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Seeing the World High Up
What the Paris Olympics told me…
Some European cities are magical. From high up they are fantastical. I hate heights, but panoramas tell a story like no other. Watching the Paris Olympics made me reconsider climbing or riding to heights to catch the best views. From the air, wow’s are wow er.
In Paris you can climb up to the basilica of Sacre Coeur for views from the highest natural point on a hill. You can climb the Arc de Triomphe for a panorama of the ladder like boulevards.…
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Travel Addiction: Why Women?
For a travel addict 2020 was deeply painful and depressing. Personally a sighting of a suitcase brings tears. In The Women’s Travel Group are many travel addicts reading this post. Here is the story of others just like me and probably you.
For me addiction started at St Agnes Public Library, 444 Amsterdam Avenue, in a then dangerous NY neighborhood.
The itch came from The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper.…
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Chocolate Around the World
Chocolate you must try, buy and keep a supply, tips from The Women’s Travel Group.
Chocolate ginger pieces or cookies: a common combo in Great Britain including Scotland. Ginger was imported from India to ancient Rome, then to Britain and ultimately became a colonial favorite. Chocolate ginger cookies can be supermarket level or gourmet from an upmarket store like Fortnum and Mason.
Chocolate with chili: The first time I ate a chocolate/chili bar was in Mexico City Airport. Chocolate with chili is made in Mexico by artisanal candy makers. …
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Cook When You Don’t Have to? Tuscany Cooking and Seeing Tour ONE ROOM LEFT
Every year we fill Tuscan Cooking and Seeing Tour early. This year we have one cancellation, single or share.
Why cook when you are in Italy?
Why not?
$3399 based on single occupancy and $2999 based on double occupancy if share is available. Your only extras are tips for guide, chef and driver. Optional Pisa stopover pre tour.
Your group is small-only 10 women.We stay in a lovely recently restored farm house with 10 bedrooms, 10 private bathrooms, swimming pool, wifi, several living rooms, several dining areas (inside and outside) and a huge kitchen where our chef teaches.…
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Traveling Abroad in the Trump Era
Whatever your politics, you might worry about the image of Americans with Trump as President. During the 60’s the Dollar was king, the elite traveled; Americans were new rich tourists aka The Ugly Americans. During the 70’s we stayed in hostels flyew on charter flights. If it was Tuesday it was Belgium. In the 80’s we flooded Europe and SE Asia many with first passports. In the 90’s overseas travel started in college with junior years abroad. 2000’s tourists went to new countries in Eastern Europe, did volunteer tourism and adult study programs.…
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Back from our Tuscany Cooking Week
Starving post trip, for the pounds were all worth it. Here we are with home made pasta that we kneaded, cooked and ate happily. Some notes on the trip and other small group trips with The Women’s Travel Group:
There will always be someone to pal with, oddly our group tends to be similar from trip to trip. We are women who love to travel and will not wait for friends. We are sometimes celebrating retirement from work or from other ‘lifetime’ stuff.…
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2 Worst Moments on a Trip
What do you think are the two worst moments on your trip? Here is our experience at The Women’s Travel Group:
First and Earliest: The luggage carrousel comes around for the last time and your stuff is not on it. 99.99% of all suitcases are delivered within 2 days. Even when BA’s computer crashed and all Heathrow bags were waylaid, our group in India had suitcases within 48 hours. A total loss is an extreme rarity. Today’s news is new suitcases with tracking devices embedded.… -
Italy in the Spring: NYTimes 36 Hours in Rome
This is the 2014 Tuscany Cooking Group, soon off again to Pisa for our week of fun. Stay tuned for next year’s date.
Many of The Women’s Travel Group trips are arranged so solo women can easily connect with the group if not flying with a friend or one of us. March 8 produced another terrific article about Rome where we start our Sweep Through Italy trip April 29-May 10 2015.
Yes, some women will arrive in Rome a day or two before the group, so here goes some of the newer Rome sights: MAXXI by Zaha Hadid, where the building even moves as you do, slanted floors and art made from lights/string/google users and more.…
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Share left on Cote D'Azur
Our policy at The Women’s Travel Group is to offer share guarantees on our trips; if someone is not matched, they often get a no supplement single. What is the worst that can happen if you share?
1- You might find out you are the messier packer?
2- You might learn about new expensive habits that will cost you; that is how I learned about $$$ Frederic Fekkai hair products from travel mate.
3- You might have to ask for a second room key?…
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Nervous Nellies Read Here
A personal note from Phyllis Stoller. “My father started life as a traveling salesman. He started a business and worked a 24/7 schedule, before that was the thing to do. Of course, that meant rarely going on vacation and never taking trips. Well, he did play golf all the time. My mother outlived him by 15 years in good health and with financial security, thanks to Dad’s constant work schedule.
Here is what she told me in her very short list of life’s regrets: I wish I had traveled.…