Travel plan idea blog

Priceline got me in trouble

A while ago I asked if anyone had never stayed at a Holiday Inn. Looks like I'll be staying at one in Amsterdam.

My wife and i were researching hotels for Dec. 29, 2009 to Jan. 2, 2010. Naturally, New Year's Eve is an expensive time so it looked like we'd be spending some serious money. I mentioned Priceline to my wife and I guess she was tired of looking at hotels because she told me to do it.

We picked "city center" entered a price of $120/night, and clicked go. We ended up at the holiday Inn Amsterdam. This was a bit of a shock because we had been looking at hotels in the city center forever and had never noticed it. Turns out it's in a business district. My wife's mad at me.

Personally, while it would be nice to stay in a cooler area, I don't think a 10 minute subway ride to the city center is the end of the world and I like that it's not costing a fortune. But I still told my wife to pick out a hotel she likes for the end of our trip (also in Amsterdam) so I can't get in any more trouble.

But then we were looking at hotels in Paris (we decided to go after all) and my wife told me to use Priceline again! I'm probably lucky they rejected my offer...

Travel plan revised

A few days ago I posted this possible trip outline:

Dec.29, 2009 - Jan 3, 2010 = Amsterdam
Jan.3-5 = Brussels
Jan.5-7 = Luxembourg
Jan.7-11 = Paris
Jan.11-13 = Amsterdam (again)

Based on your advice, I'm revising that to this:

Dec.29, 2009 - Jan 3, 2010 = Amsterdam
Jan.3-5 = Brussels
Jan.5-7 = Bruges (Brugge)
Jan.7-9 = Luxembourg
Jan. 9-11 = Leiden
Jan.12-13 = Amsterdam (again)

Obviously I'm saving Paris for next time. I do wonder about including Sharon's advice and hitting Antwerp as well, but I'm already worried about rushing things - I like to take my time so hitting 4 different cities in 2 weeks is pretty unusual for me.

Finding a good map and train schedule would help too. For example my friend said a train from Amsterdam to Brussels would stop in Ghent anyway so we should stop for the afternoon and get that the best hamburger in the world. Antwerp looks like it's kind of in the middle of everything too so if the train is going right by I suppose we could stop there as well.

In fact, judging from the map stopping in Antwerp between Amsterdam and Brussels seems to make much more sense than stopping in Ghent. But my friend did live in Ghent for a year so he ought to know better than I. I must say though, that this aspect of the trip is no fun to plan. It's very tempting to keep it simple - Amsterdam - Leiden - Amsterdam or something like that.

And speaking of trains, the Eurail Benelux Pass (€ 218 per person in first class, 139 per person in second class) seems like an easy way to go.

Another problem is packing. We don't usually pack light but if we're stopping somewhere for the day I guess it would be better if we did...

Call for papers: Council on the Global Integration of Healthcare

I think I like that a volunteer non-profit (the Council on the Global Integration of Healthcare) is trying to do something to improve the quality of workers we get in the medical tourism sector. And I understand that volunteer organizations will often suffer from too few resources. In the case of the Council on the Global Integration of Healthcare that seems to mean that they don't have anyone to design the courses they want to offer to professionals in the medical tourism business.

That's where any professional travel planners might benefit:

In preparation for CGIH's Medical Travel Facilitator I Certification, we are seeking the assistance of our travel planners community members to author the following study guides, pre-test and final exams for the following self-directed courses:

Course Description
TRA0010 Basic Travel Planning for Medical Travelers
TRA0200 Understanding Travel Service Terminology
TRA0020 Medical Travel Facilitators and Travel Agents: Role Differentiation
TRA0030 World Geography Refresher
TRA0100 Understanding Customs and Visa Requirements
TRA0110 Introduction to International Airline Reservations
TRA0120 Introduction to International Connections for Medical Travelers
TRA0130 Introduction to Hotel Accommodation Reservations
TRA0140 Introduction to Ground Transfer Arrangements
TRA0150 Counseling Clients about Trip Interruptions and Lost Baggage
TRA0160 Introduction to Destination Management Services
TRA0170 The Role of the Medical Concierge
TRA0180 Travel Planning for Clients with Special Dietary Restrictions
TRA0190 Travel Planning for Clients with Mobility Impairments
TRA0210 Travel Planning for Clients with Visual Impairments
TRA0220 Travel Planning for Clients with Hearing Impairments

So if you want to do some volunteer travel writing, specifically course design you should check out this opportunity. There are also sections on law and things less relevant to this blog than travel planning. Here is the open call for papers.

