Welcome to Great Women's Vacations! Booking Your Trip Vacation Ideas Tips on Airports, Packing, and More Share Your Experiences Site Info This site receives a small commission from affiliate links and third party advertising. Click below for our full Advertising Policy
The Women's Vacation Blog is a journal about great women's vacations. This journal will:
- keep you up-to-date about the latest additions to the Great Womens Vacations website - maybe we found another great spa or culinary adventure! And reader contributions appear here, too - send along your photos, travel tips, or stories and be published on the web!
- bring you up-to-date on the latest news in travel from many resources - Yahoo Travel, MSN News, Budget Travel, Travel and Leisure, and many more!
You don't have to check all of these resources yourself - just subscribe to the blog!
How do you receive the blog? Subscribe to the RSS feed, on the left. No email address is necessary, and you will not be receiving spam as a result of your subscription.
If you have an RSS reader, just right-click on the orange button, copy and paste into your reader.
If you do not have a reader, or if you prefer to receive your RSS feeds through your Yahoo!, Google or MSN home page, click on the appropriate button to add the RSS feed to your preferred page.
Would You Like To Be Part Of This Blog?
Simply tell your favorite story by clicking here! Your story becomes part of this blog (which shows the site's most recent pages) and a permanent page is created at great-womens-vacations.com. Brag to all your friends about YOUR story being published on the web!
Hotels with WiFi - Done! Next? Hotels with Yoga!
Hotels have been adding more and more amenities to attract travelers; spas, fitness centers and wifi are now expected at better, and even moderate, hotels.
Now you can add yoga to the list - often part of the spa services, hotels across the spectrum are including yoga to their menu of services.
Higher end chains have added recorded yoga classes to their on-demand TV menu; even bed & breakfasts are scheduling yoga weekends and retreats.
We'll add some of these events to our Calendar - check often for updates!
With today's opening of Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, USA Today has an article about places you can go that make you feel like you fell through a rabbit hole!
I've been to The House on the Rock in Wisconsin, and it really is strange and wonderful experience. Carhenge, pond skimming, and some of the other suggestions just sound like fun!
Include one of these weird and wonderful experiences in one of your vacations!
I am Terry Hughes, owner and operator of River Time Guide Service Inc. I would like to invite you to join me on the Main Salmon River here in Idaho. It
How do you deal with jetlag on a long trip, or "intestinal discomfort" in a new place?
You can always check with your doctor for a remedy, of course; but many people have their own ways of handling illnesses on a trip.
SmarterTravel asked its readers for suggestions - and they got a doctor's input on the reliability of those suggestions (the best of both worlds!). I use candied ginger for nausea, and the doctor approved it in this article; other things - not so much.
So read on for ideas and advice from other travelers, and add your own if you wish!
Adventure travel can kick up your vacation a notch - and if you're a bit timid about the whole thing, book a group tour. There's safety in numbers!
The Syndey Morning Herald outlines 13 adventure-style tours, from India to Wyoming, with just about every kind of activity imaginable. Explore a smuggler's town in Uruguay or enjoy opera in St. Petersburg, Russia - check out these tours!
The Arts in April. Three creative workshop weekend getaways in the Blue Ridge foothills of western North Carolina. April 9/10 Days of Clay. April 16/17
Ireland seems to be a very hot destination these days (I have a friend going there this fall, and another that went there not long ago).
I don't know if it's the popularity of Irish dance, Celtic music, Guiness beer, or what (it certainly isn't the food!) - but all things Irish are certainly popular. (Of course, it could just be the upcoming St. Patrick's Day).
Rick Steves has some tips on enjoying the scenic "Ring of Kerry", and the London Telegraph has some lovely photos of cozy Irish cottage/hotels.
There's More to Florida than Mickey and South Beach
I've only been to Florida a couple of times; I'm not a big Disney fan, so I was not all that impressed with Orlando (although Splendid China and the Tiffany exhibit in Winter Park were great!).
I liked Miami and our brief trip to the Everglades a lot; I'd like to spend more time in that area of Florida.
Conde Nast has a nice article about what Florida has to offer; it's given me a little inspiration for my next trip!
Historically, cities were built on rivers or along the coast for ease of shipping; now many of those old shipping warehouses form the hub of thriving new dining and shopping areas.
Travel+Leisure has a slideshow of the top 15 waterfront cities around the world; San Francisco, Chicago, and Baltimore are included.....
Spa vacations for women are among the most popular women's vacations, whether it's a girlfriend getaway or a mother daughter vacation. Relax and enjoy!
You Can Take a Caribbean Beach Vacation Without a Passport!
Yes, you can take a Caribbean beach vacation without a passport! Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are U.S. territories and do not require a passport - but they have great beaches!
