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Do Spa and Fitness Trips for Women Require Preparation
Spa and Fitness trips for women require preparation if you want to get the most out of your stay and your $$ investment? Each year we go to Ixtapan Fitness and Spa Resort. several times.
Clothes: This is not a fashion show. Don’t worry about your wardrobe. Bring what is comfortable, especially your shoes and/or walking shoes for rain days. Do not bring brand new sneakers or hiking shoes; you will regret your purchase if they are uncomfortable and you are not near stores.…
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Cash + Will: Don't be a Travel Virgin
Maybe India is not for you, but it was for these women who met a Holy Man while we drove to Agra with The Women’s Travel Group. Our next trip to India is almost full.There are many newish articles about boomer women traveling, a trend we see but you are probably afraid of. Look at a travel brochure and you will still see the handsome couple on the deck, hair blowing gently. Look at the reality of who is traveling and you will see us women: more windblown, more casual yet more friendly in appearance.…
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Festival Trips: What Never to Do!
This article was written for The Three Tomatoes site with interesting info and events for women in the NY and LA areas. Subscribe for great fun and good information.
If you choose to go on a tour that includes a festival, there are positives and negatives. Positives are you will see local people in their most colorful and joyous. In Pushkar in India, you witness weddings, dances, tribal clothes and jewelry, camel and other races. In Sicily in December, you will join a procession with lighted candles, brass bands and clergy to walk to the Basilica in Palermo.…
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Preparing for Italy Departure Minus 1 Day
Tomorrow some of our group leaves for Tuscany and our Villa/Cooking trip (the others are meeting a day later). Here is how I organize the day before a big trip:
Eat sensibly adding more salad and yogurt than normal (to balance out junk airplane chow and food impulses at the airport.)
Double check packing list against what was used today and what is actually packed.
Update/refresh all passwords and refile in my secret cave.
Check weather again for both New York tomorrow and for Pisa.… -
Is travel for Octogenarians??
Arthur Frommer is back at the helm of his travel book empire which inspired many of us to travel to “Europe on $5 a day”. Yes, I did and (except for inevitable shopping) did Madrid on $5 a day and lodged and ate pretty well.
Frommer, long ‘a friend’ of The Women’s Travel Group and supporter of women travelers, is the owner once again of 340 excellent guides and other travel books. With Pauline, his charming and delightfully smart daughter, Frommer offers books that enhance your experience while being honest about safety, value, and trends.…
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What to Wear When You Complain at a Hotel
When you need to complain about your hotel situation, how you look can be as important as how you talk. Assuming you are traveling with minimal clothes, here is how to dress for this encounter. (We already printed a blog on How To Complain). Here is how to dress:
Pick out the most conservative shirt and or / jacket you have. Swirl around a scarf to make you look less formal but ‘dressed’. If you only have a tee shirt, then cover it nicely with the scarf.…
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White Sneakers & Other Travel Do Not's
We used to say: Do not wear white sneakers as it labels you as an American tourist not good for bargaining in markets). Now we say: Can you even buy white sneakers anymore? A shopping excursion for new sneakers for our December 2014 Sicily trip and its walking on Greco-Roman ruins, unveils that sneakers today are neon colored, often psychodelic wild. However many are ultra light in ounces, making them easily packable.
We usually suggest comfy walking shoes, and packing lightly so guess we’ll go with the hot pink Nikes.…
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'Do Not Eats' on First Day of Trips
If you do not eat these food items on your first day of an overseas trip, you will feel and look better: the photo here is from our healthy Mexican Party at Ixtapan Spa in February 2014.
1- Too many salty pretzels or other salty snacks. These can include hidden salt as in dried meats, ham, salamis as on our trip to Sicily.
2- Too much oil of any kind: hidden in roasted veggies, salads, on bread or drizzled on other dishes as hummus or on steak in our Argentina trip.… -
Comments about Women Travelers from the "Experts"???
Just back from speaking at The Times Travel Show where we had a chance to chat with many of you.
We thought you might want to hear these comments. Here are some of the outrageous misconceptions about women’s travel I heard during the panel discussions. It is 2014 folks!
One operator said they see a large increase in women booking their luxury package tours. This was evidenced in more requests for triples and quad rooms. What woman pays for a luxury tour and then asks for a quad room?…
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The Pre-Trip 3 Day Guide
1. Re-read all the documents that came with your trip package and put them in carry on bags. Same with your insurance policy and keep the travel insurance company number handy. You might need to call them from the airport if your flight is cancelled. Solo travelers especially be diligent.
2. Check weather again in both destination and any stopover airport.
3. Re-scan the seating chart of your flight to see if a better seat turned up.
4. Starting at your head, going down to your toes, think through what you packed and what you have forgotten.…
