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Phyllis Stoller has a BA from Tufts University, an MA from New York University and a Finance Degree from the University of the South Bank, London England. Phyllis Stoller founded and managed for 16 years, the largest tour operator for women in North America. She was voted top in women’s travel by Travel & Leisure Magazine,the first to receive this honor. Phyllis has appeared on The Today Show, CNN, Lifetime TV for Women and others. She is a consultant on marketing to women.
Phyllis now resides in New York City and London, England and is affiliated with ECPS Consulting Corporation in New York. She prides herself on her family: husband, Eric, a ‘keeper’, sons Nick (comedy writer and director of Forgetting Sarah Marshall) and Matt , a progressive political strategist who works with liberal Democratic candidates. Phyllis can be reached at Phyllisnycity@gmail.com.
Past Articles
TRAVEL TIPS FOR TOMATOES
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When Women aren’t considered
So where does that leave us solo women travelers who do not want a 4 course hot lunch, hydro-electric plant visit and 53 seater buses where we are assigned to sit in with strangers? Well it leaves us either stay-cationing, going with small un-recognizable women oriented companies or hopping on a big tour bus as the ‘third wheel’. No pun intended.
My choice is to first search for a small group travel company. Small group in the industry means less than 25 people. Ideally, the group should be between 15 and 20 travelers; those sizes make it easy to find a pal, and you will not feel lost.
Look for itineraries which do not change cities more than 3 times in a 10 day trip or 4 times in a 2 week trip. That way you will become accustomed to where you are. Others on your trip will see you more in the hotel common areas, and are more likely to befriend you. Search for certain words in travel brochures: ‘experience’ is more significant than the word ‘sightseeing highlights’.
Look for companies that use 100 +/- room hotels in good residential neighborhoods, not commercial areas unless it is Paris near the Opera. 4 star is an optimum standard, with a minimum price. Tripadvisor.com will prove very helpful in research as reviews are written by users of the hotels. Hotels should have at minimum, some room service, and a casual restaurant or café outside. Why room service? Sometimes when you are traveling through jet lag, you might want a bite to yourself in the privacy of your room or in an outdoor cafe. I prefer a good residential area for more value for my money, for supermarket-picnics, gifts, pharmacies, people watching and general poking around.
(A gym might prove an unnecessary expense if it is tiny, empty and at the end of a long dark hallway. If you are a real exercise nut, bring along those rubber dyna-bands. Between sit ups, squats, lunges, push ups and a dyna band, you will stay in shape and not have to pay for the gym amenity. )
Look for tour companies that have full time office staff to question. Any company that has only voice mail , will not be in a position to assuage your concerns. Unfortunately in this economy, some small companies have cut back or evaporated altogether. So you will need to hunt prodigiously before you know you have met the right match.
Bring your own guidebooks as you are likely to have free time alone. My favs are The Lonely Planet (for exotic locations and size/weight of book), Green Michelin for detailed sightseeing and ranking of sights, Frommers for a general look, Access Guides for street/by street sightseeing, and Rough or Cadogan Guides for a British take on your destination.
And finally, on day 1 introduce yourself to both the guide and the tour escort if there is one and tell them you are on your own. They are also, which means you might make a friend in just the high places.
My next trip is to Colombia, South America. I designed the itinerary with the help of a friend in the Foreign Service in Bogota and welcome all tomatoes who want to join me! Email me for the itinerary and prices.
Phyllis Stoller, phyllisnycity@gmail.com
@Phyllisnycity Twitter
“What’s amazing is that more companies haven’t cottoned on to this. The most obviously female-oriented sectors, like food, packaged goods, and apparel, do a decent job of appealing to their core customers. (Remember the Dove ads from a couple of years ago that celebrated all sizes of female bodies? They drove up soap sales 600 percent.) But there are still many industries—cars, travel, health care, and consumer electronics—where women are neglected in product development and marketing, even though they make the majority of purchasing decisions. “A lot of the people making these decisions at top firms are still older men,” says demographer Maddy Dychtwald, the author of Influence, a book on female economic power.”
From Newsweek article, The Richer Sex by Rana Foroohar .
