Travel plan idea blog

Reminders for people going on a cruise

Free Market News reminds us that since the cruise industry is largely unregulated in terms of environmental pollution, customers have to decide for themselves which ships to vacation on. Too bad, there's no mention of how to find the greener cruise ships.

Anchorage Daily news reminds us why we should consider travel health insurance that covers medical evacuation although I'm not sure that the lady who was taken for a ride in a Canadian Army helicopter will have to pay the Canadian government back (don't they like to do things for free in Canada?). However, if she wants to go from Alaska to a hospital in her home state, I bet she will have to pay (the Canadian government won't fly an American from Alaska to home in the continental US - that I'm sure about).

The Blue Ridge parkway

Now that summer is well and truly here, your thoughts may be turning to your next vacation. If you live along the east coast, you are within fairly easy reach of one of America’s most celebrated and scenic highways. Stretching for almost 500 miles through Virginia and North Carolina, the Blue Ridge Parkway offers the chance to experience some of the country’s most spectacular mountain scenery.

In 2005, the Parkway celebrated its 70th birthday and it remains the country’s longest designated scenic highway attracting well over 20 million visitors every year. Driving the Parkway is enjoyable during the summer months, but fall is also a wonderful time to visit with the endless vistas of fall colors visible around every turn.

Construction on the Blue Ridge Parkway began in September 1935, although it had been in the planning stages for several years before. The Parkway was conceived partly because the recently established Shenandoah and Smoky Mountains National Parks were already attracting many visitors.

It was also decided that such a huge construction project would provide much needed work for the many thousands of builders and architects out of work because of the recent depression, as well as provide employment to local families in the traditionally poor region of Appalachia. The increasing use of the car led to the idea of a highway linking the two parks, as well as passing through stunning scenery.

Conditions were difficult for the construction crews because of the remoteness of the location, the often extremes of weather – snow in winter, unbearable heat in the summer -and the lack of any good paved roads to bring equipment in. As land was gradually purchased, construction of the road took place in sections, and continued right up until the 1960s.

One of the most demanding sections of the road to construct was the Linn Cove Viaduct, a 1240 feet elevated section of the road which skirts Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina, and is still considered an engineering marvel today.

The 469 mile road was officially designated on September 11, 1987 – over 50 years after construction first began. Today the National Park service maintains the entire length of the road as well as much of the surrounding countryside.

Driving the parkway is an experience to be savored – maximum speed along the 2 lane road is 45 mph, 35 mph in many places. Most drivers take longer than they think, as there are so many places to pull off the road and admire the spectacular view or the “scenic overlook” as they are known. There are virtually no gas stations, motels or restaurants along the road to detract from the beauty of the surroundings – when you want to get back to civilization, you simply take the next exit.

House swapping tips & safety

Here's a great article with some practical tips on how to protect yourself during a home exchange. Also interesting though is that protection probably isn't as big an issue as many people think it will be since few issues arrive.

It makes sense when you think about it. Say I exchanged my apartment in downtown Seoul for on in Rome or New York. Is the New Yorker coming here to steal my towels?

Actually towels may be at risk - When I'm in a hotel I seem to talk my wife out of taking a towel home as a souvenir. But I'm certain that neither of us would consider taking something from a person's home.

Memphis to Portland American road trip

I recently received this road trip from Memphis to Portland. To me the absolute best part of this would be seeing some Native American culture, in this road trip the Navajo rain dances. If anyone has any information on staying on reservations or otherwise learning about Native American culture while traveling, please share!

I wish I could get the chance to road trip again. Here’s what I’d do:

Every American must see Graceland in Memphis. Its hysterical, weird, and great like know other place I know. Next, on to Santa Fe. Then head North out of Santa Fe 100 miles to the Four Corners of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona. Go to Mesa Grande National Park. Then head west across northern Arizona to Monument Valley national park.

Keep going west across the Navaho lands to Black Mesa to witness the summer rain dances. Then keep west to Lake Powell at Page Arizona. Enjoy some of the greatest rainbow trout fishing in NA in the Colorado River south of Glen Canyon.

Follow the River south from Page through the road through the Vermillion Cliffs National Park until you get to the isolated North Rim of the Grand Canyon, which is more beautiful and deeper than the South Rim with many less nutty tourists getting between you and the canyon for pictures.

Now go through the Hoover Dam to Vegas before turning west to California. Turn north when you get to California and skirt the Sierra Nevada Mountains and go through Yosemite National Park before turning West again through the Imperial Valley to reach San Francisco.

Then go North above Frisco and run up the coast which is magnificent this time of year as you get to Point Reyes. Montceito, and finally the Giant redwood forests of the Northern California coast. Go as far as Eureka California and see Mt Shasta. Hug the Mountains north through the Willamette River valley before reaching Portland Oregon.

Antarctica vacation cruise

I'm not sure that these packing tips from Kansas.com would be ideal for an Antarctic cruise but at least it's somewhere to start.

The article on Antarctic cruises is interesting. It's British, so prices are in Pounds Sterling and include airfare from England to South America but the information on Italian cruise line Costa Cruises 22-day cruise (a one time thing next year) is interesting for anyone who has considered a vacation in or a round Antarctica.

