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The scariest moment of a group tour
There is a rhythm to group tours. Excited leaving home. Jumpy at the airport. Collapsed in the airline seat. Anxious departing the plane. Confused entering the airport. Nervous at luggage. Scared leaving customs. Relieved when met.
The scariest moment of a trip is leaving the customs area of a foreign airport then scanning the crowd for a sign that says WELCOME ME.
Before you leave home, have your meet and greet information with local phone number in your wallet or clearly noted in your phone with overseas calling ability.…
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Volunteer Trips: Help or Hurt?
Here we are on our award winning India trip, this year Dec 4-16.A new book, ‘The Promises and Pitfalls of Global Health Volunteering’ by Dr. Judith Lasker is a good read for women travelers. Dr. Lasker’s book is informative yet disturbing.
Dr. Lasker examines dozens of small volunteer travel organizations and finds that some cause unintended disturbance, some are choppy with poor continuity, and some are not followed through. Some sap local confidence in doing the same job but differently, and many do not analyze long term results. …
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Middle Seat War
Airlines are already charging for preferred seats. Some only give good seats to those with status. When you initially look at a flight’s seating chart, you cannot tell which seats are actually available until you log in or book.
Many women end up with that hated middle seat; make the best of it. Do not be shy about doing the following:
Request to share the armrest and keep requesting each time your seat mate takes it.
Ask for a lower Ipod volume.…
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Is Your Airline Safe?
Several weeks ago, I took connecting flights. On the first intra-Europe, the door to the pilot’s cockpit was open. At the second check in, I was grilled about why I was traveling,who I worked for,how long, what was the job description and more. So which airline was safer?
Stats are that they both were!
Here are a few items to investigate:
Charters? NO Most insurance companies will not cover you on either a charter or private plane.
Code Shares: YES Code sharing airlines with US carriers are vetted by the FAA and the US carrier can be liable for its partners’ standards and safety.…
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Why Solos feel less Solo with River Cruises
If you are traveling solo, and want to experiment with a cruise. We recommend a river cruise.
Based on reality not fancy brochures, here are reasons:
River cruises dock in towns not sea ports thus enabling independent walking/shopping/snacking. Ports are often in swarmy neighborhoods and getting into town will require round trip taxis. Compare downtown Budapest on a river cruise vs. the port of Marseilles on a Mediterranean cruise?
River cruises offer walking/biking tours directly off the ship. This means immediate interaction with other passengers.…
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Safe, Sane and Smart Travel
Here are a few of us in India we are booking this trip now.My wonderful friend died of breast cancer years ago. I still miss her and her travel lust. Why mention this? Because more of my friends have died of breast cancer than of terrorism. The stats are something like 50 to cancer/ 0 to terrorism.
Why do we freak at the current Belgian headlines? Unexpected events have a greater impact on us than do everyday losses. Next time you are worried, think of how many friends you have lost to illness, drug addiction and suicide.…
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Lessons for Exotic Travel
Our
The Women’s Travel Group tour of 17 just returned from Ethiopia,an exotic trip we organize. We traveled from well developed Addis Ababa to remote Arba Minch. Here are some of the instructions which made our trip so successful.
Check altitude of the destination, so you are prepared/and or take it easy the first days. Addis is 8,000 ft.
Do not depend on weather history. Global changes are affecting travel. Normally cool Ethiopia was hotter due to El Nino this year.…
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Why Husbands Don't Travel?
Don’t take it personally, men travel less than women, and men travel to exotic destinations less than women. Statistically, men like to return to places they liked and women prefer new adventures.
So if you decide to join a tour to say, Iran or Mongolia, you will not be the only woman. In fact we find that exotic tours from The Women’s Travel Group fill the fastest. Why is this?
Obviously most of us will not visit these places alone.…
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Travel Chores You Should Never Delay
January is a time to procrastinate. After finishing the year. we slow down for winter and hide under the covers.
Here are a travel chores to do immediately:
Book solo specials. We get many single cabins at the double rate.They disappear. On our solo special cruises, we sell out the best deals first. July 2016 we are offering Gems of SE Europe from AMA Waterways, our favorite river cruiser. For new travelers AMA is a welcoming way to see the world.…
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Tips for Winter Spa/Fitness Getaways
Tips for choosing a winter wellness week.
Ixtapan Spa will be your 2016 gift.
- Make sure your hotel includes fitness and/or spa treatments in prices. Do not be fooled by discounted room prices. Service charges on spa treatments are usually 20% on top of the price.
- Ask what is walkable from the hotel. Everyone wants to leave the confines of a resort, no matter how lovely, and many destination resorts are remotely situated.
- Shopping? Is there shopping near. Most hotels have ridiculously overpriced shops.
