Travel plan idea blog

Stress free packing tips for air travel

I recently got a press release on "stress free packing tips" and was able to arrange an interview with Laura McHolm of NorthStar Moving to try to get us some extra special information on packing. I'll let you decide for yourselves how useful the following packing tips are. You're very welcome to add your own tips as well.

I'll put my interview on top and the original press release under that.

Question 1: In the tips on packing clothes, there is no mention of space or vacuum bags. Are these recommended?

While these types of space saving bags might seem like a quick fix, they actually can become quite a burden. First, you have to make sure there is a vacuum with an attachment that will fit your vacuum bag at your trips destination. Second, the vacuum bags add more weight to your luggage adding large unpredictable baggage fees to the cost of your trip.

Question 2: How do you suggest packing big bulk items efficiently?

The best way to pack bulk items is to lay them all out in front of you and evaluate the situation. For instance, ask yourself questions such as -- how many vitamins will I need or how much shampoo will I need? Then transfer the amount you need into a small bottle or sandwich bag. This is a great tip for most bulk items. It’s best to take the items out of the packaging all together. Use your clothes as extra padding around fragile items and if you need packing materials think bubble wrap or other lightweight and compact packing materials. Also, utilize your carry-on! It’s a great alternative to fit those pesky NON LIQUID and NON- SHARP items that just won’t fit into your luggage.

Question 3: If someone carries on a suit or dress, how can s/he make sure it doesn't get too wrinkled during the trip?

Most hotels have an iron or laundry service, so do your homework before you leave. If you choose to use the laundry service, make sure you check drop-off and pick-up times so you get your clothing pressed on time. However, for those of us who like it do-it-ourselves, there are a couple of options.

The best thing to do is to purchase a travel mini-iron. They are inexpensive and lightweight, making it the best travel companion. Another quick tip is to place the clothing on top of your suitcase wrapped in tissue paper. Use as little folds as possible to minimize the lines and try to avoid folding down the center of the clothing. Rather, fold the sleeves inward and place tissue paper in the folds as a fine department store would. And finally, hang your clothing in the bathroom while you shower. This is an old trick, but the steam will truly help the wrinkles disappear!

Question 4: Do you have any luggage recommendations for us (brands, sizes, models, types, or anything)?

The type of luggage you choose depends on the type of trip you are taking. So, begin by asking yourself:

What activities will I be doing?
How will I be getting from point A to point B?
How much can I carry on my own?

Make sure you plan ahead and know what you are getting yourself into. That really could determine the different kinds of luggage you may want to purchase.

Some of my favorites include:

Swiss Army: this luggage is reliable and strong, but some pieces can be on the heavy side
TUMI: this luggage is nice as it has both rollers and backpack straps to change from a suitcase to a backpack if needed
Samsonite: manufactures luggage with four wheels so you are able to push the suitcase, rather than drag behind you

The original packing tips:

1. Packing Gifts: If you are traveling on a plane, your gifts may be unwrapped by security, so always plan to wrap your gift when you arrive. Bring Flat (not rolled) wrapping paper, card, tape, and scissors in your suitcase (NOT onboard), and leave time for wrapping.

2. Packing small breakables: Wrap the small breakable item in bubble wrap; place the wrapped item inside a paper/plastic cup; place cups inside a box stuffed with white paper or tissue paper (you can also use coffee beans or popcorn, but don’t use newspaper – you will have to wash off newsprint when you arrive.)Make sure the box is stacked on top of heavy items.

3. Go Shopping and Bring New Purchases Home With You: Pack a collapsible suitcase at the bottom of your bigger suitcase that you can fill with gifts on your return trip.

4. Keeping Clothes Neat and Unwrinkled: Pack suitcase or travel bag with heavy items on the bottom and lay your clothes on top, with as little folding as possible. Do not roll or fold up the arms of a shirt, but rather fold arms in and fold in half where the natural waistline falls on the clothing. Lay across top of the suitcase with a layer of tissue paper on top of clothing.

5. Packing Wine/Beer: Whether you are traveling by train, plane, or car, you may want to bring bottled beverages for the festivities or as a gift to the host. If you don’t have a wine carrier, wrap the wine bottles in bubble wrap; then wrap the bottle in your jeans or sweatshirt, and place in the middle of the suitcase (on top of heavy items and below clothing). Please Note: Place liquids on checked luggage - Do not bring wine or beer onto the plane.

Will travel be more expensive in 2009?

This article talks about American Express predicting lower prices for hotels and airfare in Australia for the rest of this year but higher prices next year.

I don't know how they came up with this forecast but I am pretty curious. What do they think will change between now and next year when prices might increase?

If prices really do go up in Australia I would expect them to go up elsewhere as well. Has anyone seen any predictions for travel costs for international flights or US domestic flights, or hotels anywhere in the world other than Australia?

Did I imagine an ad for Cathay pacific round-the-world flights?

I was playing with Cathay Pacific's Oneworld system to see what kinds of fun itineraries I could dream up and what they'd cost.

I thought I saw an ad a week or two ago about Cathay pacific round-the-world tickets for around $2,000. That seemed like a possibly affordable way to visit family in New York, get some good pizza in Italy, and see Angkor Watt in Cambodia.

I couldn't find anything close to what I was looking for though. According to the website, a 3 continent Oneworld explorer package starting in the US would cost $3,900 for economy, $8,600 for business and $11,600 for first class.

Then the Global Explorer package starts at $4,500 for under 26,000 miles. I'm guessing that's tier 1: "Minimum of 3, maximum of 5 stopovers, with no more than 2 within any region." Doesn't seem like much of a deal but by this point I was a bit confused.

