Travel Tips Blog and Statistics
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What is the best first solo trip?
Let’s face it, many readers of our blog and Facebook page do not actually travel solo, but are dreaming of doing it. Here is what we think is the best first trip and some guidelines to adapt to your mind set.
A single stay trip might be less work than a multi city tour. Our March 21-29 Tuscany luxury farmhouse trip is an example of an easy adjustment: staying in a beautiful farmhouse,with wifi, free laundry, snacks and drinks in the kitchen etc.…
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Nervous Nellies Read Here
A personal note from Phyllis Stoller. “My father started life as a traveling salesman. He started a business and worked a 24/7 schedule, before that was the thing to do. Of course, that meant rarely going on vacation and never taking trips. Well, he did play golf all the time. My mother outlived him by 15 years in good health and with financial security, thanks to Dad’s constant work schedule.
Here is what she told me in her very short list of life’s regrets: I wish I had traveled.…
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Phyllis Stoller Featured in Select Traveler
Marketing Women’s Travel
This article is in part from Select Traveler Magazine
Women’s travel offers comfort and camaraderie.by Marsha Mack Goberish
Published September 16, 2014
Women’s travel is a market rarely promoted by bank, alumni and chamber group travel planners. And that’s unfortunate, according to Phyllis Stoller, founder and president of The Women’s Travel Group.“Traveling with women is a comfortable way to travel for those 35-year-old women who are financially able,” Stoller said. “Traveling with women is a comfortable way to travel for the 50-year-old woman who has always wanted to do it and is ready to take the plunge.…
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Nasty People and Travel Review Sites
JOIN US TO::::::
Since we are all skeptics, here is our take on Tripadvisor and Yelp, and generally travel reviews. Are they to be taken for real? Or are these written by whiney and vindictive people? Yes, if you read through say, Tripadvisor reviews, you can spot idiots who are so rushed in their writing that every other word is a typo. Here are some things to look for in a travel review:
1- Typos and mis-spellings generally, showing a rushed and spontaneously angry review.…
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Wifi or Die
Wifi is our new lifeline. Way back it was whether our stockings would snag on the plane, then it was bringing your own toilet paper, then air conditioning became the must. Now it is wifi.
Some hints about wifi
Turn off your ‘roaming’ to avoid potentially huge charges. You can leave your phone on if you expect a handful of important calls. Most carriers will not charge crazily for a 1-2 minute call. You can also subscribe for a specific time period of calls in another country if you need this service.…
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Newest Adventures without Nervousness
Here are some new tourist destinations from The Women’s Travel Group, with novelty but no nerves: good for solo women travelers.
Cuba: long isolated by US laws, Cuba will eventually be a cruise stop. Go now while the island is still unspoiled, yet friendly to Americans–one of the ironies of history. Our trip is not like others: it is not a specialized art, or medical, or music or dance theme. We combine as many experiences as possible in one week: people to people, art, history, colonial buildings, music, dance and just a tad of crafts.…
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Scared Cat Travel
“The trick is not to ride your stomach of butterflies, it is to make them fly in formation”. Cannot remember whose quote this is, but I wrote it down years ago when first traveling. Why? Travel is a learned habit and a glorious one.
New travelers are prone to listening to anxious friends who never go anywhere! They allow friends to color our wonderful world with visions from CNN and Fox TV. The magnificent scenes of golden temples in Bagan or the mountains behind Marrakech can be erased by others’ so easily. …
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Flight Deals within Europe
Most Americans try to use their ff miles to/from Europe and fail. Here is another way to use them: fly to a less popular European gateway and buy an intra-Europe ticket.
Example: if you are joining our Tuscany Private Villa trip end March 2015, try to get your transAtlantic ticket into any of the following: London Heathrow,Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Rome, Milan, Geneva, Vienna, Munich keep trying the big airports. Here is a list of the busiest airports in Europe.
Now try the following European discounters for your flight to Pisa(in our example).…
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What Not to Do on a Plane
Five don’t for long distance travelers:
1-Don’t brush your teeth in the bathroom on planes,nasty water dirty area.
2-Don’t take a sleeping pill. You will still be jet lagged and sleeping through a long flight creates a risk for dehydration and worse: clots.
3-Don’t leave valuables unattended even if you have them on your person-rest on them like the Princess and the Pea.
4-Do not treat yourself to the salted snacks or that second glass of wine.
5-Do not let others bother you; it is better to ask neighbors to lower music or windows or conversation than to suffer for hours.… -
Foreign Travel Deals in a NY Backyard
The other day, a travel group member and I went to the Indian neighborhood of Queens, a NY Borough. The area is called Jackson Heights. We took the rapid 7 Subway fastened our seat belts and exited in ‘Little India’. Along the streets of this neighborhood, we found: gorgeous silks, and silk/cotton clothing, 22 carat jewels and objects, and scarves galore. If you are not able to travel with us to far away places, try your own backyard for an ethnic experience.…