The one thing I'm not so sure about is how they're going to end up with a good course - I mean this is supposed to lead to a "Medical Travel Facilitator I Certification" sort of a medical tourism travel agent I guess. I'm a little surprised that they don't already have standards for each course's evaluation and experts in mind to write each of these courses. I do hope their courses turn out to be excellent.

Ipod vs. MP3 player for travelers - advice needed

Neither I nor my wife have an Ipod or an MP3 but that could change this Christmas depending on your advice. Basically, which one is better for travelers? Do I just go with whatever is nice and small? Or is there some fundamental difference I'm not aware of?

Speaking of gift giving, are you considering any travel related gifts?

And speaking of holidays, I hope all Americans had a wonderful Thanksgiving (though I was teaching like normal).

Amsterdam, Brussels, and Luxembourg + Paris or Ghent or neither

My wife was surfing the web the other day and found some JAL tickets on sale. So we're flying to Amsterdam on Dec.29 and leaving Jan.13 even though my boss would probably prefer it if I stayed in Korea until the book we're working on is published...

But the tickets are paid for so no turning back now. It's time to come up with a travel plan.

Dec.29, 2009 - Jan 3, 2010 = Amsterdam
Jan.3-5 = Brussels
Jan.5-7 = Luxembourg
Jan.7-11 = Paris
Jan.11-13 = Amsterdam (again)

We're debating Paris actually. We could save Paris for another trip and spend more time in the other cities or possibly stop in Ghent where a friend of mine studied for a semester of law school and says he can direct us to the best hamburger in the world: "the best burger and fries in the world on Overpoort just north of Stalhof at De Gouden Sate. Order a Bicky Burger and Fries with Andalouse sauce. You won't have to eat for the rest of the day."

But I can't sell my wife on the idea of stopping in Ghent with just the promise of a good burger so there would have to be other stuff...

Any suggestions? Would you include Paris or save it for later?

Staying safe from swine flu while traveling

Interesting article here on traveling during flu season. They mention a few things I think I can add to. They say there's no evidence that wearing a mask helps which is pretty much what a colleague said to me the other day after we saw a bunch of Koreans wearing masks (on planes, subways, in crowds, etc.). I argued that they probably do help because they stop you from putting your fingers in your mouth or nose - getting germs from your hands in those places can get you sick so blocking access is good if you ask me. But I find those masks too annoying to wear myself.

Travelers are likely to get their temperature taken in some places. Last time i arrived In Incheon, Korea they had some cool thermometer that they put near your ear. A friend of mine at a university out in the country said they were taking temperatures of anyone entering campus by sticking a thermometer in your ear. No plastic cover, no sanitizer. Sounds like a dumb idea to me!

Travel deals to some great places I've never been

This article has some travel deals with the second page being more exciting if you ask me. They mention a few of this blog's favorites including places I want to go but never have like the Atlantis on Paradise Island, Vegas (the next Paris?), Jamaica, and cruises.

A lot of deals to think about...

Advice on flying during the holiday season and keeping your kids happy

This article in the Boston Globe talks about finding a good seat and covers the basics like talking to the gate agent (which I recently learned about) who can often find an empty row for you or something like that. My wife and I were able to get a row of 4 on an American Airlines flight after talking to the gate agent. It didn't make any difference to me but my wife got 3 seats...

Then this article from the Tribune News Service talks about keeping your kids from throwing tantrums. I don't have any personal experience here, but some of the same rules apply to adults I would think. I know I am a big fan of nap time and if you're not relaxing on vacation, then you might be doing it wrong.

Travel bookings picking back up - sales in 2010?

Not long ago i asked if the travel deals would keep coming in 2010? This article may have some relevance although it does focus on one travel agency in Minnesota. That agency is hiring back employees they had laid off because of an increase in travel bookings.

On it's own it's not so meaningful but if we similar articles coming out of other regions, we may not have the deals in 2010.

Great quote: I would've done anything to have Travelers Aid at Charles de Gaulle Airport

This article about volunteers helping people in airports (when you need help in an airport it tends to be pretty serious) had a great quote: I would've done anything to have Travelers Aid at Charles de Gaulle Airport.

As you may recall, my biggest airport stress ever happened in Charles de Gaulle and while I mostly blame my wife (for not listening to me) I also blame the airport because too many workers didn't speak English, directions to the tax refund office were the worst directions ever, and because of the guy with a gun who wouldn't let us up the escalator to go through security to catch our plane.

Can you believe they blocked access to the terminal half an hour before our flight and there was no "detour" so we had to scramble trying to find another way to get to security? Information was no help, the guy with the machine gun was no help, finally a construction worker was able to show us a back way.

