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Avoiding the Single Supplement
Catherine Hamm of the Los Angeles Times published an article about The Women’s Travel Group’s unique room share guarantee. She asked me why women would share and how do we explain this guarantee when women call us.
Here goes: more women share today than ever, because of the rising cost of hotels and related cost of single supplements. Hotels will not waive this cost so the discussion of getting rid of supplements is a poof in no one’s ears.
We guarantee everyone who asks for a share, that she will get one.…
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Carrying gifts on Airplanes
Like many of you, I will be bringing gifts for my family next week and on that super- crowded Thanksgiving flight. Yes, even we professional travelers end up on the most overbooked flights! Here is my conundrum: how do I pack the gifts so they do not disappear at the TSA scanner? Ideas welcomed from all of you.
So far, I will triple wrap the small things in other containers.
I have alas larger ‘objects’ for the guys in the family.…
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Five dangerous things women leave in wallets
Traveling with a full wallet is pretty dumb.
Over and over we see women at The Women’s Travel Group open their wallet bursting with papers and pictures. Here are 5 dangerous items solo women travelers should remove from their wallets:
1- Medicare or other with a SS number on it and that includes your and your husband’s medical cards. If necessary photocopy it and cut off the last four digits.
2- Credit cards for stores that do not even exist were solo women are traveling.… -
Solo Women are majority of Christmas Travelers
Why do we travel over Christmas? Some of us have far away from families. Some women can only take school system holidays. Some do not celebrate Christmas at all.
Some are tired of doing all the cooking and work!
More and more solo Christmas travelers are women. So here are tips to choose the right trip to escape from it all.
Someplace different from your country avoiding the tacky reminder of red and green decorations.
Where you can go to services if you are religious or just won’t experience in a foreign country.… -
Yelp.com the new best travel friend
Yes, I did invest in Yelp as I was so impressed with the service. For a woman traveling solo, it was invaluable.
Here is why I like yelp.com: it is easy to use, nothing technical, nothing complicated. Here is how I have used it while traveling solo and did not have others to ask for advice:
For a hairdresser in Los Angeles within walking distance of where I stayed. Yelp listed several with consumer reviews of who was good at what kind of hair and how much it cost.…
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Men Lazy When Packing Says Study
Skyscanner, a global research company, has published statistics on packing: men versus women in Thailand.
First the weird news:
Women pack 56% of men’s vacation suitcases. 6% of men say they have NEVER packed their suitcase for vacation trips.
27% of men do not pack themselves even for business trips.Now the bad news:
56% of women pack more than men do. Women begin to pack a few days before the trip. The study says women are smarter and more organized: duh we know that.… -
Snooze: how to get through the long flight to Argentina!
The Women’s Travel Group goes to Argentina today.
Hour 1 Read heavy-duty stuff you have been avoiding then throw out the magazines. My heavy-duty is The New York Review of Books.
Hour 2 Bring junk literature you love but are ashamed to buy. Like the female version of drinking from a brown paper bag. Movie Star gossip is the best here.
Hour 3 Eat as slowly as possible, finishing with your airplane treat. If you plan to drink alcohol, add in lots of water also. … -
shopping tips overseas for women
Shopping Tips from The Women’s Travel Group
Pack heavy tape; boxes and bags are easy to find, but not tape. Same with bubble wrap if you plan to buy ceramics.
Check on Ebay or other, for US prices of foreign goods, then gauge from there for your prices.
Bargain with Dollars and Euros; the latter are more acceptable in many parts of Europe and elsewhere.
Do not change money on Fridays; banks add margins to their rates to protect against weekend fluctuations.
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Shopping Nightmares Overseas
Today I saw an ad for the great discount shopping outside of Disney World in Orlando. Fl. This ad reminded me, that the good old shopping we used to do overseas,might not be there anymore. Some countries still offer deals but even China with its inflation and artificially high Yuan is creeping out of bargain territory. Before you travel, do your research.
Look at sites about shopping in your target area. Check Ebay and use the actual terms: ie search for Argentine leather jacket not just leather jacket.…
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A checklist for brochure vocabulary from The Women's Travel Group
The Women’s Travel Group, a specialty tour operator for women, offers this vocabulary checklist to all women travelers who want a smart trip!
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1. How many days are ‘drive by or city tours‘? Try for the minimum but do not miss city highlights.
2. Do the tours contain the words: ‘ceremony, lesson, museum and private visit‘? It is a good sign if they do.
3. The word ‘options‘: many options means you have under budgeted your vacation.…