Ancient cities were founded around waterways. As they grew, the most important buildings were placed prominently on river banks. Paris is a bit different, as the Seine also has islands, which were developed. If you watched the Olympics last Summer, the Seine was the featured Parisian landmark. It is our location for the 7 night Paris to Normandy cruise our specially priced Seine river adventure.
The Seine flows from the Burgundy region in NW France through Paris to Normandy then the North Sea.…
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?
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. …
Travel advertising is a turn off to us senior women. Brochure photos show clothing often associated with hiking, and the outdoors. Jackets by Patagonia? Shirts by Columbia? Parachute pants by LL Bean? Women travelers often analyze clothing especially shoes to assess the group. Women travelers do not relate to groups wearing fly fishing outfits. In sum, travel clothing in industry brochures is a turn off to senior women. We are retired or still working professionals; we need to be a teeny bit of a slob on the road. …
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.…
If there is a special event, restaurant or museum exhibit you wish, book it now. Europeans are raring to travel; so far a 14% increase. A Vermeer exhibit in Amsterdam was sold out months in advance. A revival of Guys and Dolls in London same situation. I am not a believer of Skip the Line tickets; seems elitist. If the ticket relates to your dreams, then go ahead.
Before Covid, we, senior women felt immune to life’s surprises. But a surprise like a pandemic, changed us. Women now have travel worry. It is 2023, we are restarting our travel life, with new emotions, plus a few more years under our belts. Go or not? That is the question.
Main square Mexico City Source: Mexico Tourism
Where to go? Some places are new to tourism but how long will they stay open? We visited Iran as a group of women when it opened- see photo below.…
My 10 personal Parisian Surprises for 2022. I am just back from Europe, finalizing our May Paris and London trips. They will both be fantastic. Paris because I know it so well and London because it was my home for years. Here are a few fun tips for when you join us to Paris May 6. The next post will be about London whre
Museums are oases: free wifi, clean bathrooms, lounge areas, shops and often budget eating. …
If you are a senior woman who is homebound and has not traveled since early 2020, here are 7 things senior women travelers probably forgot. These come from The Women’s Travel Group
Packing and weather do not dance together well. During Summer, we pack light clothes and tees; therefore, forgetting that altitude and general direction of winds can create unseasonably cold air. Moreover, we forget that planes are cold and some airports as well. In winter we can overpack again forgetting that in cold weather, one can use sweaters and jeans for a number of days. But that shoes might get wet so we need a second pair.
A good way to zero in on what to pack is to make some notes on what you are wearing on different weather days.…
