Travel plan idea blog

Choosing shore excursions for cruise to Alaska

If I ever finish grading midterm test and essays, I have to start thinking about whether I want to sign up for any shore excursions while I'm on my cruise.

Part of me wants to not spend any more money and just stay on the ship since I'm paying for the food and entertainment on board already.

The other part of me says not to be so cheap that you have regrets about an expensive vacation. Hopefully I can find a nice balance so both parts end up happy. And of course I need to make sure my wife ends up happy as well...

So my travel agent gave me some advice to get me started:

Juneau - this is THE place for a helicopter tour of the glacier (Mendenhall). And I recommend the helicopter versus the floatplane, due to the fact you have a MUCH better view (180 degrees) from the helicopter, enabling you to see so much more. You can even add the dogsledding option if you're up for it -- definitely a once-in-a-lifetime treat!

This is also the place to take the Mt Roberts Tram to the top of the hill to the Native American center there to learn about the tribes and artwork in this area. Great hiking trails available here, too. If flights aren't your style, at least consider the motorcoach tour that takes you to Mendenhall, so you get a chance to actually walk this wondrous glacier.

If you like whales and marine life, you could opt for a whale watching tour as well, but I think the main draw here is Mendenhall, and it really shouldn't be missed if at all possible.

Skagway - home of gold panning and the White Pass Railroad - a cool little trip that takes you over the same route the original rushers had to take, and it gives you a whole new perspective on need and greed!

THIS is the place for soft adventure; anything from kayaking, canoeing, hiking, and horseback riding to rock climbing!

This is also a place with a lot of wildlife viewing options, be it grizzlies, moose, or eagles. And the town itself is an absolute hoot! And they like it that way.

Glacier Bay - do NOT forget to pack scarves, hats and gloves for the times you want to stay on deck for photos. You will know exactly how your ice trays feel in no time flat here - so be prepared! I also recommend you pick up a couple rain jackets with hoods (throw away kind) you can pack and take at every stop. Alaska is a RAIN FOREST - and yes, you can expect it to rain on a daily basis (usually just sprinkles, and really clears the air when it does). I know it doesn't last long, but if you are warm and dry, you won't mind a temporary inconvenience. And layer your clothes, as the temperature can change drastically. light jacket over sweatshirt over hefty tshirt gives you options. :)

Ketchikan - least expensive souvenirs - shop here for take-aways! Saxman Village or Totem Bight park are great cultural attractions, if you are interested in that sort of thing. (Keep in mind that Native artwork and totem poles in particular are NOT cheap!). Misty Fjords, bears, watersports and fishing are key ingredients to a fun day here!

Victoria - Buchart Gardens are not to be missed - absolutely spectacular! Tea is always an acceptable option here as well. Whale watching here is pretty cool - home of the Orca (killer whales)!

Don't forget to find a great spot to view the ocean on your Inside Passage day --- you should be able to enjoy a plethora of dolphins, sperm and humpback whales that like to follow the ships. They will gladly show off, too. Don't worry - the naturalist will point them out and explain what you are seeing.

So that's good information but I still have something like 45 possible excursions to sort through for one stop. Then with the other stops... I'd better finish correcting my papers soon!

Which parts of the travel industry are hurting most?

The Wall Street Journal says that the gloomy economic conditions are leading to shorter, less expensive vacations this summer.

I wish that meant sales, but thanks to gas prices airlines are expected to begin charging more.

There are some discounts to be had on European hotels:

WorldHotels, a company that does sales and marketing for more than 50 hotels in Europe, including properties such as Hotel California Paris Champs-Elysées and the Lindner Hotel in Berlin, have announced that U.S. passport holders can book rooms at a one-to-one euro-dollar exchange rate, which will save travelers at least 40%.

I went to the WorldHotels site - I didn't see anything about the special and the prices do reflect that the hotels listed there are 4 or 5 stars. I do hope to find a cheap, but nice place to stay for my trip to Amsterdam.

Cruise lines are actually doing well - possibly from new customers who are scrapping European vacations.

A Challenging few weeks for Airlines!

It has been a challenging few weeks in the airline industry – just a few weeks ago, we had the horrendous problems at London Heathrow’s new terminal 5, with British Airways canceling flights and losing an estimated 28,000 bags. (Although the airlines claim that bags are never lost, just delayed).

