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Icky Cruising? New regulations!
New cruise regulations are here. Below is a post from 2013 in which we were helping you decide if a cruise is for you. It is time to edit this post with 2020 cruise health precautions. Firstly you should know that cruises are ‘regulated’ by an international organization of which a US organizationn is one of 9 members. However, most cruise lines are not licensed in the US, so regulations apply because they dock here or because CLIA has been so effective.…
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Why Professional Women Make Awful Travel Groupies
We know it all and do not let the guide do his/her job.
We worry about scheduling even though it is done for us.
We spend time analyzing the trip, not enough smelling the roses.
We allow our office needs to interrupt our vacations.
We do not know how to treat ourselves and have lost spontaneity.
We do not recognize the personal value of getting away from it all and coming back refreshed.Welcome smart women to www.thewomenstravelgroup.com and our blog.…
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Working Women and travel
This dilemma came up at a meeting of professional women in New York last week. Here are the five main reasons professional women have no travel friends.
We are too busy working to take time to develop close friends.
We use non office time for our families and our health (ie gym classes)
We forget how to talk about non-business topics and/or relax into friendly banter.
We do not belong to the day time activities, non-working counterparts use for networking.
We make last minute vacation decisions to fit work leaving no time to locate a travel pal.…
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5 Tips to Make Any Trip Better
Please join me for a fun evening on women and travel through the Transition Network Group of Professional Women on May 16 in New York City.
Phyllis Stoller will talk about what the new woman traveler wants, with tips on how to make your own trips special.
5 Tips to Make Any Trip Better
1-Connect with local people by bringing a photo of your family to share.
2-Bring something that has universal meaning: say a Breast Cancer Survivor Hat
3-Find a source for an honest picture of your destionation: this might be a woman’s federation who push for reform.…
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Tour Operator Bankruptcy
What an awful thing to happen to people: they are booked and paid up and the tour company goes bankrupt. If paid by credit card, and not stranded overseas, most people get their $$ back.
I have just booked a trip with my husband’s college and the college requires payment by personal check. So how do I protect my money?
Some travel insurance policies do protect against bankruptcy. But here is what consumers do not know: they do not cover all tour companies and airlines.…
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Airline Prices Have Fallen: it is Taxes which are the Culprit
Many travelers do not know that airline prices have fallen over the years. It is taxes which are the culprit for high prices. Today I got an email from a airline ticket consolidaror, giving out deals from Los Angeles.
Here is the shocker:
LAX to Europe was around $265, taxes were $650. So it is the taxes which are the big piece. Sites selling airline tickets are now required to add the taxes to the amount you see before you click.… -
Why is a Compliment from Arthur Frommer Important?
What does it mean when a travel icon like Arthur Frommer compliments your company?
It means literally The World, especially if unsolicited and permanently on the web. Those of us who have been in the travel business for eons, need a way to differentiate ourselves from the upstart internet tour companies. The ways to show we are for real are to include a compliment from an authority like Mr. Frommer. It is also significant to be accepted into a selective industry membership like IATAN and to have the right to sell travel insurance.…
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Why Your Credit Card Overseas Might be Rejected
Most of the articles are written about fees for foreign credit card transactions. Few mention that a PIN is required for many credit card expenditures in Europe. If you plan on spending using plastic, bring Amex which does not require a pin. Amex is not accepted everywhere as merchants say it is more expensive, that is a forewarning. If you have to pay cash and use the ATM, try to avoid Fridays as the dollar/foreign currency rate is highest before a weekend.…
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Warning on International Cruises as Carnival Goes to Asia
The news that Carnival Cruise is going to leave from Singapore brings up another pitfall with choosing a cruise. Will you feel isolated when other guests are speaking Chinese? Ask us here.
Last year I took a river cruise on which 85% of the passengers were German ( it was marketed as ‘an international departure’). This mix meant announcements in 2 languages, only 10-15% of the passengers spoke English and we were segregated at all meals. We found out we paid much more than the Germans.…
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Women & Choice on Worst Seat mates in the Air
Peter Greenberg in his blog writes about the Ten Worst People to Sit Next to on a Plane (www.petergreenberg.com).
We are adding the hairy tank top guy.
And we have to add the guy who was found all over one of our travelers as she flew on El Al and was under an Ambien. Nothing against El Al but heh, guys are you that desperate?
Who was your worst seat mate? Share with us.…
