Above The Crowds

Smartphone apps from Rick Steves

2011-12-11T16:25:00.001-08:00

http://www.smartertravel.com/travel-advice/travel-smarter-with-smartphone.html?id=9134134I found this article on using smartphone apps while traveling to be EXTREMELY helpful. I constantly warn my clients to find out exactly what their phone plan coverage is so they are not surprised (read - shocked) when the bill comes in. I just returned from South Africa and was amazed at the number of places I found free WiFi so I could use my iPad.

How to find the right travel agent by Ed Hewitt

2011-08-09T13:27:00.000-07:00

Back before I became a diehard fan of travel agents, I was a diehard fan of doing it myself. But a few bad trips, many of which I've written about in this column, resulted in numerous comments from travel agents that they could have saved me the agony, not to mention quite possibly some money. Here's the story of my quest to find the perfect travel agent.

With the advent of the Web, airlines figure they can sell directly to the customer. The travel agent is a classic middleman, and the death of the middleman was predicted even in the early days of the Web. Time was you had to call every airline yourself, or use a travel agent. Now, not only can you comparison shop over the Web, but you can book the flights yourself while downloading pictures of your grandkids in the background.

Companies and reservations services offer airfares, hotel rooms, car rentals, online vacation package deals, online B&B reservations, even bidding. With so much information right here on my laptop screen, why do I need to call anyone? And why do I need a travel agent?

There's something to this notion, and to tell the truth, for most routine travel I'm an unrepentant do-it-myselfer. But on the rare occasion I complain about one trip or another, I often get mail from travel agents who tell me "Get a good travel agent, and you won't have these problems." To my ear, the emphasis is on the word "good."

I suspected that travel agents still have their place in the world, and wanted to find out where that place might be.

What makes a 'good' travel agent?
Full disclosure: I'm in the market for a holiday trip to a popular destination (a Hawaiian island) for a friend's wedding. I figured I'd mix business and pleasure, and turn this article into a quest for an affordable airfare.

As a result, I had three agendas:
1) To find a "good travel agent." What is this elusive creature?
2) To experience this creature's purported magic first-hand.
3) To (somehow!) find a great airfare in a sold-out market.

A recent Monday afternoon's calls to some local travel agents went thusly:

First call: No answer, left message, no returned call within 48 hours, still haven't heard from them.

Second call: Spoke to an agent, gave her my itinerary, then had this exchange:

"We'll see what we can do, and give you a call." I had to ask when that call might come.

"Hopefully by the end of the week."

Remember, this was on Monday.

Third call: Receptionist answers, asks my name, then tells me (and I swear these were his exact words): "All our agents are currently busy with other customers. Please call back in 15 to 20 minutes."

Aside from the fact that he sounded like a computer-generated on-hold operator, he made no offer to take my name or my number to have someone call me. Call us, we won't call you ...

Fourth call: The folks at the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) are always trumpeting their agents, so I chose an agent who sported the ASTA logo in his Yellow Pages ad. Pay dirt.

Gene was funny, happily swapped war stories with me, called back promptly after investigating my itinerary, and explored other options at length when I wasn't entirely happy with prices or the airline. In short order, by using some alternative airports, he found a fare that was $200 cheaper than I had seen online.

He placed the reservation but asked if I could wait until the morning, as he was going to a party that night with some colleagues, and wanted to see if he could find anything interesting.

At 9:15 a.m., Gene called with some news: he had found a package deal with a three-night "throwaway hotel" (when you don't even have to show up if you don't want to) for almost $2,000 less than either of us could find anywhere else. He had nailed down our preferred dates of travel, if not our preferred airline, but beggars can't be choosers, as the saying goes. As I said before: pay dirt.

Finding a 'good travel agent'
Needless to say, I'm sold that a "good travel agent" can do some things no search engine will ever do. (I'll still use online booking sites, nonetheless, for speed and convenience, but will call my new travel agent much more frequently.)

Unfortunately, commission cuts could make finding a good travel agent that much tougher, as the best of the profession might move on, and potential future stars will choose other work.

A few guidelines for choosing your travel agent:

1) I have to trumpet the ASTA connection; go with an ASTA agency. ASTA has a code of conduct, a Consumer Affairs Department where you can register complaints against members, and a reputation to uphold. You can search for ASTA-affiliated agents on the organization's consumer site, TravelSense.org.

(Note that, on further inspection, I discovered that at least one of the agencies I didn't use was an ASTA shop. ASTA affiliation isn't a guarantee, but it's a good start.)

2) Does the agent tell you everything you need to know? When you don't like a certain airline, departure times or dates, or connection, does he shift gears immediately to find alternatives, or try to force the issue? If your agent responds well in these situations, stick by him.

3) Is the agent local? This is a personal preference, but one I think can pay off.

On occasion, you're going to want to drive by the agent's office to pick up tickets at the last minute, get passport photos taken or get reticketed in the event of changes. When flights are canceled, airlines go bankrupt or trips disappoint, you want to be able to stop in the office to straighten everything out, rather than write a half-dozen irate e-mails and or make a half-dozen angry phone calls.

4) Do the agent's fares and itineraries stack up well against the online booking services? Even when I call the airlines directly, I check an online reservations site to investigate my options ahead of time; I do the same with travel agents. The more information you have as a consumer of any product, the more likely you are to find what you really want.

When to use a travel agent
Strongly consider using a travel agent instead of doing it yourself in the following cases:

Group trips/sales.
Getting 25 people on the same plane with seats together at an affordable price is no job for a dilettante. Call a travel agent or outfitter immediately when traveling with a large group. Be firm and clear in your instructions on your budget, time and date restrictions, and other preferences or requirements.

Family travel.
I consider our family travel just a smaller subset of a group trip — we want sensible flight times, the fewest connections and shortest overall travel time possible, seats together throughout, hotel rooms with enough sleeping space, a car that can accept a child's seat, etc. A good travel agent understands all of this intuitively, and can save you the headaches of sorting through all of this yourself.

When looking for a package deal.
There are so many package deals out there, at hotels you've never heard of, with itineraries so vague you're not sure what country you're visiting, that you may need some assistance. (Our story on "Unpacking your vacation package deal" can also help.)

When you fly frequently.
When you fly frequently, and especially when it's SEM (Someone Else's Money), having a good travel agent can be essential. No hours on hold, no endless Web surfing, no hassles; just a quick phone call, and your e-tickets arrive in your inbox.

When traveling to an exotic locale or new "resort" area.
I once took a trip to a new resort that hadn't completed its plumbing installation, overlooked a beach at an oil drilling site and was plagued with thefts. I rented a car and disappeared for the rest of the trip, swallowing the cost of the hotel.

A good travel agent has an ear to the ground and will know whether a new hotel in an exotic location is safe and ready to welcome travelers. Many travel agents routinely visit hot new locations (often on the tab of the resort — see potential conflicts of interest below).

Additionally, if any components of your itinerary collapse, your travel agent is accountable to help try to set things right. If you made all your reservations yourself, you're up the creek without the proverbial paddle.

When you don't have time.
You might save a few dollars in fees, while you lose two hours in research. What is your time worth? Travel agents earn their keep by doing work you don't have time to do.

When you have all the time in the world.
If you have a relationship with your travel agent, you can ask them to keep an eye out for good deals to your favorite locations. Sure, e-mail notification services can do the same, but your travel agent might catch something a "bot" might not.

You have the itinerary from H-E-Double Hockey Sticks.
If you have a particularly sticky itinerary — one with stopovers, rented cars in every city, several hotels and the like — you might want to get a pro on the job.

When you have a great travel agent.
If you've found the world's best travel agent right in your neighborhood, throw them all your business. You won't do better anywhere else. She can see everything the booking engines can see, and sometimes more. She'll make a living, you'll become a preferred customer and the world will be a better place. (Well, maybe not, but we can try.)

When to do it yourself
I do believe there are times when you can just make your bookings yourself:

Routine travel.
If you're booking your routine flight, you can probably do it yourself online with your preferred airline. This way, there's no third party "monkey in the middle" if you have to make quick, simple decisions about departure times, prices or other factors. You make a few clicks and it's done. No travel agent is going to make this process simpler or likely even cheaper.

When you're working on word of mouth, or with Mom and Pop operations.
Many small hotels, B&B's, local car rental joints or similar outfits don't register on the average travel agent's radar screen. When a friend tells you about this great and affordable little cabin that you can get by calling the local bait shop, make the call yourself.

What to look for, what to watch out for
A good travel agent will answer the following questions honestly and without resistance.

Do you apply a surcharge to my purchase? How big is it?
I think it is unfortunate that travel agents have been forced to apply a surcharge to get paid for the valuable work they do. And usually they're worth the admittedly small fee. I have no sympathy, however, for agents and agencies that institute a surcharge and don't tell their customers until after the fact.

Does the price quote include all taxes and other charges?
The odd travel agent will quote you the base price on a flight or hotel stay; then when you try to pay, it's much higher. Even online booking engines quote final prices; expect your travel agent to do so as well.

What about incentive programs?
Are agents getting paid to steer you to a specific airline, cruise companies, hotels, or car rental agencies? You want to know.

Are there airlines that do not appear in their computers?
Some airlines are more equal than others. Some airlines, such as Southwest and other smaller discounters, may not participate in the central reservations system. Good agents will know to check those airlines' sites when appropriate.

Do they routinely work with vacation package companies?
The truly creative agent might not just offer you an airfare, but might find a vacation package that could even come in cheaper than the flight.

Potential conflicts of interest
An agent who is paid to find the best airfare, but is simultaneously paid by airlines to steer customers to their flights, encounters a clear conflict of interest. While most agents should be assumed honest, you want to know about these arrangements, as the agent is put in a tough position of saving you a few bucks or making a few more bucks for himself.

It's a conflict of interest, a little like when a real estate agent represents both the buyer and the seller. Whose interests are they protecting? Besides their own, of course. Please understand that I'm not attacking travel agents' right to make a living. But when an agent sells out the customer on the other end of the phone to the airline on the other end of an incentive program, we have a problem.

