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Go or Not? Women’s Travel Worry
Before Covid, we, senior women felt immune to life’s surprises. But a surprise like a pandemic, changed us. Women now have travel worry. It is 2023, we are restarting our travel life, with new emotions, plus a few more years under our belts. Go or not? That is the question.
Main square Mexico City Source: Mexico Tourism Where to go? Some places are new to tourism but how long will they stay open? We visited Iran as a group of women when it opened- see photo below.…
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The Most Beautiful Airplane Landings.
Some of us cringe when landing. Some are glued to the window. Others realize they should have used the bathroom. Here are some magnificent views to enjoy as your plane descends.
Source VisitParis Paris. Landing in Paris is beyond gorgeous. From the air, Paris has an unmatched elegance. Domes like that of Sacre Coeur and Napoleon’s Tomb/Les Invalides are easy to site (photo left is from Wikipedia). Churches like Notre Dame and Saint Sulpice might be visible.. Boulevards criss cross star shape from the Etoile (star in French) .…
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Duty Free Deals or Slippery Shopping?
The facts from The Women’s Travel Group:
- You are already burdened by carrying stuff you should have checked.
- Duty Free items can be boring: liquor, tobacco, perfumes, accessories, food, electronics.
- Merchants do not pay duty/taxes so items might be cheaper inside an airport. But not necessarily!
Women from The Women’s Travel Group with a new friend What is a deal then? If there are branches of local stores, you might find deals unavailable at home. Examples: Boots cosmetics and medicine in UK airports. …
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ABC’s of Travel for Women Traveling
A is for Air conditioning vs Climate Control.
In Europe Climate Control rather than Air Conditioning is common.
Ixtapan Resort high in the mountains https://www.thewomenstravelgroup.com/tours/ With air conditioning you can usually set exactly how cold you want your room. (That is once you figure out the controls on the wall). With climate control, the hotel system sets the temperature. You can chose your level within a range of hot and cold.
When setting temperatures, take into consideration the altitude. Desert climates as in our Saudi Arabia trip or mountains as in Mexico August trip means much cooler evenings that you might expect. …
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What Women Carry On Planes
I have a great new mirror. It is a high magnification mirror as a gift for a woman traveler. It is bigger than compact size and not hand held. It is fragile and could break into sharp pieces? (Hopefully not). Can I carry it on the plane? The real life answer will come in 3 weeks when I fly. The mirror will be packed carefully in carry on luggage. Cliff hanger result to be continued….
The official TSA answer is yes a mirror can be carried on the plane. …
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Get help without looking pathetic.
Please admit it, we women travelers sometimes need help. We don’t always feel comfortable asking for help. Ask or not? Tip or not?
Requesting a wheelchair for the airport is common. Since 1986 US law has required wheelchairs in US airports. There is no needed proof of disability, some able bodied travelers take wheelchairs in order to skip lines. This makes wheelchairs scarcer.
Procedure: call your airline at least 48 hours before departure. (Some airlines have a request link on their site). …
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Guaranteed Superb Treatment- Women Dining Alone
When a woman walks into a restaurant alone, the Maitre d’ might have one of the following reactions:
- He/she looks behind her to see if there is another diner.
- He/she asks: Are you expecting someone else?
- He/she takes you to a table often near the kitchen, or service area.
Some background information. It is a statistical fact that men diners tip more than women tip. Larger groups of men tip eve more, when wait staff is female and young.
As a result, women solo diners begin with a sexist disadvantage. …
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Ten Pictures Worth a 1,000 Travel Complaints
The Women’s Travel Group spoke to a lady last week who could use her phone camera. However she did not know how to attach a photo to an email. Here you go: take your picture. The picture is filed automatically in a camera roll or photo app. In smart phones, you select the photo you wish to share, add a check mark to it, then share it- text? email? whatspp?.
Here are 10 situations where a photo will save you money, time or more white hair. …
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Lost Medicine on a Trip? travel tips for Women
Source: CDC Bad news for lost medicine on a trip. Do not rely on overseas mail. Read this from The Women’s Travel Group.
What happens if you lose your pills, run out or drop them, as did a lady on our India trip. Can you get replacements overseas? Will local drugs be safe? The CDC recommends a minimum of 30 days medical supplies on a trip. Most drug companies refuse more than 30 days of medicine. If your trip is longer, plan immediately.…
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Older women can travel anywhere
Stories about traveling women focus on the cool exploits of 20 something adventurers. They scuba, they parasail, they hike up mountains. They wear size nothing leggings and technical shoes.
Where are we older women in these stories? The answer is no where. We are not considered cool; yet we are very much so.
Older women have money and once retired we have lower expenses. We begin to fly Business class. We shop for finer items. We tip nicely. Cruises have 20% solos, mainly female.…