There's nothing like a Hawaii beach vacation for relaxation and fun. Each of the islands - and their beaches - have their own personalities. Whether you want surf or sand, you'll find it in Hawaii
Granted, no one goes to the airport for dinner; airport food is grab-and-go, something to tide you over until you reach your destination.
Still, there are good (really!) and bad (of course!) food choices at the airport.
And even if you forgo your diet on vacation, eating a heavy meal before boarding a long flight can make for an uncomfortable few hours (or, sometimes, days after you land).
Take a look at the recommendations in this article - even if McDonald's is the only option in your terminal, there are better choices than the double quarter pounder value meal!
Reminder: Poland Culinary Vacations is offering 15% off!
Poland Culinary Vacations, which offers one of the most unusual culinary vacations that I've found, is offering their tours to Poland for 15% off until the end of February.
Whether or not you're of Polish descent or love Polish food, this is a unique cultural experience: you'll stay in castles and palaces and tour the countryside of Poland - getting a glimpse into "everyday" life that you'll never see on a bus tour. The cooking demonstrations are a bonus!
And if you want to read up on Poland before the trip, use this button to get 10% off your purchase at Barnes and Nobel!
Psychologists are now realizing what the rest of us have known for some time: The phenomonen known as a mid-life crisis is real. Feelings that life has passed you by and you're not who you planned to be are common, and can lead to depression - or really silly behavior!
Instead of a sports car, tattoo (or younger lover), many people are looking at adventure travel - stretching their boundaries and trying something new, even something scary.
I have some suggestions at Learning Vacations, but take a look at this slideshow for some more daring ideas...
Hawaii is not cheap; it's not just the airfare and hotel that'll cost you - everything in Hawaii is more expensive than on the mainland.
But it is paradise (I'm heading to Kauai and Maui myself for 2 weeks this spring).
If you're headed to Oahu, check out these free (or cheap) things to do in Honolulu - from ukelele lessons to hula on the beach, these are activities you won't find in the Midwest - at any price!
I love finding unusual souvenirs when I travel; I like the kitchy, "touristy" kind, too, but it's always cool to find something that the person on the plane next to you probably doesn't have.
One of my favorites is Christmas ornaments - I like the ones emblazoned with the name of the location, but I also love those that remind me of my trip without screaming the name (the red glass hot peppers from Arizona and the white starfish from Hilton Head are among my favorites).
I also have a few empty cans of Coke from around the world, and a plastic container of chewing gum from Korea that I now use for safety pins.
The writer of this article has some great ideas for supermarket or office supply store finds, among other things.
I'm still hoping to find that "Lucky Cat" office sign I saw in Seoul...
Ordinarily, I hate articles like this. So often, they "warn" us about things that really aren't dangerous, just gross.
And if the situation isn't dangerous, they aren't really "saving" us from anything, they're just grossing us out and making our lives a little more miserable. What's the point of that???
Anyway, this article, about the dirtiest hotels rooms around the world, really falls into the "gross out" category. But the reviews (by TripAdvisor readers and visitors to these hotels) are so disgusting, and so consistently awful, that I think it's a good one to bookmark and refer to when you're planning your next vacation.
In most cases, they may not be truly toxic or dangerous - but they are definitely hotels to avoid.
Viking River Cruises, the most popular river cruise line in the U.S., has been offering its cruises at 2-for-1 pricing for almost 2 years now. With the travel industry hurting during the recession, this tactic has kept Viking's ships full (and its passengers very happy!).
Well, they're still doing it. Not only are all 2010 cruises on sale (many dates are already sold out), but they are offering 2-for-1 pricing on cruises for 2011 as well!!
And, they have discounts on air, and complementary wine with dinner!
All meals and daily tours are always included in the price; river cruise prices are higher than ocean cruise prices, but they are more all-inclusive, too. And these prices are a really great deal.
Viking has cruises in Europe, Russia, Egypt, and China (although the China cruises for 2011 are not available yet).
This sale is scheduled to end March 1st; knowing Viking, it's very possible it will be extended - but many cabins will be gone by then.
If you've ever even considered taking a river cruise to explore Europe, now is the time!!
From a "mini ocean" in Chile to surf pools on cruise ships, pools have moved from a side attraction to the main event at many hotels.
Infinity pools - which give the impression of being connected to the ocean beyond - are becoming popular, as are swim-up bars (in New York, too - not just at Caribbean resorts!).
This slideshow from Travel+Leisure offers pools that allow you to get up close and personal with fish and alligators, or deep enough to scuba-dive....
I've mentioned Poland Culinary Vacations before, mostly because I think it's such an unusual destination for a cooking trip. There are so many to Italy and France - this is just a different experience!
They have their new schedule posted, and if you book by January 31st, you'll get 15% off!
Stop by their site, if only to watch the video and listen to the polka music!
If you love exotic locales - and have already done Egypt and Istanbul - how about Morocco?
