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Wifi or Die
Wifi is our new lifeline. Way back it was whether our stockings would snag on the plane, then it was bringing your own toilet paper, then air conditioning became the must. Now it is wifi.
Some hints about wifi
Turn off your ‘roaming’ to avoid potentially huge charges. You can leave your phone on if you expect a handful of important calls. Most carriers will not charge crazily for a 1-2 minute call. You can also subscribe for a specific time period of calls in another country if you need this service.…
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Scared Cat Travel
“The trick is not to ride your stomach of butterflies, it is to make them fly in formation”. Cannot remember whose quote this is, but I wrote it down years ago when first traveling. Why? Travel is a learned habit and a glorious one.
New travelers are prone to listening to anxious friends who never go anywhere! They allow friends to color our wonderful world with visions from CNN and Fox TV. The magnificent scenes of golden temples in Bagan or the mountains behind Marrakech can be erased by others’ so easily. …
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Flight Deals within Europe
Most Americans try to use their ff miles to/from Europe and fail. Here is another way to use them: fly to a less popular European gateway and buy an intra-Europe ticket.
Example: if you are joining our Tuscany Private Villa trip end March 2015, try to get your transAtlantic ticket into any of the following: London Heathrow,Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Rome, Milan, Geneva, Vienna, Munich keep trying the big airports. Here is a list of the busiest airports in Europe.
Now try the following European discounters for your flight to Pisa(in our example).…
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What Not to Do on a Plane
Five don’t for long distance travelers:
1-Don’t brush your teeth in the bathroom on planes,nasty water dirty area.
2-Don’t take a sleeping pill. You will still be jet lagged and sleeping through a long flight creates a risk for dehydration and worse: clots.
3-Don’t leave valuables unattended even if you have them on your person-rest on them like the Princess and the Pea.
4-Do not treat yourself to the salted snacks or that second glass of wine.
5-Do not let others bother you; it is better to ask neighbors to lower music or windows or conversation than to suffer for hours.… -
Foreign Travel Deals in a NY Backyard
The other day, a travel group member and I went to the Indian neighborhood of Queens, a NY Borough. The area is called Jackson Heights. We took the rapid 7 Subway fastened our seat belts and exited in ‘Little India’. Along the streets of this neighborhood, we found: gorgeous silks, and silk/cotton clothing, 22 carat jewels and objects, and scarves galore. If you are not able to travel with us to far away places, try your own backyard for an ethnic experience.…
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Healthy Travel While Seasons Change
For those traveling this Autumn, here are a few tips to save you from colds, wet feet and or sleep deprivation.
Temperatures change rapidly this season: today it is 65 in New York and Sunday it will be 81- very hot for this time of year. Layering is the answer and sizing is another. Layering is not just about putting one garment on top of another. You also need to consider what sweaters for instance are too tight for undergarments. Same with coats which might pull with too many sweaters beneath the surface. …
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Family Pressure and Your Travels
Three months ago, I fell down the stairs in my old house which has steep painted wooden stairs. Everyone in my family warned me about wooden stairs and better “concentrated bannister use”. Did I sell the house? Install an elevator? Stop using the second floor? NO. I forced myself to go up and down repeatedly until there was only a frisson of fear left. My family was concerned but I…
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More Pilots on Drugs?
Why did I let myself read that small article today about the greater number of pilots which have been found to have drugs in their system? The most scary category was sedating antihistamines, present in 9.9 percent of pilots who died from 2008 to 2012, compared with 5.6 percent from 1990 to 1997. The ingredients in Vicodin and Valium also showed up more frequently. Now why would we tell you this bad news, if we are encouraging you to travel?
Reading the news in depth is a way to ruin your love of travel.…
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Why a Private Villa is a Perfect Trip
In March 2015 we return to our private farmhouse in Tuscany for another week of sightseeing, cooking, eating and laughing. The villa is 40 minutes from Pisa, has 11 bedrooms and 11 bathrooms, 3 living rooms,with tv and comfy furniture, several wonderful farmhouse tables for our meals, wifi, and acres of vineyards and forest. All the rooms are charmingly decorated, and huge for solos--the trip has no single supplements- we all get single rooms.
We never saw a boar, but were assured they were our neighbors.…
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Last Minute is Not Tomorrow
Last minute is used by tour companies to wake you up. Most companies call last minute 90 days before arrival. Why? Because if you travel with a big group, hotels and airlines require deposits ahead of time. However if you travel with a smaller group like The Women’s Travel Group, last minute is only 2-4 weeks away. We once booked a woman the day before a trip!
Our last minute trips include:
Canyon Ranch Health Resort, Lenox MASS. October 9 arrival for 4 nights or October 10 arrival for 3 nights. …
