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Travel Safety Warnings and What to do about Cancelling
Q: Are Travel Advisories and State Department Warnings Covered?
This information is from TravelInsured our travel insurance company. The question on their newsletter was: does travel insurance cover you if an area is under a State Dept warning or caution. Do note: we do not go to areas under State Dept warnings. Only once did we cancel a trip for 25 going to Egypt; they were all refunded promptly and well before we were paid.Answer from TravelInsured: No, these types of events are not covered under any travel insurance policy unless you purchase the Optional Cancel For Any Reason.…
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Cooking Trip Mistakes and Disasters
Cooking Trip Disasters and Mistakes, burns and spills etc. can happen so avoid them with the following information.
The Women’s Travel Group has returned again from the most marvelous cooking and sightseeing trip Tuscany to Tuscany which we repeat every year. Each day we cook and eat what we created either for lunch or for dinner. Some items like biscotti are also for snacking. Each afternoon we visit a charming Italian town: Lucca, Siena, Florence, San Gimignano. We also include chocolate and wine tasting venues. …
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Festival Trips: What Never to Do!
This article was written for The Three Tomatoes site with interesting info and events for women in the NY and LA areas. Subscribe for great fun and good information.
If you choose to go on a tour that includes a festival, there are positives and negatives. Positives are you will see local people in their most colorful and joyous. In Pushkar in India, you witness weddings, dances, tribal clothes and jewelry, camel and other races. In Sicily in December, you will join a procession with lighted candles, brass bands and clergy to walk to the Basilica in Palermo.…
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Tipping and Women's Angst
Today in the New Yorker there is a cartoon of two people checking into their hotel room. One says to the other: “How much are we supposed to tip the guy who followed us to our room and flicked on the light switch?”. Ironically it is the man asking the woman of the couple.
Women angst over tipping: amounts? when? and how? I am not sure why this is, but suffer from it myself. I think somewhere as accomplished and professional as we are, tipping still brings out our insecurity.…
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Hotel Bars and Do Not's for Women Travelers
After a long day working, don’t you wish the hotel bar were less intimidating and less noisy? Tips to find the right hotel with the right amenities for women:
Living Lobbies: these are lobbies that incorporate the bar into a larger living space. So you can sit away privately from the bar and have your glass of wine.
Magazine and newspaper racks: these say, come relax and read without being bothered.
Armchairs in bar areas: armchairs let you sit alone and enjoy your drink; they insinuate you wish to be left alone.… -
How To Navigate A Travel Show
If you are planning on coming to The New York Times Travel Show, here is how to get the most out of it and not come home with a broken back.
Wear comfy shoes; the floor of the Javits Ctr is concrete.
Bring a small stapler and simply staple a business card to the info you wish instead of carrying home heavy brochures.
Prepare a business card of your own to drop into info bowls if you wish to be on a mailing list.… -
The Pre-Trip 3 Day Guide
1. Re-read all the documents that came with your trip package and put them in carry on bags. Same with your insurance policy and keep the travel insurance company number handy. You might need to call them from the airport if your flight is cancelled. Solo travelers especially be diligent.
2. Check weather again in both destination and any stopover airport.
3. Re-scan the seating chart of your flight to see if a better seat turned up.
4. Starting at your head, going down to your toes, think through what you packed and what you have forgotten.…
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Airplane delays and cancellations
Today Joe Sharkey, my favorite airline journalist, announces the huge number of cancellations and delays caused earlier this month by weather. Here are some reasons you need insurance:
1-Plane severely delayed and you need a new transfer to Ixtapan Spa: $170 private transfer one way. (More than our group deal)
2- Weather prevents you from getting to your flight and you take another one.
3- You sprain your ankle (my husband did over Christmas on a trip), and you need to fly next day.…
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The cheapest gifts in Ixtapan De la Sal near Ixtapan Spa
Here are the ‘budget’ gifts usually bring back from Mexico, and they are sold in Ixtapan de la Sal
(home of Ixtapan Spa):
1- Vanilla. Vanilla is cheap in Mexico, not as sweet as the Asian one but rich and fantastic in things like rice pudding and other creamy foods. Cost: $3 ish
2- Tajin: a mix of sea salt, chili, and desiccated lime. Makes the dullest food taste amazing with a slight pop and a lime aftertaste. All-natural. Cost $1 more or less.… -
When Not to Take a River Cruise
I just returned from the most fabulous Christmas Markets Danube cruise on AMAWaterways. The trip was perfect. In some places, we suggest a land trip as the major sites are not on the river.
The Women’s Travel Group has chosen to visit Vietnam and Cambodia, not on a cruise. The places of greatest interest are on land. We are staying in fine luxury hotels, going to famous restaurants, and have included both the glorious and gritty history of the area. Our shopping times are saved for the fine stores recommended by friends, not for tourist traps.…