Hotels making sure that guests sleep well

I thought this article on things hotels do to help you sleep was interesting, especially the part about sleep concierges and:

At the exclusive Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai, guests can choose from a lineup of 17 pillows on the menu. In Manhattan, the Benjamin Hotel offers a similar range of choices on its pillow menu, including one filled with buckwheat hulls that conform to the neck and the head, a "snore no more" pillow and a five-foot-long body cushion made of polyester fibre.

Hosting an exchange student

"It's a way to travel without going anywhere," said Ellen Eichamer, a community representative with Academic Year in the U.S.A., or AYUSA.

AYUSA doesn't help host families with expenses, so even though you might not go anywhere, you'll still have more household expenses. However I understand that some host families do receive a stipend and some even try to turn this into a little business.

One of my students was telling me about her first host family in Canada. They set up a kind of alarm on the refrigerator so that whenever she opened the door, the alarm would sound. Then the host family would come stare at her. The effect of course was that she stopped eating and then asked for another host family.

Anyway, if you want to learn about another culture without actually traveling to the foreign country, you might consider inviting an exchange student to live with you for a while. Is it really traveling without going anywhere? I'm not sure, but I bet it can be a rewarding experience (I don't know though; I've never done it).

Dubai: the world's best hotel & more

Back in May, Naomi Campbell had her 36th birthday party in Dubai at the Burj Al Arab 7 star hotel. Yes, it used to have 6 stars but I'm told they've upgraded. Getting the hotel all to herself (and her guests) for three days cost 1.8 million.

MSNBC tells us what else they're doing in Dubai, which may become a ski destination thanks to an indoor ski village (with a mountain of course) in the works.

My wife and I saw a Dubai vacation package that included business class flights from Seoul to Dubai and a few nights at Burj Al Arab for about 6,000 dollars each. We didn't drop 12,000 on the weeklong vacation, but we did add the hotel to our list of things to do.

1,000 Places to See Before You Die says that 1,000/night will get you a normal room while the Royal Suite penthouses are 7,000/night. Anyway, you have to take a submarine to get to the seafood restaurant and the atrium lobby has 600-foot-high ceilings. Sounds unique

In Search of Sherlock Holmes

Perhaps no other literary figure is so firmly associated with their surroundings as the famous fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. Think of Holmes and you conjure up a vision of 19th century London, at the time the largest metropolis in the world, with its gas-lit foggy streets, the rattle of the hansom cabs and the piercing shriek of a policeman’s whistle. Parts of London have changed little in the hundred years or so since Holmes and Watson walked the streets and there are many reminders of Holmes’ life.

Of course, anyone interested in following in the footsteps of Holmes should begin at 221B Baker St - perhaps the most famous address in the world. If you arrive in Baker Street by Underground railway, you can admire the walls of the Metropolitan Line platforms which are decorated with colored murals depicting scenes from several of the Holmes stories.

The writer GK Chesterton suggested a statue of Holmes almost 70 years ago and his vision was recently realized. A 9 foot bronze statue of Holmes – complete with pipe - was recently unveiled outside the Marylebone Street exit of the station, designed by the English sculptor John Doubleday.

The site of 221B is today a small but fascinating museum which recreates the suite of rooms that Holmes and Watson occupied for many years. Visitors to the museum are met by the great man himself, or by Holmes’ landlady, the long-suffering Mrs. Hudson. Inside, the sitting room and bedrooms are faithfully reconstructed as depicted in the books, complete with Holmes’ odious chemical experiments, Persian slipper full of tobacco, and bullet holes in the walls.

The other unique reminder of Sherlock Holmes is the pub that bears his name, on Northumberland Street, just around the corner from Charing Cross station, one of London’s busy rail terminals which features in many of Doyle’s stories. The upstairs rooms of the pub contain a reconstruction of Holmes’ sitting room, originally exhibited at the Festival of Britain in 1951 and moved to this spot soon after.

If you need a break from all that sightseeing, you can sample excellent English food and drink in the pub at ‘Mrs. Hudson’s Pantry’ or simply admire the extensive collection of Holmes memorabilia.

However, if you really want to dine in style, one of Holmes’ favorite places to eat, which is mentioned in several of the books was Simpson’s on the Strand.100 years later, this celebrated restaurant still serves some of the best traditional English food in London and is well known for its superb roast beef. Carvers dressed in white still wheel joints of meat over to your table, where they lift silver covers to carve the beef in front of you. It’s a memorable setting to round off any trip to London.

Articles on new RCI and NCL ships

The Boston Herald has articles on Pride of America (cruising around Hawaii) and Freedom of the Seas (the biggest cruise ship). Both articles amount to positive reviews with the first one a better read because the author talks more about vacation experiences.

Also we've got an article on Carnival's new destination, Grand Turk. I don't know how long it will remain so, but:

For now the clear turquoise waters and reef remain pristine.

It’s a 15-minute boat shuttle to Gibbs Cay, the largest of three small isles off the southeast tip of Grand Turk, where you can snorkel with stingrays. Put “snorkel” in quotes, though, since before you’re knee-deep in the water, a ray is likely to slide up to your legs like a cat, looking for fish food. You can touch if you want to.