Several small US airlines have declared bankruptcy in recent weeks – Aloha Airlines, Frontier, Skybus and ATA. The reasons are basically rising fuel prices (oil hit a record high of $119.90 a barrel a few days ago) and falling ticket prices. ATA’s bankruptcy especially hit passengers hard – the airline literally suspended operations overnight, leaving thousands of passengers stranded in Hawaii.

American is still the only large US airline that hasn’t declared bankruptcy at one time or another, so they must be doing something right. However, AA had horrendous problems a couple of weeks ago when they were forced to ground most of their Super-80 aircraft due to a safety recall notice by the FAA. American canceled over 2,000 flights over several days, leaving thousands of passengers stranded.

And it didn’t come as a big surprise that two of the biggest US airlines, Northwest and Delta announced plans to merge. (Perhaps in an effort to avoid some of the above problems!) If approved, the new airline would be the largest in the US in terms of number of planes and passengers carried) One potential problem with the merger could be opposition from the pilot unions for both airlines, even though a merger wouldn’t necessarily need their approval.

And virtually all the major US airlines recently announced huge losses for the first quarter of 2008. United Airlines lost a staggering $537 million – and the other airlines didn’t do much better.

If only the airlines could use alternative fuel, as an increasing number of car manufacturers are doing...

Guest entry by Mancunian

Is the Oktoberfest too expensive and overcrowded?

Thanks for your patience while we moved servers - back to our regularly scheduled program...

Tables for the Oktoberfest need to be reserved several months in advance (think January or February) and a beer costs around €9, if you can get one. The nearly seven million visitors to the city while the Oktoberfest is happening make the experience, unless heavily intoxicated, oftentimes very unpleasant.

Many people, including most of the locals, certainly do feel like the Oktoberfest is too expensive and overcrowded, but what can you do?

The Oktoberfest is the world’s largest beer festival and of course is an experience like no other because of that, but it certainly isn’t the only Bavarian festival. In fact, many would argue that it is just too much of a hassle and they prefer any number of the smaller “volksfests” (people’s festivals) of the area.

The smaller volksfest alternative is dramatically cheaper and for people looking for something similar, but without the hassle, any number of these may be ideal.

Major Beer festivals in or near Munich include Rosenheim’s Herbstfest, the Dachauer volksfest, and the starkbierfest. At these festivals the atmosphere is very similar to the Oktoberfest, but with cheaper beer, more locals, and less tourists. They do not happen all at the same time, in fact they’re spread out through the spring, summer, and fall so that pretty much whenever you visit Bavaria you have a reasonable chance of being able to visit a volksfest and have most of the atmosphere with nearly no hassle at all.

This website lists volksfests from all around the Munich area, so you can easily find one that is going on while you’re in the area.

Here are some pictures of the Dachau Volksfest (as a typical example) from 2007 so you know what to expect. Also, there are a couple pictures of the spring festival with its opening weekend flea market (it’s only on the first Saturday, sorry) on the Theresienwiese (Oktoberfest grounds) here.

Since spring is here, it’s time to put on the Lederhosen and head down to a massive beer tent to drink beer and eat pork knuckle with the locals. There are lots of options, just pick one of the many festivals and have fun. I'll see you there.

-Mike Richardson, The Professional Tourist

Moving on up

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Novelty hotels

This article was an interesting one with some cool sounding hotels. They mention Das Park Hotel, built in "9-ton, cement drainage pipes in a public park on the banks of the Danube River at Ottensheim, upriver from the historic city of Linz." Sounds pretty weird, right? And they say you pay whatever you feel like paying - very weird!

The article has a picture of a B&B in Idaho shaped like a dog. Another weird one! Until I read this article, I though hotels in trees and the MIT hotel were weird.

San Francisco / Napa travel itinerary work in progress

Reader submitted travel itinerary:

I settled on going to San Fran for 2 days then Napa for 2 days in mid-May. I am going with another couple (who enjoys eating almost as much as I do).

I am going to post my tentative itinerary, please let me know if it sounds good, I am missing anything and/or if it s doable...

I am staying at a hotel in Union Square in SF for the first two days. I arrive on Wed at around noonish. I have no plans for the first few hours. Late night, when the other couple arrives, the four of us plan on going to Zuni Cafe for some food and drinks. That is all for Wednesday and Wednesday night.

