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Working Women and travel
This dilemma came up at a meeting of professional women in New York last week. Here are the five main reasons professional women have no travel friends.
We are too busy working to take time to develop close friends.
We use non office time for our families and our health (ie gym classes)
We forget how to talk about non-business topics and/or relax into friendly banter.
We do not belong to the day time activities, non-working counterparts use for networking.
We make last minute vacation decisions to fit work leaving no time to locate a travel pal.…
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Shorter Trips for Women
Some of you requested a shorter trip to Argentina.
Here it is! (click on the name for details)Argentina Aug 8-16 from $2460
Argentina 8-20 from $3369Room shares guaranteed
$100 gift for former WTClub members
Phyllis chose this trip until August 20 for her vacationFox News says our India Trip is a ‘Trip of a Lifetime’
India: Pushkar Camel Mart & Bride Experience (Click for prices) Nov. 7-21 From $5095+air
Best weather so festivals abound.
We avoid long drives and fly.… -
Tour Operator Bankruptcy
What an awful thing to happen to people: they are booked and paid up and the tour company goes bankrupt. If paid by credit card, and not stranded overseas, most people get their $$ back.
I have just booked a trip with my husband’s college and the college requires payment by personal check. So how do I protect my money?
Some travel insurance policies do protect against bankruptcy. But here is what consumers do not know: they do not cover all tour companies and airlines.…
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How to Measure Weather Below the Equator
As many have asked, the weather is not the same in Buenos Aires or Capetown as in NY or Boston, which have reverse seasons, being North of the Equator. As much as BA or Capetown look equidistant from the Equator as NY or Boston, they are not.
Buenos Aires and Capetown have weather more like that in Los Angeles, even though they appear on the map to mirror NY or Boston. Rainy seasons are also different. Buenos Aires has rain spread out all year.…
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How to Save $1500 on Our Argentina Journey
Here are the best things that can happen with a room share:
-new friend
-shared the savings on the single supplement
-great gossip about everyone elseHere are the worst things that can happen with a room share:
-one of you loses the key
-both of you like to keep the hotel amenities
-both of you forgot the safe combinationSeriously, everyone saves money, and traveling with our group of women means from breakfast through dinner, we are together. A room share does not mean you are tied by the hip.…
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What Travel Insurers Do Not Tell You About Terrorism
They do not necessarily fly you home if there is a terrorist act in your destination, if your itinerary can skip the one area. Read the small print please!
They do not tell you what to do if the act is before you leave and the US State Dept has not issued a warning yet. Learn the difference between a warning and an advisory and the other vague language used by officials.
So how do you decide if you should go ahead with your trip?…
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The Angst of Tipping for Women
Tipping is always angst for women. We have trouble putting a monetary amount on a service and worry about under or over doing it. Before you travel, check what is included or not included in your tour package. Usually guides and drivers gratuities are extra. Usually porterage is included.
So how do you handle it when the luggage porter stands outside your hotel door , heavy bags in hand waiting for the second tip?
I give in, dig deeply and tip again usually a dollar if in a non European area!…
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Digestion on Airplanes?
Though we do not mention it, most of us get indigestion on long flights. On our trips, we serve balanced and delicious food but on the plane, it is every woman for herself.
Counter indigestion with:
–eat before the flight not on it.
–drink lots of water, even ask the attendants to fill up a water bottle so you have it at hand. Too bad for the people who have to move when you need the facilities.
–bring goodies with you: dried fruit, nuts, even quickie oatmeal or cereal ( they always have milk on board).… -
How To Complain
We inspect all our hotels but if you go on a trip and are unhappy, here is how we suggest you complain:
1. Get an authority figure from the hotel, not the desk clerk, and if need be wait there until someone shows.
2. Get their card and make sure they are in fact a manager.
3. Ask them to sit down away from the desk, which makes you an equal and makes this a business meeting.
4. Describe your issue, enhance with photos you took or timing you noted ( like a pillow from housekeeping took from 8:30 PM until 9:11 PM, the detail is convincing.… -
Don't Lose FF Mileage: Another Tip
On many trips, our tickets are written in the destination and are given to you when we arrive. On our last trip to Ethiopia, we had 4 domestic flights on the excellent Ethiopian Airlines. We found that without the part of the ticket kept by gate staff, we were unable to get ff credit on the Star Alliance Group. On our Argentina Trip August 2013 we will again have domestic flights……
Here is our tip: photograph the full paper boarding pass before you board and before the ticket is torn by gate staff.…