And Royal Caribbean is in trouble, being sued by the State of New Jersey. It seems that due to a possible hurricane threat they decided to go to Canada instead of the Caribbean. Sounds reasonable, right?

I think the issue is that customers deserve a partial refund since a cruise to Canada is cheaper than one to the Caribbean. Passengers did get 42.50 because of cheaper port fees, but I think that Royal Caribbean needs to do more than that. They did offer discounts on a future cruise, but really they should have offered some cash back on the cruise to make up for the changed itinerary.

How important is safety when choosing a cruise?

I wonder if calls for increased security and safety on cruise ships presents companies with an opportunity. If you were planning a cruise, and you knew one company had surveillance cameras and relatively more security staff, would that influence your decision? I would seriously consider the cruise line with the most security.

It might help attract workers as well, since now even crew are ending up missing.

Summerfield Suites Hotel in Whippany, N.J.

In this case, Summerfield Suites Hotel in Whippany, N.J. overcharged a customer. I think the travel troubleshooter could have done better. A traveler was quoted a price for one night in a hotel; 132.00. The traveler ended up getting charged 192.00 twice (for 2 nights even though it was a one-night stay). All the toubleshooter was able to do was get a refund for 77.00.

I find it pretty sad that the hotel didn't warn their customer that they would charge for two nights on checkout. They made a few extra bucks, but they've gotten lots of bad publicity (probably tens of thousands of people reading the travel troubleshooter and a couple thousand reading this post).

I do agree that it's a good idea to get everything in writing (apparently hotels are not to be trusted), but when? When you confirm on the phone, ask them to fax you something immediately?

Exchanging homes for a vacation

Here's an interesting article on vacation home exchanges from the International Herald Tribune. Apparently, home exchanges depend largely on location as the author writes:

I recently completed a successful exchange of my tiny Paris apartment with a beautiful 70-square-meter, or 750- square-foot apartment in a medieval Tuscan castle - and at the end of the swap, both sides seemed to think they had got the better of the exchange.

In addition, a vacation home exchange can make you feel less like a tourist:

A benefit of the home exchange is that it gives you the possibility to live like a local for a week, in an area most likely not geared up for tourists. Another is that your fellow swappers will probably know the best restaurants, walks and shops in the area and be happy to share their knowledge with you - helping you to avoid ending up in overpriced tourist haunts.

Now I've never done a home exchange so I can't recommend it, but it does seem like a neat way to travel. If you did do it, I'm sure you would want to take some precautions and I don't know exactly what those would be. The article does talk about that a little bit by saying that you might make 5-15 inquiries before finding a good exchange. Thaey also recommend having a friend meet the people you're exchanging with when they arrive.

Nice hotels and resorts

I was recently checking out hotels and resorts in this directory of hotels. I always enjoy browsing through nice hotels and making notes of ones I'd like to stay in at some point. These are nice hotels.

For example, the Spanish Meliá Benidorm in the Rincón de Loix of Benidorm starts at 120 Euros/night. Make sure you check out the photos for a nice-looking pool.

As many of you know, I love talking about Italy and one of the places I want to go is Meliá Poltu Quatu in Costa Smeralda, starting at 235 Euros. Again, you'll want to check out the photos. Also, I see lots of boats around the resort though I'd be going more to watch the boats and for the pool.

Cancun is famous for resorts, so I was curious to see the resorts in Cancun. If you click on the special offers link (upper right) you can see one resort, Gran Meliá Cancún, for 109.00/night which seems quite reasonable.

I've never been to Egypt, so I was curious to check out some hotels in Egypt. Apparently there are some very nice hotels in Sharm El Sheikh and a great one on Hurghada Beach (the Red Sea).

It just reminds me that there are so many places I haven't traveled to and so many great resorts in most of those places...

Cruise vacations & port fee refunds

I was just reading this interesting article about cruise lines and port fees. In turns out that cruise lines will put these fees in the fine print somewhere so to calculate the true cost of your cruise you'll need to check on the port fees.

The focus of the article was on what happens when a cruise ship misses a port of call. Passengers are not entitled to a refund although some cruise lines might offer onboard credit.

The thrust of the article was that cruise lines need to be a bit more ethical when it comes to port fees. They should be included in the price of the cruise instead of listed in the fine print as "governmental taxes and fees". Also, when a ship misses a port they don't pay port fees so neither should we customers.

Jude Jarvis: Tragic story about cosmetic surgery in India

I haven't said anything about medical tourism recently but Neal Yerkes who sometimes leaves very insightful comments on this blog recently wrote me about an article in a Rhode Island newspaper - Here's what he said:

The article is about a young woman (young to me at least) who traveled to India for liposuction (not mentioned in the article but you generally get liposuction and a tummy tuck), breast reduction and a tummy tuck. She had been told by US surgeons they would not operate until she reduced her weight to one hundred forty pounds. The doctors and the hospital in India decided to push the envelope and operate anyway. The article says she died of a pulmonary embolism caused by a blood clot. It is more likely she died of a pulmonary embolism caused by fat entering her blood stream during the operation, a known risk factor in liposuction made greater by her obesity. We will ever know.