Yeah a volunteer (heck even someone working at information who knew something) who could have solved the problem (either finding the tax refund place or getting back to the terminal) would have been nice.

US aviation in shambles

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-New York, said the country's aviation system is "in shambles". This after a circuit board failure caused delays and cancelled flights all over America. "If we don't deliver the resources, manpower, and technology the FAA it needs to upgrade the system, these technical glitches that cause cascading delays and chaos across the country are going to become a very regular occurrence."

No doubt that something needs to be done. A while back I mentioned one plan the FAA had to stop taxing airline tickets and instead tax fuel and impose fees on commercial and private jets. I'm not an expert bu that sounded good to me as I asked Why should my economy class ticket help pay for the air traffic control helping some rich person's private jet take off?

And one way or the other we do need to fund an FAA overhaul because the air traffic control system does need work.

No way to get to the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics without getting ripped off?

Very interesting article here about the tickets being sold in North America (and other places) for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. Apparently they all get sold by one man, Sead Dizdarevic. As a result he gets to name his own price and make sure that tickets bring in extra profit when they are sold as part of a package:

"It not only has a direct impact on the price of tickets, it has a direct impact on availability," said Houston attorney Jim Moriarty. Dizdarevic's pricey travel packages, he said, turn the Olympics into "a playground for the rich and powerful."

Now I don't expect Olympic tickets to be cheap, but this seems contrary to the Olympic spirit if you ask me. Is giving one guy a monopoly and letting him gouge everyone who wants to go to the Olympics going to help?

"to build a peaceful and better world in the Olympic Spirit which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play - Olympic Spirit strives to inspire and motivate the youth of the world to be the best they can be through educational and entertaining interactive challenges. Olympic Spirit seeks to instill and develop the values and ideals of Olympism in those who visit and to promote tolerance and understanding in these increasingly troubled time in which we live, to make our world a more peaceful place."

Most people don't seem to think so and while I've only read this one article it doesn't seem like the Olympic spirit to me either. I agree with this guy:

"In effect, CoSport and Jet Set have a monopoly on legally valid tickets," says Moriarty, the Houston lawyer, who researched Olympic ticketing after getting scammed by another agency for Beijing tickets. "And what they seek to do is screw the consumers by bundling housing and tickets together to get more than what the housing is worth, and what the tickets are worth, because without them, you don't go."

In response, Dizdarevic said he's only doing Olympic business the way it has always been done. The system that gives him total control of Olympic travel for the U.S., he argues, was designed by Olympic leaders, not him. He sees himself simply as one of many "exclusive" service providers for the Olympics.

New Year travel deals in Switzerland, Wyoming, Utah, & Saint Lucia

Saint Lucia

Cap Maison is offering festive Christmas and New Year's Eve prix fixe menus at Cliff at Cap, the resort's signature restaurant featuring breathtaking panoramic views of the Caribbean Sea. Both available at $135, the Christmas and New Year's Eve menus feature an elegant 8-course French West-Indian meal with classic staple dishes including braised short rib of beef and slow-roasted turkey with herb and onion stuffing, while giving a St. Lucian twist with its rich pudding dessert topped with island rum anglaise. Holiday rates (from December 20, 2009 to January 2, 2010) start at $565 in a Gardenview Room. Rates are based on double occupancy, per room per night and include full breakfast. www.capmaison.com

East Winds Inn is offering guests who stay a minimum of seven nights, a free stay on Christmas Day on an all-inclusive basis (7 nights for the price of 6). This is valid for all new bookings and for arrivals at the hotel between December 19 and 24, 2009. Nestled between Castries and Rodney Bay on the northwest side of Saint Lucia, East Winds is an all-inclusive resort located on the waterfront of LaBrelotte Bay, one of the most pristine, golden sand beaches on the island. The resort recently debuted a new Open-Air 3,000 square foot Yoga and Fitness Pavilion this winter. All-inclusive rates are based per room, per night and start at $950 in a Superior Double (from December 21, 2009 to January 3, 2010), and include all meals, wine, bottomless flutes of champagne and beach activities. www.eastwinds.com

Ladera is offering a Christmas and New Year's Eve Program this year, complete with a classic Christmas Dinner at the acclaimed Dasheene Restaurant, evening entertainment performances including local carolers and live bands, the option to attend Christmas Day Mass at Fond St. Jacques Catholic Church, a cocktail reception with General Manager Waddy Francis, and festive libations and meals at one of the Caribbean's best restaurants. There's also a New Year's Eve Gala Dinner available at $135 per person where revelers can enjoy a live band, dancers, party favors and celebratory midnight countdown to ring in the New Year. Reservations are required in advance for the New Years Eve Gala. Dress code is smart casual. Holiday winter rates begin at $680 in a Petit Piton Suite with a plunge pool (from December 21, 2009 to January 4, 2010). Rates include breakfast, afternoon tea, and full use of resort facilities including warm volcanic mineral water bath, gym, beach shuttles, snorkeling equipment and WiFi access throughout the resort. www.ladera.com

