Travel Tips Blog and Statistics
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Tipping and Women's Angst
Today in the New Yorker there is a cartoon of two people checking into their hotel room. One says to the other: “How much are we supposed to tip the guy who followed us to our room and flicked on the light switch?”. Ironically it is the man asking the woman of the couple.
Women angst over tipping: amounts? when? and how? I am not sure why this is, but suffer from it myself. I think somewhere as accomplished and professional as we are, tipping still brings out our insecurity.…
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Tuscany Cooking Trip: A Week Away Preparations
Yes a week away, one can get ready for a trip like our Tuscan Cooking Journey.
Here is my 7 day alert:
Cut down on hard to digest food especially sugary things, so I sleep better and feel fresher for an overnight flight.
Stretch an extra 10 minutes each morning or at least before the end of the day. That helps when you have to sit forever on planes, airport chairs, taxis etc.
Unsubscribe from all new spam to lower the amount of data to paid for overseas.… -
Travel Medicine: Too Much? Not Enough?
We are getting questions about what shots and precautions for our upcoming India trip, Oct. 25-Nov 4 and for other trips to more exotic places. These questions bring up several themes:
The obvious one for us as tour operators is we are NOT medical advisers and are not equipped professionally to give out medical advice. We can tell you what one of us does for our personal health, but this is not a guideline for yours.
The second comment is that what you will need depends on what season you are visiting a country.…
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What to Wear When You Complain at a Hotel
When you need to complain about your hotel situation, how you look can be as important as how you talk. Assuming you are traveling with minimal clothes, here is how to dress for this encounter. (We already printed a blog on How To Complain). Here is how to dress:
Pick out the most conservative shirt and or / jacket you have. Swirl around a scarf to make you look less formal but ‘dressed’. If you only have a tee shirt, then cover it nicely with the scarf.…
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Trip Waitlists; Are they for Real?
Waitlists are used by all kinds of companies to generate interest in their products. In travel, they are used for 4 reasons mainly
The obvious one is that the trip is full or at least the desired number of people have booked. This might be like our discount at Canyon Ranch, where we are only allotted a specific number if places at a special price. PS we have a waitlist on this one, so send us your name if you want to be on it.…
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White Sneakers & Other Travel Do Not's
We used to say: Do not wear white sneakers as it labels you as an American tourist not good for bargaining in markets). Now we say: Can you even buy white sneakers anymore? A shopping excursion for new sneakers for our December 2014 Sicily trip and its walking on Greco-Roman ruins, unveils that sneakers today are neon colored, often psychodelic wild. However many are ultra light in ounces, making them easily packable.
We usually suggest comfy walking shoes, and packing lightly so guess we’ll go with the hot pink Nikes.…
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Do not read newspapers
Returned home today to The New York Times on my doorstep. Having read half of the first section, I decided not to go to Asia, Mexico, Turkey or even to leave my apartment as there was a gas explosion in Manhattan. Then on line, I read the headline about London airport being closed due to fog; yikes.
Why do we allow print and other media to destroy our sense of adventure?
My belief is we are basically a skittish lot and any hint of trouble or misunderstanding is enough to keep us home. …
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Hotel Bars and Do Not's for Women Travelers
After a long day working, don’t you wish the hotel bar were less intimidating and less noisy? Tips to find the right hotel with the right amenities for women:
Living Lobbies: these are lobbies that incorporate the bar into a larger living space. So you can sit away privately from the bar and have your glass of wine.
Magazine and newspaper racks: these say, come relax and read without being bothered.
Armchairs in bar areas: armchairs let you sit alone and enjoy your drink; they insinuate you wish to be left alone.… -
'Do Not Eats' on First Day of Trips
If you do not eat these food items on your first day of an overseas trip, you will feel and look better: the photo here is from our healthy Mexican Party at Ixtapan Spa in February 2014.
1- Too many salty pretzels or other salty snacks. These can include hidden salt as in dried meats, ham, salamis as on our trip to Sicily.
2- Too much oil of any kind: hidden in roasted veggies, salads, on bread or drizzled on other dishes as hummus or on steak in our Argentina trip.… -
Comments about Women Travelers from the "Experts"???
Just back from speaking at The Times Travel Show where we had a chance to chat with many of you.
We thought you might want to hear these comments. Here are some of the outrageous misconceptions about women’s travel I heard during the panel discussions. It is 2014 folks!
One operator said they see a large increase in women booking their luxury package tours. This was evidenced in more requests for triples and quad rooms. What woman pays for a luxury tour and then asks for a quad room?…