The autopsy was performed by the same hospital where she received the operation. Her sister, a non-medical person, called it a freak accident. In fact the outcome was predictable due to the woman being a high-risk patient. She was a single mother and left three children.

I don't understand risking your life for a tummy tuck but the fact that this would have cost 20,000 in the USA but only 5,000 in India tells me that some people will take the risk and have the surgery done abroad. What Neal has recommended in the past is that medical tourists go to Thaliand or Singapore rather than India. I wonder if they have statistics so that we can see if surgery in India (at one of the tourist hospitals - not the rural ones) really is more dangerous than in the US.

Is construction at the Aladdin problematic for guests?

My sister is planning a trip to Las Vegas, and heard that construction started at the Aladdin in June of 2006 and will continue through December 2006 and that the lobby and front entrance are closed. Does anyone know about that? Apparently there are some good deals for the Aladdin right now and it would be her top choice, except for the construction.

I'm sure she'd appreciate show recommendations as well - I know one person recommended O at the Bellagio and Barry Manilow is kind of a must-see. What else shouldn't she miss?

By the way I'll be posting a lot more soon. I just have a few more papers to grade and then I'm on vacation!

On the Trail of the Da Vinci Code

First there was the book, and now the movie. The phenomenal success of Dan Brown’s hugely popular book has meant an increased number of visitors to the places mentioned in the book. Visitors come in search of secret codes, conspiracy theories and possibly the final resting place of the legendary Holy Grail itself.

Much of the action in the movie (and the book) takes place in Paris, London and Scotland. One of the most famous art museums in the world, the Louvre plays an important part in the book, when a corpse is discovered in one of the museum’s many galleries. Before the victim has breathed his last, he somehow has time to leave a series of clues pertaining to the paintings of Leonardo da Vinci, and ultimately proving the existence of perhaps the biggest conspiracy in history.

I remember visiting the Louvre many years ago when I first went to Paris and trailing around endless corridors to find the Mona Lisa. Not because I particularly wanted to see it – I just felt I couldn’t go to the Louvre without seeing the most famous painting in the world! The Mona Lisa aside, the museum is so huge it would take weeks to do justice to it. The best way to approach the Louvre is to decide what interests you – Egyptian, Renaissance, or Oriental art, etc - and concentrate on that. You can always go back there.

In London, two sites that play a prominent role in the Da Vinci Code are Westminster Abbey and the Temple Church. Westminster Abbey needs little introduction as it is one of London’s most popular tourist attractions and can be crowded, especially at weekends and holidays.

Temple Church is a fascinating place, tucked away in a maze of alleyways and courtyards that comprise London’s legal quarter. The church dates from the 12th century and was built by the Knights Templar who feature in the movie. One of the highlights of the church is the series of life-size stone effigies of nine knights.

The Da Vinci Code has its exciting climax at the historic Rosslyn Chapel just outside Edinburgh, Scotland (link) another must-see site for Grail seekers and conspiracy theorists. Rosslyn Chapel dates from the 15th century and is famous for its mysterious carvings – the stone arched roof is decorated with various symbols such as five pointed stars, squares and flowers.

The other famous feature of the chapel is the ornately carved column known as the “apprentice pillar”. Legend has it that the Grail lies hidden in a secret chamber under the chapel floor or in the apprentice pillar itself – a theory yet to be proven.

Tips on flying with a 2 year old?

Someone recently asked for tips on flying with a 2 year old? "Any good ideas to keep the dude occupied and not have THAT kid on the flight?"

One decent suggestion involved lots of lollipops, but apparently this kid is already too hyper. Another suggestion was a portable DVD player (hopefully that would put the kid to sleep).

Timing a flight for the baby's naptime was a good suggestion as was getting the kid a seat of his own. And I never knew that sipping warm water was good for the ears.

Probably more effective than warm water would be a set of Earplanes for the child. They are pressure regulating plugs for their ears that prevent inner ear pain from cabin pressure changes. You can find them in a lot of airport shops, or you can order them online. Look for the children's size.

Other suggestions included juice cups, food, a favorite blanket, a car seat, a pacifier (obviously), some toys, numbing ear drops (from a pediatrician), and waiting until the last minute to board the plane (this gives the baby more time to run around).

And I was saving this for last: many people suggested cough syrup to knock the baby out. One person even had a related story to tell: he was flying with his son and "Baby Benedryl was offered and we declined. Stare Daggers from the offerers for the rest of the flight."

Stuck in Cleveland due to poor security

A while back I wrote about the SSSS security flag. It showed up again in Peter King's Aggravating/Enjoyable Travel Note of the Week:

My brother Bob had one of the all-timers last week in Cleveland. We were flying home after our baseball trip, Bob to Hartford and the other three revelers to Newark. We got through security, parted and were on our way. After I landed at Newark, Bob called and said, "I'm still in Cleveland! At the Ramada Inn South! They wouldn't let me on the plane!'' Seems Bob had a special code (SSSS) on his boarding pass, which meant he should have special random screening at the security checkpoint. When he got to the boarding door, he was told he had slipped through the cracks and somehow was not checked randomly. He had to go back through security to get checked again, this time with his bags being searched.