I'm not even sure what the difference is between the Oneworld explorer and the Global explorer packages. There must be a reason why they bother making the distinction but I didn't notice it explained anywhere.

By the way, blog entries should start coming more regularly soon. I'm still busy working on my textbook but a few other things should soon be over. I really need to finish my visits to the dentist. My teeth felt fine before I went and all I wanted was a good cleaning. They cleaned my teeth for 2 minutes and said I keep my teeth perfectly clean so there's nothing else for them to do. But they charged me $50 for the cleaning and found 3 cavities (which cost a lot more than $50 each). I'm done with 2 of them but I have a chunk of a tooth missing and Thursday I get my first ever gold filling.

And I still don't understand why I got cavities if my teeth are so clean...

Fractional ownership of a vacation home

This article talks about fractional ownership, a way to get a vacation property that you can't afford to buy in full. The funny thing is that it doesn't sound much cheaper than buying outright in this example:

Peggy, a school psychologist, and Kevin, a registered nurse, bought at a preconstruction price of $209,000, plus a monthly fee of $600 that covers amenities, maintenance, insurance, and taxes -- affordable because of the low mortgage on their primary home. For that they can spend eight weeks a year luxuriating in their water-view Jacuzzi, king-size bed, granite-and-stainless kitchen, and large, partially covered patio with gorgeous sunset views. They have daily housekeeping service, a concierge, access to a semi-private 18-hole golf course, spa, fitness center, tennis courts, and pool, and a free water shuttle to town -- amenities typical of fractional ownership.

$600 a month plus $200 thousand seems pretty steep to me. Especially since you only get the property for 8 weeks a year. If you say there are 6 blocks of time like that you've got the owners paying 1.2 million (200k x6) and $3,600/month ($600 x6). That's not cheap.

By the way, my monitor broke so I'm not on my regular computer and can't spellcheck...

Mysterious Cargo

South African Airways Flt #295 left the Taiwan Taoyuan Airport, then known as Chiang Kai Shek airport, on November 27, 1987, enroute to Johannesburg. The Boeing 747 Combi, the Helderberg, carried 140 passengers, 19 crewmembers, and six platforms of cargo on the same flight deck. The passenger list represented 11 different countries, with the majority from China, Japan, and South Africa. About 135 nautical miles from its first stop at Mauritius, the plane crashed in the Indian Ocean, leaving no survivors.

Search efforts were delayed for some 12 hours because of the hasty and inaccurate reporting of its location by a crew who were not prepared to handle the catastrophic fire that occurred onboard. Two ships from the South African Navy, two tugboats, and one ship from environmental affairs were sent to investigate the crash. The flight data recorder, if found, would have been virtually useless for pinpointing the location of the plane in the depths of the Indian Ocean at over 16,000 feet. After a two-month search over a vast area, a deep ocean recovery team was brought in from the U.S. to go beyond the sonar exploration. Three separate areas of debris were recovered well north of the probable location of the crash, and at some distance from each other, which seemed to indicate that the plane had fallen apart before impact

Eight bodies were recovered from the surface, and strangely enough, three wristwatches were found in the baggage; two were still running, and one had stopped. Luckily, investigators were able to determine the approximate time of the crash from this watch, a mere 3 minutes after the plane’s last communication with air traffic control. Blood samples from these victims were analyzed and found to have soot present in the respiratory tract, but no other real evidence of any type of explosive device was discovered. Customs officials in Taiwan had found nothing in their investigation of the cargo before departure.

The media was quick to exploit theories of terrorism and conspiracy on the part of the government of South Africa, which served to arouse the public and add to the international uproar that circled the globe. Not only did the government own the airline, but also the incident took place during the cruel and dangerous times of the apartheid regime. Some reports suggested that the government was smuggling in weapons on civilian aircraft to be used in their ongoing fight against Angola.

Although rare on this type of plane, the question that a major fire had occurred was never in doubt, but the cause of the fire and the contents of the cargo were a mystery. Everything from fireworks to the highly controversial red mercury, better known as plutonium or uranium, in the cargo was mentioned. Whether the government was importing this for weaponry, we can’t say, as no proof was established that this type of dangerous cargo was even onboard.

Standard procedure was followed and a commission was appointed to investigate. The presiding judge, Cecil Margo, was thought to be highly experienced in such investigations as a pilot and having led many such inquiries on the Board of Inquiry. The transcript from the cockpit voice recording was dismissed as invalid, although its significance may have been intentionally or accidentally overlooked. It is thought that the captain, who had been reluctant to fly the aircraft, may have alerted the crew of the dangerous cargo onboard – explosives. If this was the case, the crew was obviously inexperienced in handling this type of cargo. Unfortunately, the Margo Commission arrived at no satisfactory conclusion at the end of its investigation.

The mystery did not end there, however, and the case was brought to the attention of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee (TRC) in 1996, dedicated to investigating the many atrocities committed by the former Nationalist Party of South Africa. Numerous discrepancies were found in the Margo Commission inquiry and witnesses were interviewed, but much of the necessary information was not available, ignored, or lost. Dr David Katzlow, a forensic expert, stated that the fire was not caused by the obvious things such as wood, cardboard, or plastic, negating the idea of computer packaging or other types of cargo igniting. He went on to suggest that the plane might have been carrying a new type of rocket. A former agent of the FBI provided his interpretation of the words on the voice recorder that stated there was a bomb onboard. This too was quickly pushed aside by the Civil Aviation Agency, as being no more than just undecipherable noise on the tape. The TRC concluded in 1998 that nothing on the cargo list, if accurate, could have caused the explosion. A special investigative unit, the Scorpions, was also ineffective in its investigation of the incident. No further inquiry was carried out, for one reason or another, perhaps because of financial limitations.

