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First fitness/spa trip Packing List
You are probably concerned about clothes. Joining The Women’s Travel Group in August to Ixtapan Resort, below is what to pack. Ixtapan Resort is in magnificent mountain scenery at 6100 ft. August is cool. Daytime occasionally reaches 80 in full sun. Morning and night are 50ish. No fancy clothes needed.
Welcome Party for The Women’s Travel Group at Ixtapan Laundry is cheap.
Below are clothing suggestions for each activity.
6:30AM coffee 7AM walk: a fleece or sweatshirt, sweater, leggings or workout pants.…
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Are You a River Rat?
Viva River Cruise A Primer about River Cruises from The Women’s Travel Group
Rivers flow in one direction; from higher elevations downstream. The direction of the river is your compass to identify the right bank and the left bank. Now you know what the Right and Left Banks of Paris are and what it means.
VIVA River Cruise 
Our balcony cabins on VIVA Cruise River cruises dock, changing from one side of the river to the other, usually every other day, so all cabins have equal views.…
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Success; approval to enter the UK
Success for one from The Women’s Travel Group. !!! I applied for the new UK ETA ‘Electronic Travel Authorisation’ needed to enter the UK after January 8 2025. A similar application will be used for entering the European Union after January 8 2025. Consider applying before the crush….
Here is what to know about the UK one only:
Have ready:
Passport
Credit Card or Apple Pay
Smart phone
One other electronic device (my opinion).
Make up— so you look decent (I started the process in pajamas; vanity prevailed).…
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Travel budgeting 101
Tuscany 
Wines on a Women’s Travel Group trip The Women’s Travel Group is asked frequently: how much should I budget for my trip’s extra expenses. Our tours generally include it all, plus 2 hearty meals daily, porterage, and bottled water on the bus. Wine or whisky in Scotland tasting is included,Extras might be the following items:
Additional meals? Our group is casual so if looking for company for an extra meal, do not be nervous about your budget. For extra meals in Europe, budget Euros 35+ wine if that is your thing.…
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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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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.
Source: TSA.govhttps://www.thewomenstravelgroup.com 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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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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Overseas safety was better than in my hometown.
I just returned from our first Women’s Travel Group trip over the Atlantic since early 2020. I felt safer in Dubai than in New York.
Airport: Everyone was excited to be traveling again and yes was masked. Our airline, Emirates, required a PCR test. I went on Yelp.com and found a local pharmacy, where the test was less money, with results next day. I booked on line. At the store, a pharmacist swabbed my nostrils. Next day I got an email with the needed document. Easy.…
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Money Mistakes Overseas
Tips from The Women’s Travel Group to Be a Smart Banker of your own money.
To feel in control before leaving home. Some women like the idea of having money on hand when landing in a foreign country. I am one who usually takes out in local currency $100 from Chase. You usually have to order foreign money 48 hours ahead. Ask for unmarked/undamaged bills. Marked bills are hard to convert overseas.
Buying currency in an airport. Most airport exchange bureaux charge a set fee.…
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90 Countries Open Again to Americans
As of writing, US residents could visit 90 countries and counting. More areas open almost daily now. As the vaccine rolls out and borders open, there are 1,000’s of travelers ready to go. A recent survey of experts from a national travel agency found that 1/2 of their clients had already booked a next trip or are planning it.
Hard to believe after all these months, that travel is tip toeing. We can dream again. We can plan again. We can smile behind a mask.…