"We'll check the tapes and see who let you through,'' Bob was told, implying there would be discipline to whoever blew it.

"Fat lot of good that'll do me!'' Bob said.

And so Bob had to pay for a night at a hotel and fly the next morning.

Makes you feel real secure about our security.

What is the right mix of adventure and relaxation?

I'm too busy watching World Cup soccer (not in Germany, on TV) to write much, but I did find one good article for you on planning family vacations.

A good point in this article is that you have to find the right balance between adventure and education and relaxation but this one vacation sure sounds cool (if not relaxing):

We took Josh one year to the Yucatan on an organized learning vacation, kayaking in a beautiful biosphere with a Mayan storyteller.

Main tourist attractions in Nepal & Tibet

Over a year ago, one of this blog's readers sent in the Nepal & Tibet travel plan. I haven't given much thought about either place since then, but recently did some reading on both Nepal and Tibet.

It's a good thing that Kathmandu is worth visiting, because that's where most people will fly to. Some people may fly into Lhasa in Tibet, but flights there depart from only a few cities (like Hong Kong & Beijing). Anyway, Kathmandu is famous for Durbar Square. Yahoo pictures shows us just how cool the many temples, shrines, and palaces in Durbar Square. It's still possible to avoid most of the modern stuff and wander around in small alleys away from the square.

Then there's Mt. Everest in Nepal. You can hike there without actually trying to reach the top (which might just kill you). Speaking of mountains you shouldn't climb, how about Mount Kailas in Tibet. This mountain is not for humans; climbing Mount Kailas would disturb the Gods. A 32 mile hike around the mountain will reveal beautiful nature, a few monasteries, pilgrims (108 circles assures pilgrims reach Nirvana but hiking 108 x 32 miles would mean a very very long vacation), nomads, and possibly Yak herders.

Then we have Lhasa in Tibet. Here you want to see the Patola where Dalai Lamas lived until the Chinese came. Again, Yahoo images shows us, or at least gives us some idea, about what it would be like to see it in person. Jokhang Temple is another attraction in Lhasa.

More about that 3 week vacation in Europe

Here's a little more from Dr. Z, the sports writer who loves wine (and who just got back from vacation). Here he talks about almost throwing up and passing out in a fancy restaurant (not because each meal was 142 Euros) that turned expensive food into a 3.5 hour ordeal. He also names a few European restaurants he likes.

Also interesting was the art in Hotel Turm in the northern Italian town, Fie. A not to army vets: visiting your old base might be more frustrating than fun:

"No is no, see?" And then it all started coming back. The Army. The tight, stupid faces. The denials--just to show they could do it. The barracks sergeant who cleaned out my locker the day the football season ended, and threw out, among other things, draft cards I'd gotten from the Colts and the Browns.

"Let's get the hell out of this place," I said to Linda.

Some advice on going to Universal Studios during a Disney vacation

This question about taking a day off from Disney to visit Universal Studios came up on a sports message board and I thought I would share some excerpts with you.

Question: I am planning a trip to Disney World, we will be staying 8 days we are bringing my 7 year old daughter, my wife and I were discussing the possibility of going over to Universal Studios for a day while we are in Disney World...I'm sure people have done this, overall was it worth the time away from Disney? Are both of Universal parks able to be seen in one day? Any other helpful tips about my trip? Thanks.

Answer 1: In my opinion, you can't do both Universal parks in 1 day. However, Islands of Adventure is basically a Six Flags amusement park that can easily be skipped. Being a huge Disney fan, I'd suggest skipping Universal altogether... :)

A different answer: Universal is great and I think you can do both Islands of Adventure and Universal in one day. And your daughter is right at the age when she can probably ride on the Hulk, Spiderman, Fire & Ice, etc. One suggestion is to spend the $15 per person to get a pass where you basically circumvent the entire line and go thru "back doors" to enter all the attractions. It's well worth the money - only drawback is that if they run your card thru their scanner, you can only go on the ride once. Good times there...more fun than Disney, in my opinion.

A third answer: Don't skip Universal. If she is too small for the big rides, you can definitely do both parks in a day. Don't miss Spiderman at Islands of Adventure, or Back to the Future in the other park. Terminator is also very cool... hell, just about everything there is great. It's right on par with the Disney parks, and is better than MGM's "studio" themed park.

The last answer: I agree about the fast pass feature. At Universal, you pay extra and avoid lines. It's not that much more and saves a lot of time. A word of warning though: Universal is definitely geared towards older kids. There are a lot of rides that will be a bit much for a 7 year old (some 3-D rides are pretty intense) and others that have height restrictions. It's also very definitely not Disney. An older, rowdier crowd. You might want to check out their website for some guidance on the suitability of rides. Good luck.

