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Solo Christmas Travel
Holidays are around the corner. The Women’s Travel Group offers both Thanksgiving and Christmas trips. Thanksgiving is waitlisted this year. Christmas Rhine cruise might have space. Contact us asap. Holidays create emotional unwrapping of memories and of loneliness. Many of us especially, women who are single, miss families and friends.
There are some terrific surprises for you, ladies, with overseas travel during Christmas.
Flights are not that crowded if you do not leave on school/college semester end days.…
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Eat Cheap-Museum Munchies
So you are alone for a meal, nervous but hungry. You are overseas? Museum munchies might be your solution. Increasingly museums are visitor friendly: seating areas, outdoor spaces, free wifi and affordable restaurants. Dining in a museum is the next thing to dining at home.
Source: Jim Thompson Heritage Quarter Some museums have famous chefs and fancy prices. The Fondation Louis Vuitton outside of Paris boosts a restaurant called appropriately Le Frank. The founding chef has a Michelin star so expect prices to be high, reservations needed.…
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Cash? Or Card?
Money when traveling overseas. Should you carry cash? Award winning tour company, The Women’s Travel Group says yes. A qualifier, carry only unmarked and un torn US bills. ( No coins. It is impossible to exchange coins overseas.) This cash is for incidentals, ie airport shops might accept a dollar for bottled water. Or you want to give a small tip to a porter? Or donate to a charity box? For most travels, $50 is the emergency cash you might need. …
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Never done it before?
Many phone calls start with I have never done it before. I want to travel but but but. How do you get over ‘the never done it before’ bit. Think about the other ‘never done it before’ situations you conquered:
First coed dance ( camp? church? school?), you stood in the back, concerned about not getting a partner or worse, having to dance with a partner!
The worst is first appointment with a gynecologist. We all survived that.
First day of college.…
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Water Water but none to drink
Even on an inclusive trip, an extra cost can be water. A liter of bottled water in Europe averages 5 euros in a store and 10+ in a restaurant That means $100 a week to quench your thirst. When should you drink H2O from the hotel sink, when not?
Center for Disease Control Airplanes dehydrate, travel is tiring, water at meals might not appear. Most of us are shy about asking for tap water, especially while watching Europeans order the bottled stuff. …
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Bye Bye Passport, Old Friend
If you are a big traveler, you suffer a stone in your stomach, as you say Good Bye to your passport. You drop your beloved passport into the black hole of the mail box. You feel a lost at sea imbalance.
Source US Passport Agency Another love it or hate electronics. You can now renew your US passport on line. This update/innovation means no mailing of a passport to the State Department and no paper application. Plus no worry that an interloper will masquerade as you on their journey to Rome.…
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Are you a difficult traveler?
Over 32 years we have had 1,000’s of women travel with The Women’s Travel Group. Our company asks you on a Booking Form if you have special needs. Yes, some needs might be dietary vegetarian? vegan? no red meat? no sugar? only fresh food? Others are physical as in hearing or eyesight issues, colostomy bag issues. (We had a blind guest travel with us; she came with a friend.). A third group are allergies: perfume, peanuts, shellfish even on someone else’s plate and gluten. …
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“Why did I buy it”?
Visiting Vineyards in Italy with The Women’s Travel Group Women like to scratch their shopping itch when traveling abroad. Here are a few items to reconsider.
Shoes. Shoes in Western Europe, especially Portugal, Spain and Italy are mouth-wateringly attractive and cheap. Bear in mind the following: the ‘last’ used in European shoes can be different from the ‘last’ used in shoes made for the American market. European shoes can be narrower, with sizing based on centimeters not inches. The difference in measurement can alter the shoe fit.…
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Be Your Own Concierge
Even in a group tour like The Women’s Travel Group, you might want to book an extra goody, with guaranteed transportation. You can use a concierge; but be aware they might get a commission and might only offer expensive suggestions.
Some apps we use in North America can be used overseas. Uber is the best example. When in another country, your Uber app works, debits your credit card with a fair US exchange rate. Not sure Uber is available? Click on the app and it will show asap if it works in say Tokyo or Bangkok.…
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Women and Travel Constipation
It is not The New York Times we grew up with. An excellent recent article in the Travel Section was about Travel Constipation. We, women relate. Some of us fret. Some worry ahead of time. Worst, some women do not travel at all for fear of mixed up “internal” health.
Enjoying a great meal in Northern Italy. The Times has the following suggestions and we added more.
Drink more liquids on the plane and on the trip.
Don’t sit in one position the whole time.…