Familiarization trips
Often called "fam" trips, these are partly educational trips for travel agents, and partly favors from travel companies, who often expect to be "paid back" with sales to that destination. Probably a necessary evil, but when someone recommends a new locale she's just visited and loved, remember that she didn't pay as much as you will to visit there. Again, ask the tough questions.

Overrides
An "override" refers to an incentive program where agents are rewarded, in commission increase or other perks, when they sell a minimum number or dollar amount of reservations for a particular airline, hotel, car rental company, cruise line or the like. The temptation to steer passengers to that company can be overwhelming, even if it's not entirely in the best interests of the traveler.

Overrides are primarily an issue at large companies; your average local company can't get anywhere near the numbers required for most overrides.

Not slamming agents
I'm not slamming agents by highlighting these issues; remember, one just saved me $2,000. I'm merely reinforcing my eternal credo: caveat emptor (let the buyer beware). Do your homework to find that "good travel agent," and you won't regret it.

More from IndependentTraveler.com

Why you still need a travel agent
9 tips for insanely busy travelers
The 5 worst trip planning mistakes (and how to avoid them)

The Most Expensive US cities to visit

2011-04-26T12:27:00.000-07:00

By Tom Van Riper

updated 4/12/2011 9:33:51 AM ET

If you vacationed in New York or Honolulu in 2010, chances are you got a pretty good deal on a hotel room. Room rates in North America's priciest cities declined for a second straight year in 2010. The bad news for tourists (or good news for the industry): Price declines slowed markedly last year from the freefall of 2009, and they're swinging back up in many spots this year.
Forbes.com slideshow: The most expensive U.S. cities to visit
Hotel prices in most of North America's most expensive cities — New York, Honolulu, Boston, and Chicago, among others — declined by an average of 2 percent in 2010, according to the latest Hotel Price Index from hotels.com. A soft year, but a big improvement from 2009, when prices in most of the same cities fell 10 percent or more from 2008. New York, which had to absorb the added capacity of about 4,000 new rooms in 2009 while dealing with the recession, saw its average room rate drop more than 20 percent, to $199. Big Apple prices dipped again in 2010 to $194 a night, making it the most expensive city to spend a night in the U.S.

America's Musical Cities
Forbes Guide To Worldwide Travel: Midsummer
America's Great Fourth Of July Celebrations
Yahoo! BuzzPrices ended 2010 at roughly 2004 levels, says Hotels.com Vice President Victor Owens, the net result of a two-year slump cancelling out the four years of growth that preceded it. "There is still value (for consumers) in the marketplace, but we seem to be slowly climbing out of the ditch," says Owens. Prices outside the major markets rose a bit, he notes, especially in high-income niche areas. California tells the tale: Two pricey spots, Monterey and Santa Barbara, replaced San Diego and San Francisco in the top 10. "The first wave of leisure travelers that comes back is the affluent one," says Owens.
Others making the top 10 for 2010: Washington, D.C., ($140 a night, down a few dollars from 2009) and Miami ($139.58, virtually unchanged). Both are perennial placeholders on the list — Washington thanks to its trove of landmarks and drivable distance from many population centers, Miami thanks to its status as an international hub that attracts travelers from south of the border.
A peek at 2011 shows an early surge in demand and prices. According to Expedia.com, average prices during January, February and early March were up from last year, as much as 20 percent or so in Honolulu, Boston, Miami and Washington, D.C.
And what might be the story of the year in the hotel business: the recovery of New Orleans some five years after Hurricane Katrina. Hotel prices in the Big Easy rose to an average of $132.27 in 2010, from $118 in 2009, according to Hotels.com data. And Expedia's numbers show they've shot up even further in early 2011, to about $150 a night.
Both leisure travelers and conventions are making their way back to New Orleans. The Saints' Super Bowl win last year didn't hurt. What better advertisement for your city than thousands partying in the French Quarter in front of millions on national television? City officials took that ball and parlayed it into a strong promotional message, according to Owens. "It's a good growth story; they're just doing a very good job of getting out there and promoting themselves," he says.

Carnival Fantasy

2011-04-11T06:28:00.000-07:00

On a recent trip to Charleston, I had the opportunity to tour and have lunch on board the Carnival Fantasy while she was docked there between cruises. I have done several of these type tours and lunches in the past, both with Carnival and other cruise lines and have had mixed reactions to the product being offered.
I have always loved the idea that I could board a cruise in Charleston, just 3 hours from home, and avoid the hassles that air travel involves these days but I always felt that Charleston was being fed the “leftovers” of the various cruise lines: the ships that no one really wanted to sail on because they were old and tired and dated.
Not so with the Fantasy. She just had a “makeover” in December (and previously in 2008) and, though some small bits of neon from the era of her birth in 1990 remain, overall she is a delight. The ship feels very warm and comfortable and I felt at home as soon as I walked on board. While there are no rock-climbing walls or ice skating rinks, there is the new Carnival Water Works area with its 300-foot-long water slide; an 82-foot-long dual racing slide; fountains and splash pools; a resort-style pool area; an adults-only Serenity sunning and relaxation area with whirlpools; a gift shop where everything in it is $10 and cruise rates that often allow the entire family to cruise for what one person’s fare might be on a mega ship.
As far as onboard activities, the schedule is overflowing with such fun things as laser tag, three-minute makeovers, karaoke – including a live band backup for qualified singers, dance lessons, casino game tournaments, top-notch entertainment and Carnival’s famous singing and dancing dining room waiters, and, of course, the 12000-square-foot Spa Carnival including a spacious workout center. Spa Carnival has 10 treatment massage rooms, 2 saunas, 2 steam rooms and a Hair Salon for men and women. European-style treatments and services are offered. Generally, hours are 8:00am -8:00pm but may vary depending upon area of service
In talking with past passengers, food had been an issue on the Fantasy. Not so today. There are two formal dining rooms, the Jubilee and the Celebration, and there is no skimping on either the quality or variety of offerings from them. The entrees of lobster, prime rib, chateaubriand and the like are very popular, as is the lobster bisque. We were treated to Carnival’s signature dessert, molten chocolate cake with a choice of ice creams.
The Windows on the Sea buffet provides a more casual setting without giving up the quality of the food. We were told that the rotisserie chicken there is to die for! There is a pizzeria area where you can get pizza 24 hours a day. Your teen will love you for this, let alone the multiple self-serve ice cream machines. Oh, did I mention the 24-hour free room service yet??
Outside on the pool deck you will also find a Mongolian Grill where you can “build your own entrée” with a choice from dozens of ingredients then have the Mongolian Chef prepare it for you. There is also a station serving hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken fingers, fries and the like.
The ship features 3 basic types of cabins: inside, ocean view and suites. It was built before the Balcony era so only the 28 Grand Suites and 26 Ocean Suites have balconies. For larger families, a Grand Suite with an adjoining ocean view cabin can comfortably house up to 8 (four in the suite and four in the ocean view room). The ocean view rooms have a good sized window, not just a porthole. The interior rooms are just as spacious as the ocean view, they just have no window.
One of the upgrades done in late 2010 was to the cabin interiors. The linens and bedding have all been upgraded. There is plenty of storage space and a nice vanity area. Other upgrades include new carpeting and upholstered furniture.
The bathrooms are among the largest I’ve seen on a cruise ship. No need to worry about injuring yourself if you drop the soap in the shower and bend over to pick it up.
All of the crew that we encountered were friendly and courteous and seemed really glad to be working on the Fantasy. The bar service was good without being pushy and was available even in the more secluded areas, such as the Serenity area and the decks above the main pool.
Bar areas include the Cleopatra Bar, the Cats Lounge, the 21st Century Bar, the Majestic Bar where smoking is permitted, and the Forum Bar. And then there is The Promenade, a wonderful open area for meeting friends or just relaxing. The Bistro on the Boulevard there is a specialty shop where cakes, cookies, pastries, milkshakes and specialty coffees are served at nominal cost. The huge slices of carrot or deep chocolate cake go for around $2.25.
If you are traveling with kids, they will love Camp Carnival, and so will you. There are programs designed for varying age groups. Kids 2-5 will have a blast with toys and arts and crafts. Those aged 6-8 make spin art and play games. And ages 9-11 can chill at pool parties and go on scavenger hunts. Camp is in session from 9am-12pm, 2pm – 5pm and 7pm-10pm on sea days and from 2pm – 5pm and 7pm- 10pm on days in port.
There are special programs for teens, as well. Circle “C” is a place where young teens hang out together for late-night movies, nighttime swims, sports, the latest video games and dance parties. Club O₂ is where teens 15-17 gather in their own lounge area to play the latest video games, relax in comfy seats, dance on the state-of-the-art dance floor and hang at the non-alcoholic drink bar. All activities are supervised by Carnival’s Youth Staff who have college degrees in related fields or professional childcare experience.
The Carnival Fantasy sails out of Charleston year round on 5, 6 or 7 day cruises to the Bahamas, Key West and Bermuda.

10 great places to savor Chinese food

2011-01-28T12:31:00.000-08:00

According to USA Today, here are the top 10 outside of Beijing!
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/10great/2011-01-27-chinese-restaurants_N.htm

Visiting Italy

2011-01-06T09:22:00.000-08:00

What's new in Italy: Less chaos, smoother visits
Online museum reservations and new renovations and transport make Italy less chaotic for tourists.