A vacation club for rich people

Instead of a hotel, you might want to stay in a vacation rental. But if vacation rentals are not unique enough for you, join a club. For a fee of $195,000 to $395,000, you can have between 15 and 45 days at any of the club's destinations (including the Virgin Islands, Costa Rica, Lake Tahoe, the French Alps and Tuscany).

Of course you also pay annual dues ranging from $9,500 to $25,000 based on the number of vacation days. You do get 80% of the membership fee back when you leave the club.

Now I have no problem with this sort of club, and they say it's an alternative to owning a vacation home. What I don't understand is why you put down hundreds of thousands of dollars for a glorified vacation rental.

The owner says that he had a bad vacation rental once and that's why the club is a good idea. I suppose there are some reasons why it's better than a vacation rental:

Exclusive Resorts counters that by trying to offer some consistency at all of its sites. For instance, every home has the same model of plasma-screen TV and the same remote control. The company keeps a list of its members' preferred groceries, and makes sure the refrigerator and pantry are stocked with the right variety of wine for the grown-ups and the right breakfast cereal for the children.

Concierge service makes sure that ski-lift tickets are waiting for families on arrival. Tee times are already made. Chefs and masseuses are available.

Wine drinking European vacation

Here is a sports writer talking about all the wines he sampled on his European vacation. Not being a big wine man myself, I found this one only marginally interesting but I'm sure some of you readers appreciate the finer things in life (I prefer the cheap fruit wines I used to buy in college for 5 bucks a bottle). Here's the introduction to the sports writer's 3 week European wine drinking vacation:

The purpose of this three-week working vacation was to visit selected properties in Germany's Rheingau and Mosel and taste their wines, to do the same in Alsace, to sightsee in Bavaria, and Lindau Island on Lake Konstanz, and finally to enjoy a few days in the Dolomites in Italy's far north, an area we always seem to return to. We ended up in seven countries. How could this be possible?

“Can the plane still fly if one of the engines fails?”

How many of us have ever wanted to knock on the cockpit door and ask the pilot something like “What was that noise I heard just now?” or “How do the pilots know the landing gear is actually down…?” There is a fascinating book that is a collection of such obvious and not so obvious questions that – let’s face it - most of us who have ever flown, have wondered about from time to time.

The author of "Ask the Pilot", Patrick Smith, is - of course- an airline pilot as well as a freelance writer. His book is based on a series of questions and answers originally posed on the web, by regular passengers. His style is informative yet humorous, never condescending; and the complicated topics such as the mysteries of aerodynamics are presented in an easy to understand manner.

The book is divided into several sections, dealing with different aspects of the flying experience: airports, the mechanics of flight, how an aircraft actually gets off the ground with all that weight, security, the ups and downs of a career as a flight attendant or pilot.

Much of the fascination of the book comes from the offbeat questions that everybody secretly wants to know the answer to: Where exactly does the lavatory waste go to? What happens if the aircraft is struck by lightning? How much money do pilots really make?

In case you are wondering, the lavatory waste is vacuumed into a huge airtight container and is emptied upon landing. It doesn’t fall from the sky as some people would tell you. And planes are regularly struck by lightning; to a pilot it is as routine as running over a small pothole. And yes, pilots are well-paid for the most part, although you will agree it is well deserved.

Interspersed with the fascinating questions and answers are some of the author’s personal observations on flying in general and the not so glamorous job of being a pilot. The book was written after the terrorist attacks on 9/11 and includes a lot of useful information about security on planes and at the airport. There’s also a good deal of discussion about the general financial state of the airline industry.

Much of the information in the book will reassure nervous or first-time flyers - although if you fall into either category you may want to skip the section that lists the top 10 worst air disasters of all time. Whether you fly regularly for business, or you are just about to board a plane for the first time, this is an indispensable book.

Ask the Pilot, by Patrick Smith published by Riverhead Books.

2006-2007 winter vacation itinerary travel writing contest

$1,100.00 in prizes (US dollars).

The submissions to my 2006 summer vacation plan writing contest were so good that I was a little uncomfortable with one winner getting 500.00 while other plans of similar quality went unrewarded. This contest aims to change all that:

The first 150 travel itineraries that pass the initial screening and are published on this blog will receive 5.00 each. PayPal only because I refuse to write and mail 150 five-dollar checks.

In addition, one first place winner will receive $200.00. One 2nd place winner will receive $100.00. One third place winner will receive $50.00.

To enter, you must email a travel itinerary (send your PayPal ID as well so I can send the money if you pass the initial screening) to jtrotta@gmail.com. Travel itineraries will be judged on the following criteria:

1. The travel plan consists of a daily itinerary in the following format:

Day 1:
Day 2:
Day 3:
Etc. - 5 points

2. Itinerary is at least 5 days long – 1 point
3. Itinerary makes sense for December, January, or February – 4 points
4. Itinerary includes enough attractions to keep an average traveler busy each day and provides detailed information on attractions (such as when to go, cost of admission, and what to see/do at that attraction) – 15 points
5. Itinerary includes information on where to stay (the more details and options the better - personal recommendations are good too) – 10 points
6. Itinerary includes information on meals such as recommendations on where to eat and approximate cost – 5 points

For some example travel itineraries, check out the summer vacation plans submitted to our previous contest. Just keep in mind that the criteria are slightly changed.