Morocco has been upgrading hotels and services for the tourist trade over the years, as more and more American and Western tourists discover this corner of the world. Palaces and spice markets are main attractions, but there's a lot more to Marrakesh than that.
CountryWalkers used to have a great women-only tour of Morocco; they still have a Moroccan tour but I don't think it's "women only" anymore. If you'd like to visit but you're not comfortable traveling on your own, go to www.countrywalkers.com for more information.
Take a Safari to See Endangered Animals Before They Disappear
The term "safari" often brings up images of "big game hunters" and the like.
But safari "hunters" these days are photographers and other tourists, tracking the animals to get a glimpse of their lives and their habitat - and the "trophy" is a great photo of an animal in action!
There are safaris that focus on endangered species, from tigers and pandas to rhinoceros and wild dogs.
Travel+Leisure put together a slide show to illustrate some of the best....
check out the "Cooking with Rum" class at Nicole's Table.
Nicole's Table offers classes in Caribbean cooking on a regular basis; if you're vacationing in Jamaica, what better way to really enjoy the local flavors than to learn how to make them yourself?
The "Cooking with Rum" class would be the one I'd like to take - I'm not much of a drinker, but the flavor of rum can add so much to food.
So if you're in Jamaica on Saturday, Jan. 16th, check it out!!
Most people like to escape winter by heading to a beach or warm-weather resort.
Then, of course, there are avid skiers, who love snowy winters and cozy ski lodges.
Travel+Leisure has another category - great, cozy lodges that are not necessarily in mountainous ski areas.
From British Columbia to Lake Placid NY, these comfy (and high-end) lodges offer winter activities like cross-country skiing and snowshoeing - as well as spa treatments later (or "instead"!).
Many are smaller, rustic log structures, often with fieldstone or riverstone fireplaces. Others are huge luxury resorts. Paws Up, in Montana, is a glamping resort - presumably, the tents are well-heated!
If you love the idea of a cozy ski lodge but don't ski, there are plenty of options.....
Those resourceful folks at the Independent Traveler have come up with inexpensive alternatives to some of the pricier travel products available today.
Instead of throwing out the bags your linens come in - re-use them as packing cubes! (I've been using them in similar ways for years - my miserliness has been vindicated!)
They also have innovative ways to use an empty yogurt container and old towels.
Whether or not you're the frugal type, these are "green" methods of packing your bag, too - so, brownie points for protecting the environment!
Travel+Leisure has come out with their list of the top 25 new travel gadgets - all high-tech, of course!
Most are phones with multiple travel-related apps; there are quite a few netbooks (I don't leave home without mine!), and some Kindle-type readers.
All serve a purpose, though - and despite the silicone and heavy metals, they can be "green" in that they help eliminate tons of paper you might otherwise be carrying. I've thought about an electronic reader to avoid carrying several books on a trip, but I just love the look and feel of a real book - I can't quite get past that one.
But if you're in the market for a phone, netbook, or other device, check out their list. The travel applications of these devices might help you make a decision about which one is right for you.
In Case You Missed Them - NYTimes Top Travel Stories of 2009
Well, it's that time of the year - when we re-hash everything that happened last year!
I had a better-than-expected year for travel; I really wasn't expecting to do much at all, due to the economy, but I ended up going to Montreal and London!
I hope you all got out and about, too - and that you'll be able to do some fantastic things in 2010!
Anyway, the NYTimes has posted a list of the top 10 travel stories from their website for 2009. I didn't see most of them, and some are quite interesting. I love the idea of train travel, and I'm glad to see an article about it in the top 10.
So peruse the list and do a bit of catch-up reading...
So, remember all the advice you got about cramming everything you own into carry-on bags to avoid checked bag fees?
Well, forget about it.
Due to the most recent terrorist attempt to blow up a US plane, security - on international flights, anyway - is much tighter, and carry-ons are considered much more suspiciously than they were before.
I never really liked lugging everything onto the plane anyway; I just wish the airlines would figure out how much it costs to transport the average person + bags, and charge a single price for it.
But for people who do take a lot with them onboard, this is a BIG change.
And, of course, there are the full body scanners that are being added at many airports.
I'm a fat, middle-aged woman, and believe me, NO ONE wants to see what the body scanner will reveal when I walk through. But I do think it's a much more effective way of screening passengers than a pat-down or the wand (and really, do want a stranger to pat you everywhere??!?!?).
Working backstage in the theater (another of my many past lives), I've seen enough naked bodies to be numb to it all - really, there's nothing interesting there. I imagine the people doing the body scan screening will feel the same; I have no qualms about going through a scanner at the airport. The person doing the scanning will probably not even see me, they'll see an anonymous shape and look for whatever that shape is carrying.
There's really nothing to be "embarrassed" about.
So anyway, that's my 2 cents on body scanners - here's the article about other regulations you need to know about....