By Rick Steves
Tribune Media Services

Read the article:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/ricksteveseurope/2013840592_websteves04.html

Above The Crowds: Customer service is a reward in itself

2010-11-11T13:24:00.000-08:00

Above The Crowds: Customer service is a reward in itself

Customer service is a reward in itself

2010-11-11T12:42:00.000-08:00

Some of you who know me know that I work a few hours a week at Kohl's.
I started working there for extra Christmas money in 2004 and now, six years later, I'm still there!
I was asked to stay on after that first Christmas season and found out I could qualify for health insurance benefits even working part-time with no minimum hours required.
Since my husband and I were paying somewhat north of $900 a month for health insurance as self-employed business owners at that time, it was a God-send not to mention a no-brainer.
When we moved to South Carolina, I was able to transfer to a nearby Kohl's in Pineville, NC.
One of the things I love about Kohl's is their dedication to the happiness of each and every customer. Even as a part-time POS associate, I am empowered to do what it takes to make the customer leave the store with a good feeling about their shopping experience at Kohl's. They are a "Yes, we can" company in word AND deed. And that applies to the way I am treated by the company, too!
When I had been there for 5 years, I was given an Amazon.com gift certificate. When I was named employee of the month, I was given an extra $25 in my paycheck. When I went on to be employee of the quarter, I was given a day's pay added to my paycheck.
And I'm only part time!
Last week I was given an iPod Touch. When I asked what I did to deserve it, I was told that I and another associate from Pineville had our names put into a drawing for the entire district and mine was chosen. I still didn't understand why we were nominated so I asked my store manager who said it was because of our great customer service skills.
That seemed so ironic to me since my great customer service skills have been learned from being an associate at Kohl's!
After working in the travel field for 39 years, this mindset of Kohl's is quite in contrast to that of the airlines. With them, THEY are always right, if you make a mistake it's your fault, there is never an easy solution to a problem and they have no responsibility to you,their customer. I could tell of many nightmarish situations I have encountered with the airlines over the years but the focus of this post is to show the positive effect of good cusotomer service.
The most interesting thing to me about my latest award has been how it has prompted me to give even better customer service. I would be embarassed to have someone know I won a customer service award when I'm treating them poorly!
This same customer service ethic has spilled over into my travel business, I'm sure. I have an entirely different outlook when someone comes to me with a problem they have encountered in their travel arrangements.
Thank you, Kohl's for what you have taught me!

client appreciation

2010-11-01T10:08:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend I received this lovely note from a client about the services I recently arranged for him and his 5 travel companions:

"Linda, I wanted to give you a brief cheer on all the arrangements for the European part of our current trip. Every connection, every ticket, every reservation and the circumstances they promised worked just great for us. I might make some different decisions in the future about the kind and location of hotel, but it will be because of now informed taste rather than speculation. And Sandy has said that she will ask for airport meet and transport and individual guides whenever she travels abroad, now that you've taught her how valuable they are to maximize travel time.

We had a great time, and we're now enjoying a slow transport back and perhaps a few more days of it than we would like, since we spent so much energy in the ground portion.

I'll send you my travel notes when they're ready.

Thanks, good friend, for your professional care of us.--Mark"

Mark S. Auburn
Fairlawn, OH

Top Airport Restaurants

2010-07-06T08:48:00.000-07:00

Another goodie from my favorite travel tip site, Smarter Travel.

by Christine Sarkis July 1, 2010

Looking for an airport dining experience where you won't hear, "Do you want fries with that?" Airports around the world are offering their captive audiences increasingly better options.

One trend in particular has brightened culinary horizons at the airport. More local restaurants and chefs are opening airport locations to bring regional favorites to travelers. Some cities even add a bit of glamour with airport locations of celebrity-chef-run restaurants.

Airports tend to be proud of their local outposts, so they're often pretty easy to spot. For instance, I was in the international terminal at San Francisco International the other day and stopped to read a large poster detailing all the local options on offer, including local sushi favorite Ebisu. And unlike the restaurant in San Francisco's Sunset District, you won't have to wait an hour for a table at the airport location.

Not ready to leave Paris behind quite yet? With the Brasserie Flo location at Charles de Gaulle Airport, you don't have to. You'll get rapid service and cloth napkins, and can have one last steak tartare or creme brulee before jetting home.

Barbecue joint The Salt Lick at Austin-Bergstrom International is just one of the many local flavors available while you're waiting for a flight. Portland, Oregon's PDX airport has a "Uniquely Oregon" theme that delivers locally made coffee and beer, among other treats.

Looking for a celebrity-chef-inspired experience? Check out Gordon Ramsay's Plane Food at London Heathrow, or Todd English's Bonfire Restaurant at either New York-JFK or Boston Logan. And, New York's JFK has other offerings from well-known local restaurateurs.

If you're not looking to spend much on your airport snack, there are still plenty of ways to enjoy local offerings. Chicago chain Gold Coast Dogs serves up hot dogs and sausages at both O'Hare and Midway. And at Minneapolis' MSP, you can grab salads and sandwiches from the local organic bakery French Meadow.

PASSPORT FEES ARE GOING UP JULY 13!!

2010-07-02T08:38:00.000-07:00

ALERT!!! ALERT!!! ALERT!!!
State department Passport fees will be raised significantly on July 13. Fees for an individual passport are going from $75 to $110 and all others have similar increases.
If you are planning any international travel, be sure to get your passport application in before July 13

Think you know your Caribbean islands?

2010-01-21T07:42:00.000-08:00

Here is a link to Fodor's blog where you will find a fun quiz about the Caribbean!
http://www.fodors.com/news/story_3742.html?ref=77b
I got them all. See how well you can do then call me to book you to your favorite!
To go along with the quiz, see Fodor's "12 Best Value Hotels in the Caribbean" at http://www.fodors.com/news/story_3702.html?ref=77b

NYC potty spots

2009-12-02T08:14:00.000-08:00

Got this from Eric Gordon of Beyond Times Square and thought many might find it useful!

The Magic of Porcelain

There is never one when you need one, so you think You just need to know where to look. There are plenty of public toilets to go around. Some are obvious like Barnes and Noble and Starbucks (but beware of Starbucks, many are nasty) and others may not be as easy to find (Police stations and public parks). Below is a listing of rest stops for both groups and individuals in need of some relief.

Good for Groups
The World Financial Center in Battery Park City
Lower concourse of Rockefeller Center
Pier 17 at South Street Seaport
Food Court at Grand Central Terminal
Staten Island Ferry Terminal
The Shops at Columbus Circle
Castle Clinton

Good for individuals
There are bathrooms everywhere if you are on your own. Part of the battle is just being cool and confident about using a bathroom that is not meant for you, such as in a random restaurant. You have to walk in and act like you own the place; like you are supposed to be there and just make your way to the bathroom. If that is not your style, you can take care of business at any of the locations below:
Any of the restrooms listed under groups above
Almost any hotel (go for the five star ones)
Many bars will let you use them because they do not know who is coming or going
NYC Public Toilet in Greenly Square (used to be .50c, now it is free)
Penn Station
Port Authority
Several in Central Park
547 6th Avenue, 3rd floor, 4th door on the right when you exit the elevator. The key is under the blue tile to the left of the door. DO NOT FORGET TO PUT IT BACK, OR I WILL FIND YOU.

TIP: It cannot hurt to carry some extra tissues. You never know when the TP will run dry.

I do want to mention special something that is happening right now in NYC. The wonderful people at Charmin set up free and very clean public toilets at 1540 Broadway (between 45th and 46th Sts) from November 23, to January 1, 2010 (until 2:00 am). So for all the crowds in NYC there is always a clean toilet available in midtown. Besides being clean there are six rolls of Charmin Toilet Paper, an ipod stero playing tunes and soap for your hands. In addition when your mission is complete you can get your picture taken.

So enjoy that third cup of coffee or that extra fiber bar, you have toilet knowledge and knowledge is comfort.

======================================================================================
Thank you for reading.
Please email us at comments@btsq.com.

Beyond Times Square is a receptive tour company specializing in the five boroughs of New York City and the Lower Hudson Valley. We provide our group and individual clients with unique and memorable experiences in a friendly and professional manner. We achieve this by listening to what our clients want and incorporating their wishes along with our expertise into our travel programs and other products.

Contact us at 800.999.8160, skype: eric.gordon311 or info@btsq.com

top 5 bargain destinations for Winter 2009/2010 - #5

2009-11-19T06:59:00.000-08:00

Los Cabos

On the peaceful tip of the Baja California Peninsula, Los Cabos has been a longtime favorite among Americans seeking natural beauty, great water sports, and nightlife. This winter, a noteworthy airfare sale and dozens of vacation packages join forces to offer more Los Cabos for less.

Vacation packages are another way to make a winter trip to Los Cabos more affordable. We have a Book Early and Save offer, with discounts up to 50 percent off for air-and-hotel packages, and rates from $375 for roundtrip airfare from Los Angeles and four nights' accommodations. US Airways is offering up to $100 off Mexico vacation packages booked by November 23 for travel through March.

top 5 bargain destinations for Winter 2009/2010

2009-11-18T08:08:00.000-08:00

Bargain #4
Budapest

Budapest was made for winter travel. Hundreds of thermal springs feed public baths and spa hotels around the city, offering endless ways to while away chilly winter days. Plenty of indoor shopping and sightseeing add to the appeal. This winter, air-and-hotel packages offer the best value, though airfare sales and generally reasonable hotel rates provide affordable options as well. And since Hungary isn't yet using the euro, it tends to be less expensive than many other European countries.

Vacation packages provide good value for the Budapest-bound this coming winter. At press time, Go-Today was advertising six night air-and-hotel winter packages to Budapest from $679, and multi-country packages that tack on cities such as Vienna and Prague for not much more. Gate1Travel has an eight-day Budapest and Prague package from $849.

There are ways to save on a-la-carte bookings as well. Delta currently has sale fares between New York and Budapest for $359 each way. Since the city is also well served by European low-cost carriers, combining a cheap fare to a major European hub with intra-European service to Budapest can be an affordable option. EasyJet flies from Paris and London, Ryanair from Dublin, Wizzair from a number of major European cities including London and Madrid, and Germanwings from London and elsewhere.

Los Cabos tomorrow

top 5 bargain destinations for Winter 2009/2010 (cont.)

2009-11-17T13:14:00.000-08:00

#3
St. Lucia

Among Caribbean islands, St. Lucia has always retained an upscale, romantic allure. This winter though, you don't need to splurge on a honeymoon to enjoy the best of the island. The rough economy brought prices down this year, and new low-cost carrier service has put St. Lucia within reach of more travelers.