Email submissions to jtrotta@gmail.com and good luck!

Vietnam, Kilimanjaro, and Lake Quinault Lodge

This will be a shorter entry since I was out shopping all night and am anxious to get to bed. I did find a neat article about a Vietnamese travel destination that should be off the beaten path.

I found another article that I thought would be another boring one on Freedom of the Seas, but did find something interesting:

Luxury cruise specialist Crystal Cruises is offering a new overland adventure to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro.

Thrill-seekers will revel at the rare chance to climb 19,340 feet to Uhuru Peak, through an equatorial jungle and dense cloud forest to the snow-capped summit, en route to the highest peak in Africa. The nine-night extended land program debuts in March, 2007, and is available pre- or post-cruise in conjunction with two Crystal Serenity itineraries beginning or ending in Cape Town, South Africa.

That reminds me of the his and hers African vacation plan that included (for him) a hike up Mount Kilimanjaro.

Lastly, a great vacation experience article. The author stayed at Lake Quinault Lodge, a rain forest in Washington state. Follow in his vacation footsteps and you too can see "the largest Sitka spruce in the world, 54 feet around and roughly 1,000 years old" and a cougar (don't run from cougars because they will stalk you and attack - instead hold your ground and fight if necessary). The lodge starts at 87.00/night (106.00 during high season). Dinner will be 80.00+ at the lodge, breakfast 8.00 for oatmeal and closer to 20.00 for fancy eggs. Apparently the general store across the street makes decent sandwiches for a few bucks each.

Reactions to "yappy" dogs on airplanes

In Peter King's Aggravating/Enjoyable Travel Note of the Week he complains about a dog that barked 6 or 7 times during takeoff. I may be more of a dog lover than most people, but I don't see the problem with a few barks during takeoff.

Then he says dogs should be kept in the carrying cases. This makes sense to me. As nice as it might be to have your dog in your lap during the flight, you've got to consider people who are afraid, allergic, etc.

Dogs on airplanes. They are really starting to tick me off.

Keep in mind that I love dogs. Love 'em. Well, I don't love all of 'em; I'm not a big fan of the pocket-sized ones, but I recognize their right to inhabit the planet. But the yappy ones on planes, especially, are becoming a source of irritation. I flew from Newark to Detroit on Sunday, and some nine-pound bundle of joy yelped six or eight times as the plane took off. Its owner, a twentysomething woman, took the fluffy white being out of its case (which, by the way, should be against every rule of flying canines) and held the dog on her lap for much of the trip.

Next thing you know, dogs will be bounding down the aisles. I am certainly not one of those who fear any dog, but those people do exist. And it's pretty rude to have dogs among the general population on airplanes, if you ask me. Not to mention how annoying they are when they yap.

Eco-heritage cruise experience

Here's an interesting account of an eco-heritage cruise on the St. Johns River in Florida. Honestly, it sounds better than a regular cruise to Bermuda on a big ship.

Imagine seeing a bald eagle, alligators, wood storks and more wildlife:

Belted kingfishers, great blue herons and white ibises probed the spatterdock. A couple of sandhill cranes stalked the shore. From nests atop channel markers, baby osprey poked their heads above the sticks to glimpse glinting binoculars pointed at them.

That just has to be more exciting than a nice buffet.

The price isn't much less expensive than a normal cruise, and the cruise is shorter. However, the experience is much more unique:

The next St. Johns Riverkeeper cruises are Oct. 17-19 and Oct. 20-22. Cost: $515 per person; includes transportation from your car to tour start (if going downriver, park in Jacksonville, Fla.; if going upriver, park in Sanford, Fla.); two motel nights; two catered lunches; and cruise. Details: 904-256-7591.

Hotels.com customer credit information stolen

A laptop containing names, addresses, and credit or debit card information for Hotels.com customers from 2002-2004 (mostly 2004) was stolen in February.

Hotels.com is just now warning 243,000 customers that they may have had their credit card numbers stolen. While I think that this warning is a few months too late, the incident not really the fault of hotels.com. The information was stolen from an employee of Ernst & Young (who left the laptop in a locked car).

Ernst & Young is Hotels.com's auditor and is offering one year's free credit monitoring to all Hotels.com customers affected by the breach.

Saving money in expensive places

Here's an article on how to save money in select European cities like Venice, Athens, and Lisbon.

Another interesting article I found was on saving money on weddings and honeymoons. From destination weddings in Maui to cruise weddings to "shark feeding in Belize, swimming with dolphins in Hawaii, zip-wiring in Costa Rica, zorbing [rolling around in a giant hamster ball] in New Zealand" to Fleming Beach to Spain's Costa del Sol to a lot of other places, this is an interesting article. I especially like the part about honeymoon registries:

Honeymoon registries: Forget the department store gift registries. Honeymoon registries, whereby gift-givers pay for items such as airfare, hotel, upgrades and excursions, are the rage. The registries have raised some eyebrows in the etiquette set.

Be sure to read all the way through that article for cheap alternatives in places like Hawaii, Italy, Tahiti, Fiji, etc.

