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Holiday Travel for the Petrified
Holiday travel overseas is less busy than domestic. Only 3% of flights were cancelled in 2023 vs 28% in 2022, and trends are lower for this week even with higher volume. Statistics show holidays are less insane than the press would have you believe.
Tuscany Winery with The Women’s Travel Group Arrive at your airport 3+ hours before scheduled flight times. Make sure you put your email and cell numbers into the airline app. With those contacts, you get notices of delays, cancellations, gate changes, even baggage movements (Some Airlines provide the latter Delta and SW). …
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1st trip since Covid?
What to expect since Covid?
The Women’s Travel Group hears from women who have not traveled since Covid. They are worried, unsure of new regulations or documents, masking or not, health insurance and more. So if you have not traveled since Covid, here are some changes, some improvements, and some warnings.
Source DOT Changes
No vaccination card needed anymore. However we always recommend you bring a list of your own prescriptions in the generic and vaccinations. Generic can be read overseas; US brands sometimes cannot be read.…
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Survive Summer
To make your Summer travels smooth and stress free, know the reality then be smart. The Women’s Travel Group shares experiences.
https://www.thewomenstravelgroup.com Flights will be fuller, usually with families. There is no rule that families get to sit together. If asked to move for a family, you can request an extra service before agreeing: Ask for a better seat? If there is rancor, explain quietly that it was the gate agent’s job to put a family together. You paid for your seat and planned accordingly.…
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New Refund Rules
Refunds? New Rules for Air Ticket Refunds
Dept of Transportation The Biden White House announced new rules for consumers regarding our plane tickets. A few items are below. Some of the rules are still grayish; it is still worth a careful reading of the full statement.
Currently you get a refund if the airline cancels the flight not due to weather. NEW A consumer is entitled to a refund if the airline cancels a flight, regardless of the reason, and the consumer chooses not to travel.…
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Real ID or Stay Home
Travel Tips from The Women’s Travel Group. Years ago, my Mother and I flew to Albany. From Florida to Albany, there was no checkin issue. From Albany to Florida, she was asked for her driver’s license. My mother was the generation who never drove a car. She informed checkin staff that she had a police card identification. The police id card was something older non driving Floridians secured. Checkin refused her. She was crying. We were shocked.
I related the following to the supervisor: You allowed my elderly mother to fly Miami to Albany.…
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Travel: Nervous Breakdown Part 1
There is a pre-travel disease called panic. It might be worse for women travelers. Here is how to travel panic free from The Women’s Travel Group, an award winning tour company.
Lunch on our Italy trip. www.thewomenstravelgroup.com Step 1 is plenty of extra time for every stage. Have with too much time at the airport. Airports can be crowded, stand on line and ignore the line crashers. Airports have amenities: restaurants, bathrooms, ample seating, electrical outlets, USB ports. Most have free public wifi.…
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Learn to love crowded airports
Travel Tips from award winning The Women’s Travel Group. Get there early. There is no reason NOT to arrive early. One generally sits around watching the clock or doing last second chores which should have been done yesterday.
Group in Italy Avoid items that might set off TSA alarms. Even gold jewelry or a watch can activate the alarm. Remove all metal at home, secure in a zipped area of carry on. Removing jewelry in front of strangers feels chancey.…
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1st Solo Trip? 1st Gynecological Exam?
Every day we hear the same: This is my first solo trip. I’m not sure I can do it.
Some in this photo are first time travelers. Practical concerns are flights: what if delayed? (fewer are than you think) What if stuck in an airport? What if my transfer is missing in action? Finally, what if I get sick? Or what if I use a bathroom more than the other women?
Emotional concerns: Will the tour manager be helpful with my many questions?…
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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.…
