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Airline Fees: Yikes
Shortly The Transportation Dept will be requiring airlines and travel agents to list all fees on your ticket. These fees include the usual like security, agriculture etc but now the list is growing longer and longer. Services like checked bags, preferred seating. extra luggage (mainly on discount airlines in Europe) and other fees are involved. Spirit Airlines even charges for carry on bags!
Approximately 18% of the entire ticket is today only fees….. Airlines of course say that this new listing requirement would be expensive.…
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'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.… -
A non-group with The Women's Travel Group
Sometimes we obtain specials which we like to share with you. Many women come with us for the group dynamics and group dining. But sometimes, women come for the discounted prices we offer at famous spas and fitness hotels. If you are interested in Ixtapan Spa or Canyon Ranch Health Resort, and want the special price but not the groupie business, that is fine with us.
We also offer AMA Waterways, which is valuable as we have blocks on hard to get Burma and Tulip cruises.…
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Tips for Women on their First Spa Vacation
Tips for Your First Spa Visit: from The Women’s Travel Group
* Go for at least 4 nights
* Meet with spa coordinators immediately…
* Choose a spa that fits your needs; overseas spas emphasize beauty rather than exercise, nutrition etc.
* Some spas are really resorts with a few spa facilities.
* A good gauge of a spa is the number of professionals on staff and the number of treatment rooms.
* Does the manicurist also do facials; if so, this is not a true spa.… -
Five Steps to Get Through Delays and Cancellations
Five Steps to Get Through Delays and Cancellations
Some of us do not use travel agents or our agents are not available at the moment of crisis!
1. Immediately call your travel insurer and ask verbal permission to change flights. Often if a flight is cancelled or delayed, they will give you this verbal permission even if the price is high.
2. Know which number is the 24/7 number of your agent or tour company. Often when the glitch happens, we realize we have not jotted down this important number!… -
When Not to Take a River Cruise
I just returned from the most fabulous Christmas Markets Danube cruise on AMAWaterways. The trip was perfect. In some places, we suggest a land trip as the major sites are not on the river.
The Women’s Travel Group has chosen to visit Vietnam and Cambodia, not on a cruise. The places of greatest interest are on land. We are staying in fine luxury hotels, going to famous restaurants, and have included both the glorious and gritty history of the area. Our shopping times are saved for the fine stores recommended by friends, not for tourist traps.…
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How to Choose A Women's Trip in 10 Minutes
Tips to Choose a Trip in Ten Minutes. Designed for the impulsive buyer of travel Not recommended, but if you are going to blitz the info, do it with some structure from us. We are noticing more travelers are too busy to really do their homework so we created this “quick and dirty” list to help out.
1. Make sure the people in the materials look like you!
2. Small print averse? at least read cancellation penalties.
3. Hotel quality: google the hotel used in the capital city on the itinerary for a general flavor.… -
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India Love it or Scared of It?
Here are some books and films to help you decide. Our next trip was called A Trip of a Lifetime for Women by Fox TV! Nov. 7-21 2013 including The Pushkar Camel Market and Dowry Negotiation.
Join us and ask for a share to save some on the single costs. www.thewomenstravelgroup.com
FILMS
Water
Gandhi
The Raj Quarter
Eat Pray Love
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
A Passage to India
Slumdog Millionaire
Monsoon Wedding
BOOKS
White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
May Yu-Be the Mother of a Hundred Sons by Elisabeth Bumiller
The Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo
Heat and Dust by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
(and the related movies by Merchant and Ivory).…
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Icky Cruising? New regulations!
New cruise regulations are here. Below is a post from 2013 in which we were helping you decide if a cruise is for you. It is time to edit this post with 2020 cruise health precautions. Firstly you should know that cruises are ‘regulated’ by an international organization of which a US organizationn is one of 9 members. However, most cruise lines are not licensed in the US, so regulations apply because they dock here or because CLIA has been so effective.…