Dr Beach on Fleming, Hawaii

Stephen Leatherman, known as Dr Beach, has named Fleming Beach, Hawaii, America's best beach. Fleming Beach on Maui's western shoreline won the award for natural beauty, clean water, and good facilities. It features views of (of course) the Pacific Ocean and Molokai Island.

The runner up was Caladesi Island State Park in Florida, while Ocracoke Island in North Carolina was third.

In case you missed the Waimea article in March, Hawaii has been doing pretty well on the award front.

Tethered vacations and negotiating for more vacation time

I read an interesting article about what it really means to go on vacation because it varies from company to company. There's also some good advice about negotiating:

Find out what's expected. Does your manager expect you to call in once a day, check e-mails regularly and be available for conference calls? If that's the case, you might be able to negotiate for extra days or more frequent vacations.

That does sound like a good bargaining chip and fair too. If it's not really a vacation it should be longer, right?

In Search of Robin Hood

If you plan to visit the UK this summer, and your travels take you outside London and the usual tourist spots, an underrated and fascinating place to visit is the Midlands town of Nottingham.

The city of Nottingham, in the East Midlands has always been the place most associated with the famous outlaw, Robin Hood. Today, several streets, buildings and public places are named after Robin Hood and his outlaws, most notably Maid Marion way, a wide boulevard named after Robin’s sweetheart, which runs through the center of the city.

Every year, the city hosts a Robin Hood festival, with singing and dancing, games, traditional food and drink, and of course an archery competition. In 2006, the festival runs from July 31st to August 6th. And the city really does boast a full time “Sheriff of Nottingham” whose job is to promote tourism in the city, especially with regard to their most famous resident.

If you visit Nottingham and are interested in the legend of Robin Hood, the place to begin your visit is at the “Tales of Robin Hood” a sort of Disney style ride through the medieval world of the outlaws. The ride is complete with sights, sounds and even smells of the time. The amusement park also offers the ever popular medieval banquet which is definitely not for the shy and retiring type - here you are expected to leave your table manners and your inhibitions at home as you eat from wooden bowls with your fingers, entertained by jesters and musicians.

Nottingham has a castle too, perched on an outcrop overlooking the city and the distant countryside. At the entrance to the castle, there is a bronze sculpture of Robin firing his famous bow. Parts of the castle date back to the year 1068, and the cliff that the castle is perched upon is a warren of secret passageways. The king at the time Robin lived, King John, also used the castle as a prison for the unfortunate citizens who were captured by the Sheriff of Nottingham – perhaps for not paying taxes, among other things.

Not far from Nottingham, you can still visit Sherwood Forest, where Robin supposedly spent his days hunting the king’s deer, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor and practicing his archery skills. Today, Sherwood Forest is not as wild and extensive as it must have been back in the 12th century, but it still consists of 450 acres of oak and silver birch. The entire forest is strictly protected by the estate of the Thoresby family, and its protection is overseen by the county of Nottinghamshire.

There is a visitors’ center at the edge of the forest, which has an exhibition on Robin and his life as an outlaw in the forest. There are also miles of secluded and beautiful walking trails which take you deep into the forest. Not far from the visitors’ center is a famous huge oak tree measuring over 30 feet around, known as “Robin Hood’s tree”. The tree is reckoned to be around 800 years old, so it certainly would have been there when Robin was around – although to date nobody has discovered any initials carved into the tree that would settle the matter.

Nearby is the tiny village of Edwinstowe, where the most picturesque and unspoilt part of the forest lies. In the ancient Parish Church of St Mary’s, according to a local legend, Robin supposedly married Maid Marion. And two of the most famous members of Robin’s band of outlaws are supposedly buried nearby – Little John’s grave can be seen in the village of Hathersage; and Will Scarlett is laid to rest in nearby Blidworth.

And one of the things you absolutely have to do if you visit Nottingham is to have a drink in England’s oldest pub, “Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem”. The pub dates back to the year 1189 and is literally built into the chalk cliffs under the castle walls. Named for the crusaders who supposedly visited here on their way to the crusades in the Middle East, the pub features not only good traditionally-brewed beer, but ancient furnishings and oak beams, and the occasional piece of chalk filling into your drink. Perhaps it doesn’t take too much imagination to picture Robin and his men slaking their thirst with flagons of ale after yet another encounter with the sheriff.

Where is your vacation paradise?

55 million years ago it would have been the subtropical North Pole (greenhouse effect researchers found out that the North Pole used to be pretty warm which supports the theory that we need to do something about greenhouse gasses).

If you were in 4th grade, you might be dreaming of 6 Flags or "Kennywood, Sandcastle and the park" whatever that is.

For me, right now, it might be a resort somewhere nice that focuses on yoga, healthy eating, mud and mineral baths, and massages. Vacation doesn't start until the 19th for me, but it's never too early to dream about vacation!

Claim your prizes!

So far I've heard from the 1st and 3rd prize winners plus one of the honorable mentions. If you wrote one of the other prizewinning travel plans, get in touch (otherwise you have to wait until I'm not busy to contact you and who knows when that will be! With any luck it will be this weekend.