Travel Tips Blog and Statistics
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Packing for Summer Rain
Summer brings easy packing with light clothes and no coats, but how do you protect yourself again getting wet? And worse than that, from staying wet! A few ideas from The Women’s Travel Group:
Obvious: bring the tiny umbrellas now on sale. The Container Store has a lot of travel items and a slimline umbrella.
Next pack a few cheap or hotel shower caps and wear under a scarf or baseball cap. Mantra: never leave athe free shower cap in the hotel bathroom, they have many uses.…
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Travel Innoculations: Why bother?
When you go to a travel medicine doctor, your wallet will be shocked at the cost. But what is smart and what is excess? We, non-medical people, are usually scared into getting every shot possible, but first, be aware of the following:
Inoculations should be based on the climate of your destination: dry season does not require some shots which are critical in the wet season.
Exactly where you are going versus large swathes of the country. For instance, India where our group is going in October: this is a huge country and what is needed for Delhi is not the same for the Himalayan plateau or the agrarian south.…
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Last Minute Summer Travel Specials
This Summer, why go where the crowds go, in the heat and humidity or Europe. Try this Hemisphere and fly south to Argentina and Peru, the two most visited countries in S. America. Avoiding crowds but still getting good weather has benefits beyond those you are aware of.
Flights are less crowded, seating easier and staff less harried. Going a bit off season means cheaper hotels and restaurants that do not need pre-booking. People in the destination have more time to talk with you in shops, and museums and in Argentina are more anxious to give you a deal with US Dollars.…
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Trouble in Africa: Kenya Tourists Evacuated
For some time now, Kenya has been experiencing an uptick in crime. The UK government today evacuated tourists from the popular beach resort, Mombasa. At The Women’s Travel Group we monitor our destinations carefully and when you look at our list, you will not see Kenya this year. We follow potential areas using several tools:
US State Dept. website of course is our first go to, but the US is sometimes delayed in updating serious information. An example is the warning on the Ukraine which was updated after days of unrest.…
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Souvenirs Tips: Trash Them or Treasure Them
With our 22 years of women’s trips from The Women’s Travel Club and Group, all of us have loads of souvenirs brought back with love and memories from our travels. Some have true artistic value, some are true horrors. Here are some clean out/ hang up tips for your detritus.
Make piles of small cheap items, arrange by color/shape or materials. If you cannot see an evolving collection, toss.
Move flat items onto a sheet of paper and see if they might look better hanging on the wall.…
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Phyllis Stoller Honored: Top Influential Women in Group Travel
Phyllis Stoller, the founder of The Women’s Travel Group, was honored as one of the 14 most influential women in Group Travel by Group Travel Magazine. For those solo women travelers who do not know her, Phyllis founded The Women’s Travel Club and The Women’s Travel Group, both catering to women travelers and especially those solo on tours and cruises.
Phyllis’ site is www.thewomenstravelgroup.com and she will personally escort trips to Sicily and India this year. Yes, she will be coming solo!…
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Don't travel with The Times; Travel with Women who Read It
Why go on such overpriced trips as sold by prestigious newspapers, schools and museums? You might go to meet the speakers or be assured that you fellow travelers are informed. The NY Times Travel (probably operated by a generic tour operator) offers Tuscany at $5395 and Peru at $4395: hundreds of dollars more than The Women’s Travel Group does!
But if you look at the prices of these trips, here is what you get:
A possible one time encounter with the speaker. …
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Tips NOT to be Ugly on the Road
Most serious travelers pay little attention to how we look when on the road for vacation. We hate overpacking and the associated burden of unpacking once home. Solo women figure they will never see anyone they know! So here are a few ways not to be UGLY on the road.
Face and Hands: Bring your night cream and consider using it even before/during day flights. When on long trips, pay the fee to use an airport lounge for a shower/freshen up mid-trip.…
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Do Spa and Fitness Trips for Women Require Preparation
Spa and Fitness trips for women require preparation if you want to get the most out of your stay and your $$ investment? Each year we go to Ixtapan Fitness and Spa Resort. several times.
Clothes: This is not a fashion show. Don’t worry about your wardrobe. Bring what is comfortable, especially your shoes and/or walking shoes for rain days. Do not bring brand new sneakers or hiking shoes; you will regret your purchase if they are uncomfortable and you are not near stores.…
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Reading Lists for Travel: Should you Bother?
Not everyone wants to study again and many of us consider travel a non-homework activity. I personally do believe in doing some reading before a trip. There are two kinds of books for travel: travel fiction and guidebooks. The former is just as informative in the way it opens your eyes to subtleties. An example might be what a headdress might mean? Travel fiction is written by women often covers myths or religious beliefs which are hard for us to understand.…