Virgin Gorda

Aquamare offers the setting for the perfect family beach holiday vacation. Now is the time to think about the holidays in 2010, since the 2009 holiday season is already booked due to high demand. From the clear, calm, shallow waters that are made for young swimmers to its safe and sandy beach just steps that's perfect for sand castles, the three villas that overlook the Sir Francis Drake Channel offer comfort, adventure and luxury. With 8,000 square feet of private living space, five guest rooms, including three Master Suites each with its own expansive marble bath area, the villas are purposely built for large, multi-generational gatherings and comfortably sleep up to 12 guests. www.villaaquamare.com

Switzerland

Lake Geneva Region of Switzerland, located on the shore of Lac Léman (Lake Geneva) in the French-speaking part of Western Switzerland, will feature their annual Christmas Markets in Montreux and Lausanne from November 25 to December 24, 2009. Both cities will be transformed into an enchanting holiday fair with over 100 richly decorated stands resembling small chalets. In addition to the wide selection of holiday crafts and gifts, the Markets feature classic Swiss cuisine, including roasted chestnuts and light white wines from the Lavaux vineyards, a UNESCO World Heritage site. www.montreux-vevey.com

Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Hotel Terra, Jackson Hole's AAA Four-Diamond LEED Certified hotel, is offering a Ski & Stay Free Special for the holiday season. Available at only $99 per person, per night, the offer provides a complimentary lift ticket and a stay at Hotel Terra. There is a four night minimum stay. Full, non-refundable pre-payment is required. Hotel Terra opened in February 2008, landing a spot on Condé Nast Traveler's "Hot List" and Travel + Leisure's "It List" shortly thereafter. The hotel was also named one of the Top Ten Eco-Hotels by TripAdvisor's customer reviews. Located slope side to the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, just a mile from Grand Teton National Park and just an hour from Yellowstone, Hotel Terra is ideally situated to bring something new to the luxury mountain lodge category. Holiday winter rates start at $289 at double occupancy, depending on dates. www.hotelterrajacksonhole.com

Teton Mountain Lodge, Jackson Hole's AAA Four-Diamond hotel located at the entrance to Grand Teton National Park, is offering a Ski & Stay Free Special for the holiday season. Available at only $99 per person, per night, the offer provides a complimentary lift ticket and a stay at Teton Mountain Lodge. Couples or families can capture the true spirit of the festive holidays with the luxury lodge, located only steps from legendary Jackson Hole skiing. There is a four night minimum stay. Full, non-refundable pre-payment is required. Holiday winter rates start at $289 at double occupancy, depending on dates. www.tetonlodge.com

Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City will host the 16th Annual New Year's EVE celebration from December 29 to 31, 2009. Presented by the Downtown Alliance and hosted in venues throughout downtown Salt Lake City, tens of thousands of visitors and locals will gather for EVE, an indoor/outdoor urban extravaganza, complete with live entertainment and performing arts, winter sports, activities for kids and families and a festive midnight fireworks show. Over half of Utah's out-of-state visitors opt for staying in Salt Lake, and with good reason. Located just 30 minutes from SLC International Airport with over 750 daily flights from most major domestic gateways, the downtown area provides guests with the best of all worlds. Using Salt Lake as their "base camp," visitors are less than an hour drive from 11 of Utah's 14 world-class ski resorts. www.eveslc.com

Buying and selling airline miles?

I didn't know this was a legal battle until reading this article but apparently airlines prohibit buying and selling frequent flyer miles in their terms and conditions. For example, Alaska Airlines just sued (and won) Brad Carey, who runs Carey Travel Inc. The judge says carey can no onger sell Alaska Airlines miles.

Carey asks valid questions. Are flyers led to believe they own their miles? If you own them why can't you sell them? Why is Alaska Airlines allowed to say that Points International's points.com is allowed to sell their miles but not anyone else?

Related: Using Delta miles and Using miles.

In the mood for a long travel story (bucket trip in Australia)?

This link will take you to a 77 day Australian travel experience. Basically a family with a 13-year-old took a pick-up track and a camper trailer all around Australia but that's about all the summary I care to give since the full 77 day summary would take me forever... A good vacation experience though - enjoy reading it.

