Travel news for our favorite travelers.
Hello Travel Tip Seeker:
Here’s what we have for you in this bimonthly installment of Travel Tips Tuesday—advice gleaned from a variety of trusted resources.
Mexicans Appreciate a Good “Propina”
This is San Miguel de Allende. I’m going there in October and Oaxaca next week. I love Mexico!
Just don’t overdo it. President Sheinbaum has carried on the work of her predecessor and elevated wages for workers across the country. If you live there the law will come after you if you don’t give your housekeeper a vacation and a Christmas bonus tied to the minimum wage.
The new government has lifted millions of Mexicans out of poverty and made it a little more expensive to travel in Mexico. Gone are the days when leaving a single US dollar in the room was welcomed. Now they want their own currency (Mexican pesos) and here’s a guide to how much travelers should tip.
Learn to Play Nice in Nice. And Paris.
Google translate says it’s “love in power.” Huh? Any French speakers out there? Help!!
I’ve traveled to more than 40 countries, but I’ve only been in France (Paris) for one day. It was 1973, I was a broke college student and bilingual (English/Spanish), but that didn’t help. I felt so awkward, unwelcome, and judged. That’s why I’ve never wanted to go back. What a dummy. If only I’d known how the French expect me to roll, it would have changed everything.
We Love These 2 Cheap and Easy-to-Pack Essentials
Pooch not included. Although if you can get away with it, go for it! Made ya look, didn’t I?
Ziplocks. All sizes. Jumbo to wash clothes. Mini for snacks. Medium to keep travel shampoo contents from spilling all over your clothes.
And…cotton bandanas. They’re napkins, placemats, handkerchiefs, head covering, neck warmer, sweat wiper, and, god forbid, tourniquet. You can buy them in multiple colors and wash them at night. In your Ziplock!
Wire Cables Cramping Your Style?
This is what my cords look like after I plug everything in at my seat. Phone, iPad, laptop.
“Mommie Dearest” would probably agree. Wires don’t belong in closets or on airplanes. They get in the way, whether you’re in a window seat and need to climb out, or you’re on the aisle and your seat mates interrupt your movie. It’s just so much easier to stand up without having to untangle yourself. Here’s the solution.
Embarrassing Travel Story! What’s Yours?
You never know what’s hiding behind walls like these. Sometimes a great meal or two!
We all have made at least one faux pas or done a straight-out face plant while on the road. Confession is good for the soul and makes us all feel better about our being so very human!
NextTriber Cynthia Bowden responded to our last newsletter with the following embarrassing travel story:
Years ago two friends and I decided to take a bicycle trip to France. We picked a “modest” tour company, who promised easy rides and great food. I went to France a week before my friends, and arrived early morning in our departure town, where we were to spend the first 2 nights. I was let off at a nice hotel, but was told on check-in that our small tour group had been moved to a sister hotel. It was, in my view, a considerable step down.
There was a “bar tabac” on the main floor with a bunch of men smoking and drinking. I was given a gigantic room key to a very dated bedroom, with a saggy bed, an old carpet and a teeny bathroom. But the clincher was the sign at the front desk offering hourly rates. What kind of a hotel offers hourly rates!
I now had serious doubts about our choice of bike tour company, and spent the afternoon being furious as I went through my guidebooks trying to decide if my friends and I could blow off the tour and do the trip on our own.
Around 5 PM, the rest of the tour group arrived. They had travelled together by train from Paris and walked in laughing and relaxed.
Meanwhile, I was stressed and angry. My first move was to point to the sign and demand what kind of a tour company was this - that put us in hotels offering hourly rates? But as the words came out of my mouth, I realized the sign was advertising not the hotel, but bike rental hourly rates!
I was embarrassed to have insulted the tour company and hotel, to say nothing of showing off my poor language skills. For the record, that hotel put on the 2 best dinners of the whole trip. Anger and anxiety for nothing!
Got any more? Send ‘em my way. Nothing like travel to keep you on your toes, and keep you humble.
Thanks for reading. Happy trails!
Jeannie Edmunds
Chief Operating Officer
Get ‘em while you can!
Every year, we are thrilled to bring open-hearted travelers to gorgeous San Miguel de Allende in Mexico (Conde Nast Traveler’s #1 Destination in the World) over the lively and poignant holiday of Dia de los Muertos. With founder Jeannie Ralston’s connections, we do the town right and with the Mexican perspective on death and dying, we all come away with a new way to think about mortality.
Because so many of us at this age are seeking solace around loved ones who have passed, this trip fills up fast. Our first 2 offerings over Day of the Dead are sold out, so we’ve added another Deluxe Version to make sure everyone who wants to go gets a chance.
Here’s what Mars Kampa says about her trip to San Miguel: “I had been having a hard time knowing how to grieve for the two Mauras in my life, my daughter Maura Rose and my mother Maura Brigid. Seeing and experiencing the way the people in Mexico celebrate the lives of their dearly departed loved ones was profoundly moving to me. I highly encourage everyone to consider this transformational experience with an intimate group of NextTribe friends.”
Choose Your Next Adventure!
Click on a square to see our trip listing.
REMEMBER: We offer interest-free monthly payments
Other Trips coming in 2027
Savannah: March
Scotland: June
Canada Maritime Provinces: August
Portugal: September
Japan: September (Heads Up: will be released to public Thursday)
Peru: October
Turkey: October
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, Classic: October
San Miguel de Allende, Deluxe (all inclusive): October
Vietnam: November
New Zealand: November (trip will be released to Lifetime Members Friday)