But, freight is one thing, and explosives are another. Some time later, comments by a retired South African Airlines employee definitely pointed to a conspiracy. In his words “we murdered the people aboard the Helderberg,” by carrying weapons and explosives as cargo, but listed as agricultural products, on this and other routes at the time including London, Frankfurt, and Lisbon.

Boeing conducted various simulated fire tests, but the only conclusion drawn from these was that there was probably inadequate protection for the passengers from the cargo. The manufacturer also agreed that more than likely the fire regulations were insufficient, a weak argument at best, and proved nothing about the cause of the fire. (Note: Subsequently, fire and safety regulations and cargo handling procedures were improved, and the FAA imposed new standards. As a result, the use of the Combi aircraft was deemed no longer practical, and it was eventually discontinued.)

What was lacking in 1987, and is even more important today, is the fact that cargo investigation and control must continue to receive top priority. This, and many other disasters, might have somehow been prevented. No one person, group, or country was ever held accountable, however, and as is often the case, no specific cause for the disaster could be determined. The case was considered officially closed in 2002 by the South African Board of Transport, leaving us with one more unresolved travel mystery.

Sharon Slayton

Budapest offers winter discounts

I think this website is an official site from the city of Budapest which apparently is a well-priced destination in winter. I learned about this site in the International Herald Tribune - the article there said that lots of hotels and restaurants (and even the airport's duty free shops) offer winter discounts.

They could use a new editor for their site content. The message is good though:

Budapest is the city of thousand sites to be seen and things to explore. Sounds too much? Don't worry! You'll have an extra day to check them out.

So you can get a free night at your hotel in addition to any other good deals in Budapest this winter.

Some fo you may remember I went to Munich for the Christmas market last year. Apparently Budapest has a Christmas fair. In some ways it seems similar:

During this time, between November 29 and December 24th, the square is filled with vendors and artisans offering hand made, unique arts and crafts, and Christmas trinkets all made from natural materials. There are a number of food stands offering mulled wine, and the fresh baked gingerbread spread the wonderful smells of cinnamon, pine and the overall feeling of the holidays. The square has a live stage with puppet shows and folklore musical and dance performers providing entertainment throughout the day.

When considering a cruise

This article talks about things to consider when choosing a cruise.

Style of ship and cruise line
Where to go
When to go
What kind of room to get
Get a good deal

I would think most of these are pretty obvious. Hard to take a cruise without picking a destination and I'm sure most of us want to pay as little as possible.

When to go is worth considering - different seasons have different price tags and even different destination options. I'd love to cruise around South America but they only do that certain times of year.

The mass market cruise lines are obviously different from the small luxury lines. There are some comments on the different mass market ones here.

When they talk about what kind of room to get, they mention that Alaska is a good time to spring for a balcony. I did, but I'm not sure it was worth an extra $1,000 each or whatever.

Want to ride a zeppelin?

A lot of times when we travel we like to try new stuff so this article's first line caught my eye: "The universe of people who have been there, done that narrows considerably when we're talking about sightseeing in a zeppelin."

Apparently your choices for a zeppelin ride are flying over "Lake Constance in the breathtaking beauty of Southern Germany." Or hovering above some Japanese islands.Or, beginning soon, flying over California's wine country.

I wonder how close I was to Lake Constance when I was in Munich. I also wonder why I haven't mentioned California in such a long time on this blog.

I have a few more interesting articles to share but I need to go do some work on that textbook I mentioned a few days ago. I should have more for you soon.

Hotels in Atlantic City on the Boardwalk on fight night

So a friend of mine recently told me about his search for a hotel room in Atlantic City for October 18th for the Pavlik Hopkins fight at Boardwalk Hall. Trump and all the big names
seemed to be running about 350-400/night.

He went looking for cheaper options. He found a place called Resorts for under 300. It's about a half mile walk from Boardwalk Hall. He was warned not to stay at the Days Inn on the Boardwalk. It was the worst hotel experience of someone's life.

One friend said Borgata first, Tropicana second. If those were too expensive he had stayed at Resorts. He said it was a bit of a trek to the casinos because it's at the end of the boardwalk close to the amusement park. Someone who didn't feel like walking could end up taking a bunch of cabs. Resorts is also near a good place to eat, The Irish Pub.

Another friend said not to try too hard because Saturday night weekend fights makes it tough to get a deal on the boardwalk. Hotels might even have minimum stays.

Someone else who went to Resorts had no problem with the location: it's an older place, although they've redone some bars and it's not terrible by any means - right on the Boardwalk probably 1/2 mile down from the Steel Pier, which is good 'cause you can bar/casino hop with
ease - Bally's, Taj, Hard Rock, House of Blues, etc.

If you don't mind, someone suggested Trump Marina or Harrah's - anything on that side of the city is relatively new, but perhaps a bit pricey (Borgata).

To really save money you could stay somewhere along Rte 30 - motor lodges, motels, and whatnot.

I don't know if I can share this last part and keep my blog family friendly but my friend insisted that if I share his research I also share a place called Bare Exposure with you. It is a strip joint across from Caesar's "for a bachelor party or whatever excuse you can come up with."

His words, not mine. I did actually go to a strip club in Florida once 10 or more years ago. It was pretty boring and the pancakes were easily the worst I've ever had.

Orlando homes, Disney & Hawaii

I don't have much for you today as I'm facing a deadline tomorrow to get in a few chapters of a new textbook I'm working on. It should be a good project - Korean high schools really need a good option for their English high school textbooks so I hope to give them that option...