Excerpts from a bunch of press releases

A while ago we mentioned car shows on this blog. I've never been to a boat show but it could be cool to check out all the yachts and stuff: Miami, Fla. - November 2009 - The 69th annual Miami International Boat Show & Strictly Sail Miami cruises into town February 11-15, 2010, where new and experienced boaters from throughout the world can gather in one place to view, board and buy the best the boating industry has to offer. With special deals on everything from sportfishers, sailboats and mega-yachts to engines and the newest electronics, the 2010 Miami International Boat Show is the ideal place to shop, save and enhance every boating experience.

If you're not looking for warm weather this winter, Vermont has something going on:The 2009 10th Annual Holiday Open House Tour is taking place in Manchester, Vermont on Saturday, December 5 and 12, from 1 - 5 p.m. All proceeds from ticket sales will benefit the Vermont-New Hampshire Komen Race for the Cure (www.vtnhcure.org). Breast cancer survivors will be at most locations to greet guests and thank them for their participation.

Tickets are $15 and you go to:

Dorset Inn: Gingerbread and Christmas cookie decorating to take home and apple cider
Equinox Hotel: Fine chocolate and wine pairings
Inn at Manchester: Piano music (sing along) with baked goodies galore
Silas Griffith Inn: Home-made pierogi with coffee, tea and beverages
Silver Service Inn: Hot appetizers with punch
Three Mountain Inn: Holiday cookies and treats, hot cider, holiday music and coupons from Jamaica shops and galleries
Wiley Inn: Live take-home design Christmas arrangement and centerpiece, wine, cheese, music
Inn at Ormsby Hill: Award-winning Vermont Cheese Tasting (and purchase) with Consider Bardwell Farm, Maple Brook Farm, Taylor Farm and
Woodcock Farm. Signed copies of The Vermont Cheese Book by Ellen Ecker Ogden.

You can also head out west to get some skiing in: November 12, 2009, Salt Lake City, UT - According to the just-released Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index of the 50 states, Utah ranked number one as the happiest state in the Union. When you combine this with Salt Lake City's ranking as the "Fittest City in America" by Men's Fitness magazine in February 2009, you've got two great reasons to discover why the fittest and healthiest people in the U.S. live in the Beehive State.

This winter, visitors will be smiling on the slopes thanks to Salt Lake's Olympic legacy Gold Medal Podium Package, which allows skiers and snowboarders to explore all of Salt Lake's fit and happy environs, as well as re-live Salt Lake's spectacular 2002 Winter Olympic spirit during this year of the XXI Winter Olympiad. The deal is simple: book a four-day, four-night vacation by December 15, 2009, that includes the Ski Salt Lake Super Pass and lodging at any of 22 participating properties in greater Salt Lake and the adjacent mountain resorts and the 4th day of skiing/riding and your 4th night of lodging are absolutely FREE.

If you're looking to take a cruise, NCL has 7 day cruises on their new Epic starting at $949 (Caribbean).

If it's a gift idea you're after, maybe this one will interest you: Yak Pak makes an assortment of sleeves to keep your laptop from taking a beating this holiday season. Laptop sleeves made from high density, impact resistant EVA foam come in both a 15.6" and 10.2" size. Also registering in at 10.2" is a sleek, neoprene netbook case to cushion any holiday mishaps. And of course, all of these coverings come in an array of eye-catching patterns that Yak Pak is so known for.

Article on things to do in Disney: lots of searching

Disney World isn't that high on my list but lots of people tell my wife she has to see it so we will go one day most likely. This article talks about some things to do while there including searching for paintbrushes to get a fastpass and searching for Mickey Mouse silhouettes. I'm not sure if those sound like fun but I would think that having dinner with an 'imaganeer' would be. The even mention the marathon someone asked about recently.

Who says there's no such thing as a stupid question?

Have you ever asked - or been asked - a stupid question when traveling? I worked for a major airline for many years and have fond memories of some of the questions that I was asked, by otherwise seemingly intelligent people. One day I will try to publish them all in a book; meanwhile, here are some of the things I remember. I often spoke to people who weren't sure if they wanted to fly or drive to Hawaii for their vacation and several others who were surprised to learn that New Mexico was actually part of the United States.

But one of my favorites was a passenger who was flying to some obscure and exotic destination, where he needed to have a visa as well as a passport. I told him this and after a long pause, came the reply: "I don't have a Visa. Can I take my MasterCard instead?"

