adds them. Simplifying the definition: hotels are listed by price on line. The cheapest appear first. (Sponsored ads above them). We, normal people, are likely to click on the cheapest link if for the same hotel.
Once you click ‘yes ‘you want that property, you then choose your room type. All good so far. But to book that room you will see a list of extra fees in a shockingly expensive invoice.…
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Are women obsessed with travel clothes?
And should women be so wardrobe obsessed? Will I fit in? Will I be respected? Going to fashionable Paris, will I be a dork? This blog post changed directions after a visit to Chase Bank last week. Apologies up front for being personal.
Rates are good so I dropped by Chase with my husband. He came along only because I wanted a CD in joint names. I usually work with one banker. He invited a financial adviser to join us.…
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Travel to Cuba, March 2024
For years travel to Cuba was off limits for US citizens. In 1999 travel emerged legal for certain groups. Later on Obama issued an executive order loosening travel restrictions, for ‘people to people’ groups. From 2016 onwards. the US government continued to sanction travel to Cuba. US citizens who meet certain requirements can visit. Our group has met these requirements and we are going to Havana in March 2024.
First to know: Cubans are very friendly towards North Americans; they will often talk to you on the street, mentioning family in New Jersey or just a wecome hello.…
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What You Can and Cannot Do on a Plane
What you Can and Cannot Do on a Plane
For Goodie Goodie Ladies: Readers Like You and Me
Despite our old fashioned training of coloring between the lines and writing thank you notes, our in the air behavior can be questionable. The Women’s Travel Group lists Can and Cannot Do’s on airplanes.
Five things you can do on a plane and Five things you cannot do.
You can ask person in front of you to bring up their seats while you eat your meal.…
