Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Traveling by car

Although I specialize in helping people with vacation spots to which they usually fly, I thought it might be helpful to some to have some tips on packing for car trips.
Many of these come from Fodor's 1001 Smart Travel Tips.
1. Buy maps or a road atlas (or get them from your auto club), then flag the pages relevant to your journey so they can be easily located. Use a highlighter to show your intended route. Be sure to share your plans with your navigator if it is not you!
2. Have at least one other person bring along extra keys. If traveling alone, leave a set with someone who could easily Fed Ex them to you.
3.Keep a trash bag and a roll of paper towels in easy reach, along with a jacket or sweater that can also be used as a pillow. Other than that and perhaps your iPod, put everything else in the trunk.
4.Clean out your trunk before packing then put items in from back to front with those you will need at your destination going in first.
5. Don't bury your emergency kit.
6. Give kids larger size plastic containers with some of their "stuff" in them. They can also serve as laptop desks for writing or coloring.
7. Pack a small cooler to cut down on expenses such as soft drinks, water, fruit and snack items.
8. Slow down to 55 (I know -- I hate it, too) and save 20% on gas consumption. It only costs you 10 minutes per hour to go from 65 to 55.
Happy traveling!

Friday, July 11, 2008

L A Times article

In case you are a do-it-myself vacation planner, this article may sway your thinking!
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http://travel.latimes.com/articles/la-tr-spot13-2008jul13

From the Los Angeles Times

ON THE SPOT
A travel agent can help you find the best cruise and the best deal
By Catharine Hamm
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
July 09, 2008


Question: Is it cheaper to book a cruise online through the cruise line or through a travel agent?

--Cindy Gardina

Answer: It may or may not be cheaper to book through a travel agent, but it is definitely smarter. Here's why:

If you want chocolate, you can go to See's Candies. The chocolate may even be on sale. But you'll get only See's. And that's not, I am here to testify, a bad thing.

But suppose you also like Godiva or Toblerone or Amedei or La Maison du Chocolat. What then? Wouldn't you need a guide to tell you which one is right for you?

"The cruise line only has their products to sell, their ships, their cabins, their ports of call," says Jay Rein, chief executive and president of TravelWorm.com, an online travel agency.

Cruises used to come in two flavors: one, for the newly wed, and the other, for nearly dead. That notion is more outdated than the fur you've hidden in the closet. There are different kinds of cruises for different kinds of people and different price ranges and different kinds of ships.

"The [travel] agent can sell you everybody's cruise ship, everybody's extracurricular activities, everybody's options," Rein says. "An agency has a greater portfolio to choose from."

As for price, an agency worth its salt should be able to help you get the most for your money, whether it's alerting you to an especially good deal or getting you upgrades and perks.

An agent also can help you book tickets to your gateway destination and arrange overnight stays if necessary.

If you want the human touch, try ASTA.org or www.cruising.org/planyour cruise/experts.cfm.

But steer away from the agent who doesn't ask enough questions to know your "vacation personality" and immediately tries to tell you that a certain cruise line on a certain date is the ticket, says Evan Eggers, president of SureCruise.com, a cruise-only online agency.

You also can book through an on- line third-party agency or go to a site that will compete for your business, such as CruiseCompete.com.

If I set sail again, I'll use an agent, whether it's clicks or bricks because, frankly, he or she (or it) will offer to help. And when was the last time anybody else in the travel industry bothered to do that?

Have a travel dilemma? Write to travel@latimes.com.




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Monday, July 07, 2008

More packing tips

I decided to do the world a favor (ha!) and pass along some of the thousands of packing tips I have stored up in my brain. So starting today, I'll pass along at least one a day. Here goes...
Think about layering, even if you don't think you'll need it.
Some cities in sunny destinations have "natural air conditioning" -- like the fog in San Francisco or the ocean breezes along the California coast. Then there's the restaurants, malls, museums, theatres and even airline cabins that are so often over air-conditioned. Having a sweater that you didn't think you'd need to put on over that cami will help keep you comfortable. Or, better yet, take a lightweight waterproof jacket that you can stuff into your carry-on or a pashmina type shawl that can even serve as a blanket in flight.

Thursday, July 03, 2008

packing for your cruise

Today I ran across a great article in the Smarter Travel website and am passing it along to you.
The article is titled Cruise Packing 101: One suitcase fits all.
It is an excellent resource for anyone planning a cruise as it lists each cruisse line and what the expected dress is on each. Some that you would think are more dressy are actually more casual and vice versa.
To view the article go to
http://www.smartertravel.com/travel-advice/cruise-packing-101-one-suitcase-fits-all.html?id=2620952