And then there is the classic story about a woman calling the airline to ask about the size of container needed when transporting a dog by air; I did not speak to this person, but the story is purportedly true. The reservations agent told the lady that the dog's container should have enough room for the dog to lie down in, turn around in a full circle and move its head and tail. Replies the passenger: "Oh, dear! I am leaving tomorrow - I don't think I can train him to do that by then!"

This UK newspaper site has a list of stupid questions asked by visitors to the UK and other countries. It's in the form of a slideshow, so you have to keep clicking to see the next picture, but some of my favorites are:

"Why did they build Windsor Castle (which of course, is centuries old) on the flight path to Heathrow airport"
"Why did they build so many ruined castles and abbeys in England"
"Do you know of any undiscovered ruins"
...and from a visitor at the Grand Canyon: "Was this man-made?"

There are quite a lot of other sites out there that list stupid questions, including this one that includes the question: "If it rains, will the fireworks be held inside?"

Lonely Planet also has a travel forum where you can post stupid question and answers. Does anyone have any stupider (or is it more stupid) questions than these..? Please share!

Guest entry by Mancunian

Is Las Vegas the next Paris?

Apparently Las Vegas is going through some changes that should be good for the city and for tourists as it becomes more pedestrian friendly:

CityCenter represents the beginning of a trend toward more destinations within a destination: "Las Vegas is going to evolve into something like Paris [the one in France, not the one up the street] where you spend one day in one arrondissement and go to another the next day."

Never been to wither but something tells me Vegas will only be like Paris in the sense that it will have various pedestrian friendly zones.

Here, they say that CityCenter in Vegas will open (in parts) this December but I don't like the idea of visiting something before it's finished - seems like I'm not getting full value.

Who here plans on going?

Travel deals for the Caribbean and New Hampshire

Yesterday I asked if 2010 would have lots of travel bargains for us. If you're set on going to the Caribbean, the best deals may have passed according to this article. They recommend booking now since "flights to the Caribbean are still tight, making it difficult to find a seat and bargains, especially on popular travel dates."

Also related to Caribbean vacations we have this article that compares all inclusive resorts with cruise vacations (which I did a while back as well). They conclude that the resort is a better value and a better experience. They like not hearing sales pitches for bingo and art auctions. I can see that. And they like eating barefoot in the sand. Sounds good. I was planning on Oasis of the Seas (the new biggest cruise ship) but now that I think about it, Sirenis Punta Cana or another all inclusive might be better.

I'm not set on the Caribbean so what travel bargains are out there now? One I thought was fun was this one, where you become a fan of New Hampshire on Facebook and get half off a hotel. Every month it's a bit different from what I understand but this month we have: "Escape to Lake Winnipesaukee in November and enjoy 50% off deluxe lake view accommodations at The Inns & Spa at Mill Falls premiere lodging facility, Church Landing." Pretty cool.

Travel baragins waiting for us in 2010?

I like this prediction that 2010 will be a great year for travel deals and discounts.

They say that early 2010 is probably the best time to book a cruise. They say that airfares will probably not increase much in 2010. They say that hotels will need to offer discounts for the entire year. They say that with corporations trying not to act extravagant that there are bargains for first class flights and at upscale resorts.

They do warn that airlines and hotels will try to add fees for extra services so we have to watch out for that. And they do warn that the article could be wrong. But I hope the article spot on and you can bet I'll be watching!

Where did taxi drivers enhance or ruin your vacation experience?

This article got me thinking about taxi drivers and how they impact your vacations. The article talks about Malaysia's tourism marketing efforts in Denmark, which are made harder because taxi drivers often refuse to use the meter in Malaysia.

I encountered this problem personally both times I visited Malaysia. In KL, we had to wait a while but generally we found drivers who were willing to use the meter. Sometimes it was the 2nd or 3rd or 4th taxi we tried though. In Penang, no taxi would use the meter. It was really frustrating (though looking back I wonder why I cared so much that they wanted 10 ringgit when the meter would have said 2 - 8 ringgit was a little more than $2 at the time and I shouldn't have let the money cause so much vacation stress).

Just wondering where else taxis hurt the tourism industry. The bigger stories recently aren't directly related to travel: the gay couple kicked out of a NYC cab for hugging, Australia requiring an English test for taxis, courts recently ruled that Korean taxi drivers can watch TV while driving (how crazy / scary is that?), and so on.

And just for the record, I think Malaysia should simply increase the meter rate so taxi drivers can live with it. I think NYC's proposed law to ban taxi drivers from wearing earpieces while the motor is running is silly (no restriction is suggested for people who don't drive for a living). I guess drivers in Cebu have it bad with low metered fares and few customers. I generally sympathize with cabbies who work hard (who wants to drive in traffic all day?), are subject to abuse, and are not usually compensated well.

