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Travelers: Say NO
The Women’s Travel Group teaches you to say NO.Air travel is not as disruptive as hyped by press, or, as home made videos record. There are times when you have to tolerate bad behavior; there are times when you need to say NO.
Once your boarding pass and/or face are scanned, is there a check that you sit in your assigned seat? Here is a new word: seat squatting. Seat squatting is defined as taking an airplane seat that is not assigned to you.…
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Guide to Dining Overseas
How not to be a Dining Dufus.
The most awkward meal ever. The dinner was in Munich Germany; I could not read German but did know the word for ‘dumpling’: knodel (with accent marks). Who doesn’t love dumplings? I ordered knodel. Time passed, the waiter brought 2 grapefruit sized beige balls. I started uncontrollably laughing; German diners looked at me with shock. Clearly I did not know German knodel.
We were 3 ladies on a Women’s Travel Group tour. In the Tokyo Airport, we noticed a couple enjoying what looked like delicious pasta.…
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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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2025 Wishes- Senior Women Travelers
There is bad news for senior women travelers. Worse news for senior women who travel solo. Lets hope 2025 brings travel industry improvements for the 77 million women over 65, who FYI hold most of the discretionary $$. (Source: AARP). Here are suggestions for the industry who might be anxious for the $7000 we each spend on travel annually. These are cheap solutions.
Women’s Travel Group meal in Italy Let’s start with the subtle theme called “who pays for the wine”, aka “couples on tour do not want to eat with solos”. …
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Eat Cheap-Museum Munchies
So you are alone for a meal, nervous but hungry. You are overseas? Museum munchies might be your solution. Increasingly museums are visitor friendly: seating areas, outdoor spaces, free wifi and affordable restaurants. Dining in a museum is the next thing to dining at home.
Source: Jim Thompson Heritage Quarter Some museums have famous chefs and fancy prices. The Fondation Louis Vuitton outside of Paris boosts a restaurant called appropriately Le Frank. The founding chef has a Michelin star so expect prices to be high, reservations needed.…
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Cash? Or Card?
Money when traveling overseas. Should you carry cash? Award winning tour company, The Women’s Travel Group says yes. A qualifier, carry only unmarked and un torn US bills. ( No coins. It is impossible to exchange coins overseas.) This cash is for incidentals, ie airport shops might accept a dollar for bottled water. Or you want to give a small tip to a porter? Or donate to a charity box? For most travels, $50 is the emergency cash you might need. …
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Travel Quiz-Women
Can you take the first solo trip? A test from award winning, The Women’s Travel Group.
Can you do the trip physically? Try walking a mile, which is 20 times the length of Saks Fifth Avenue’s famous 6th Floor shoe department. We are not talking run or rush, just walk.
Can you drag your suitcase from the taxi/car to airline check in? Next time you load up on Tide pods at your supermarket, push the wagon with one hand?…
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Tourism Danger and Elections
Are countries dangerous during election? This November, European visitors are asking this question about our country. Election disruptions can be a travel issue. 20 European countries had or will have elections in 2024.
Congressional Report from the Library of Congress. Unpredictable for us travelers is that election dates are scheduled differently in each country. Some are predictable, like that of the US, others are unpredictable and can be announced with little advance notice.
Some are peaceful. Some are not peaceful. Some elections come with restrictions on what a visitor can and cannot do on election day.…
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Never done it before?
Many phone calls start with I have never done it before. I want to travel but but but. How do you get over ‘the never done it before’ bit. Think about the other ‘never done it before’ situations you conquered:
First coed dance ( camp? church? school?), you stood in the back, concerned about not getting a partner or worse, having to dance with a partner!
The worst is first appointment with a gynecologist. We all survived that.
First day of college.…
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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. …
