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Scots Irish Smile at Americans
Why do these two areas feel connected to Americans? We can start with the language: English. When you visit Scotland and Ireland and hear local English, you might think it is a foreign language. Both can be heavily accented to our ears. Some areas are influenced by Gaelic and some by England’s English. Posh accents like those of Ewan McGregor or Sean Connery are familiar to movie buffs. Connery is especially known to us from James Bond.
We are family. 5 million Americans have Scottish ancestry; the Scottish diaspora remains connected via church, culture, and the many societies we see in parades.…
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How to Get an Airline Upgrade
What is the deal with airline upgrades? If you are not an ultra frequent flier, you will rarely get a free upgrade. Below are a few insider tips to up the ante. The Women’s Travel Group offers excellent airfares with our award winning tours to Scotland and Ireland plus Sicily and Malta.
A Women’s Travel Group in Morocco 1-Flying with a friend, book separately. Recently I was number one for a Delta upgrade. I fly more than my husband so have higher status.…
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New Refund Rules
Refunds? New Rules for Air Ticket Refunds
Dept of Transportation The Biden White House announced new rules for consumers regarding our plane tickets. A few items are below. Some of the rules are still grayish; it is still worth a careful reading of the full statement.
Currently you get a refund if the airline cancels the flight not due to weather. NEW A consumer is entitled to a refund if the airline cancels a flight, regardless of the reason, and the consumer chooses not to travel.…
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Travel Solo without a Nervous Breakdown Part 2
Here is your ‘clearing head’ itinerary from The Women’s Travel Group. First Read Part 1. Arrival Day after a 2-3 hour nap, eat a healthy lunch include fruit/salad. Drink more water than you think you need. Ask the Front Desk for a hotel card and a map. Mark the hotel clearly on the map-you are tired—make the mark BIG. Ask staff to color a line for a neighborhood walk. Stroll the neighborhood monitoring landmarks. It is pretty easy to get lost when exhausted.…
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Rude airline staff? Too bad for you.
I just watched one of those irresistible airport videos. An airline staffer used the F word to a passenger. The staffer had demanded to see her boarding pass, not at check in but randomly. The passenger refused, said she had to make her plane and continued on to check in. Then came the F word. What can you do if an airline staffer treats you discourteously or even gray area illegally?
Dept of Transportation, your go to help line.https://www.thewomenstravelgroup.com Not much is the answer.…
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Fun Frolick Fanciful Faimlie
Faimlie is Family in Scotland. Be part of The Women’s Travel Group Faimlie. Join our trip to Scotland and Ireland. A list of stuff to surprise and shock you!
Scotland the land. There are 790 islands and 600 sq. miles of lakes.
All photos in this article are from Visitscotland.comr The climate There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing. Summer time is still on when we travel.
The hair The highest percentage of red haired people is in Scotland up to 13% vs.…
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Never Pack List for Women
Over the years, our group has had items confiscated. Some are not allowed to be imported, some are illegal, and some were ‘taken’ by customs’ officials overseas. One confiscation was hilarious. It was a tampon removed and examined by a South American customs official.
Shopping in Ethiopia https://www.thewomenstravelgroup.com/tours/ Here are some items not to pack.
Anything expensive especially with designer labels.
Items with price tags; these are easier to fence. Remove the tag.
Pirated goods like fake designer bags, sunglasses, watches. …
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The I don’t need it shopper
The Women’s Travel Group does not specialize in shopping tours but we know a lot about it. In some countries in Europe you will inevitably buy some treasure, despite protests of “I have too much already.” Temptation is strongest in Italy: leather, shoes, purses, clothes, pottery, food items. Another area is Scotland and Ireland for woolens.
www.thewomenstravelgroup.com/tours/ Here is how the experts judge leather quality:
Press with your finger, the leather will indent with a wrinkle then return to its original state.…
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Danger in Street Markets
Fake goods can get you in trouble. Source: US Customs https://www.thewomenstravelgroup.com Is the fun of buying fakes in street markets gone? The Women’s Travel Group says Yes. Customs might confiscate your Hermes-ish bag. Two days ago it was announced US Customs seized $2.98 billion of fake goods, entering this country, way up from$1.5 billion in 2019.
There were 31,030 handbags and wallets, 28,910 pieces of clothing, 14,098 watches and jewelry, thousands of shoes, electronics, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. There were dangerous toys, even sketchy candy. …
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Upgrade or Chanel?
Is the cost of upgraded airplane tickets worth it? Some thoughts from The Women’s Travel Group.
London of course https://www.thewomenstravelgroup.com In the last few years, travelers have become obsessed with airline status and their seats. This frenzy is, in part, caused by airlines themselves. There is branding / selling status by airlines. Who doesn’t want to be ‘special’ ‘elite’ ‘first in line’, ‘envied’ and ‘fussed over’.
Lets start with the special bit. Anyone who can afford to fly is already special.…