Thurs- We plan on waking up and doing an Alcatraz tour at 10am-ish until 1. After the tour, lunch in Chinatown. After doing tenative research, Great Eastern and R&G seem like good places... Are any better? Maybe House Of Nanking on Geary? One person said it was slipping. Another said it is a "low-budget looking place, but always packed with lines out on the sidewalk during peak hours and is great."

Thursday afternoon, do toursity things around Union Square then walk around the Pier area until dinner at Scoma's at the Wharf. Thursday late night we want to hit the town, what is a good area for bars/lounges and which ones in particular?

Friday morning- tour to Muir Woods and Sausalito from 9-2ish. Afterward, drive out to Napa where we are staying at the Cedar Gables Bed and Breakfast. Are there any must-stops along the way, and what is a good, scenic route to getting there? We have no current dinner plans or vineyard tours planned yet in Napa.

Saturday all day we want to do some sort of wine tours. Sunday morning, after the Breakfast part of the Bed and Breakfast, we are driving back to the SFO Airport and taking off for NJ.

Basically, I want to know what, if anything, I am not planning on doing, that I should. Any advice or recs regarding where I should lunch on Wed. in SF, a Chinatown lunch, Scoma's, winetasting in Napa or methods for doing so, restaurants in Napa or anything else would be much appreciated!

What books / movies have inspired you to travel?

Now that I think about it most of the movies that inspired me to travel have made we want to go places I haven't been yet.

Before Sunrise really showed some wonderful shots of Vienna. I haven't been there yet, but it has been very high on my list ever since I saw that movie. The sequel, however, Before Sunset wasn't nearly as inspiring for me even though it was set in Paris.

When I was in college I read Jack Kerouac's On the Road which inspired me to travel without a plan (funny considering the name of my blog here but hey now I'm old and like to plan stuff) and I did actually go on a 3-week roadtrip with a friend where our goal was to get to the youth hostel in Orlando. We didn't know it would take 3 weeks to get there but we definitely had fun on the way.

More recently, my wife and I saw Elizabethtown and now we really want to take a road trip - we did drive from New York to Algonquin Park to Ottawa and back but somehow that didn't seem like a real road trip - maybe because it was too scripted.

So what movies have inspired you?

Getting away from work

As usual Forbes talks about some vacations most of us can't afford. They mention something about a 1-week vacation for $21,000. I think that's about 3-5 months worth of vacation for me...

Anyway, I enjoyed reading about places with little cell service:

Gobi Desert
Alaskan wilderness
Mongolia
Morocco
Rocky Mountains

Of course even in these places you have to be careful since parts of each do have service...

Aware that I should be cutting back

Here is yet another article on how many are finding it difficult to take vacations and another article with some vacation deals.

One of those deals is for Amsterdam:

House of Travel has land-only packages in Amsterdam for from $495 per person including two nights' accommodation at a three-star central hotel, breakfast daily, and a tour of Volendam and Marken. Return economy airfares flying Royal Dutch Airlines and Malaysian Airlines to Amsterdam via Kuala Lumpur from Auckland start from $2729 per person. For travel until November 5, with some closeout dates. For more information call: 0800 838 747.

I recently had to make a big travel decision concerning Amsterdam when my friend sent me an invitation to his 30th birthday party in Amsterdam (October this year). Now that's not long after my expensive summer vacation (cruise to Alaska) and I still haven't forgotten all the money I spent in Europe this winter.

My first reaction was, "Well it would be fun but I can't do it." Then I thought, "Well I could do it but it's not very practical."

Then I thought of a friend of mine, a great great guy named John Finnegan who died a few weeks ago at age 37. I had been in touch occasionally via email but hadn't seen him in maybe 8 years. Then I thought, "Some of my friends will be at this party in Amsterdam - do I really want to save money more than I want to make memories with my friends?" And I thought, "My birthday is at the same time - do I want to be home saving money on my birthday?"

So I'm going to Amsterdam in October. And still going on the cruise this summer. And I still spent a lot of money in Europe last winter. My wife and I are fortunate in that we do have jobs and are in enough demand that we can work overtime to help pay for all these vacations. Working all the time is tough but sometimes I can comfort myself by thinking that it's good to know what you have to do every day. Thanks Albert Camus!

