SHE DECORATES HER SUITCASE -- writes Lorraine in Wellington, New Zealand -- Here's my tip to make you smile. I purchased stick-on car decals in the shape of paw prints and I stuck them onto my hard top suitcases. They look like a big cat has walked across my cases making it quite unique. My cases are now easily spotted on airport conveyor belts and I get great comments from fellow travellers. I found these car decals in the Ladies Market in Hong Kong for NZ$1 per sheet of 6 paw prints (less than $US1.00), great value and great fun.

 

VINTAGE EYEGLASS FRAMES IN NEW YORK CITY -- writes Debra in Toronto, Canada -- I'd like to tell other JourneyWomen about a very unique shop I visited recently in New York City. I wear prescription sunglasses and love to buy vintage frames because they're so unique. But I lost the sunglasses I travelled from Toronto with on the subway halfway through my trip. I decided to try a shop I'd read about but never visited before: Fabulous Fanny's, 335 East 9th St., near First Ave. If, like me, you love retro eyewear, this is the place to go. This tiny shop is just crammed with racks and old wooden drawers full of every imaginable type of vintage frame: cat's eye, rhinestone, tortoiseshell, more than I can list here. Prices start at about $45 and up. Plus, if you want to wear your new glasses right away like I did, they'll refer you to a reasonable, efficient optical store in Greenwich Village.

 

A FUNKY HOTEL IN NEW YORK CITY -- writes Rebecca from Leeds in the United Kingdom -- I love The Gershwin Hotel in New York City -- this is my special budget hotel. It's on 5th Avenue and 27th Street and brilliantly located for tourists. For those that like to walk, it doesn't take long to get to Times Square or in the other direction to the Village. The Hotel itself is amazing -- each room is decorated differently, and as you can see from the website there are some amazing themes. I have always stayed in the dorm rooms of six and have met some brilliant people. The staff is friendly and will go out of their way to help you. The best example I can give is when I arrived at 6am, and though I would not have been able to check in until 3pm the desk clerk let me go up and get some sleep before I headed out for the day! Their website address is www.gershwinhotel.com

EDITOR'S NOTE: At Journeywoman we have many more tips about shops, hotels and other stuff in New York City. If you are interested please click here.

 

SHE TRAVELS WITH A TIMER -- writes Sandra in Roxboro, Canada -- When staying at a hotel and you are worried about whether or not the front desk will really give you that wake up call (and you can't figure out the alarm clock or don't trust it either), you have a few neat options. (1) You can always use the alarm feature on your cell phone. (2) And, here's an even better way: for about $5.00 you can pick-up a digital oven timer. You can set it for the number of hours you want to sleep and ding! it will get you up at the right time in the AM.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Another Journeywoman suggests that you drink two full glasses of water before you go to sleep. It works like magic. Presto, your expanding bladder will definitely get you up early in perfect time for your scheduled activities.

 

A WOMAN-OWNED HOTEL IN KRABI THAILAND -- writes Therese from Yokohama, Japan -- It's called '@KrabiPura', it's new, it has just eight rooms, and it's run by a woman, named Atchara who has twenty years in the business of making guests feel at home. Krabi has an international airport now and is a quieter, more 'Thai destination' than Phuket. My mother and I used @KrabiPura as a base for a three week stay in the south of Thailand. We prepaid for an airport pickup, stayed at @KrabiPura for about three days then asked Atchara to book us rooms and transport to our next stop at a small island nearby (KohLanta). We left our bigger bags in the storage area. (Atchara also runs a travel agency, has a laundry service, rents motorbikes and books transport plus tours, also). Most rooms at this little hotel overlook the Karst mountains and the river - the view in the morning mist is absolutely magical. There's a garden, food is served and you will quickly become part of the family. Rates in low season were 800 baht (about $25 US) for a larger room -- with air conditioning, hot water and cable TV. It's all new and exceptionally clean. Website: http://atkrabipura.multiply.com/

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you're heading to Thailand you'll enjoy reading GirlTalk Thailand, a mini guide for women. Click here.

 

MY BEST HOTEL EXPERIENCE IS IN ATHENS GREECE -- writes Margaret in San Francisco, USA -- Hi I am just back from Athens. I love it there and my favorite hotel is The Attalos. It has a rooftop garden bar with a view of the Acropolis and it's situated right in the middle of the action. The management is friendly and helpful both via email and in person. I have stayed at The Attalos twice and it gets better each time. It's right in the Monastiraki district, great for browsing in lots of little shops, the Athens City Market and the flea market. Best of all? I took the metro directly from the airport to the hotel for only six euro!
P.S. I found great inexpensive sandals at The Poet Sandal Maker, right around the corner from the hotel. I got several pairs for about 21 euros each -- handmade and adjustable and a great fit. Journeywoman, I love your newsletter. I hope this tip helps other women in the Network.

 

BE CREATIVE WITH PANTS HANGERS -- writes Michael in the USA -- I'm a guy who reads your newsletter but this is a unisex tip. I'm one of those folks who can't sleep if there is any light in my hotel room. When I travel across time zones it is sometimes necessary to catch some sleep during daylight hours. Also at night the outdoor lights in some hotels can be very intense (sometimes blinking on and off right outside your window). Rather than struggle trying to get curtains closed completely my trick is to use a pant hanger from the closet. I use the clips to hold the curtains firmly closed preventing light from coming in.

 

A COMMUNITY BOOKSHOP IN BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA -- writes Kathy from Brisbane, Australia -- I am a longtime Journeywoman subscriber and I just wanted to let you know about the Annerley Community Bookshop and neighbourhood centre on Ipswich Rd (at the Annerley Junction) in Brisbane Australia. It's the only community owned bookshop in this country and it sells the most wonderful collection of secondhand books at the cheapest prices in the city. There's even a foreign language book section. We're a not for profit organisation and any profits that are made are re-invested into local community development initiatives to help local refugee and migrant communities, homeless people and folks who are laid up in hospitals. You can visit our website at www.annerleybookshop.com.au and if you are in Brisbane you can call on 3892 5050. Please pop in when you're in this part of the world.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Just a small reminder to check the JW article called, Bookshops Worldwide Women Love to Browse. It's a most helpful resource to consult.

 

What makes flight attendants cranky? We have many flight attendants as part of our Journeywoman Network. These women work long and hard hours to make our journeys more enjoyable. But... did you ever wonder what you are doing to make your attendant cranky. CLICK HERE to read what they have to say.