Late last month, JetBlue started new nonstop service three times a week between New York and St. Lucia with rates from $129 each way. The airline is promoting the new service with three-night air-and-hotel packages from $369 per person.

Hotels and resorts around the island are offering their own winter specials, including plenty of options under $100 and discounted rates or added amenities at popular resorts. For instance, winter rates with daily breakfast for two at the Fox Grove Inn range from $70 to $85. At the Marigot Beach Club—with average nightly rates of $237 according to SmarterTravel sister site Trip Advisor— winter rates for a beachfront studio are $181 a night.

Top 5 bargain destinations for Winter 2009/2010 (cont.)

2009-11-16T07:39:00.000-08:00

#2
Salt Lake City

Skiing vacations get pricey fast. But Salt Lake City and the surrounding mountain destinations stand out as an affordable winter vacation spot this year. Domestic airfare sales and ski-friendly offers make getting there a bargain, and more discounts on hotels and ski expenses can bring down the overall cost substantially.

Southwest and United are currently running airfare sales that include Salt Lake City, and Frontier just ended a promotion and will likely roll out another soon. Southwest also has this ski destination special: Book air-and-hotel packages by November 26 for travel through February 10, and every second person flies free to Salt Lake City. Plus, the fourth night is free, as is the third lift ticket day. The offer is valid at more than a half dozen ski resorts near Salt Lake City.

Many hotels and resorts are also offering a fourth night of lodging and skiing free when you book a four-night stay before December 15 for travel through spring. And, more hotels are offering early winter discounts of 10 to 35 percent.

Top 5 bargain destinations for Winter 2009/2010

2009-11-12T06:47:00.000-08:00

From Smarter Travel:
by Christine Sarkis, SmarterTravel.com Staff - November 12, 2009

"Whether winter calls for sun or snow in your book, there are plenty of deals to put a vacation on your horizon. As destinations attempt to pull themselves out of the recession funk, they're offering winter deals worth serious consideration.

I've monitored trends, industry news, and sale patterns to point you in the direction of places that offer the best bargain value for the coming season. Below you'll find examples of deals presently available for winter trips. Like all deals, these are sure to expire; however, a little research on your part can yield similar results when you're ready to book.

Key West

Good deals bask in the sun in Key West, Florida. New air service from two airlines put a winter tan within easy reach. And, a free companion airfare deal for future travel adds value to a trip.

AirTran will become the first low-cost carrier to serve Key West when it begins nonstop service from Orlando and same-plane service from Atlanta on December 17. Flights are scheduled to operate four times each week with fares from $119 each way. Also on December 17, Delta will expand its service between Atlanta and Key West, offering daily flights between the cities.

The well-known Cheeca Lodge & Spa will reopen on December 15 after a major renovation. The property is offering introductory winter specials of 10 to 30 percent off room rates. Not affordable enough? There are also seasonal discounts at more hotels around town.

A stay in Key West can help you save on your next trip as well. The Florida Keys Tourism Council has teamed up with hotels in Key West and other nearby cities to offer free companion airfare vouchers with qualifying hotel stays. The vouchers are good for future travel in the Continental U.S. on participating airlines through April, 2011. Booking restrictions are detailed on the vouchers.

tomorrow - Salt Lake City
(to read the full article go to http://www.smartertravel.com/travel-advice/top-five-bargain-destinations-for-winter-2009-2010.html?id=3826729

NYC Trivia

2009-05-21T07:09:00.000-07:00

This came in today from Eric G of Beyond TImes Square. I found it fun and interesting and hope you do, too!

"On my desk I have a lot of things. Papers, contracts, to do lists, maps, a computer, a phone, speakers, an ipod charger, last week's lunch & so on. I also have several books and many of course have to do with New York City I though this week I would share a few bits of NYC Trivia. They are good tid-bits for your itineraries and fun facts for the motorcoach ride.

New York has 660 miles of subway track.
There are over 18,000 eating establishment in NYC. Too bad we do not have as many public toilets.
The New York Post was established by Alexander Hamilton in 1803 and is the oldest running newspaper in the USA.
The real name of New York City is the City of Greater of New York, but tha takes too long to say.
There are 6,374.6 miles of streets in New York City.
During the time of slavery in the United States, New York City was second behind Charleston in how much slavery penetrated everyday life. (Not something we are proud of, but an important piece of history, not many people know).
The actual name of the Statue of Liberty is Liberty Enlightening the World, but that is also is too long.
The nation's largest public Halloween parade is the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade. It is lots of fun.

There are almost 13,000 traffic lights in New York City. You will get stuck at one.
The Bronx is the only borough in the City of Greater of New York (seems long, right?), that is connected to the lower 48 states. The other four boroughs are all islands.
The best oysters in the world used to come from New York Harbor. (17th and 18th Centuries)
Oreo Cookies were developed and produced in 1912 in a factory in the Manhattan neighborhood of Chelsea.
$362,201 is the cost for the city permit for one year to sell hotdogs outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art on the Northside of the sidewalk. That's a lot of mustard.
Hellmann's Mayonnaise was introduced in Hellmann's Delicatessen in 1912 on the Upper West Side of Manhattan
There are 55 species of bird in Central Park."

An interesting insight into airline frequent flyer programs

2009-04-22T12:37:00.000-07:00

Straight from smartertravel.com comes this comparison of Ponzi schemes and airline frequent flyer programs. I found it entertaining and hope you do, too.

Five Ways Mileage Programs Are Like Ponzi SchemesThe Extra Mile
by Tim Winship - April 21, 2009

Frequent flyer programs have come in for considerable bashing from consumers exasperated by their ever-shifting rules and flagging value.

The mileage schemes have been described as unregulated lotteries, cons, false advertising, games of musical chairs, pyramid schemes, and outright scams. And those are just a few of the milder epithets.

The latest term of derision is ripped straight from today's most sensational headlines: Ponzi schemes.

Well publicized pyramid scams operated by the likes of Bernard Madoff and Robert Allen Stanford have cost thousands of investors hundreds of billions of dollars, in the process capturing the public's attention and inviting comparison with the airlines' loyalty programs.

Among the similarities are the following five characteristics shared by Ponzi schemes and loyalty programs.

Advertisement
1. The Appearance of Propriety

The 'con' in con game is short for confidence. And confidence is key here, because unlike a smash-and-grab heist, Ponzi schemes play out over months and years, as money from later investors is used to create the appearance of legitimate earnings for early investors, which in turn attracts more investors, and so on.

It's easy to forget that until he was exposed, Madoff's credentials were impeccable. Among his resume's line items, he is the former chairman of NASDAQ. And he has a distinguished record of philanthropy. A criminal, yes, but Bernie Madoff was hardly a hoodlum in a cheap suit.

The airlines too have a claim to legitimacy. The major carriers' stock is traded on the venerable New York Stock Exchange. They employ hundreds of thousands of workers directly, and many more through subcontractors and related businesses. Their brand names are globally known.

So while they may be unloved and routinely demonized as nickel-and-dimeing bunglers, the airlines are generally assumed to be essentially upright. As a result, most consumers expect that frequent flyer miles have the full faith and credit of legit companies behind them.

2. Lack of Transparency

Madoff was famously secretive about his investment strategies and tactics, refusing to divulge any details of his trading and insisting that clients should judge him by his results.

There's a similar black-box aspect to frequent flyer program participation.

In place of Madoff's simple "just trust me," the airlines' implicit assurance runs something like this: "If you contribute to our profitability by purchasing airline tickets and doing business with our business partners, we might reward you with a free trip. Or we might not. But hey, trust us. Because ... well, just because."

3. Too Good to Be True

Ponzi schemes are, by definition, unsustainable—eventually they collapse under the weight of promises that can never be met.

Are mileage programs similarly doomed to implode, leaving participants empty-handed?

Just as Madoff owed his investors more than he could ever hope to repay, there are trillions of outstanding frequent flyer miles on the airlines' books. And every year, the airlines issue more miles than consumers redeem, expanding rather than shrinking that unfunded liability. The scenario certainly seems Ponzi-ish in that crucial respect.

But as anyone who has tried to cash out miles knows, the airlines have capacity controls in place that prevent a run on award redemptions that could overwhelm the airlines' ability to fly customers for free.

The airlines, in other words, are effectively issuing a currency they are under no legal obligation to honor.

4. Lack of Oversight

While Madoff's activities were clearly in violation of laws and regulations on the local, state, and federal levels, he managed to avoid detection for over a decade, operating in plain sight of those charged with preventing just such misdeeds. (The full story of that regulatory breakdown has yet to be written.)

Loyalty programs don't so much elude regulators and law enforcement agencies as they preemptively exempt themselves from oversight. In a neat legal maneuver, the airlines in their terms and conditions have claimed for themselves the right to modify the programs howsoever they choose, whenever they choose, no matter how negative the consequences for consumers.

Imagine how many more investors Charles Ponzi and Bernie Madoff might have bilked had they reserved the right to operate pyramid schemes.

5. Benign Beginnings

Neither Charles Ponzi nor Bernard Madoff started down the road to perdition with criminal intentions. Rather they eased into criminal behavior gradually, as their bad bets required ever-larger illicit countermeasures to conceal their escalating financial insolvency.

Mileage programs too began on the up and up, as uncomplicated rebate schemes. The Travel Pass program of Western Airlines, for example, awarded $50 in travel certificates to passengers that flew five trips with Western. The earliest versions of the modern era's mileage programs were similarly straightforward in the value propositions they offered travelers.

In the cases of Ponzi and Madoff, it was a combination of greed, desperation, and a lack of regulatory oversight that gave rise to criminal activity.

Significantly, those same forces are in play in the case of airline mileage programs.

Madoff Under Indictment, an Industry Under a Cloud

Having pled guilty to 11 felonies—including securities fraud, wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, perjury, and misleading the SEC—Ponzi schemer extraordinaire Bernie Madoff is currently incarcerated as Inmate #61727-054 at New York's Metropolitan Correctional Center, while he awaits sentencing.