We also have credit cards in case we don't work hard enough...

The good and the bad

I don't know if you're in the mood for a rant about how bad flying is these days, but here you go anyway. You at least have to appreciate the proposed solution:

The one solution I can think of to all of these problems is for Congress to pass a law insisting that all airline CEOs fly on their airline's longest flight in coach class once a week. After a few weeks, they're bound to either make some changes or leave the airline business. I'd be happy to accept either outcome.

Airline issues dominate this travel Q&A.

On a happier note, this article starts off with a hilarious photo of a 'Hello Kitty' themed wedding in Japan. It then goes on to talk about destination weddings. The Hello Kitty couple is not the only crazy couple getting hitched:

She has had some bizarre requests. "Once we had a client ask if we could provide penguins for a wedding in Las Vegas. As you can imagine, that did not happen," she says. A US groom-to-be once asked her to plan a surprise wedding in Florence and Thornton-Brown arranged everything from the location for the proposal to the bridal gown. "His unsuspecting girlfriend had no idea her holiday to Italy was going to be her wedding and honeymoon," she says. "Thankfully, the big risk did pay off and the wedding was amazing."

Here's another happy vacation experience, and in some detail. The itinerary goes by time of day so we really get a feel for the painting vacation.

Summer vacation deals

This article recommends some warmer destinations as well as some ski resorts this summer - you save money going to a place like Scottsdale, Arizona or a ski resort in the summer. Just make sure the heat won't make you miserable.

One place mentioned in the article I link to above is the Sheraton Vistana Resort in Florida, which "features seven outdoor heated swimming pools, on-site car rental, free shuttles to all the Walt Disney theme parks, free wireless Internet access throughout, three arcade/game rooms, DVD rental library and restaurants."

Maybe that will appeal to some British travelers (or travellers for you Brits) who are advised to consider America instead of Europe this summer - the British currency is strong against the dollar but not so strong against the euro - this makes the US a better value.

Another interesting vacation deal is the "Escape! Earth Day" package from the Desert Springs JW Marriott Resort and Spa and the City of Palm Desert, California. During the month of April, the package starts at $399 a night and includes a stay in a standard guest room at the Desert Springs, two 50-minute organic date scrub spa treatments, use of spa/fitness facilities, breakfast buffet for two at the resort's Lake View restaurant (including an organic honey tasting) and a 'free' admission to Palm Desert's Living Desert (in exchange for turning in a used cell phone).

Australia – Inside the Great Barrier Reef: Hamilton Island

The 74 Whitsunday Islands in the Coral Sea lie west of the Great Barrier Reef just off the coast of Queensland. One of the largest of these, Hamilton Island, is a popular tourist destination, with an estimated half a million people visiting each year. Occupying the same latitude as Honolulu, the year round tropical weather typical of Tahiti and the Bahamas is ideal for sightseeing, hiking, tennis, golf, and every kind of water sports, including sailing, kayaking, fishing, diving, and windsurfing. From December to February, there are brief showers that add beauty to the lush gardens and scenic splendor of this island paradise.

With so much to see and do on the Island, we will only highlight a few attractions in this article. Each year, the renowned Hamilton Island Outrigger Cup in June for canoe enthusiasts and the Hamilton Island Race Week, Australia’s largest offshore yachting regatta, are held here. An estimated 170 yachts are expected to enter the competition in this year’s Race Week, August 20 – 28. Race Week culminates in a festival on Whitehaven Beach for yacht owners from Australia and New Zealand. Many avid scuba divers travel to Australia primarily for the thrill and excitement of exploring down under the waters around the Great Barrier Reef, the home of manta rays, sharks, turtles, and an abundance of other interesting marine life. Others may prefer to snorkel in the lagoons for a view of the fascinating and colorful coral formations and underwater caves. Daily tours to the Reef by high-speed catamarans, pontoon boats, and glass bottom boats are readily available. Whale watching is an added attraction from July to September.

