Travel Tips Blog and Statistics
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How to Get Better Airplane Seats
This topic is covered everywhere with all kinds of complicated information along with sites promising you will almost sit on the pilot’s lap. How about some simple ways to improve your chances of a better seat from The Women’s Travel Group?
- Join the frequent flier program of the airline you are using, even if you will rarely use it again. You might have to book, then join, the go back to your booking for your seat.
- Know what your PNR is.
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How To Bargain without Embarassment
Women are uncomfortable paying for something that does not have set price. Tips, discretionary donations and bargaining make us squirm. Yet 48% of all Americans tried bargaining in the last 3 years according to Consumer Reports.
A few guidelines on bargaining might help you:
Do not be intimidated by a fancy store or an aggressive salesperson. Know that in some countries bargaining is part of the normal process. Everyone wants to make a sale. In cities like Paris where we go Dec 21-28 2015, ask up front for discounts for tourists and or tax rebates.…
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Winter Travel Clothes: What to Wear Where to Buy
The Women’s Travel Group offers some trips during winter, like Paris for The Holidays Dec 21-28. Although we visit the world capital of fashion, there is no reason to ‘dress up’ for the trip. Just be comfortable. Here is our suggested wardrobe for European cities in winter. And for winter river cruises like New Year’s on The Rhine with us. From top to bottom, here is what works:
Winter coat, gloves and if you get cold easily, wear a down jacket under your coat.…
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What You Never Thought to do in Paris
The Women’s Travel Group city trips are also for 2nd time visitors; we always include trending places. Join us on one of the few remaining places by sending in a booking form. Info below.
When you join us in Paris for the Holidays Dec 21-28, Christmas markets will be ending. However, there are street markets all year. If you wander past an organic market, scour it for herbal perfume and soap- delicate flavors of times past. Blvd Raspail has a Sunday market worth a few minutes. …
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Robbery on Overseas Trips
The Women’s Travel Group has experienced very little crime during our 23 years of tours. But it can happen in rare instances. Here are a few examples and how we handled them happily:
A lady was pick pocketed in a major European city. She was called at the hotel from someone purporting to have her wallet. We went with her to a public place to meet this person. Yes, he had found it minus the cash, but with all credit cards in place.…
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Super Cheap Gifts to Grab on our Paris Holiday Tour Dec 21-28
So you are going to Paris with us for Christmas Season, and you are going solo. For those of you on the sidelines: Dec 21 depart or leave earlier as some women are doing, and return Dec 28. If you leave earlier, we book you into our centrally located hotel and put you in touch with the other early birds. Come alone, shares are guaranteed. Limited Space Left.
How about treating yourself with some cheap and cheerful gifts
Here are five goodies to bring home, no matter how slim your budget.…
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Who hates Reading Lists?
The Women’s Travel Group usually supplies a list of recommended books plus movies filmed in the area we are visiting. This is not school, so why bother?
Some books like The Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo open up the under belly of a Indian community that the tourist might not notice. Others celebrate a historic Indian Raj romance that brings history to life: Heat and Dust by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala.
Some are fictionalized versions of real events: Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghes, set in Ethiopia, and others are straight history: Charles King’s The Black Sea about Turkey.…
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Icky Toilets and Women's Travels
Women are skittish about using bathrooms overseas. Frankly speaking, it is harder for us to ‘activate’, right? Our noses never had the ‘locker room experience’, and we are more prone to infections.
The Women’s Travel Group tries to find the cleanest facilities on all our trips. Our guides know where to take us; many will forewarn if the bathroom is an un-preferred situation. In India, our guide uses the terms: happy bathroom or unhappy bathroom. You get it.
Advice on bathrooms i personal, however here is mine: Wear pans or leggings you can roll up to at least your knees.…
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Uber Services Frenemies? Or Friends?
Today I read in travel news that Virgin America in Dallas Love Airport is giving free rides by Uber for passengers. Besides being frequent flyers, most of us are also frequent taxi to the airport people. Who do you use?
Taxis can be hard to find during bad weather, holidays, even Fridays after work. In some cities regular taxis now at least have a smart phone app like Uber offers. Radio cabs which you can book on line usually charge a few more dollars than taxis but they are reservable.…
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Craziest Airline Meals
Some years ago, a Women’s Travel Group member ordered a vegetarian meal for her flight. Here is what she got: a snickers bar and an apple! Well the trip was to our favorite spa, Ixtapan Spa, and she joked the entire time about ‘selling her snickers’ bar to us dieters’. Joking aside, how to make the most of lousy airline food is not impossible.
Lets start with what NOT to eat. Airplanes make you gassy so avoid any foods like broccoli,onions,beans, carbonated drinks that already do that effectively.…