Madoff was eventually exposed not because of any regulatory perspicacity, but because he ran out of money to maintain the illusion of solvency, as all too-good-to-be-true propositions must.

Throughout the history of Ponzi schemes, investors who cashed out early—whether by chance or through prescience—escaped the crushing losses faced by those whose money remained invested when the meltdown occurred. There's a lesson there for frequent flyers.

Whatever you call them, mileage programs pose a clear risk to participants. Even if the programs remain a fixture in the travel landscape, the long-term trend is decidedly negative: A frequent flyer mile earned today is less valuable than a mile earned a year ago; and a mile earned a year from now will likely be worth less than a mile earned today. The best way to minimize that risk—short of abstaining altogether—is to redeem miles as soon as award thresholds are reached. In the language of finance: Minimize your exposure.

For all the similarities, it's not clear that loyalty schemes are truly Ponzi schemes. The very fact that they haven't collapsed under the weight of their liabilities suggests that they're not. Still, consumers would do well to treat them as though they were.

Complaining as an art

2009-02-19T06:24:00.000-08:00

This is straight from Fodors.com this morning and it really hit home with me. I try to be a "good complainer" so these tips were a good help to me. The first sentence says it all!

No-Nonsense Traveler's 5 Simple Rules of Complaining
February 17, 2009 | Posted in Tours & Itineraries
Travel is always fraught with risk. The question is how you deal with setbacks. Here, our No-Nonsense Traveler shares the five simple rules he used to overcome a recent ticket booking nightmare.

If you were one of the unfortunate many who had to travel by air this past Christmas, you may have fallen victim to the extensive delays and cancellations in the days before and after Christmas. While I had no problems flying to Tulsa, Oklahoma on December 20, it was quite a different story when I tried to return home to New York on December 27. Through dogged persistence and not a small amount of luck, I was able to complain my way to a happy solution, but many others weren't so lucky. Here's how I did it.

Complaining is a Form of Negotiation
My partner and I arrived at the Tulsa airport on a beautiful but chilly morning and waited for our United flight to board. When boarding time had come and gone (and when we realized that we had no chance to make our connection in O'Hare), I went to the gate agent to change our connecting flight. I volunteered to give up our seats and go out on a later confirmed flight that afternoon in return for two round-trip vouchers on United. I haven't decided yet if this was my downfall or the sweetener that makes the rest of the debacle so easy to swallow.

But those later confirmed seats evaporated when the later flight was delayed and delayed and delayed, making any connection through Chicago impossible. By this time, there were no more flights on Saturday to book, and I was told that the earliest we could expect to get back home was â€¦ Tuesday. I now had a sinking feeling that the vouchers I'd so happily jumped on were a sinking ship. That's when I had my fateful and fruitful conversation with a customer-service agent in Manila.

People often bristle when they realize that they've called a customer-service number in a faraway country. But while this agent was formal and played by the book, I could sense that he still had some compassion. I asked him if there was any way I can be rerouted through a different airport and still get back to New York before Tuesday, but all the United flights were already overbooked. I was polite but firm; perhaps there was a hint of despair in my voice (a lonely cat, a job to return to on Monday morning). Since I would be delayed much more than four hours, I asked, could we could be put on a different airline? "Perhaps." That was the opening I needed. We went through virtually the entire outbound flight schedule while he checked the flights in his computer.

We finally found two seats on American Airlines to Newark via Dallas for Sunday morning. Sold. But he told me that he would need American's permission before he could put me on the flight. Would I hold? Yes, I would hold. And I threw in a hearty salamat (thank you in Tagalog). A few minutes later, I was booked. While myriad other travelers sat sadly or screamed loudly at gate agents all across the country, how had this happened? I have my theories.

Five Simple Rules for Complaining
1) Take a deep breath. When things aren't going well, I can be emotional. I think my relative sense of calm from the outset helped me succeed in this situation.

2) Say exactly what you want but be reasonable. I wanted to be in New York by Sunday, and I was willing to do anything to make that happenâ€”except pay extra. I think part of the reason I got what I wanted was because I didn't muddy the waters asking for free hotel rooms and meals, which might have caused the rep to bristle.

3) Sell yourself. As silly as it might seem, making a self-deprecating remark or trying to identify with the person who has the power is one of the wisest moves you can make. I knew a couple of words of Tagalog, and I'm not sure if that made any difference at all, but I was looking for every possible thing that might help me. The almost-tearful sound in the voice doesn't hurt either.

4) Be nice, no matter what. Bottom line: you'll attract more flies with honey than with vinegar. Neither of us became exasperated, and we just kept working together until we solved the problem.

5) Never take the low road. I can't emphasize enough how important it is not to disparage someone's English-language skills when they have your travel fate in the palm of their hand.

My situation could have ended up very different. The woman at the United Airlines counter in the airport expressed sincere skepticism when I walked my transfer voucher over to her for endorsement. Apparently, many people had much worse luck than I did in rebooking their flights for Sunday. So we ended up spending the night at the airport Hilton Garden Inn. I wasn't happy to have to pay for a hotel room or meal, but I was happy to get home.

Oh, and one other thing. We ended up stuck on the tarmac in Dallas on Sunday morning for almost 3 hours. While that could have been an additional exasperating delay, it was much easier to take when we discovered on check-in that, not only had United booked us on the American Airlines flight, but that we'd been upgraded to first class. And we got miles. Salamat.

Forbes list of dollar-friendliest countries

2009-02-02T09:22:00.000-08:00

Where U.S. currency now buys more--luxury included
Think for a moment about the word “value.” It originates from an Old French verb, valoir, which means, to be worth. Today it is used to describe the financial measure of something’s true worth. A meal of truffled foie gras and roast Maine lobster may be rare and delicious, but if the price-tag is too high, which it often is, it offers little value. Ditto for a bargain cheap burger and fries: You get what you pay for. But an inexpensive lobster meal for half the cost? Bingo.

Rich or poor, consumers are becoming increasingly savvy and virtually everyone these days knows how to find a deal and examine the value of it. This is especially true in the travel world, where hyper-customizable deal booking web sites, luxe-for-less newsletters, and airline, spa and hotel e-sales are filling junk mail boxes on a daily basis. But this year it’s been a bit difficult to stay abreast of where the best vacation values are found. Collapsing economies, wildly fluctuating exchange rates, and security issues in long stable countries (Kenya, Thailand, and India) have made choosing an affordable luxury destination especially challenging for 2009.

See the article at http://www.forbestraveler.com/luxury/budget-friendly-countries-story.html?partner=fp_dollar-friendly

(someone's) Top 10 Travel List!

2008-10-10T14:22:00.000-07:00

The Top Ten travel list
Chicago Tribune
Posted: Tuesday, Oct. 07, 2008

TOP PLACES TO DRINK A BEER

From the September/October issue of DRAFT magazine:

1. Ultimate Halloween, Transylvania, Romania, Oct. 31

2. The AT&T Red River Rivalry, University of Texas vs. University of Oklahoma, Dallas, Oct. 11

3. Ft. Langley Cranberry Festival, Ft. Langley, British Columbia, Oct. 11

4. Shuki Taisai Grand Autumn Festival, Nikko City, Japan, Oct. 17

5. 81st Annual Feast of San Gennaro, New York, held in September

6. 2008 Farm Aid Concert, Mansfield, Mass., held in September

7. Nuit Blanche 2008, Toronto, Oct. 4

8. Herring Fair, Helsinki, Finland, Oct. 5-11

9. Biketoberfest, Daytona Beach, Fla., Oct. 16-19

10. Rolex Big Boat Series, San Francisco, held in September

Now, I'll add my own ... The Grapevine Wine Shop & Bar in Ft Mill, SC!

http://www.mygrapevineonline.com/

Traveling by car

2008-07-15T14:00:00.000-07:00

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!

L A Times article

2008-07-11T06:20:00.000-07:00

In case you are a do-it-myself vacation planner, this article may sway your thinking!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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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More packing tips

2008-07-07T11:13:00.000-07:00

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.

packing for your cruise

2008-07-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

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

Why pay airlines for checked bags?

2008-06-23T08:10:00.000-07:00

About 10 years ago I produced a video on packing for a one week trip in a carry-on bag. In it, I showed a very efficient packing method that could be used for either business travel or vacation travel. I also served as a speaker at many meetings, showing attendees this packing method.
After September 11,2001, my video had to either have major edits done to it or it had to go by the wayside. Since video was being replced by DVD at about that time and since there were continuing changes to baggage restrictions, I chose the latter.
But now, with the airlines beginning to charge for even the first checked bag, I can see where a great number of people could benefit from my packing technique. I will be resurrecting my packing demonstration within the next few months.
The format will be a pod cast that can be purchased on line. I will also be availble to speak and demonstrate my technique to your group or organization.
Watch this space for details. I promise you, it will be worth it.

Linda Murfin
Above The Crowds Travel
Ft Mill, SC
803-835-0585

Countdown to South Carolina

2008-03-03T07:16:00.000-08:00

Only 10 days remain until our move to South Carolina!
This past weekend we did yet another quick shuttle run with things we would rather not have the movers take. When we left Ft Mill yesterday at 1PM, it was 70 degrees. When we got back, everyone was talking about the "nice day" they had in Ohio: it was 44 degrees!
There are so many friends we will miss from Akron. We do hope to have many visitors since we will be exactly half way on I-77 from Akron to Florida.
We also look forward to meeting lots of new folks in Ft Mill and the surrounding area.
Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina in the ... ANY time!

Packing tips

2008-01-02T12:40:00.000-08:00

Several years back, I produced a video called, "Lighten Up: Practical Packing for Overburdened Travelers". Many people who have seen the video or have seen my packing demonstration, swear by my method. My husband and I use it all the time. In fact, when we traveled to Costa Rica for 10 days this fall, we each took ONLY carry-on luggage!
Anywho, I know there are others out there who can give a good tip about packing, too, and here are two I recently ran across. Let me know what you think!