Many of the accommodations on Hamilton Island are operated by the Oatley family, who lease the island on a long-term basis from the Queensland government. In addition to three and five star hotels and resorts, visitors can rent apartments, villas, and houses. These range in style and price from standard studios to deluxe split-levels and two-stories, with floor to ceiling windows, spa baths, and wraparound terraces. Many of these are self catering with fully equipped, modern kitchens and numerous other amenities, which are ideal for families or larger groups. Garden bungalows, with great views of the sea and the islands, offer a romantic, secluded setting for couples.

For something truly unique, the Qualia Resort on the northern tip of Hamilton Island is the ultimate in a luxury retreat, featured in a number of international travel magazines. With individual pavilions that open onto the sea, visitors have a choice of three types of accommodations including the one-bedroom Leeward or Windward pavilions with living room, infinity pool, or sundeck. The Qualia is expensive indeed – prices for the one bedroom pavilion per night are around $1,700. The much larger Beach House, great for entertaining, has two bedrooms, flat screen TV, a 10-person dining room, full-size private pool, plus a separate guesthouse. Rates for the Beach House begin at $3,100.

In addition to pools, excellent dining, a library, and fitness center, there’s a full-service spa with steam room, Roman baths, and a yoga and meditation pavilion for hours of pampering and relaxation. The Spa Qualia features all organic products, hot stone massages, and chakra-therapy sessions with Australian essential oils. Dining in the Long Beach Pavilion includes an upscale menu of gourmet entrees and desserts - as might be expected, no prices are given! For the more informal, there’s the Pebble Beach restaurant with a tempting lunch menu of shrimp, tuna, and other seafood salads, sandwiches, and desserts, and afternoon cocktails on the terrace by the shore. Qualia is self contained, but guests can take advantage of other activities and adventures nearby including day trips by sea or helicopter for swimming and picnicking on Whitehaven Beach or enjoying any of the other scenic areas in the Whitsundays.

Travelers have a wide choice of cuisine on Hamilton Island, from a variety of Australian to Italian, Eastern, and American. Restaurants offer kids-for-free menus, and a fun visit with the koalas after breakfast. Couples will enjoy the ambiance of dinner cruises through the Whitsundays, jazz at the Toucan Tango on Catseye Beach, or dining on fresh seafood in the Marina Village. Transportation on the Island is usually by two or 4-seater golf style buggy, for hire, or often included with accommodations. Free shuttle service is also available on the island.

Several airlines fly from Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Cairns direct to the Hamilton Island airport. Airfare from Brisbane, the closest city, is under $200 U.S. round trip for a short flight of about 1 ½ hours. If you prefer to go by water, but can’t afford a charter, there’s Fantasea Cruises, which offers daily regular ferry service from Shute Harbor, with prices for adults - $41 and $22 for children.

Sharon Slayton

Pilots underpaid and overworked?

This article talks about how becoming a pilot is not all that it used to be as pay decreases and working hours increase. The result is a little scary for frequent flyers:

Poor pay and fewer big-airline jobs to move up to have led to fewer applicants, creating a pilot shortage that is most acute overseas but also felt in the United States.

Regional airlines have had to reduce their hiring standards drastically. Earlier this decade, they could insist on candidates having a minimum of 1,500 hours of total flight time before an interview. Today, that minimum is 500 hours at many regional carriers, and the decline is contributing to safety concerns among some experts.

I have a friend who is a US Air Force fighter pilot who must have tons of flight time. He mentioned that if he decided to continue working after leaving the USAF he would look seriously at FedEx but he didn't mention any passenger airlines. I guess it's a little scary that our best pilots get paid more to fly cargo than people.

Connecticut tourism marketing: The Quiet Corner postcard

I recently learned about this postcard designed to publicize "the Quiet Corner" - a group of rural New England towns in the northeast corner of Connecticut.

The publicity firm handling the campaign has promised to send me some travel plans based on the following ideas which I should be publishing over the next month or two:

Guys' Weekend. Motorcycle rental and touring, dirt bikes, mountain biking, golf, fishing, camping, driving school, deep lake diving, and of course hearty tavern dining.

Family Weekend. Camping, horseback riding, wild west cookouts, swimming, mining, canoeing, river tubing, alpacas, bison, biking, farms, pick-your-own, ballooning, general stores and family friendly inns and restaurants.

Wine and Dine. Farm to table dining in wine gardens, fireside in taverns or in historic registry homes and restored barns. Award winning vineyard and distillery visits and Best of Connecticut menus for the hard to please foodie.