I did think that Japan and Singapore had excellent taxis (although expensive).

Another Airline Controversy / South of the Border

Guest entry by mancunian

Here is the latest of these stories that seem to happen all too often, about a passenger being denied boarding, usually for some silly reason. This article reports that an executive with Best Buy, who used miles to upgrade to first class, was denied boarding by United at Washington Dulles airport because he was wearing a track suit. There is also a photo of the offending clothing. When I worked for an airline and flew standby, I had to wear a shirt and tie even in coach, as I was representing my company and that I can understand, but if you are paying for your ticket, I think you should be able to wear what you like. Especially if you were lucky enough to be able to actually use your miles! According to United's own information, the only reference to a dress code is that passengers must not be barefoot.

This blog has highlighted several similar stories in the past, perhaps the most infamous being this Southwest story about the scantily dressed girl who was almost removed from her flight.

Has anyone been to South of the Border in South Carolina? And would you admit it, if you had? It has nothing to do with the above airline story, and I can't even think of a vague link between the two things. OK, they would probably let you in with a track suit on; in fact, you might look rather out of place with a suit on. I mention it only because I drove past it yet again last week on my way home and next year it celebrates its 60th anniversary. Even if you have not been there, if you have driven down Interstate 95 from the Northeast to Florida, you probably know more about it than you want to.

South of the Border is a rather kitschy theme park with a Mexican theme on the border of NC and SC (hence the name) and is as famous for its highway signs - some almost 200 miles from the place itself - urging you to stop there, as for the actual park itself, which is not particularly exciting. One of the highway signs even reads: "Keep yelling kids! They'll stop." (Which sadly, is probably true!) If you missed some of the interstate signs while driving, they are all on this site and some are actually quite clever. Anyway, you can get some good Mexican food there, (I admit it, I have been there - but only once) take an elevator to the top of the huge Mexican hat sign and even get married there, if you want to.

Do you wish you had had more vacation flings?

I'll leave you with a quick question for now since after teaching today I went to Opera Gallery in Seoul to meet Romero Britto and somehow that knocked me out.

Anyway, this article on regrets after marriage inspired the question:

Just thinking about all the solo trips -- not to mention vacation flings -- I missed out on makes me a little sick. I'd definitely take a do-over on this.

I never had any vacation flings and I don't feel sick about it. Although I did meet my Korean wife while traveling / living / working in Korea so maybe that counts?

So the question is - do you married folks regret not taking more trips while single / not having more vacation flings?

Related question from June, 2008.

The Galactic Suite Space Resort and Virgin Galactic have customers lined up but do they have enough?

According to this article, Virgin Galactic has 300 customers lined up. The Galactic Suite Space Resort has 43 reservations.

Considering that The Galactic Suite Space Resort, the first "space hotel" only takes 4 guests at a time I guess 43 reservations is pretty good. Then again, the start-up costs must be pretty significant. I suppose the $4.4 million you pay for a 3 night stay in the space hotel must go a long way to covering those costs though.

Is it worth 4.4 million dollars. Maybe if you have it:

During their stay, guests would see the sun rise 15 times a day and travel around the world every 80 minutes. They would wear Velcro suits so they can crawl around their pod rooms by sticking themselves to the walls like Spiderman.

Plus you get 8 weeks training on a tropical island...

Disney Marathon: advice on where to stay and how to make the most of the experience

Question: I've signed up for the DisneyWorld Marathon in January. I was wondering if any of you have been...where you stayed, if you have any suggestions. Right now I have some stuff from AAA and it looks like some pretty decent deals. Luckily now with Jet Blue having a direct flight from Syracuse to Orlando, my travel got a bit easier. Anybody have any tips?

From me: Previous Disney advice, Eating at Disney, Port Orleans or Caribbean Beach, Disney World comments

Answer 1: Running the marathon will be cake compared to figuring out where to stay. I was in Disney 16 years ago, but since it has blossomed. Do you have any experiences with the ALL STAR resorts? Those are certainly the cheapest. Speaking of cheap, the best deal is the disney meal plan - you save tons of money. It is a 37$ a day service that entitles you to one snack, one counter service (a sandwich, burger, pizza, etc) (including food courts) and one table service dinner. These can be in the park you are in or any of the hotels. We grabbed water and an orange slush as snacks, had sandwiches at the Pinochio (sp.) Village Hause and a fabulous dinner at Ohana. I would say we saved at least $30 a day.