1. Packlistonline.com allows you to create and email yourself a personalized list. Simply browse the site's list of 500 items, check the ones you want, and hit "show the packlist." You'll then be emailed your specific list. It can take a while to get through and many items are labeled with British terms ("trousers" instead of "pants"), but the list is so extensive that it's unlikely you'll forget anything important.

2. Pack Like a Pro by Margaret Loftus in the January/February issue of National Geographic Traveler http://www.nationalgeographic.com/traveler/resources/st_packing0801/packing.html
"Wrinkled suits, overstuffed luggage, forgotten essentials, spilled liquids. At some point, every traveler has suffered the consequences of poor packing. Susan Foster, author of Smart Packing for Today's Traveler (Smart Travel Press), shares her best tips.

• Pare Down. The amount of clothing you take shouldn't be in proportion to the length of your trip. "Get past the concept of wearing a different outfit everyday." Instead, choose clothes that will wear well and/or launder easily. Foster likes "slinky-knit" pieces that don't require ironing. Devise a general packing list and stick to it to avoid second-guessing yourself. "The 'what-ifs' are the killer."

• Method. Place a nylon tote bag across the bottom of your suitcase (for return-trip overflow), then "interfold" clothes with plastic drycleaner bags between them to keep them from wrinkling. To interfold, place a pair of pants, or other long item, along the bottom of your bag, allowing it to drape over the side; top with plastic, then position the next pair on the opposite side and continue, working your way toward the shorter pieces. Fill in with a layer of items that can be easily rolled (such as T-shirts), underwear, and shoes, folding the legs of the pants on top. Tuck belts and accessories into shoes and other crevices. Group toiletries into plastic freezer bags and stuff them in the middle of the bag. Add a few sheets of bubble wrap for cushioning and to wrap around gifts and souvenirs you will probably buy.

• Plan B. In case your bags are delayed or lost, Foster recommends cross-packing: Pack a couple of things into your traveling companion's luggage, and vice-versa. Always travel with a change of clothing in your carry-on, or at the very least, wear something on the plane that you wouldn't mind wearing for the next few days."

2008 -- already????

2008-01-02T06:38:00.000-08:00

While I'm sure I am not the only one wondering what happened to 2007 (and 2006, 2005, 2004, etc.), I find myself sitting at my desk in blur asking, "How can this be? I had so many things to finish in 2007 and now it is finished and I am not."
In one sense, that's a good thing: If I were finished, what would I have to look forward to when I got up this morning?
As it is, I am looking forward to dinner with friends this weekend, a trip soon to South Carolina to visit my best and oldest friend, Sandee Wilkerson; my part time job at Kohl's that helps pay for our health insurance; setting up a new marketing program for Pied Pipers of Travel with Deborah Chaddock-Brown, seeing my friend Dianne Winnen-Oldenburg's house transformation ... and that's just THIS WEEK!
Further out, I am eager to spend time with grandkids and explore more of God's wonderful world -- perhaps even combining the two as we did this past weekend at the Columbus Zoo with my daughter Alise, her husband Jerry, and granddaughters Julia, Emma, Lauren and Audrey.

Our Caravan tour to Costa Rica

2007-12-17T12:43:00.000-08:00

Just thought I'd share a few of the picures from our recent trip to Costa Rica that we took with Caravan Tours. Not only was the trip wonderful, the group with whom we traveled for 10 days was amazing! Not one whiner, perpetual latecomer or negative Nellie in the group of 43!

Golf and travel -- it's a beautiful thing!

2007-12-14T09:30:00.000-08:00

Although I have subscribed to Golf for Women magazine for several years now, I just recently woke up to the fact that there are wonderful articles about travel in each issue!
This month (Jan/Feb) one of my favorites is called Personal Paradises. It is a compilation of “favorites” from some women who play golf but are not necessarily golf pros. Actress Cheryl Ladd, singers Anne Murray and Belinda Carlisle and cosmetics guru Bobbi Brown are just a few that fit in that category.
The article that actually caught my eye to start with was called “20 Tips for the perfect trip”, but when I read it I was a little underwhelmed at Stina Sternberg’s 20 golf travel “secrets”. None were anything I didn’t already know and recommend to my clients but, hey, she has to come up with an article each month so if her tips help one person, it’s worthwhile!
So what is my Personal Paradise, you may ask? Well, the highlight of my golf experience was the two times I got to play in a tournament at Pinehurst (along with one other time when I served as “hostess” for a city club team. Each time, I was the “D” player on the team and I each time I was the only female.
On a drizzly morning of the second year (which was the year after Payne Stewart’s victory there then his death the same year), I was walking up the 18th fairway to the green. Our team had all shot the green but the closest ball in the scramble was 50 feet from the pin! As I walked along in the peaceful drizzle, the church bells from the village began to play “Just As I Am”. Tears came to my eyes as I heard that wonderful hymn and caught sight of the statue of Stewart next to the green.
It was my turn at bat first on this hole and I could barely compose myself, but I lined up, took the putt AND MADE IT-- for birdie!!
This was truly my 30 seconds of fame in golf!

Excerpt from Fodors.com newsletter

2007-12-06T15:19:00.000-08:00

This article was part of today's fodors.com newsletter and, no, I can't believe folks don't know these things about holiday travel!

10 Things Travel Agents Can't Believe You Don't Know About Holiday Travel
December 6, 2007

Before clicking the "purchase" button on that last-minute holiday vacation package, consider these tips from five professional travel agents (all members of ASTA -- the American Society of Travel Agents) and an Expedia travel expert.

1. Business class to Europe is deeply discounted. Business travelers tend to stay home for the holidays, notes Erin Krause, consumer public relations manager for Expedia, and that means that for a few hundred dollars more than what you'd pay for the seats in back, you "can get overseas travel tickets for $1,000 to $2,500 round trip. During peak summer travel season, when most Americans travel to Europe, these seats can be $6,000 to $9,000," Krause says.

2. Knowing "dead weeks" can lead to huge savings. Resting peacefully within the frantic Thanksgiving-Christmas-New Year's travel pocket are what industry experts call the "dead weeks," times when hometown commitments and trip fatigue keep many of us off the road. The "dead weeks" are a good time to take advantage of low air fares and discounts on hotel rooms. Expedia Travel Trendwatch defines the dead weeks as Nov. 28--Dec. 15 and Jan 7--17. However, Expedia and the travel agents interviewed for this story concurred that there's overlap. One city's dead week might be another's peak travel time: December 15--22 is also a potential week for deals, says Mike O'Malley, a travel agent with Diplomat Travel in Chicago. "Traditionally from Thanksgiving Day to right before Christmas, it's slower, but it also depends on when schools get out, which of course varies from city to city," O'Malley says.

3. Booking a package can save big bucks. Good dead week deals at Expedia over the next few weeks include trips to the Caribbean and Mexico, says Expedia's Krause. Other holiday sales from the site include an "Escape to Paradise" deal, which bundles airfare and hotel, a strategy she says is worth considering. "The one thing I would say for people going in the next two weeks (Dec 3-15) is book a package," Krause notes. Purchasing a package that includes at least airfare and hotel -- and not just on Expedia -- will save on average $200, she says, so during mid-December "or right after New Year's, you're going to find some great deals," she adds.

4. Holiday cruises are a relative steal. O'Malley also noted that decreased demand leads many cruise lines to lower their rates Dec. 15--22, a time when airfares to popular port states like Florida also drop. And since many cruise packages include entertainment and excursion costs, one of the "best values in family travel is taking a cruise over the holidays," says Frank Morgan, CFO of AMT American Express Travel in Southern California. If you're looking for a December deal as well as something novel, consider cruises to the Panama Canal or within the South Pacific, notes Scott Pinheiro, president of NorCal ASTA and a travel agent with Santa Cruz Travel. Many Panama Canal cruises begin and end in California and Florida, making travel costs to ports manageable. And while it's unlikely you'll wrangle budget holiday airfares to catch cruises that begin and end in Tahiti and Fiji, you won't pay through the nose in the destination. "Once you're there, the Fijian dollar is very good," says Pinheiro.

5. It pays to be persistent. If you're not a big planner and you're angling for a last-minute cancellation at a holiday hot spot, "keep calling and pestering the places," says Blake Fleetwood, a former investigative journalist now a travel agent with Cook Travel in New York. "You call the resorts directly and pester them. You're not going to get a travel agent to do that kind of work." Popular places have become accustomed to this brand of persistence and "you have to call them 5-6 times apiece," Fleetwood adds. "The squeaky wheel gets the room."

6. A travel agent might beat your best deal. Brokering and booking deals online is second nature for many travelers, but we don't necessarily think to pick up the phone and find out if a travel agent might be able to beat a Web deal or suggest off-line alternatives in our destination. Reluctance to incorporate a travel agent into one's research may be fed by an assumption that there are extra costs attached to engaging an agent's services, but the only way to find out is to ask: "Will there be an extra fee on top of any of the prices you're quoting me," says Kari C. Thomas, an agent with Will Travel, Inc. in Pennsylvania. "Any good agent will have no problem answering that." Travel agents belonging to ASTA are searchable online and are bound by a code of ethics.

7. Don't spoon feed your luggage to thieves. If your carry-on sails through a security checkpoint before you do, you could be susceptible to a scam, O'Malley notes: "One person will get in front of you and slow you down while his buddy will get your bag and take off with it. The TSA does not guarantee the safety of your bag going through the x-ray machine. I won't put a bag on the belt until I know I can walk straight through." And along those lines, Morgan advises "never put your address on the outside of your suitcase, because there are people who'll walk by, figure out that you're with your whole family, and go to your house." In an age of effortless reverse phone-number look-ups, your home phone should be kept off the tag as well. Morgan adds that his agency makes tags with just their client's name and the agency's 800 number.

8. Pack with the worst-case-scenario in mind. When traveling with a companion, O'Malley suggests a fiendishly clever strategy for anticipating the horror of a lost bag: "Split both of your wardrobes between two bags in case one gets lost." During the holiday season, the same logic applies to packing presents. Remember, too, that the TSA still reserves the right to open gift-wrapped packages in checked luggage -- all the more reason, concurred several travel agents, to ship your holiday presents ahead to your destination by UPS or Fedex Ground.