Outdoors and Fitness. Riding, biking, camping, fishing, hiking, bird watching, guided nature walks, canoeing, white water kayaking and hearty meals to satisfy any hunger.

Historical Mills and Mansions. Explore textile mills, their communities and their history.

American History. Travel the lesser-known Revolutionary war routes. Stay in unique town green B&Bs. Enjoy historic exhibits and delicious dining in colonial era buildings refreshed for the new century.

Girls' Weekend. Relaxing inns, bike riding, spa amenities, antiques, boutiques, arts, exploring gardens, riding, outdoor wine gardens, and leisurely, healthy meals with award winning wines.

Antiquing and Art. Specialty shops, artisan and antique dealers and beautifully designed perennial gardens. Find it before it comes to your city at twice the price!

I hope you're looking forward to these travel plans as much as I am!

Vegas hotel deals and a few random links

First let me just say that this post on poverty tourism and rich people's morals has gotten a number of interesting comments in the last day or two - it might be worth your time to join the discussion.

Second, while this article changes subjects a few times I really like how the author shares some deals he received by being on mailing lists of well-known Vegas hotels:

ITEM: The Palazzo­the Venetian’s new deluxe sister hotel/addition wants me to stay for what is a really low $179 per night with free drinks, special VIP check in, discounts on dining, free desserts and other goodies. The rack rate at this hotel is around $300 at a minimum.

ITEM: Mandalay Bay has dates in April, May, and June during which a 3-day stay will only cost 2 day’s pay -- a serious savings indeed.

ITEM: MGM Grand is having a “sale” for upcoming dates for $99 per night.

ITEM: The Mirage is offering 15% discounts on regular rooms, and 20% off on Premium rooms, 25% off on De Luxe, and a whopping 30% off on Tower and Penthouse Suites­the ones that appeal to the highest of high-end travelers who, you’d think, they would not have to discount for at all, recession or no recession.

ITEM: Most telling, the admittedly not ultra-deluxe New York/New York has a 10%-off / $10 at Starbucks / $10 free gaming play deal in April, that escalates to 15% / $10 / $10 in May, then 20% off in June with 2-for-one breakfast at Il Fornaio, $15 off a spa treatment, free welcome drinks and a pass on the roller coaster.

I've never been to Vegas but when I get close to going I will certainly try to get on these mailing lists.

I have no transition for my next link but this article has some interesting advice. I had never heard of the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers before but it sounds like a good idea. Basically they have a network of English speaking doctors worldwide in case you get sick on an international trip.

And that's what I have for you today - have a great one!

Combination passes / Museum Passes

Today I’d like to talk about these combo passes that you see in nearly every major city in Europe. I realize this topic has been covered many times over and the majority of people just don’t want to waste their time figuring out which pass is best. Still, I’d like to throw in my two cents worth.

I travel as often as I can as cheap as I can, because I was raised to be frugal, if not super frugal. This makes me sit down and actually go through each pass to see if I can save even a couple of bucks at any given point in my journey.

I am a constant planner and like to thoroughly go through several guide books and websites making sure that I know of every possible sight there is to see at my destination. I plan for weeks, if not months, knowing that when I get there one third of that plan is going out the window. The important thing to me is that I see everything I wanted to, because in the grand scheme of things I really don’t know if I’ll be back and my list of things to see elsewhere is constantly growing.

So, if you’re like me you can get your money’s worth out of nearly any of these combination passes, although it is increasingly difficult to do so with some of them. The major difference is who is selling the passes. Many cities (such as Rome archeology card, Paris museum pass, and Berlin SchauLUST pass) offer a pass sold at museums owned by the state that can save you a substantial sum if you are going to several museums. Alternatively, there are the types of passes offered by private companies or in combination with the local transit system which in most places are private companies. These transportation-inclusive passes or private passes usually offer very small discounts making it quite difficult to get your money’s worth. Examples of these are the city tour card in Berlin and Munich.

You can save money using all of the passes listed above, though it does take planning.

However, if you really can’t be bothered with going through each of the places you plan on visiting and figuring out if it’s worth it, I suggest sticking to the ones sold by the state owned museums and staying away from the ones that include transportation. As for transportation, I would stick with buying what the locals do, weekly tickets.

