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How the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Can Improve Your Trip
As you who travel with The Women’s Travel Group already know, we usually supply a reading list. Our group going to Berlin April 29-May 5 will find a city with an intriguing history of spies and secrets. In researching the list, we came upon a new source for women who like history. The CIA has a website for declassified reports: https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/home.
So what will you find in those reports on Berlin? Go type in Berlin or for that matter any city or situation.…
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New Airline Regulations for Women
There are new regulations and there are new headlines. Two girls were turned away from a United flight, wearing leggings. They were traveling on airline passes, as a relative worked for United. Airlines have strict dress codes for passengers on free tickets and leggings are definitely not allowed. This is a fake story. Read before you panic.
Another new regulation is that all electronics (except phones and medical devices) must be packed,if you are flying from 8 airports in the Middle East on airlines which fly direct to the US. …
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TSA and 5 Items Not to Wear or Carry
The Trump Administration is considering 11% cuts in the TSA Budget. If that means faster yet more intrusive searches, women need to rethink what we wear and what we carry. Especially if you are traveling alone on one of our trips, you don’t want to be delayed while your carry on sits away from sight.
Here are items that should be left home, substituted or packed in your suitcase. Here are some tips from The Women’s Travel Group:
The big one: underwired bras.…
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Where in the World is Waldo Safe?
Every day when I wake up, the paper and tv tell me to hide in the deepest closet. There I might be safe, if I don’t eat sugar, fat, processed foods, or salt. So are we safe if we travel today? Who are all these pundits and are they for real?
There are the safety consultants, usually for profit companies, who want you to hire them for consultations or training in judo.
There are battalions of former– not all so young –military personnel now on the payroll of tv news programs. …
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6 Dumb Things Women Pack
Women overpack, that is a fact. Please share this with friends who overpack or are nervous about what to bring. The Women’s Travel Group, small group tours for women is generous in how much you can bring for our porterage inclusion; however, here are the 6 dumbest items you might pack.
- Jewelry of any kind. Packing even fake jewelry is an invitation for theft. Packing jewelry that has large stars on it is an invitation for the TSA to confiscate it as a possible weapon.
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Never Eat these 10 No No’s Overseas
There are certain no no’s if you wish to travel to more exotic places and NOT get sick. This blog post might sound too conservative but why lose your hard earned money and days on a trip when you get sick?
- Shell fish, unless you are in a fine restaurant adjacent to the sea!
- Fish on weekends or after holidays. In some countries, fish is not delivered on weekends, Mondays or holidays….your fish will be old.
- Cut up fruit cocktail, not everyone washes hands when cutting fruit.
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Don’t be dumb with your Smart Phone
Many women who travel with The Women’s Travel Group have smartphones; however many are not phone smart.
Recently I was introduced to Whatsapp.com. Whatsapp has been free since the beginning of 2016. I personally hate catchy names for phone jargon and have very few applications on my smartphone. However, Whatsapp has really helped as I travel.
Keep in touch with others in wifi areas (they must be subscribers but you will know, immediately with their phone number). Call someone, it sounds as if you are around the corner.…
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Today our Yucatan Group Departs-Tips for Mexico
Here are a few smart tips for travel to Mexico with The Women’s Travel Group or anyone else.
Bring $100 in singles, the peso is 19 to a dollar making the dollar king in Mexico. Bring unmarked bills, hopefully new from your bank’s teller.
Contact your phone company, ATT for instance now includes Mexico for free. But you need to call ATT and put that option on your service. Others charge a small fee, again you need to ask for it or you will be charged roaming.…
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Traveling Abroad in the Trump Era
Whatever your politics, you might worry about the image of Americans with Trump as President. During the 60’s the Dollar was king, the elite traveled; Americans were new rich tourists aka The Ugly Americans. During the 70’s we stayed in hostels flyew on charter flights. If it was Tuesday it was Belgium. In the 80’s we flooded Europe and SE Asia many with first passports. In the 90’s overseas travel started in college with junior years abroad. 2000’s tourists went to new countries in Eastern Europe, did volunteer tourism and adult study programs.…
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Keeping Fit on the Road
Our hotel in Merida Dec 2-7 Yucatan Trip
We often write about how to travel if you have issues. This past week as a woman called us to say it sounded as if fit women did not join our groups. So here is the explanation: we like to encourage everyone to look at their personal issues and get over them. It is not that we all have bad knees or backs!
If you are super fit, there are some options for you to maintain your fitness during most trips.…