9. Surf the Web before leaving home. You can mitigate some of the anxiety of traveling to your holiday destination by doing a little Web surfing before you leave home. Check the average waiting times at security checkpoints on the TSA Web site. Check in early for your flight on your airline's site, and Krause suggests, use the Web to find out which terminals at the airport have restaurants, play areas for kids, and other useful services.

10. There's always next year. If you failed to book a last-minute holiday cruise, use the disappointment as incentive to book early for next year. The benefits are significant. For those wishing to book a December 2008 cruise, for instance, Pinheiro says to put a deposit down a year in advance -- $500 will hold a space, and it's less risky than paying your full passage in advance. Plus, you'll have most of the year to change your mind, if you have to. "With 90-days notice you can get it back: you don't have to worry about being out any money until the latter part of September or early October." Plus, reserving a year early will reap cruise lovers another reward, says Pinheiro: early booking savings.

---Paul Eisenberg

Beautiful, amazing Costa Rica

2007-11-05T12:44:00.000-08:00

We have just returned from 10 days touring around Costa Rica. We visited San Jose, the capital plus the Tortuguera National Park, the Arenal volcano and the Manuel Antonio National Park.
My wish for my birthday was to see monkeys and, boy was that wish granted!We saw howlers, spider monkeys and white faced monkeys. We also saw crocodiles, sloths, tree frogs, snakes, lizards, toucans, macaws, lots of birds native to the area, giant spiders, scorpions, and so the list goes on.
While we got a little weary of riding on the bus, it truly was a great way to see the country. It's also hard to complain when the bus was a brand new Mercedes-Benz luxury motorcoach! We just used the time between stops to get to know some of our trip-mates.
I think our favorite stop in many ways was the Arenal volcano. The Arenal Springs Resort where we stayed was just wonderful. We could view the active volcano right from our bed! We also took a horse ride up the side of the volcano. The horses were so clean and well trained and our guide was great. One evening was spent at the natural hot springs where there are something like 11 different hot water pools. With only two days in the area, we weren't able to see and do everything so this is a place to which we would really like to return.
I will be downloading pictures later this week and, believe me, there are some great ones!

CANCUN & RIVIERA MAYA

2007-06-19T17:54:00.000-07:00

Don & I just returned from a short trip to Mexico to get an update on all the new and newly renovated hotels since the hurricanes 2 years ago.
We had detailed tours of 6 hotels in the Riviera Maya area.
They were:
Sunscape Puerto Aventuras
Riu Palaca Riviera Maya
Riu Playacar
Riu Tequila
Secrets Riviera Maya
Iberostar Paraiso Grand

We stayed in Cancun proper at the new Great Parnassus and used the facilities there as well as at the sister hotel, the Golden Parnassus. I will be writing some detailed informaion about these properties but, in the meantime, if you have questions, don't hesitate to contact me.

Updated photo from beautiful Oregon

2007-06-19T17:35:00.000-07:00

OREGON!

2007-06-11T05:03:00.000-07:00

Just a few weeks ago we visited a part of the world that neither of us had ever seen before -- Oregon!
We went expecting to visit some wineries and taste some great Pinot Noirs and dodge raindrops and gray skies during most ofour stay.
We were right on the first two expectations but came away with so much more!
Skies were blue, temps were great and the beauty of God's earth that we experienced was just astounding.
I have updated my profle picture with one that Don took of me amid the yellow broom in Astoria.
Here are a few others as well.

2007-05-21T12:07:00.000-07:00

<

Didn't Sandee turn 60 graciously???

Do you think it was these????

Or these??
Or BOTH???
We DID have fun!

Back to reality

2007-04-23T07:26:00.000-07:00

Last Monday was the culmination of a wonderful event -- a cruise on the Celebrity ship, Century, to celebrate my very best girlfriend's 60th birthday! Sixteen of us mustered for the event and had an absolutley fantastic time drinking martinis from the iced Martini bar, sucking down jello shots that I made in our in-cabin fridge, dancing the shag after dinner so the calories we had consumed wouldn't count and just plain having fun!
Sadly, as we left the ship to head our homeward ways - some to South Carolina and some to Ohio - we were greeted with the gruesome news of the tragedy at Virginia Tech. Talk about jerking you back into reality -- that did it.
In a separate post I will share photos and memories from our wonderful trip. Right now, I will just say how very saddened I am by the tragedy and how I pray for the lives of all of those affected by it. May God have mercy on all of you.

Having a dog

2007-03-13T07:53:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how time flies when you have a puppy. Our little Poppy just turned 1 on March 10th and the next day she graduated from her first training class.
The first year with a dog requires lots of adjustments to a busy life style, especially when you have only had cats as pets for the past 20+ years! Dogs actually PLAY with you and want you to play back. They take walks, sit on laps, do really cute things (not that cats don't do this part) and show a great deal of affection.
In her first year, Poppy has travelled to Chicago and to South Carolina by car so she has been through West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, Indiana and Illinois. We haven't tried taking her anywhere by air yet. At 12 pounds, I'm not sure if she would be allowed in a carrying case in the cabin with us or if she would have to be "shipped". If it's the latter, there are too many horror stories published about how many pets die in transit on airlines.
We are so lucky to have Merry Anne, our wonderful dog sitter, as well as Tina, our faithful cat sitter. Poppy is lucky, too - Merry Anne lets Poppy sleep with her and she doesn't get that perk at home! It's just so good to know that when you travel as much as we do, your pets are being well tended.

A surprise!

2006-12-03T15:33:00.000-08:00

This weekend we are in Chicago visiting our friends Barabara & Dan. We had several nice treats while here:
1 - a stay at the beautiful Fours Seasons Hotel
2 - dinner at NoMi
3 - tickets to the Bears football game
4 - an introduction to a new restaurant (to us) called Bin 36
5 - the wonderful Hart Davis Hart wine auction!

After all of that (in just 2 days!) we were headed to Dan and Barbara's new home in Orland Park and decided to stop off at Binny's, a liquor "super store" we like to frequent because of both the great prices AND the great selections.
While we were browsing through the single malts for some Auchentoshin, which I hadn't been able to find since our trip to Scotland, we came across the Bruichladdich special gift packaging which we had done with our very hands while at the Academy there in September! Nice to see the results of our hard work on the shelves in Chicagoland!

Islay, Scotland

2006-11-22T09:26:00.000-08:00

Once we had completed our work at the Academy at Bruichladdich (and had smapled LOTS of their wonderful Scotch whisky!) we were ready to see more of Scotland.
One day while staying at Bruichladdich, we went to the Port Charlotte Hotel for their oysters. Our classmates had told us how amazing they were and we couldn't wait to try them.
The Port Charlotte hotel is a lovely little treasure just a few miles down the road from Bruichladdich. We arrived there around 4 in the afternoon, ordered our Scotch and asked for 6 oysters each. The barman told us that the kitchen normally only prepares the oysters at lunchtime as they get too busy in the kitchen after that. We grovelled and begged and said how we had made the trip from America ONLY to have their wonderful oysters. He soon took pity on us and convinced the chef to prepare some for us.
These are no normal oysters, mind you. Each one was the size of a large pierogi. And they were so sweet and delicious! When we finished, we went outside and took some lovely photos of the area around Port Charlotte. Ree, our cook from Bruichladdich, then came to pick us up.

Poppy is growing up!

2006-11-20T11:11:00.000-08:00

I thought it was time for an updated photo of Poppy, our little Papillon. She is now 8 months old and is almost a "dog" instead of a puppy!

More photos of the Scotch making process

2006-11-20T10:57:00.000-08:00

Mixing the mash

Adding the Yeast to the fermentation tank

Filling the barrels

Checking the alcohol level at the Spirit Safe

Making Scotch Whisky

2006-11-17T14:46:00.000-08:00

PEAT THAT HAS BEEN CUT & PILED TO DRY DIGGING THE PEAT

It's hard to believe, but in a matter of days, we learned how to make Scotch whisky. We did this while attending The Academy at Bruichladdich distillery on the island of Islay of the western coast of Scotland. Islay lies just north of Ireland so with the combination of the Scots and the Irish, whom I both think of as people who know their whisky, it's easy to see why Bruichladdich does all right in that location!
There are six students in the academy at a time. Don & I were the only Americans. At the beginning of the week everyone is divided up into pairs to learn the various processes involved in making the Scotch. Don was paired with Patrik from Sweden and I was paired with Johann,also from Sweden.
We did everything from going to the peat bog to cut the peat for the toasting of the malt to a visit to the water source, milling of the malt, making the "mash" from malt & water, fermentation with yeast of the "wort" or sweet water that is the runnoff of the mash, distilling the whisky and filling barrels, storing barrels, bottling the whisky and shipping it off to its destination. Whew! If you think that was a long sentence, you should be there actually DOING all those things!
The pictures attached represent each step of the process.

Beverly Hills - a break from Scotland

2006-11-01T10:11:00.000-08:00

Since we are taking a little break in Beverly Hills, I thought I'd use the opportunity to write about something different today.
Having never been to Beverly Hills before, I decided to join Don on his trip here for a meeting. It has been most interesting.
By far the most unique shop on Rodeo Drive is Prada. Nowhere is there a sign to tell passersby what store it is. All you see from the sidewalk are the glass covered caverns with displays of luggage, handbags and clothing. If you "know" your Prada, I guess you would be able to identify the store from that. I'm not so astute -- I had to go in and look at a label!
One surprise about Rodeo Drive is the Village Gallery. We found some Michael Godard items there for less than we have seen them elsewhere. Apparently, that is because of the large volume of sales the gallery has.
My favorite restaurants are the Grill on the Alley and McCormick & Schmick's. Dining outside at M & S is great. Not only do you sit at the top of Two Rodeo to see al the shoppers there but you also look down on the Beverly Wilshire and their outdoor tables.
Monday we were treated to a great Studio tour at Sony Pictures, courtesy of Stephanie, the daughter of one of my golfing buddies. After the tour she also took us to the private dining room on the lot at Sony. What a treat!