This article surprised me because it says homes near Orlando (and Disney of course) are fairly affordable (under $200,000). Some friends of the family moved to that general area (because they are Disney fanatics) but I remember them paying much more. I'll have to find out why.

Speaking of Disney and Hawaii, I heard that Walt Disney Parks & Resorts will open a resort on Oahu in 2011. There will be 350 hotel rooms and 480 vacation villas for Disney Vacation Club members.

I'd really like to continue this theme but I really need to do that book thing. I'll be back tomorrow...

Hawaii vacation deals & Halloween travel ideas

The economy is hurting Hawaiian tourism. According to this article, Hawaii has spent $12.5 million on "the state's flailing tourism industry" in the past few months. The article goes on to talk about some current Hawaii vacation deals. Does this make a hotel better than a condo?

Among the deals under the new theme of "Discover more of Hawaii for less than you imagined" are: Anywhere from 35 percent to 50 percent off hotel stays booked through Orbitz and Expedia, a $500 air credit, free breakfasts, a free rental car, even a $50 grocery certificate.

Sounds pretty good although I don't actually want to use Orbitz or Expedia. I do want to see Hawaii.

Changing subjects, this article taught me about Anoka, Minn., the "self-proclaimed Halloween Capital of the World." Never heard of that before but it sounds pretty grand.

One dimensional travel writer?

This couple has an interesting travel theme - it seems that all their vacations involve visits to college campuses. They, or at least one of them (it's a little confusing since the article says "Lake has visited" instead of "the Lakes..."), has also visited all 50 state capitols and 47 baseball stadiums (whatever happened to these guys anyway?).

They recently visited their 500th campus and plan on changing things around some:

After hitting 500, the Lakes plan to keep visiting campuses in places they visit, but they no longer plan to arrange trips simply to add more campuses to the list.
"I am looking forward to it slowing down," said Caroline, a freelance travel writer. "But all in all we've had a lot of fun."

I'm not even sure I understand how a travel writer could limit herself to so few options when traveling and still do her job properly. I guess it's possible to wrote articles about traveling to college campuses - there must be some demand in that niche since parents bring their high school kids to visit colleges all the time.

Then again, she likes to sleep in while her husband visits campuses alone so I can only guess.

How safe is Antigua and what warnings should governments give travelers?

Back in August I wrote about Antigua's marketing problem after British honeymooners were shot and killed. Some of the victims' family members thought the British government was doing too much to help Antigua through the crisis.

This article makes it sound like the government's website was misleading people:

The travel advice for Antigua & Barbuda previously read: “There has been an overall increase in crime in Antigua over recent months, including gun crime. Two British nationals were shot near Valley Church in the south west on July 27, 2008.

“You should take sensible precautions and be vigilant at all times. Avoid isolated areas, including beaches, after dark.

“Do not carry large amounts of cash or jewellery. Valuables and travel documents should be left, where possible, in safety deposit boxes and hotel safes.”

The problem is that it made it seem like the murdered couple were not being street smart or something. In fact, they were in a resort where safety is and certainly should be expected. Apparently the advice has been changed to the families' satisfaction.

Will I be willing to pay for a family visit this winter?

It's been a while since I asked if the economy would hurt the travel industry. Now the economy is even worse. Some people regret buying vacation homes for example. Others are mad about AIG salespeople (or executives depending on who you believe) getting pampered. A week ago I figured that since stocks were way down it would be a good time for my IRA contribution. Woops.

This article talks about how airlines need to lower prices to fill planes even though they've cut routes. Hotels are offering discounts. A stronger dollar means better values abroad for Americans. Tour package prices might go on sale.

For me, despite my canceled birthday travel, I still wonder if it's worth paying big bucks to visit family for Christmas. I'm already thinking of going in February for hopefully cheaper airfare and if it's not cheap enough than just going somewhere cheap on vacation and not seeing family at all this winter. We'll have to see what the ticket prices are...

If you are looking for a vacation package, this is supposed to be the best season to visit Wyoming's Snake River in the Teton Range, in the Rocky Mountains.

Next I have this article on a couple of niche cruises - a Cajun/Zydeco Dance Cruise and a Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise. The blues one sounds OK to me...

SS Waratah – The Other Titanic

Three years before the tragic sinking of the Titanic, another ship went down with all hands lost. This time, however, there was no iceberg, and no explanation for its disappearance. The 500-foot liner was the pride of Scotland, named after the flower of New South Wales, Australia. Designed to carry passengers and cargo, there were 100 first class cabins, 8 staterooms, and luxurious lounges. In addition to its first class passengers, the Waratah also carried emigrants from Europe to Australia in steerage dormitory-like quarters, capable of housing 700 or more of these lower paying passengers. Although the ship could transport refrigerated cargo and had a large desalination plant onboard, it had no radio or telegraph communications, typical of the times.

After an uneventful journey that began on April 27 from London to Australia, the Waratah left Melbourne on the return trip to London on July 1, 1909. The ship reached Durban, Australia and departed on July 26,1909 for Cape Town, South Africa. One passenger, Claude Sawyer, debarked at Durban after wiring his wife that the ship was top heavy and he was suffering from nightmares. On July 27, the ship exchanged signals with the Clan McIntyre, the last verifiable sighting of its location. One day later, two more sightings of the Waratah were recounted, but thirty-foot waves and 50-knot winds had made visibility poor. The Guelph, a passing ship, received light signals, commonly used instead of radio communications, but could only identify the last 3 letters t – a – h.

