• Never Pack  List for Women

    Never Pack List for Women

    Over the years, our group has had items confiscated. Some are not allowed to be imported, some are illegal, and some were ‘taken’ by customs’ officials overseas. One confiscation was hilarious. It was a tampon removed and examined by a South American customs official. 

    Items not to pack when you fly. www.thewomenstravelgroup.com
    Shopping in Ethiopia https://www.thewomenstravelgroup.com/tours/

    Here are some items not to pack.

    Anything expensive especially with designer labels.  

    Items with price tags; these are easier to fence. Remove the tag.

    Pirated goods like fake designer bags, sunglasses, watches. …

     
  • 1st Solo Trip? 1st Gynecological Exam?

    1st Solo Trip? 1st Gynecological Exam?

    Every day we hear the same: This is my first solo trip. I’m not sure I can do it. 

    Fear of solo travel by women from The Women's Travel Group
    Some in this photo are first time travelers.

    Practical concerns are flights: what if delayed? (fewer are than you think) What if stuck in an airport? What if my transfer is missing in action? Finally, what if I get sick? Or what if I use a bathroom more than the other women? 

    Emotional concerns: Will the tour manager be helpful with my many questions?…

     
  • The I don’t need it shopper

    The I don’t need it shopper

    The Women’s Travel Group does not specialize in shopping tours but we know a lot about it. In some countries in Europe you will inevitably buy some treasure, despite protests of “I have too much already.” Temptation is strongest in Italy: leather, shoes, purses, clothes, pottery, food items. Another area is Scotland and Ireland for woolens. 

    Shopping at palaces in the UK from The Women's Travel Group.
    www.thewomenstravelgroup.com/tours/

    Here is how the experts judge leather quality: 

    Press with your finger, the leather will indent with a wrinkle then return to its original state.…

     
  • Upgrade or Chanel?

    Upgrade or Chanel?

    Is the cost of upgraded airplane tickets worth it? Some thoughts from The Women’s Travel Group.

    Airline status might not be worth the money. Tips from The Women's Travel Group.
    London of course https://www.thewomenstravelgroup.com

    In the last few years, travelers have become obsessed with airline status and their seats. This frenzy is, in part, caused by airlines themselves.  There is branding / selling status by airlines. Who doesn’t want to be ‘special’ ‘elite’ ‘first in line’, ‘envied’ and ‘fussed over’.  

    Lets start with the special bit. Anyone who can afford to fly is already special.…

     
  • First Solo Trip, Where to Go

    First Solo Trip, Where to Go

    What are the best places to go for a first solo trip? Travel tips from The Women’s Travel Group.

    My first solo trip was to Geneva, Switzerland. I was 15 going to a French speaking school near the Chateau de Chillon on Lake Geneva. In those days, Americans, especially teens, were exotic. With the 3 other Americans I met at the Institut, we acted fearless and, truth be told, naughty.  (There is a doctor somewhere in Italy who, as a teen, gave me a first grown up kiss).…

     
  • Airline Marketing and Your Seat

    Airline Marketing and Your Seat

    Travel tips from The Women’s Travel Group. What is the big deal about airplane seats? When I started traveling, we sat wherever we were put. We were next to a chain smoking passenger. We were always next to a smelly ashtray embedded in the armrest. We wore uncomfortable clothes: stockings and high heels. Flights were longer.  Turbulence detectors less sophisticated. We never discussed seating.

    So what is the big deal about seating today? The deal is that Americans are bigger; seats are smaller.…

     
  • Women and Toilet Terror

    Women and Toilet Terror

    Clearly this plane in Africa had no bathroom; so no worries.https://www.thewomenstravelgroup.com/tours/

    In grade school, we asked permission for the little girls’ room. In high school, we also asked then went to the bathroom to gossip or put on make up. In college, we did not ask permission, we sauntered out of class. Public toilet Terror is non uncommon in The Women’s Travel Group.

    Saudi Arabian toilet, cleaned after each use!https://www.thewomenstravelgroup.com

    As senior women today, some of us dread public bathrooms.…

     
  • Things for Double Taking When Packing

    Travel packing tips from The Women’s Travel Group. Saline, bottles are tiny and can fall into an airplane seat. Dry eyes are exacerbated by the dryness in airplane cabins. Flying to Santa Fe with us May 1? You’ll need saline in high deserts also.

    Photo by S Leavitt one of our travelers. Thank you!

    Chargers for phone and iPads. Hoteliers say chargers are often left in the wall, bathroom socket or behind a bureau or end table. …

     
  • Room Share Scare

    Room Share Scare

    The Women's Travel Group in Portugal; learn to save money on a hotel room with arranged shares from our company.
    Portugal www.thewomenstravelgroup.com

    How I Re-learned to Share

    A hotel room that is. My first experience sharing a hotel room with a stranger. On one of Women’s Travel Group’s first trips- in partnership with a university professor of Chinese, I agreed to share a room with a stranger. I had a room mate in college. I had ‘trained’ my husband. And now I was going to learn all over again how to cooperate with a room mate.

    Like most of you reading this article, I was apprehensive, though she seemed quite pleasant.  …

     
  • Obey or Pay: Travel Insurance

    Obey or Pay: Travel Insurance

    Yesterday we chatted with one of our travelers from Minnesota. She questioned the validity of travel insurance. While traveling in a remote area in Egypt, her husband became ill. They immediately consulted a doctor, who diagnosed a bad case of Covid. The doctor suggested they NOT go to a rural hospital, but hire a nurse and stay in their hotel room. They called their insurer (not the one we recommend);  hold time was very long on a US cell phone.  They followed the doctor’s advice.…

     
 
 
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