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Water Water but none to drink
Even on an inclusive trip, an extra cost can be water. A liter of bottled water in Europe averages 5 euros in a store and 10+ in a restaurant That means $100 a week to quench your thirst. When should you drink H2O from the hotel sink, when not?

Center for Disease Control Airplanes dehydrate, travel is tiring, water at meals might not appear. Most of us are shy about asking for tap water, especially while watching Europeans order the bottled stuff. …
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Bye Bye Passport, Old Friend
If you are a big traveler, you suffer a stone in your stomach, as you say Good Bye to your passport. You drop your beloved passport into the black hole of the mail box. You feel a lost at sea imbalance.

Source US Passport Agency Another love it or hate electronics. You can now renew your US passport on line. This update/innovation means no mailing of a passport to the State Department and no paper application. Plus no worry that an interloper will masquerade as you on their journey to Rome.…
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Be Your Own Concierge
Even in a group tour like The Women’s Travel Group, you might want to book an extra goody, with guaranteed transportation. You can use a concierge; but be aware they might get a commission and might only offer expensive suggestions.
Some apps we use in North America can be used overseas. Uber is the best example. When in another country, your Uber app works, debits your credit card with a fair US exchange rate. Not sure Uber is available? Click on the app and it will show asap if it works in say Tokyo or Bangkok.…
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Women and Travel Constipation
It is not The New York Times we grew up with. An excellent recent article in the Travel Section was about Travel Constipation. We, women relate. Some of us fret. Some worry ahead of time. Worst, some women do not travel at all for fear of mixed up “internal” health.

Enjoying a great meal in Northern Italy. The Times has the following suggestions and we added more.
Drink more liquids on the plane and on the trip.
Don’t sit in one position the whole time.…
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Airline App Lesson 101
How likely are senior women to load electronic travel apps on smart phones? I say: highly unlikely. Most of us are half in the modern and half in the non-electronic world. We love sending photos with phones; we hesitate to manage flights on the smart phone airline app.

Our Group in India. Save $150 on India now. Here is why it is best to learn the airline app and get on with it.
You have control over your reservation. You have easy access to the record locator or id number of your flight and its departure times.…
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What Traveling Women Fear
Travel advertising is a turn off to us senior women. Brochure photos show clothing often associated with hiking, and the outdoors. Jackets by Patagonia? Shirts by Columbia? Parachute pants by LL Bean? Women travelers often analyze clothing especially shoes to assess the group. Women travelers do not relate to groups wearing fly fishing outfits. In sum, travel clothing in industry brochures is a turn off to senior women. We are retired or still working professionals; we need to be a teeny bit of a slob on the road. …
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Seeing the World High Up
What the Paris Olympics told me…
Some European cities are magical. From high up they are fantastical. I hate heights, but panoramas tell a story like no other. Watching the Paris Olympics made me reconsider climbing or riding to heights to catch the best views. From the air, wow’s are wow er.

Source Official Guide to Eiffel Tower. In Paris you can climb up to the basilica of Sacre Coeur for views from the highest natural point on a hill. You can climb the Arc de Triomphe for a panorama of the ladder like boulevards.…
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Rejoice with Rivers
On television watching the Olympics, we often see the curve of Seine River. The elegant buildings, islands and tree lined shores are thrilling. Why are rivers so engaging for us women travelers? They are natural, free flowing and they ‘talk’ to us about history and humanity. Below is why we love river cruises, especially those with special single rates.
As the Romans traveled North from Southern Europe, they traded, ‘married’ and fought their way, mainly along rivers. They used rivers as the best, safest routes modes, well before they built those famous Roman roads.…
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Five Situations to ruin your trip
The Women’s Travel Group plans its tours to avoid certain events . Below are 5 situations to ruin your trip.

A few ladies on a WTG trip in Italy Elections. Elections in many countries come with protests and/or special legislation. For example, let’s look at Paris this week. The election results spawned serious street protests with violence. There was fighting in a major square and protesters shot fireworks at police. In some countries elections are on special dates; ie in the US.…
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Jet Lag ruins Art
How to Visit a Few Museums in Europe and Come Home Smart

https://www.thewomenstravelgroup.com American women travelers are bound to visit the most famous museums, despite jet lag and brain fog. We are unused to minimum air conditioning in historic buildings and hungry at the wrong times. But we are determined to tick off the top ten museums and the biggies: Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Matisse, Picasso, Da Vinci, Vermeer etc. Here is your guide to visiting museums. Travel Tips from The Women’s Travel Group.…