That same evening, the Harlow detected a ship, possibly the Waratah, following behind her from about 10 to 12 miles away. Two lights flashed in the darkness, but the captain and the first mate of the Harlow assumed these were simply brush fires onshore, a usual occurrence, and paid no particular attention. This sighting was not recorded in the ship’s log, and it is doubtful that the Waratah had somehow reversed her course back to Durban. The exact location of the sinking SS Waratah is unknown, although a policeman on horseback patrolling the east coast of South Africa, the Transkei area, may have been an actual eyewitness. In any event, for whatever reason, the ship did not arrive at Cape Town as expected on July 29.

Turbulent weather off the Cape hampered the search efforts of three ships from the Royal Navy. A possible sighting of the Waratah was announced in the Australian Parliament and people in Adelaide were elated, but this news was short lived; it was not the Waratah. It is now September and the ship’s owners have charted the Sabine to resume the search, which covered over 14,000 miles. Still nothing! Relatives of passengers on the Waratah also chartered their own ship, the Wakefield, but its 3-month search found no evidence of the ship or the 211 passengers and crew.

Since there were no survivors, the Board of Trade had to rely on testimony from passengers, builders, and crew from the ship’s maiden voyage in November 1908. All agreed that it was well built and in excellent condition, further verified by Lloyds of London who gave it an A1 rating. One witness stated that the ship did seem to have a problem with maintaining equilibrium in heavy seas, but former crew members and passengers disagreed with this theory. There was some speculation that inspections were not thorough enough, and seemed to concentrate more upon the design and detail of the cabins and public rooms, rather than its overall seaworthiness. The formal inquiry did conclude that the supposed sightings by the Guelph and the Harlow were questionable. Based upon its location on July 27, these could not have occurred at the same time.

Many more sightings were rumored including one by a pilot from the South African Air Force in 1925, one in 1929 by a soldier onshore, and again, by a Cessna pilot flying over the area in 1962 who reported seeing a passenger ship lying beneath the surface of the ocean. But, whether any of these reports were fantasies or realities is not known.

In 1977, Emlyn Brown and his diving team discovered a wreck off the Xora River. At first it was thought to be the Waratah, but later determined that it was too far north of its approximate location. In all probability, it was a ship destroyed by German U-boats in WWII. More recent attempts to find the Waratah were made in 1991, 1995, and 1997. A discovery in 1999 turned out to be another transport ship sunk during the war.

Other theories arose about the extreme weather conditions and a possible rogue wave, which frequently occur (as recent as August of this year) in deep water off the coast of Africa. Resulting from high winds and strong currents, these waves are unpredictable and might well have been the cause of the disappearance of the Waratah. A few people have suggested that the ship was swept as far south as Antarctica, having lost its rudder in the turbulence, but no evidence exists to prove or disprove this theory.

The suggestion of a whirlpool has little substance, as it is doubtful that any whirlpool would have been powerful enough to completely submerge a ship of this size. Neither is the possibility of an explosion of coal dust a valid one. Again, there would have been some wreckage, and some indication of lifeboats being launched. Then too, there are the believers in the paranormal including the passenger Sawyer who claimed to have had visions of a man with a sword covered in blood on three occasions, and decided to leave the ship in Durban. It has been mentioned too that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, famed mystery writer, held a séance in hopes of locating the Waratah.

The mysterious disappearance of the SS Waratah has attracted divers and expeditions for over 95 years. Perhaps, the most notable of these is millionaire Clive Cussler, well-known author of Raise The Titanic, and other adventure novels. As a marine archaeologist and founder of the National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA), Cussler, Brown, and Dr Peter Ramsey, a geoscientist, have led at least nine diving expeditions to find the Waratah since 1983. Paid for once again by Cussler, a group of 16 led by Brown planned an expedition in 2004 to explore the Xora and Bashee rivers off the Transkei coast. (Note: This writer could find no further information on the results of this venture.)

Was the ship overloaded on its return trip with a diverse 6500 tons of cargo including food supplies and an additional 1,000 tons of lead concentrate? Did it capsize in stormy weather as a result of instability? Were the ballast requirements accurately determined to take into consideration this added weight? These are all credible answers to the mystery, but until evidence is found that the SS Waratah lies somewhere on the bottom of the ocean, then we are left to draw our own conclusions to the mystery of the other Titanic.

(Note: The ship’s owners, the Blue Anchor Line, was forced into liquidation in 1910 after ticket sales dropped, and the lack of adequate insurance did not compensate for the huge financial losses.)

Sharon Slayton

The Palazzo Las Vegas Lamboghini dealer and restaurant

Here's an article on the new Palazzo Resort Hotel Casino. The author claims that "the Palazzo has taken the Las Vegas experience a couple of steps further with some ingeniously innovative touches." This includes a Lamborghini dealership in the hotel. That's cool but if you're in the market for a Lamborghini, finding unique experiences shouldn't exactly be a problem...

But if you want to see a Lamborghini dealership with a built-in restaurant (so you can decide which car you'll buy while you eat I guess) then I guess you have to go to the Palazzo.

Amsterdam birthday travel plan thwarted

Well my birthday trip to Amsterdam got canceled. My wife needs to work and she doesn't want me to go alone. I wish I could see Amsterdam and spend my birthday with friends there but I'll have more chances for both - just not a chance to do both at the same time.

I did want to share what my friends are up to though. Apparently they found a 3 story townhouse for 675 euros plus tax. That's for 3 nights and since they'll be splitting it 5 ways or so in ends up being quite reasonable.

Naturally, trying to look at the bright side, it's money I won't be spending. Airfare would have run about $1200-$1300 each so it was never going to be a cheap birthday. Until now...

The location of the rental is supposed to be good, on the oldest street in Amsterdam (apparently this is near the redlight district).

