Travel Tips Blog and Statistics
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Free Luggage Repair
Just as you think you know it all, a neighbor lets you in on a secret. Many of us are users of Longchamps light and fashionable purses, backpacks and luggage. They come in many colors and shapes. Not a cheap purchase so be aware of that.
However they have one small problem. With continued use, the tips at the bottom corners can wear away. My neighbor shared with me that Longchamps will repair these tips at NO cost. Caveat: I have not tried to get mine repaired, but this neighbor has.…
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Gluten Free Diets Overseas
What country comes to mind regarding major gluten ingestion? Italy of course. Our group of 21 just returned from a thrilling trip around Sicily. Sicily touring in December is off season but our temperatures were mainly 55-70 during the day and only one day of intermittent rain. There were no other tourists which you can see from this photo of the Greco-Roman temple at Segresta, Sicily.
Several of the women, including our guide, Virginia, were gluten intolerant.…
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Jet lag and benefits for The Women's Travel Group
Getting up at 4 each morning after our wonderful Sicily trip has its advantages. Between 4-11 you get every chore done with no interruptions. Better yet, you can converse with new travel friends on email as the rest of the group is probably up also!
Don’t fight it, it usually takes an hour a day to evaporate. Taking sleeping pills and/or Melatonin might seem to help but the real segue is lots of water, and just go to sleep at 8/9 get your mighty 8 hours and get up when you have to.…
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On Line Reviews: How to Tell if Fake?
The Women’s Travel Group takes on line review seriously. We encourage you to check all our hotels on sites like TripAdvisor.com However a tiny percentage are clearly faked.
Here are the ways to tell if an on line review is fake:
Review posted by someone who has no other reviews.
Fake reviews use more superlatives in descriptions.
The word ‘I’ is used more than ‘we’.
Fake hotel reviews do not describe the rooms or the spacial information about the hotel.Reviews about expensive hotels are longer than those about cheap hotels.…
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Airport Neurosis: Female Fears
We at The Women’s Travel Group are all familiar with pre-flight anxiety. Not everyone experiences it the same way. For men, the most pressing issue is whether the flight will depart on schedule. For women, the worry is getting to the airport on time—according to a new study. Women are also more nervous about airport security and seat selection.
I get the security thing with our bling and fashionable shoes setting off the sensors.…
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Losing your Luggage
Yes it finally happened to me and to two other women on our India trip when British Airways had a computer meltdown. The lost luggage stages go like this and with a happy ending:
+++++Adrenolin rush to get the lost luggage claim and papers filled out correctly while navigating 250 others in the same situation. Don’t forget to take a photo or your luggage tag and any paperwork with your phone.
+++++Exhaustion follow up: once out of the airport with nothing to your name but a carry on ( this was the one time I did not bring a change of clothes in carry on!!!).…
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The 3-1-1 Rule for Liquids you don't drink on planes
The photo above is The Ganges at Sunrise, on our India trip October 2014, don’t drink this water…
With the rules of airport travel changing frequently, it can sometimes get tricky knowing what is and isn’t allowed in your bags. The United States Transportation Security AdministrationTSA) implements air-travel regulations tofollow. To ensure safety, the TSA has placed strict rules on the volume and type of liquids allowed on an airplane.…
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Age versus Travel?
There is one word for this correlation: irrelevant.
Just back from our India trip with 22 women, all ages. So who did the best? Not the youngest and not the oldest, but the ones with adequate fitness, a sense of adventure and the right pace. Don’t let your friends say you are too old to enjoy travel!
A few mini rules:
Don’t overload your carry on weight or risk back pain.
Find the perfect walking shoes and wear them no matter how ugly.…
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The 'get rid of travel anxiety' pill
A professor of psychology in California studied stress levels of people who watched excessive news reports about the Boston Marathon bombers. She compared their anxieties against those of people who were at the Marathon. Those who overdosed on news were much more stressed than those who attended the Marathon. The article where this study appeared is about the nation’s hysterical reaction to 2 cases of ebola on our shores.
If you want to live a normal but adventure filled life, don’t watch the news on television.…
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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.…