ALL STAR Rooms are smaller, but we found that we're in our room so little it doesn't matter too much. But it depends on what you want to do. If you want a bigger room, move up to moderate. More expensive, but bigger room. I'd suggest Port Orleans French Quarter. great atmosphere, great food court, nice pool, boat ride away from Downtown Disney, not far from much.

Answer 2: Stay outside the Disney property if money is an issue. There are some nice, less expensive places in the immediate area. If you don't mind spending more, stay at the Grand Floridian in the park. It's magnificent though very pricey. There are many more moderately priced places in the park as well.

Answer 3: I've been there about 20 or so times. I've stayed at mostly all of the resorts. If you're looking at the Value resorts, I'd recommend Pop Century over any of the All-Star
resorts. It is newer, cleaner and has its own bus for transportation to the parks. The 3 All-Star resorts share buses most of the time. Lots of stops before you get off.

Answer 4: Just got back about a month ago and here are my tips:

- Take advantage of the "Magic Your Way" package - much quicker through the airport.

- Stay for AT LEAST 10 days - you can do one park per day in a week, but you'll regret it. Spreading it out to 1/2 park per day makes it much easier, and gives you a chance to enjoy your resort.

- Disney is MUCH MUCH bigger than it looks on any map. 45 square miles serviced by 300+ busses - it's a small city and those bus stops can resemble city bus stops at rush hour, so expect that. Still - I remember thousands of people trying to get the monorail at the same time back when I was a kid. I think there was one instance where we had to wait over a half hour to get loaded on a bus. Again - be ready for it - if you're bringing kids, make sure you've got plenty of snacks on hand.

- Bring one backpack to load up with water, snacks, extra clothes etc. If you've got a kid under 6, grab a stroller.

- We stayed onsite at Port Orleans. Stunningly beautiful resort, but it was COLLOSSAL. A good 10+ minute walk to the office from our room. All of the resorts are big, and one way to save time is to find out where the busses pick up FIRST. If you're at one of the last bus stops at your resort, you may wait a looooooong time for a pick up.

- PLAN. Have a plan every day. What attractions do you want to hit? Check for show schedules - ESPECIALLY in MGM - half that park runs on schedules. If you can, plan your day around the extended days for resort guests - that saved us a ton of time.

- Animal Kingdom was my favorite - but watch those park hours - that one closes up super early.

Answer 4: Regarding the meal plan, we didn't get it. The food portions are gigantic. My wife and I split entrees much of the week, and we definitely came in lower $$$ than the meal plans, and we still ate at all the nice restaurants - even the expensive one's aren't that bad at lunchtime. (I heavily suggest the Cobb Salad at the Brown Derby in MGM). When we got there, we purchased cereal, milk and oatmeal. Breakfast in room before we'd leave for the day. (fridge in room)

Don't miss Tower of Terror or the Aerosmith Coaster in that park either. If needed - use the 'childswap' feature.

Answer 5: Active duty or retired military: If you qualify, check out the Armys self supporting resort (R&R type) on the fringe of Disney World. Shades of Green. If I recall a PFC last year paid about $37 for a room and a Major paid $180 for the same room. Full resort, 36 holes, transportation links, etc.

Answer 6: While you are at Disney, don't forget to take advantage of FastPass. FastPass allows you to ride the rides on a shorter line. You don't need to sign up for Fastpass. All tickets can use the Fastpass system. Basically the most popular rides have ticket machines that give you a ticket with a one hour window during which you can return for the ride. You get to go in the Fastpass line, which bypasses almost everyone on the normal line. You just insert your park ticket into the machine near the attraction entrance.
My best advice is to buy the "Unofficial Guide to Disneyworld" by Bob Sehlinger. It has answers to every question imaginable, and the best advice for navigating the parks and avoiding lines.

Laikipia Plateau in Kenya: would you go?

This article says it's such an off-the-beaten-path tourist spot that travelers sometimes see British military tests.

The region is trying to develop its tourism industry but are the mortar rounds scaring away potential tourists? Personally, if a few knowledgable people told me I'd see more wildlife in Laikipia Plateau than on a safari somewhere else, I don't think I'd care about guns possibly keeping me awake at night.

This second video indicates you should ride a horse (they also show walking and biking), not something I'm unwilling to do, but something I never have done. It's also a commercial video.

Would you go?

New airline controversy: Southwest kicks 2-year-old off flight

Not too many details in the story as of now. Before I judge I need to know more. For example what was the mom doing about the kid's screams?

Parents who ignore screaming babies deserve to get kicked off if you ask me. But if mom was trying to comfort her kid what else can you ask for? Sure it's rough on other passengers but if you let babies fly you have to expect some noise.

Reminds me of this situation although in the older story, the kid wasn't screaming from what I understand.