Best destinations on Amazing Race

Mancunian has written about travel TV shows a few times and highly recommends the Amazing Race. Well Phil Keoghan, the host of the Amazing Race, talks about his favorite places Click through this slideshow to check out his Top 10 destinations from the "Amazing Race" with photos and commentary on why each place is special for our favorite Kiwi.

AIG employees go on vacation but TSA crook doesn't. Actually seems fair to me...

The biggest vacation in the news is the one mentioned in this article, the one AIG's top performers took that cost $440,000. I know that people who sell a lot of stuff get rewarded and I guess they should since they make money for the company. It happens in insurance, it happens in network marketing, and it probably happens in other industries as well. The timing here was pretty bad though...

This article mentions what I think is making people angry:

The retreat didn't include anyone from the financial products division that nearly drove AIG under, but lawmakers were still enraged over thousands of dollars spent on catered banquets, golf outings and visits to the resort's spa and salon for executives of AIG's main U.S. life insurance subsidiary.

However I think this is misleading - my understanding is that the people on vacation were the sales people who sold a bunch of insurance, not the executives who most everybody thinks are responsible for this mess.

Speaking of the economic mess, that does mean good deals on Caribbean vacations according to this article. Hopefully we'll see more great travel deals. I know some people won't be in a position to take advantage of them thanks to rising unemployment but all I can do is use that as inspiration to work harder, improve my job performance, and make myself too valuable to get rid of. If my school can't afford to lose me, then I figure they'll keep me. It's certainly not easy to make yourself that valuable but I'm trying...

Anyway, for example, here's a Sandals deal from the article:

Sandals Resorts has extended a promotion, first offered earlier this summer, which gives guests an airfare credit of up to $550 when they book a three-night stay by Oct. 23 for travel through Dec. 20. The all-inclusive resort, which caters to couples, is also offering additional perks like spa credits this year, says Mitchell Nover, media coordinator at Unique Vacations, which handles sales and marketing for Sandals Resorts.

That one caught my eye because I've mentioned Sandals before.

Here's another story - in this one a criminal TSA agent wants to leave the country for his honeymoon and his lawyer makes a pretty funny comment: "Obviously, they could have waited until Mr. Brown returned from the Dominican Republic."

Why should we wait to begin punishing this guy who abused his TSA position and stole (and he has confessed apparently) cameras and laptops from travelers at Newark Airport? I wonder how much impact this will have on TSA's image, considering that readers here have already leveled plenty of criticism.

Park West Gallery art auction on cruises revisited

Not long after my Alaskan cruise, I wrote about Park West Gallery. You see these guys on many cruise ships auctioning paintings. They also run art history seminars and stuff like that.

Anyway, there had been some negative articles about them but I wrote that I was happy with my experience and that the people who had been "ripped off" were responsible for their purchases. If you decide to spend $25,000 on a painting without shopping around because the salesman tells you it's a bargain, who do you blame when you later find the painting could be bought for less?

I did talk to one Art Gallery owner who warned me to stay away from Park West. I had already spent my $2,000 so I worriedly asked him why. He said that he had never heard of anyone getting a good deal from them with the possible exception of "lower end stuff." Now this same guy was telling me that the small Romero Britto "Blue Dog" or "Tiny Temptations" sculptures (numbered out of 1,000) were inferior investments to the bigger ones numbered out of 100. The smaller ones were in the $700 range while the bigger ones were in the $8-10,000 range.

I think it's safe to say that I'm buying lower end stuff...

So anyway, a few weeks ago 2 of the 3 pieces I bought arrived. When we went to get them framed we realized they were damaged. There were a few little white spots that wouldn't come off. I called Park West and they said they'd replace them as soon as I sent the damaged ones back. They would pay for shipping.

So the replacements came and were in fine condition. Then the 3rd piece came. So I now have a Mouly "Le Peintre et le Modele" on my bedroom wall where there used to be a cheap $20 poster of some flowers in a $30 frame. The room looks 100 times better.

The other two I need to go get framed (the Mouly came framed) but I'm sure they will make our home look fabulous.

Did I get a good deal? Who knows? I'm no art expert. I did take their advice though - the Park West guys said to buy art you like. Otherwise you'll be looking at it thinking about how much money you spent instead of how much you like the art. I love the art I bought so I'm happy with my purchase.

I also have trouble imagining that I was totally ripped off. Granted I'm buying lower end stuff but a print numbered out of 300, signed by the artist, and costing a few hundred bucks seems reasonable to me.

Somehow I got lost - the point I was going to arrive at here was that the Park West customer service was as good as I could have expected. I had to call a few times to find out what was going on because they didn't call or email me to follow up (which they said they would) but in the end they were completely honest with me; they replaced the pieces I was unhappy with at no extra charge.

I did a news search for Park West Gallery and found a press release from a website trying to sell a video of a German art detective determining that two Dali prints sold by Park West (for thousands of dollars) are fakes. Doesn't seem like a real reliable source to me.

I found a blogger claiming there's no art worthy of a Christie's auction but I saw Rembrandt and Picasso prints on my cruise. Unlike some people crying online though, I didn't spend $30,000 on a Picasso I don't like, and know so little about I can't even tell if it's genuine or not.

I also learned that Park West now has a 40 day refund policy. There used to be no refunds at all. There's also some kind of exchange system in place.

Ferragamo's Tuscany property, cheap honeymoons, San Diego experience

Since this blog is about travel plans, both realistic ones and the dream ones, this article seemed appropriate.

Turning off a dust track on the route from Buonconvento to Montalcino in Italy's Val D'Orcia, there is a small 10th-century Longobard church once used on the old pilgrim's trail, the Via Francigena, for those making the journey from Canterbury to Rome. It is owned by Massimo Ferragamo, son of the late Salvatore Ferragamo...

