Welcome to "Travels With the Diva", a newsletter for women who love to travel!

In this issue, we'll talk about a trip to Scotland for women only - which also supports Breast Cancer Research.

I'll also tell you a little bit about TripDiva Travel, and give you a chance to participate in the website by adding your travel stories or trip reviews.

Travel News and Updates

Airfare deals - Really!!

As mentioned in the last newsletter, rates for airfare and hotels tend to go down in the fall, when summer vacations are over and holiday travel hasn't started yet.

This year, despite high fuel costs, many airlines are offering pretty good deals to fill empty seats. As always, there are restrictions, and the best fares apply to the most inconvenient flights (early in the morning and middle of the week). But if you can work with that, there are deals out there!

This article has more info: http://news.yahoo.com/s/aviation/20081002/tr_aviation/2008fallfaresales;_ylt=At8HT2nFhwX5GLj4DGwzefA8sM0F

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month (and in honor/memory of those I've loved who have battled the disease), we're featuring a women-only tour that donates a portion of it's proceeds to breast cancer research.

Here are the details:

SCOTLAND THE BRAVE TOUR July 14-28, 2009

$2,900.00 per person dbl occ. $300.00 single supplement

This particular tour is for Women Only aged 21 & over. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Breast Cancer Research

14 Day 13 Night Fully Guided Tour of Scotland via Luxury Motor Coach to include "The Gathering 2009" in Edinburgh

Included in the tour:

- 13 nights hotel accomodations with full Scottish breakfast every morning, welcome & farewell dinners, other meals as included in tour notes.

- Services of driver/guide. Porterage of 1 bag per person at hotels.

- Visits to Glasgow, Burns Country, Loch Lomond, Tyndrum, Spean Bridge, Inveraray, Ballachullish, the islands of Mull & Iona, possibly Skye, Eilean Donan Castle, Achnasheen, Poolewe Gardens, Gairloch Circle, Laxford Bridge, Dornoch, Carrbridge, Inverness, Loch Ness, Culloden Battlefield, Aberdeen, Elgin, Ballater, St. Andrews, Royal Deeside, Glamis Castle, The Scottish Borders, Roslyn Chapel, and of course Edinburgh and The Gathering 2009, which includes Highland Games, Clan Parade and tons of fun!

- Lots of surprises.

Not included: Air travel to and from Scotland, gratuities to Drivers and Guides. Meals not included on itinerary..ie..lunches, some dinners, souvenirs, and other optional needs and wants.

So come along ladies! Join us and help stamp out Breast Cancer while you enjoy this beautiful country!

To further support this cause, I will personally donate $25 for every trip booked through me in the month of October 2008.

This applies to the Scotland trip, or ANY other trip you are interested in. It does not apply to anything booked directly through the www.great-womens-vacations.com website -

Contact me for more information.

Fall Deals

There are still good deals for fall getaways!

• Fall is a great time for a weekend getaway to relax and just enjoy the scenery. The trees are turning vibrant colors throughout most of the country, the air is getting crisp - and what could be better than a cup of hot cider or sitting in a warm whirlpool after a walk through the woods?

Getaway this weekend without spending a fortune -- great last-minute travel deals on Site59 under $250.

• Fall is also the season when grapes are harvested and wine country is the place to be!

Travelocity has great deals on Wine Country Hotels: Napa and Sonoma or the Central California coast! Check out packages with airfare, too. Or look for similar deals in the wine region near you - New York, Ohio, and the Pacific Northwest all have growing wine industries.

• The Grand Canyon is magnificent any time of year, but imagine the beauty in the fall!

The Grand Canyon Railway is a great way to visit the canyon. It's a scenic train trip from Williams, AZ. to the rim; why fight traffic and parking hassles when you can ride the train?

Spend the night before or after your trip in the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel in Williams and get 20% off your train fare.

• Uniworld Grand River Cruises is offering great discounts during its November to Remember sale. Select November Danube river cruises on the are discounted as much as $1000 per person. Cruises on the Rhine and Seine are also on sale.

These specials are generally on the last sailing date of the month, so the weather will be chilly - but pack a sweater and sit back and enjoy the view as you sail through Nuremburg, Amsterdam - or Paris!

Contact me for more information. I'd be happy to help with the cruises.

Write a Review or Tell us Your Story and get a T-shirt!

Have a great travel story, or know of a good restaurant somewhere that you want to tell everyone about?

Send it to us using our contact me page.

You can tell us about a great experience, funny story, fascinating destination, or whatever you want to share.

Tell us about your last trip - where did you go, what did you do, what was great about it, what would you avoid next time?

If your story or review is published, we'll send you a TripDiva T-shirt or mug with the Hula Girl logo.

This doesn't have to be professional quality writing - just share your experiences! We want to hear them!

Until next time - Happy Travels!

About TripDiva Travel

TripDiva Travel is a home-based travel agency, associated with Dugan's Travels (a nation-wide group of over 500 agents). TripDiva specializes in great vacations for women (hence the website domain, www.great-womens-vacations.com).

Some of the vacations we talk about are for women only; most are not (so if you see something you would like to explore with your husband or significant other, you can do that, too).

But women's vacations tend to be a bit different than most couples or family vacations. They're a bit "smaller" in scale, allowing for interaction and connections with your fellow travelers and companions. It can be hard to get to know people on a large cruise ship; there are just so many of them! On a small ship cruise, there are no more than 200 people on board and you can make many new friends, or have a nice conversation with your travel companions without shouting over the crowds!

The vacations we look for are focused on experiences, not destinations (although there are a lot of great destinations, too). Would you like to learn to paint or speak Italian, join a cooking class or just learn to enjoy fine wine, take a tour that lets you get close and interact with the locals instead of just passing by an historical site while riding a bus? Those are great women's vacations.

At www.great-womens-vacations.com (or www.tripdivatravel.com - it will get you to the same place), we try to give you the tools to find great vacation experiences and contact information to book your trip. We will be adding a booking engine (via Travelocity), so you can book air and hotels, if needed; or you can simply contact us and we'll help you arrange your trip.