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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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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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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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Take Advantage of Others' Travel Fears
Travel is as safe as ever. Newspapers are not as popular as ever. What connects the two subjects? To motivate you to buy a paper/read it on line/ or glance at a newsstand, head lines have to be horrifying and misleading.
Middle Eastern refugees will not attack you in Europe. Berbers will not throw a bomb at you in Morocco. No one is waiting in a niche at the Colosseum in Rome to rob you. But newspaper headlines will hint that all of this will happen, and will happen to YOU.…
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Danger Signs in Women's Tours
Five danger signs to warn you off a tour; serious tips to share from The Women’s Travel Group.
Yes we have heard stories like the one from Isabelle who booked a train trip from a tour operator, arrived only to find there was no such train. Here are the danger signs:
No one answers the phone-voicemail will not do especially while you are traveling.
Photos in brochures or sites are formally posed not casually shot.
Women in photos are obvious models not real people.…
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Holiday Weekend Tips Just for Women
Holiday Tips uniquely for women, from The Women’s Travel Group. We all know the usual: be at the airport early, drive carefully and don’t drink/eat too much. Here are about a few others that effect women more than men:
Toss a small roll of toilet paper in your carry on. Bathrooms are bound to be full at airports and highway stops. Supplies will be gone.
Take some purell type gel to wipe hands after you leave a crowded public bathroom.…
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Falling Down 15 Stairs
Yesterday we read about the awful attack in Istanbul. Shocking videos made even my stalwart travel spine shiver. My heart went out to those injured and families of those killed. Then I remembered how, in a moment of stupidity, I fell down 15 steep stairs, collapsing at the bottom with a flying iPad. Wondering if I was crippled for life. Why connect the two?
Reading about terrorism and being personally affected by it are very different animals. The statistics of being part of a terrorist event are miniscule, yet television metaphorically covers us with blood.…
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US Passport Problems
The elephant who came to our bus in Jaipur India to say hi. Next India trip: Dec 2016
Can a US Passport Holder be turned away by a country that normally allows us entry? We all assume that our US/ Canadian passports grant us entry to practically all nations. (When The Women’s Travel Group trips require a visa ahead of time for instance India,Iran, Brazil) , we advise you carefully).
Here are some situations where you might spend your vacation in the airport.…
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Brexit Shock and Your Travel Plans
(The photo is from voxeurop.eu)
Yeserday, Britain voted to leave the EU.
How will this change your travel plans? Here is guidance from The Women’s Travel Group.
For Americans, little will change possibly attitude- see below. If you look at the visa stamp in your passport from a past trip to the UK, you see the following paraphrased. You may enter the UK for up to 6 months. You may not use public assistance. (These are national health or other services like reduced rates for seniors on buses, trains, in museums,free medical, dental, reduced price medicine, eyeglasses etc.)…
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US Airlines Block Discounters
Norwegian Airlines,one of the largest in Europe, is being blocked from new routes US-Europe by lobbying from our BIG Airlines. We recently wrote about Airline Safety. Apparently Norwegian meets the standards listed in that article.
So guys, if you want us consumers to book higher airfares rather than fly on Norwegian, then give us a bone:
Better ff benefits that you just snatched from us.
A nibble? A peanut? A chip or two?
Don’t charge for a tissue.
Add some decency to your approach.…