There's also something about a travel agent who charges $10,000 to get his number. Guess we won't be interviewing him on this blog...

On the opposite end of the spectrum, here we have some ideas for cheap honeymoons. Backpack. Ask friends to lend you a vacation house. House sit or find a cheap houseboat. Etc.

I actually looked into the house sitting thing once. The option was to house sit in Manhattan I think and mind someone's cat and pay them $100/night. I bet they ended up paying $15 a visit for someone to come to the house twice a day and feed the cat...

Finally, this article talks about a San Diego vacation experience. San Diego is on my list of places to go and maybe someone there needs a house sitter for a bit. I love animals but I'm not going to pay for the privilege of walking your dog or feeding your cat...

Fancy vacation packages, Celebrity honeymoons, Hawaii honeymoons

This article taught me about Hip Hotels, which is teaming up with Virgin Holidays to offer vacation packages that include unique hotel experiences. Apparently a few people had already heard of these guys:

Hip Hotels, a collection of 'highly individual places', was first published by Thames and Hudson in 1999. It became an immediate publishing success, briefly even outselling Harry Potter.

An interesting hotel can certainly make a vacation more memorable. When I went to Algonquin Park I saw a moose. I also pumped water for showers in the ecolodge we stayed at. I tell the pumping water story more often than the moose sighting story (although both experiences were pretty memorable).

This old blog entry has some stuff on weird hotels and the links still work.

With these Virgin Holiday / Hip Hotel packages, you have to be willing to spend some serious money:

Virgin says it is marketing the brand on the quality of service, rather than price, but there are some reasonable deals. Rooms at the Hotel on Rivington, a swish design palace in New York's Lower East Side, usually start at around $500, but Virgin and Hip Hotels are offering three nights, including flights on Virgin Atlantic and private transfers, from £935.

That might not be expensive enough for celebrities like Sandra Bullock and David Beckham, but if you want to know where they honeymoon this article lists a few. For example:

Victoria and David Beckham = the south of France
Jennifer Lopez and Cris Judd = Italy
Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher = the Hotel Rey Juan Carlos I in Barcelona, Spain

You can see that the article is a bit short on details (we get Demi Moore's hotel but nothing about where in Italy Jennifer Lopez visited).

It may not be a celebrity thing, but this blogger is having a nice honeymoon in Hawaii. I didn't see a lot of travel tips, but sometimes it's just nice to see someone sharing a good time. The pictures are excellent as well.

There is some Hawaii stuff on this blog of course. This one might have been the most recent. This is one of the oldest. A search will reveal many in between.

Travel press release blurbs

Got some more press release blurbs for you because I needed to do some cleaning:

The New York Times announced that the sixth annual New York Times Travel Show will be held Feb. 6 – 8, 2009 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. No link.

Cruise enthusiasts looking to book a NCL vacation with a CLIA member travel agency from October 16-23 will receive up to a $500 on-board credit (depending on stateroom category booked) and a reduced deposit on NCL’s 10 Freestyle Cruising ships sailing more than five days. NCL offers a multitude of cruises ranging from a 5-day Western Caribbean to a 7-day Bahamas & Florida and a 12-day Western Mediterranean. No link.

www.visitappalachia.com provides information about the 13 states that make up Appalachia and access to the recently released Appalachian Driving Tours Map. Commissioned by the ARC, the map features 28 driving trails throughout the Appalachian region, each of which leads to a broad array of historical, archaeological, cultural, and scenic sites.

A new luxury all-suites resort opens this week in Miami named The Blue. To celebrate the soft opening of The Blue, now through Dec. 20, guests enjoy the “Sneak-A-Peek” rate of $189 per night. Only minutes from Miami International Airport, www.theblue.com.

Disappearing Ships – Cape Hatteras & The Atlantic Coast

Most of us are familiar with the unexplained disappearances of aircraft and ships in the Bermuda Triangle, but there is another fascinating story of two ships lost off Cape Hatteras in 1921. Hurricanes and storms have always been prevalent in this area, and the Cape serves as a navigational point about 25 miles off the North Carolina coast for ships sailing the Atlantic Ocean.

The Hewitt, originally named the Pacific, was one of two ships owned by the Union Sulphur Company. Its twin, named the Atlantic, was torpedoed in 1917, an interesting omen in itself. The Hewitt left Sabine, Texas on January 20th enroute to Portland, Maine, and radioed in her location somewhere off the coast of Georgia on the 25th of January. A 5-mast wooden schooner, the Carroll A. Deering, was traveling the same northern route, returning to its homeport of Bath, Maine. It is believed that both ships encountered turbulent weather near the Cape, and somehow, the Deering ran aground on Diamond Shoals, with sails full set, on January 31. This may not have been an unusual occurrence in the midst of a storm, but it is here that the mystery begins.

Coast Guard boats and rescuers, unable to reach the ship until February 4th when the storm abated, found a strange scene onboard. It appeared that some sort of mutiny might have taken place, as some personal belongings were missing, as well as navigational charts and instruments. The handwriting in the ship’s chart appeared to be different from that of the captain’s at the beginning of the journey. The lifeboats were also gone, which indicated a possible planned escape from the schooner. Further investigation of the ship’s papers revealed that that there had been a confrontation between the first mate and the captain after leaving Barbados. The lighthouse keeper at Cape Lookout, NC recalled a message from the Deering on January 29th saying that the ship had lost its anchor near Cape Fear and to alert the ship’s owner of their location. This seemed odd to him, as the group of men sending the message did not appear to be officers, and ordinarily, such a group would not be assembled on the quarterdeck. To add to the mystery, a passing ship heading south at the same time did not respond to his radio signal and appeared to have no name or identification.