-Mike Richardson, The Professional Tourist

Disney honeymoon contest and Vegas bachelor parties

Funjet Vacations is offering couples a chance to win a free honeymoon at Walt Disney World in Orlando. That should remind long-time readers of this discussion on Disney honeymoons and this experience.

Anyway, the deadline is April 30, so if you want to enter submit photos or videos that have an element from Walt Disney World and the Funjet Vacations' travel company logo incorporated into their wedding proposal or actual wedding.

I know it's kind of lame to have a corporate logo prominently featured on your wedding invitation (or in your actual wedding) but maybe some creative couples can figure out how to do it tastefully. Good luck!

A photo on the contest Web site shows a groom proposing while wearing Mickey Mouse ears. The couple later digitally inserted the Funjet logo onto the photo. I guess you don't have to do the corporate wedding to enter after all. And the contest submission could always be a second "goofy" proposal. Do the real one first and in most cases lose the Mickey Mouse ears or the Donald Duck bill...

The grand-prize winners (one from the photo entries and one from the video entries) gets round-trip airfare for two, four nights at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, a rental car, spa treatments and a Disney Honeymoon Registry Dream Bag.

I also wanted to include a link to this article on bachelor parties in Vegas because it also has a little section for bachelorettes. Why is it that guys are supposed to play poker and visit strip clubs (OK in this article they talk about nightclubs with hostesses and a table to make it easier to hit on women - much better!) while women are supposed to go shopping with their friends?

Geocaching & travel bugs

Here's a game I've never heard of before: geocaching. And its sister game "travel bugs". With the Geocache you use GPS coordinates to get to the general area and then search for the cache where you write your name down. Sometimes people put a travel bug inside the cache. Then the next person who finds the cache take the travel bug and hides it in some other cache. In this case, the travel bug would probably do more traveling than any of the people playing the game but I felt this was interesting enough to get a mention on my travel blog.

I don't think this game is for me, but if you're up for some local traveling you might give it a try.

Penang real estate on the rise thanks to MM2H

I wrote about MM2H once before but am still keeping track of it because my wife and I would love to have a vacation home in Malaysia at some point in the future.

Some Malaysians recently recommended buying property in KL. They think real estate there is going to rise sharply. This article talks about how real estate in Penang has risen sharply, thanks largely to foreigners buying property through MM2H.

Personally, I wasn't too impressed with Penang. The resort was nice but the beaches and the city weren't real special for me. And you can find a nice resort anywhere, like Plantation Bay.

But I'm not so sure about KL either. I could see buying there as an investment but I think I want my vacation home closer to the beach than the city. Or if not the beach, something natural.

TSA SPOT: Screening Passengers by Observation Techniques

TSA has received a good amount of criticism on this site and in the news generally. This article (which made it to Yahoo's front page) takes a pretty objective look a the SPOT or Screening Passengers by Observation Techniques program.

TSA has been doing this for the past 4 years and has picked 104,000 people out of lines for a more thorough investigation. They've gotten a few with fake IDs and a guy that had pipe bomb-making materials in his checked luggage.

So far it sounds like they haven't actually nabbed anyone who could have really messed with their flight, but I don't see how we can blame TSA for that since we haven't had any terrorist attacks. There hasn't been anyone for them to catch.

The ACLU has expressed its doubts, but Homeland Security is happy enough to greatly increase the number of behavioral detection officers in US airports.

Vacation deals: family resorts and just staying home

This article recommends some family resort vacation deals. I don't know much about family vacations except those for husband and wife so i can't say too much about the choices in the article.

I can comment on this article about staying home on vacation to spend time with friends and loved ones. As an educator I get more vacation than most so luckily I have time both for traveling and relaxing at home. I'll never criticize anyone for staying home on vacation. Staying home to cook for your wife if she's not on vacation, take your dogs for long walks, meet friends for luch, etc. can be a wonderful way to spend some vacation days.

Open Skies Agreement / Heathrow Terminal 5 Problems

Flying between the US and Europe should be easier (and cheaper) this summer, with the announcement of the so-called open skies agreement, which came into effect at the end of March. The agreement means that more airlines are allowed to fly between the US and Europe; and that airlines don’t necessarily have to originate in their own country – for example, British Airways can fly from Paris to New York.

