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How to Travel with "Bad Knees"
Every week, we at The Women’s Travel Group hear this: ‘I have some knee problems ‘….knees being a metaphor for limitations. We all have limitations, as our mechanics deteriorate, we just jog too much or we are nervous travelers going solo for the first time.
A few ideas to measure if you can travel with our group:
Do you walk every day for normal errands?
Can you put aside your nerves, lose sleep but learn to travel again in a group?…
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Why Do Married Women Travel Solo?
Photo is of Phyllis in Khajurahu, on our India trip.Phyllis started The Women’s Travel Group in order to travel. She had 5 weeks vacation in her career as a banker; her husband had 2. She loved travel; he was indifferent. She wanted to see ethnic exotic places; he liked London, Paris.
There are many reasons why married women travel with The Women’s Travel Group. Some of the obvious ones are like Phyllis’. Less obvious:
He is not well. We have elderly parents/young children and one parent must stay home.…
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Danger Signs in Women's Tours
Five danger signs to warn you off a tour; serious tips to share from The Women’s Travel Group.
Yes we have heard stories like the one from Isabelle who booked a train trip from a tour operator, arrived only to find there was no such train. Here are the danger signs:
No one answers the phone-voicemail will not do especially while you are traveling.
Photos in brochures or sites are formally posed not casually shot.
Women in photos are obvious models not real people.…
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Must Words for Thanksgiving in Italy
We still have space on our Rome, Naples, Amalfi Coast Thanksgiving extravaganza Be prepared with some Italian words:
Turkey Tacchino…. and here is why it tastes better in Italy:
Chestnuts Castagna Chestnuts have a long history in Italy. Homer and Pliny both mentioned them. Chestnuts have bee a staple for both aristocrats and peasants all over Italy where they are still roasted in a ceramic container over the fire.
Pumpkin Zucca Pumpkin is cooked so beautifully in Italy, filling ravioli, risotto, pasta with pumpkin and bacon, gnocchi and even in bread.…
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Five Musts on a First Singles' Tour
Do at least a little reading so you actually know where you are going. Even if just a wikipedia whisk through. Save some of the information in your Kindle or other device. Sources: wikipedia, Frommers/Fodors/Lonely Planet on line. Did you know you can borrow e guidebooks from the library then save chapters in your phone etc.
Have $50-100 in single US Dollar bills to use before you have local currency. Going to the bank at the destination airport is dangerous. You will be exhausted, you might leave something behind, you need to keep one eye on luggage and one on your money.…
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Are You Scared of Your 1st Solo Trip?
…Today we received a beautiful email from one of the women who went with our group on the AMA cruise to SE Europe in July/August. She was thrilled to find instant friends on board with our group and they apparently connected up with more women for dinners and more. This was Bev’s first trip alone, well alone in our group. She wrote to us that she even made tentative plans to join some of the new friends on another trip in November.
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What Phyllis Learned on Vacation
Just returned from my personal vacation, and here is what I learned:
The world is still traveling. And tourist sites are full of happy, unworried travelers. Airports are as busy, flights fairly full. Families smiling and excited about their vacations.
You will notice that immigration is slower and more thorough on both ends. There is the obvious, customs employees are also on family vacations. There is the newsworthy, they are being careful and methodical. There is the season, summer is peak which is why our group trips are mainly off season.…
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Holiday Weekend Tips Just for Women
Holiday Tips uniquely for women, from The Women’s Travel Group. We all know the usual: be at the airport early, drive carefully and don’t drink/eat too much. Here are about a few others that effect women more than men:
Toss a small roll of toilet paper in your carry on. Bathrooms are bound to be full at airports and highway stops. Supplies will be gone.
Take some purell type gel to wipe hands after you leave a crowded public bathroom.…
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Falling Down 15 Stairs
Yesterday we read about the awful attack in Istanbul. Shocking videos made even my stalwart travel spine shiver. My heart went out to those injured and families of those killed. Then I remembered how, in a moment of stupidity, I fell down 15 steep stairs, collapsing at the bottom with a flying iPad. Wondering if I was crippled for life. Why connect the two?
Reading about terrorism and being personally affected by it are very different animals. The statistics of being part of a terrorist event are miniscule, yet television metaphorically covers us with blood.…
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US Passport Problems
The elephant who came to our bus in Jaipur India to say hi. Next India trip: Dec 2016
Can a US Passport Holder be turned away by a country that normally allows us entry? We all assume that our US/ Canadian passports grant us entry to practically all nations. (When The Women’s Travel Group trips require a visa ahead of time for instance India,Iran, Brazil) , we advise you carefully).
Here are some situations where you might spend your vacation in the airport.…