Unfortunately, for some unknown reason, the hull of the Deering was dynamited, supposedly to prevent it from becoming a navigational hazard, and more evidence was lost. We don’t know if the Hewitt had rescued any of the Deering survivors - there were no radio communications to that effect, as might be expected. Further search on shore and at sea revealed nothing of the 11 crewmen from the Deering.

About 2 a.m., on February 1, a strange light was seen from the Absecon Lighthouse at Atlantic City, and as far as 20 miles up the coast. The Coast Guard quickly dispatched patrol boats to the area thinking there might have been an explosion on a ship, possibly the Hewitt. It was possible that the cargo of sulphur, not generally considered hazardous, had ignited and caused the explosion. However, the Hewitt had regularly carried cargoes of sulphur to chemical and ammunition industries for use during the war without incident. The location raised another question too, as the distance traveled from their last radio contact would probably not correlate with the ship being in this spot at the time. A seaplane also explored a 30-mile area from 5,000 feet and detected no sign of debris or other evidence of a missing ship, nor were any radio messages received from a ship in distress. A more plausible explanation might be that mines planted in the Atlantic Ocean before 1921 caused an explosion, and like the Atlantic, it too became another casualty of war.

More rumors circulated and speculation arose, as interest in the disappearance of the two ships increased. The media including the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times were quick to offer their own opinions. The Times attributed the disappearances to either piracy or a deliberate attempt by the Soviets to confiscate another U.S. ship, a common practice at the time. Russia was a known enemy, and piracy had been a part of history for years and still is; both were certainly a consideration. Lloyds of London disagreed, however, stating these disappearances were not an unusual occurrence at all considering the weather conditions that prevail around the Cape.

As Lula Wormell, daughter of the missing captain of the Deering, continued her search, another possible clue to the mystery emerged. A bottle found by a local fisherman, Christopher Gray, in April 1921 contained a message with the following excerpt: ”Deering captured by oil-burning boat…crew hiding…handcuffed…no chance to escape…finder to notify Deering headqtrs.” Initially, handwriting experts determined that the message had probably been written by Bates, the engine man of the schooner. This discovery encouraged a determined Lula Wormell to use her influence and gain the support of Herbert Hoover, then Secretary of Commerce. Hoover enlisted other agencies including the Navy, State, and Justice Departments to join the search, and consulates around the world were alerted to possible piracy attempts. Soon, the FBI was brought in to investigate the validity of the discovery and the message in the bottle. They concluded that the whole thing was indeed a hoax, perpetrated by Gray in an effort to impress the people at the Cape Hatteras lighthouse where he was seeking employment.

Subsequently, some effort was made to locate any of the 40 seamen from the Hewitt that may have survived its disappearance. One man and possible survivor had aroused the suspicion of the Consulate in Istanbul because of passport discrepancies. The FBI discovered upon questioning Raney that he had indeed signed on with the Hewitt, but an unfortunate accident onboard just 20 minutes before the ship was scheduled to leave Sabine had put him in the hospital and he was unable to sail. In Raney’s opinion, the ship had simply broken up because of overloading, which was often the case. Whether this was true or not is hard to say, but the FBI accepted his explanation.

Considering the perseverance of Lula Wormell in seeking an answer to the disappearance of the Deering, the lack of interest by the Bureau of Inspection and Navigation and the Steamboat Investigation Service in finding the Hewitt or its survivors, if any, was deplorable. Unfortunately, with no ship or cargo to provide revenue, the courts and insurance companies refused at the time to provide compensation for the seamen’s families. The settlement amount paid to Union Sulphur is unknown, but it is doubtful that it covered the full value of the Hewitt at $1,200,000 and its cargo worth $175,000. If the families of the missing members of the merchant marine were ever compensated for their loss, it was certainly not nearly enough. Regrettably, seamen’s rights were not widely recognized, and members of the merchant marine had little influence in the 1920’s.

Whether the Bolsheviks, pirates, weather, or other circumstances were the cause, the mysterious disappearances of the Hewitt and the Deering have never been explained. Although it is presumed the Hewitt was somewhere near the area of Cape Hatteras and Diamond Shoals, based on their last radio contact, this too may be incorrect. In fact, the ship may never have reached the coast off Atlantic City, and sailed no further than Jupiter Inlet in Florida. In any event, it is strange that with all the numerous diving expeditions off the Atlantic coast, no further evidence of either ship or its survivors has ever been found.

Sharon Slayton

Bereavement or compassion fares

This article talks about the writer's search for a bereavement fare. Some US airlines have stopped offering bereavement fares but that may not be a huge loss since in this writer's experience, an online search beat the least expensive bereavement fare.

Ubrand Stick Tagz - Another freebie for the travel blogger

Well it's more in line with the socks than the cruise, but I really enjoy getting free samples to review for you guys and here is another opportunity for me.

The company is Ubrand and the products are "Stick Tagz" - you put them on your luggage in order to personalize it some (making it easier to identify when its surrounded by luggage). It reminds me of a plastic tag that said "Not just another pretty black bag" my sister gave me a while back. While funny, that one wasn't durable enough to survive long term travel...

I scanned in my "Stick Tagz" so you can see what it looks like. My plan is to stick it on one my bags and let you know how well it holds up next time I go somewhere.

They are said to be made of "durable polymer based materials that solidly adhere to nylon fabrics" and have survived harsh travel conditions without falling off or creasing like regular stickers. I hope that's true and I'll let you know how it goes next time I fly somewhere.