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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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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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Female Neurosis– Insomnia in Travel
More than men, women have sleep problems when we travel. Jet lag and being away from home–possibly for the first time alone –can complicate the issue.
If you can, fly so you arrive early evening. Do not exercise heavily before bed; but a nice walk will help. On some trips like our Colors of India, there are choices of flight arrivals.
Start moving into the new time zone before you leave. Get up early or stay up late whichever applies. Some jet lag like that for our China trip is easier going there than coming home.…
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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.
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Is it Odd to Travel Solo for Christmas?
Do we all fit the image of ‘happy family with turkey and gifts under the tree”? Or are you with no family, and friends who invite you because you make a great cake? You are not an oddball; we hear this all the time.
No matter what your religion, going away for Christmas removes you from the intensity, memories, and obligations of the season. Leaving home and family, if you have any, means more than ‘taking a trip’. It is a form of refreshing independence. …
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Winter Travel Clothes: What to Wear Where to Buy
The Women’s Travel Group offers some trips during winter, like Paris for The Holidays Dec 21-28. Although we visit the world capital of fashion, there is no reason to ‘dress up’ for the trip. Just be comfortable. Here is our suggested wardrobe for European cities in winter. And for winter river cruises like New Year’s on The Rhine with us. From top to bottom, here is what works:
Winter coat, gloves and if you get cold easily, wear a down jacket under your coat.…
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Robbery on Overseas Trips
The Women’s Travel Group has experienced very little crime during our 23 years of tours. But it can happen in rare instances. Here are a few examples and how we handled them happily:
A lady was pick pocketed in a major European city. She was called at the hotel from someone purporting to have her wallet. We went with her to a public place to meet this person. Yes, he had found it minus the cash, but with all credit cards in place.…
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Super Cheap Gifts to Grab on our Paris Holiday Tour Dec 21-28
So you are going to Paris with us for Christmas Season, and you are going solo. For those of you on the sidelines: Dec 21 depart or leave earlier as some women are doing, and return Dec 28. If you leave earlier, we book you into our centrally located hotel and put you in touch with the other early birds. Come alone, shares are guaranteed. Limited Space Left.
How about treating yourself with some cheap and cheerful gifts
Here are five goodies to bring home, no matter how slim your budget.…
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Icky Toilets and Women's Travels
Women are skittish about using bathrooms overseas. Frankly speaking, it is harder for us to ‘activate’, right? Our noses never had the ‘locker room experience’, and we are more prone to infections.
The Women’s Travel Group tries to find the cleanest facilities on all our trips. Our guides know where to take us; many will forewarn if the bathroom is an un-preferred situation. In India, our guide uses the terms: happy bathroom or unhappy bathroom. You get it.
Advice on bathrooms i personal, however here is mine: Wear pans or leggings you can roll up to at least your knees.…
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Mexico City Will Shock You!
Join us to Mexico City Feb 4-7 2016 and not just for Aztec temples and bargains. Mexico City is a city of startling museums, striking skyscrapers, outdoor gourmet cafes, deluxe shopping malls, built near 14century Aztec ruins. Highly innovative ways to combine old and new exist: like the 19c mansion below serving as base for a soaring office building.
Here are a few of the unbelievable buildings you will see along with the Frida Kahlo area, and the major Aztec museums and areas:
We have some space left on Mexico City Feb 4-7 with women either going on to Ixtapan Spa or returning home after the tour.…