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ABC’s of Travel for Women Traveling
A is for Air conditioning vs Climate Control.
In Europe Climate Control rather than Air Conditioning is common.
With air conditioning you can usually set exactly how cold you want your room. (That is once you figure out the controls on the wall). With climate control, the hotel system sets the temperature. You can chose your level within a range of hot and cold.
When setting temperatures, take into consideration the altitude. Desert climates as in our Saudi Arabia trip or mountains as in Mexico August trip means much cooler evenings that you might expect. …
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What Women Carry On Planes
I have a great new mirror. It is a high magnification mirror as a gift for a woman traveler. It is bigger than compact size and not hand held. It is fragile and could break into sharp pieces? (Hopefully not). Can I carry it on the plane? The real life answer will come in 3 weeks when I fly. The mirror will be packed carefully in carry on luggage. Cliff hanger result to be continued….
The official TSA answer is yes a mirror can be carried on the plane. …
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Get help without looking pathetic.
Please admit it, we women travelers sometimes need help. We don’t always feel comfortable asking for help. Ask or not? Tip or not?
Requesting a wheelchair for the airport is common. Since 1986 US law has required wheelchairs in US airports. There is no needed proof of disability, some able bodied travelers take wheelchairs in order to skip lines. This makes wheelchairs scarcer.
Procedure: call your airline at least 48 hours before departure. (Some airlines have a request link on their site). …
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Who are those royal people at airports
Do you feel like a Tiny Tim peering in a window, when in line at the airport? Others travelers are in the TSA Precheck or Clear Line. You are even below the traveler who elbows you with a meek apology that he/she in a rush.
So what are these elite lines.
TSA Precheck is the most common and has been in use for longer. Here is government’s the pitch ‘experience a smoother screening process – no need to remove shoes, belts, 3-1-1 liquids, laptops, or light jackets’.…
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Breakfast in Heaven for women travelers
The Women’s Travel Group loves to eat well overseas. Start your first day on our Paris tour (early bird $300 off until April 1) like this:
A croissant with sweet French butter. Croissants served in Paris are a marvel, better than the best you have eaten in North America. Why? More croissants are consumed in France; so they are fresher and hotter. Ingredients: the croissant is made of 1/4 butter. French butter is higher in fat that its American equivalent.…
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Flight changed! One woman asks why?
How can there be two of the same flights with the same flight number…that leave at different times but arrive at the same time. This is not a trick question. I recently booked 2 Virgin Atlantic flights JFK to London Heathrow- one in March 2023 and one in April 2023. The March flight leaves at 9:15AM and arrives at 8:05PM. The April flight leaves at 8AM and arrives at 8:05PM. What is going on here? Are we stopping mid Atlantic for tea and scones?…
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Math 101 for Women Who Travel
There is a Math 101 to learn and share, if you are women who travel. Specific numbers and letters will find a booking, retrieve ff miles, and send you to the right gate at the airport.
The first number is your ticket number! Your reservation is stored by the airline in two ways. The ticket number is a long list of numbers and upper case letters. It will be in smaller font and on your boarding pass and reservation.…
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The Scent of Lost Luggage
Lost Luggage it felt like a disaster or at least the worst possible situation: lost luggage. Three of us in a Women’s Travel Group of 20 ladies, flew to India a day before the group. It was a direct British Airways flight: London to Delhi. What could go wrong? Luggage was checked through so embarkation was a breeze.
Well here goes: In Delhi, we cleared customs, then waited at the luggage carousel. Nothing came out. I mean no bags at all from the 350 BA passengers.…
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Be a Bus not Bust Girl
Our company provides transfers. When traveling alone, this writer loves Public Transportation: buses, subways, monorails, shuttles, ferries. In the US, bus still means the seedy bus station or rowdy college kids. Subway connotes anti social behavior. Shuttles take too long. Ferries have questionable bathrooms. But if you are overseas in any major European city, try the public transportation. You will save money with public transportation,and move quickly.
Overseas, public transportation is used by all classes of travelers. In many cities public transportation is available for distances like airport to town or central bus station to ex-urbs.…