Several airlines have already taken advantage of this agreement and are announcing new routes from the US into London Heathrow – Air France, Northwest, Delta and US Airways. And American Airlines is switching almost all of its London flights from Gatwick to Heathrow, in an effort to improve onward connections to Europe, Asia and Africa.

Ryanair which offers one way fares from the UK to Europe for around $20 one way, also has plans to fly to the US, with fares as low as about $16 one way, although I couldn’t see anything about that on their website.

If you are flying to Heathrow you may find yourself arriving at the newly opened Terminal 5, which has been having all sorts of problems since the Queen opened it recently at a cost of around $8 billion.

The state of the art baggage handling system has not been working properly, leading to a backlog of almost 28,000 delayed bags at one point last weekend. And British Airways, which have exclusive use of the terminal, also canceled over 200 flights during the first few days of the terminal opening.

And don’t take the overpriced Heathrow Express train from the airport into London. It’s much less expensive to take the Underground, or tube as it’s called.

Guest entry by Mancunian

Saving money on airfare and European vacations

This article has 2 parts - Rick Seaney talking about shopping for airfare and Rick Steves talking about saving money in Europe.

Here we have vacation deals ranging from cruises and the Caribbean to road trips & camping (no deals here but some recommendations nonetheless), Las Vegas, Washington DC, and New Orleans (anyone know if the restaurant I want to visit there is still open?).

Travel & tourism classes in the UK

This article is an interesting look at Worcester college's travel & tourism major. It sounds like a program that offers students a lot of practical experience since the college runs its own travel agency and has an airline cabin for flight attendant training.

I don't remember my university offering travel & tourism classes. I wonder what my life would be like today if I had majored in a travel related field instead of in English.

Choosing a travel agent: Christoper Elliott's advice and my experience

About a week ago, I decided I needed a travel agent. This was something of a departure for me since I like planning things myself. I mean I started this blog to write about all the travel plans I was dreaming up and saving for when I had time and money to do something with them.

It seems that many people are like me, whenever I link to an article about travel agents we get comments about how unnecessary they are:

Travel agents & service
Travel agents & niches (no comments yet)
Travel agents by 2020

It's not that I never used travel agents by the way. I used to recommend researching plane fares online and then calling an agent or two to see if they could beat the online prices. They often could beat or match the prices in my experience.

Anyway, my experience so far seems to match some of what Christopher Elliott says in this article. He recommends travel agents and talks about how to choose one. After all you probably want to avoid most people who are just in it for the commission or those who recently bought into the "card mill" business / scam (depending on who you listen to)!

For example NCL has two different Alaskan cruises, Sawyer's Glacier and Inside Passage. I had no idea which one would be better. I could have spent some time researching it online but instead I asked the travel agent and got this response:

I did look at both cruises, and although the one on 7/5 is less expensive, I actually recommend the one on the 6th. The difference is the Glacier visit. On the 5th, they visit Sawyer Glacier, which is a very stable glacier, and calving there is not something that generally occurs. On the 6th, the visit is to Glacier Bay, which due to its instability, is the Glacier to see, as it has the best chance of calving during your visit. And lets be honest, looking at ice that just sits there isn't all that thrilling, after all. The last time I was in Glacier Bay, the calving started on the port side of the ship, and continued around the Bay till it just reached the starboard side. Magnificent!

She was also able to explain how my NCL coupons work - had I talked to her before calling the credit card company I would certainly have spent 500 points for a $500 discount rather than 400 points for a 2 person 2 category upgrade. Apparently a two "category" is like cheapest balcony to second cheapest balcony to third cheapest balcony. To me all balconies are in the same category (the balcony category). In the end we end up saving about $200 and spending 400 points instead of $500 and spending 500 points. I could blame Bank of America for not explaining the rewards well. Or I could blame myself for trying to apply my own brand of logic to a cruise line out there to make as much money as possible. Or I could just add it to my list of mistakes to learn something from and next time I need to deal with travel rewards talk to a travel agent first...

Now Christopher Elliott does say that the best test of a travel agent comes from troublesome situations so I hope I never really find out how good she is...

By the way, you may have noticed that I skipped posting on April 1st. I don't like that "fool's day" stuff so I just avoid human interaction (even online) as much as possible that day...