Why is London Bridge Closed to Americans despite our automatic visas? We were the darlings of tourism post WW2? Now even London, our bestie, is closed to us. 116 foreign countries allow U.S. citizens in with a passport, according to PassportIndex.org. Things have change with Covid. Example: entry used to be automatic from The UK. Now Americans have a 14 day shelter in place quarantine and are invited in for essential travel only.
What does your first pandemic vacation feel like? I just took 5 days off and traveled to a new location, stayed at a hotel, ate in restaurants, played golf, walked in parks and on a beach. I was able to chat with others at a distance or behind a mask and by Day 2 it all came together: We can do this and enjoy it.
It is July 4, let’s be patriotic and let the government spy on us. Here is one practical reason to let the government spy on you. You should get Global Entry now. Global Priority is a popular program that allows travelers coming home from overseas to re-enter the United States on an expedited basis. You fill out copious forms on line and email them. One of the hard ones for me personally is to list every country visited and when visited. Be prepared. …
Over the Rainbow… Women ready to travel? Time is getting nearer and nearer when we will. The virus is no Wizard of Oz; it is real, dangerous and in control of our lives right now. But things are changing even though it feels like they are not.
So who is wearing the mask on our Ethiopia trip?
Slowly slowly, travel is coming back. Travelers are antsy. Airlines are sparkling clean, as are airports. Hotels are sanitized. Even the NY City subway is polished and primed.…
We have time right now for insights into The Women’s Travel Group travel psyche. Do we have travel worries? Or travel addictions?
Do we really miss travel?
Do we really need travel?
Why do we miss travel despite what we don’t miss about travel?
Five things we really miss
We miss the anticipation of a trip: thinking about our first sighting of the domes of Florence (VisitFlorence.com Source), from the air or the crooked cobbled streets of a Moroccan souk.
One can never compare loss of family or friends to mourning for travel. Personal losses stay deep in our hearts. Mourning for travel is also real. Travel can be such an important source of joy, that its loss must also be mourned in 5 stages.
Let’s start this conversation with a comment by British author, CS Lewis. “No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear”. Today we are scared along with mourning. Are we going thru the 5 stages of mourning?…
The Women’s Travel Group has strict deadlines for bookings on most of its trips. The reason is that most resorts / airlines etc. impose these dates to control discounts. For instance, Canyon Ranch gives us a 35% discount on our group booking for Columbus Day Weekend, but the resort takes away unsold rooms in mid August– months before our arrival. This rule guarantees them that unsold rooms can be given to the general public at a higher rate, and it puts pressure on us to fill them.…
Not everyone wants to study again and many of us consider travel a non-homework activity. I personally do believe in doing some reading before a trip. There are two kinds of books for travel: travel fiction and guidebooks. The former is just as informative in the way it opens your eyes to subtleties. An example might be what a headdress might mean? Travel fiction is written by women often covers myths or religious beliefs which are hard for us to understand.…
The word, ‘safety’, gets the most attention in travel media. The word, ‘clothing’, gets the most attention in travel media from women readers. So it is all too frequent that article themes are ‘new travel clothing for women’! Today a google alert about women and travel, had another promo about a travel shirt for women. DON’T SPEND YOUR MONEY ON THINGS LIKE THIS.
The best safety tool you have is your common sense and your ability to go on a trip as rested as possible.…
—-Do not pack your sneakers! Buying new ones at a spa can be both expensive and impossible if your luggage is delayed.
—-Do not buy new spandex work out clothes! Wear what is comfy for you, spend the money on something more important.
—-Do not plan your time before you go, you will find surprises and other things to do you were no aware of: Lecture at Canyon Ranch? Walk into town in Ixtapan de la Sal? Special service like acupuncture at Ixtapan Spa?…
