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Your Worst Travel Companion
How will you know if a friend will make a good travel companion? For short periods of time we are all on our good behavior. For a week or two, who knows?
Five red flags to look for:
Always sees the empty glass.
Is opinionated on things they know little about.
Is inflexible.
Uses the word ‘I’ all the time.
Is a great fashionista.
Going in a group with other women, helps dilute your friend out, but why do we even have these five
red flags?…
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Airlines Ready to Bash Us Again
In the last years airline fuel dropped 24% and fuel surcharges have not dropped 1%. So what is going on here?
Airlines are profiting from keeping surcharges which were as high as $600 round trip NY-London. Airlines now call these ‘international fees’ but they are the same old fuel surcharges. Airlines are still nickel and dime-ing us on checked baggage, food, lounge access; they are practically weighing us.
I have flown American on Business Class to Mexico City from NY many times.…
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Surprising choices at Canyon Ranch Mass.
It is sometimes difficult to describe profound personal experiences. Canyon Ranch, the gold star of ultra luxury, has places left for our discount weekend, beginning July 23. This is a the treat we all deserve, but how does one describe it?
Here are some of the unusual topics discussed at Canyon Ranch:
Working with your genes:know your heredity assets.
30 days to a better brain.
Synching your new Canyon Ranch routine to a Fitbit.
Reducing sugar craving by eating differently.…
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You can Go Home Again
It is true that you cannot go home again. But you can travel again post widowhood, divorce,ex-partner or just reluctant husband. You might not see Paris as ‘a romantic’ or Mexico as ‘beach margaritas’ or India as a ‘shoppers’ delight’. But you will see these places with new colors: Paris as ‘elegant but cosy’; Mexico as ‘artistically modern’; India as ‘insightful and ayurvedic’.
Traveling the second time around or third if you were a hosteler in the 1960’s-70’s is different, not less wonderful.…
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Worst Weekend Getaway Mistakes
Dinner in Africa
Memorial Weekend is here, and lucky women get to go away. Every year we tend to make the same prep mistakes. Some cost money and some just aggravation. Here are some tips from The Women’s Travel Group.
We take an entire inventory of plastic ccards, even those we do not need at all ie local museum or Big Box store memberships.
Then if we have a problem, we forget to bring the fraud number of each card and cannot cancel them promptly.…
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How does WTravel Group travel?
Some times in a rickshaw? Today a woman asked what vehicles do we use? Easy answer: it depends on the group size and the terrain we are covering. Here are a few examples: Small group, short distances: usually a 15-21 seater bus still with some empty seats. That is what we use in Tuscany and Ireland, a 17 seater for 8 women plus guide and driver. Long distance: almost always a larger bus, with air conditioning, and very comfortable seats.… -
Men-Women Stupid Travel Surveys
The photo is our doorman in India; we just like it but no relevance to this blog post at all.
Why spend millions to discover what all of us know already? Here are a few bits from a recent survey comparing men and women travelers:We care more about getting to the airport on time and about security. Duh: who did the carpool? And who watched out for safety in the playground?
We wanted improvements to bathrooms; men wanted quieter cabins.…
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Last Minute is Not Tomorrow
Last minute is used by tour companies to wake you up. Most companies call last minute 90 days before arrival. Why? Because if you travel with a big group, hotels and airlines require deposits ahead of time. However if you travel with a smaller group like The Women’s Travel Group, last minute is only 2-4 weeks away. We once booked a woman the day before a trip!
Our last minute trips include:
Canyon Ranch Health Resort, Lenox MASS. October 9 arrival for 4 nights or October 10 arrival for 3 nights. …
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Group Trip Deadlines & Discounts
The Women’s Travel Group has strict deadlines for bookings on most of its trips. The reason is that most resorts / airlines etc. impose these dates to control discounts. For instance, Canyon Ranch gives us a 35% discount on our group booking for Columbus Day Weekend, but the resort takes away unsold rooms in mid August– months before our arrival. This rule guarantees them that unsold rooms can be given to the general public at a higher rate, and it puts pressure on us to fill them.…