Exceeding Expectation

2006-10-27T10:34:00.000-07:00

Before I go into all the details of what we learned about making Scotch whisky, I want to interject a comment about our experience in Scotland overall.
When I put this trip together, it was for my husband Don. I wanted to surprise him with something great for his birthday as a way of saying "thanks" to him for all the great things he does for my life.
I was "going along" to someplace I had never really been deeply drawn towards because I wanted to see his delight in the experience. I expected to see gray, rainy skies and temperatures that would require a great deal of layering to be comfortable -- especially coming on the tail end of a nice warm summer in Ohio.
As you can see by the pictures here of Islay, I neither needed my raincoat nor my heavy sweaters. The only two days it rained were the day we arrived and the day we left. The rest of the time the sky was vibrantly clear and the temperatures were in the low 70's. The water looks like something from the Caribbean or Hawaii.
As if the weather wasn't enough to win me over, the PEOPLE of Scotland were such a delight! From the first stop at our B & B with Val and Keith, through the Bruichladdich experience with Ella, Andy, Adam, Alan, James, Peter I and Peter II, David, Budgie and so many more, though our new friends in Glasgow at Whisky Live and right up until our final dinner where our waiter offered to take our picture and did a fantastic job of it, everyone was delightful!
I only hope that in my travel planning profession, I am as successful at exceeding expectaions as of of these folks were for me.

2006-10-23T07:08:00.000-07:00

Arrival at Islay International airport!

The drive from the Islay airport to our "home" for the next 5 days at Bruichladdich's Academy took about 30 minutes. We passed through Bowmore and saw the three peaks of Jura in the distance.

Our Academy mates were already settled in when we arrived so we met them right away. There was Jim from Scotland and Patrik, Johan and Bertyl from Sweden. The two ladies that would be feeding us and taking care of our rooms were Ree and Mary.
Our first meal consisted of Asparagus soup, ham steak, potatoes, cauliflower, cooked cabbage and salad. We had a wonderfully decadent brownie pie for dessert then an assortment of cheeses and coffee and tea. There was always plenty of beer, wine and, naturally, Bruichladdich Scotch for everyone.

This evening we learned who our work partner for the week would be and were given our schedules. The schedule was broken down into Mashing, Milling, Fermentation, Distilling, Peat cutting, Water supply,Warehousing, Filling, and Bottling hall. We would report to work at 8:30AM and work until around 4:30 with a break for lunch. It was only when we saw the schedule that we also learned we would have an EXAM at the end of the week! Yikes!

Our "welcome gift" at Bruichladdich

More on Scotland

2006-10-18T11:51:00.000-07:00

PHOTOS OF THE DRIVE FROM GRANTON-ON-SPEY BACK TO GLASGOW

The next morning we rose early (and also caused Val to do so to prepare our breakfast!) so that we could have plenty of time to make it back to Glasgow for our 2:25PM flight to Islay. Armed with new directions from Keith, which would help us avoid the traffic between Stirling and Glasgow, we headed out following our final wonderful breakfast in Granton-On-Spey at An Cala Guest House.
It was a beautiful morning and we were treated not only to lovely scenery but even a few rainbows enroute! Our route took us past Loch Lomond but we didn't take time to look around as we feared missing our flight. Had we called ahead, we would have learned that we had plenty of time since our flight had been cancelled and we were now booked on the 5:00 flight! Bummer! Even worse, we had to wait in a long line to get the ticket reissued. British Airways did, however, give us a meal voucher so we had lunch and a beer (or two) at Garfinkels in the airport.
We still had about 2 hours to kill so we wandered the airport a bit. Found that the duty free shops in Scotland give samples! :>)
We did finally get on our way to Islay by about 5:15 and arrived there about 6:00. Two of our three bags did the same. The third naughty little red bag had separated itself from us and we would not see it again until the next day.
Tomorrow -- all about Islay!

Scotland continued

2006-10-11T09:46:00.000-07:00

After leaving Ballandollach, we headed for Cardhu distillery. While Cardhu itself seems quite tiny, it is a part of the enormous Deagio (sp?) chain which is the parent for a great number of both single malts and blends, such as Johnny Walker. The tour at Cardhu was the equivalent of $8 US but it was applied towards the purchase of their whisky. Our tour guide, Debbie, signed a bottle of Craggenmore for us since her dad works there!
From little Cardhu, we headed (amongst even more pheasants) to Glenfiddich. Glenfiddich is an enormous operation -- perhaps the very largest distillery in Scotland. The comparison of them to Cardhu reminded us of one to T Vines vs Mondavi wineries in Napa! There is no charge for the tour at Glenfiddich and they still give you a "wee dram" taste after the tour.
That evening we had dinner at the Garth Hotel in Grantown-On-Spey. A few unique things about the restaurant service in Scotland: First, they don't fill the restaurant and try to "turn tables" as in the US. Instead, they have maybe a third of the tables filled at one time so the staff can more effectively serve those tables. Second, when you arrive, you are seated in a comfortable lounge area while your table is prepared. It is there you are offerd drinks instead of at your table. I personally liked these concepts a lot. It seemd to make for a lot more relaxing dining experience.
This evening Don had a smoked salmon appetizer followed by Garth's famous chicken which was stuffed with brie then wrapped in puff pastry. I had a vegetable crepe to start then their "Mussel Extravaganza". Delicious! Some restaurants offer an "early bird" discount. At the Garth we received 25% off our bill by eating at 6:00PM.
THe day had been very sunny and pleasant but the clear sky made it a bit chilly that evening. Still, we had a nice walk back to our lovely An Cala.

photo of An Cala Guest House

2006-10-05T15:11:00.000-07:00

Scotland Journal cont.

2006-10-05T12:00:00.000-07:00

Our first Scottish meal was a delight. We found that Craggen Mill, as well as most restaurants in the GOS area, use local produce in their cooking. This includes lake grown mussels, river Salmon, vegetables and fruits. For a starter, I had Cullen Skink which is a soup with fish and potatoes, much like a New England clam chowder. Next I had local salmon with a really nummy sauce and for dessert I had homemade blueberry, lime and coconut ice cream. We had walked to the restaurant and Val gave us a “torch” (flashlight) for the walk home in the dark. We were happy to have to walk back as it helped burn some of the extra calories we consumed!
The first morning after our arrival, we were treated to a wonderful home cooked breakfast by Val. I had expected Scottish food to be much like English – a little bland and not very appetizing – but Val quickly changed my opinion about that! Wonderful coffee accompanied porridge, eggs, bacon, juice, toast, tomatoes, mushrooms as well as a variety of cereals and fruits.
After a briefing by Keith on what was in the area to see and do, we headed out to Ballandallach Castle (see picture), a privately owned castle about ½ hour away by car. The family living in it has had it in their family since 1542! To get there, we took the VERY narrow river road. Along the way we must have seen 1000 pheasants – another local product, it seems!
We watched the introductory video then toured the interior of the castle then took a walk on the grounds along the River Spey and on to the point where the Avon and Spey Rivers merge (other picture is Don at that junction). This is the area where much of the Highland salmon comes from. The castle owners have a herd of Aberdeen Cows whose lineage goes back several hundred years.

My Scotland trip journal

2006-10-04T16:32:00.000-07:00

We started our trip to Scotland by landing at Glasgow then picking up a car to drive to the Highlands. Glasgow airport is very easy to navigate and we had our bags in record time. Had to wait a few minutes at the car rental desk but we were on our way to Grantown-On-Spey well before noon. We only made one wrong turn during the entire 3½-hour trip and that was upon leaving the airport!
The rain was with us all the way north until we exited the highway at Aviemore to head east to Grantown-On-Spey (GOS, as the locals call it). Then the sun came out and stayed out for nearly our entire trip!
In GOS, we had arranged to have the room with the 4-post bed at An Cala Guest House. Our hosts, Val & Keith Dickinson, couldn’t have been nicer! They have a lovely sitting room with comfy chairs and sofas where you can relax and watch TV, read or look at the collection of menus they have provided for the local restaurants. Once we had done the latter, we asked Val to make a reservation for us at the Craggen Mill restaurant which was about a 20 minute walk from An Cala (through a cow pasture!)
Before dinner we had a walk to the center of GOS. Our first stop was at the Wee Spey Dram Whisky Shop – surprise, surprise! We sampled a few single malts and I had something called Heather Cream which was a bit like Bailey’s but with more oomph.
We walked down the main street then came back on Grant Street where there were a few restaurants and many homes with absolutely picture-perfect flower gardens such as the one pictured here.

Scotland - beginning of my journal at last

2006-10-04T14:20:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite picture from Islay! Who would believe this is SCOTLAND? It is so beautiful. When your feet touch Islay, your heart rate immediately slows and you find yourself enjoying things in life that you have taken for granted or been moving so fast that you passed them by.

Time sure does fly

2006-09-25T16:57:00.000-07:00

How can it be a month and a half since my last post??? Incredible!
It's also hard to believe we have been back from the Bruichladdich Academy on the island of Islay in Scotland for almost 2 weeks. I have sooooo much to write about that as well as the rest of Scotland and some beautiful photos, too.
All that will have to wait until tomorrow (or the next day). Right now my clients'trips take precedence.
Cheers.

photos from Nemacolin

2006-08-08T05:37:00.000-07:00

A picture is worth a thousand words. Here are three that just touch the surface of the beauty of Nemacolin Woodlands Resort!

Book Apple Vacations to the Caribbean, save on your passport

2006-07-18T10:14:00.000-07:00

Apple Vacations doesn't want the cost of obtaining a passport ($97 USD per person) to keep you from traveling. So from July 16 until October 31, Apple and participating hotel partners will pay for your passport when you book an Apple Vacation departing in 2007. That's right! Book a 7-night stay including roundtrip air on USA3000 Airlines or any Apple Vacations’ exclusive charter* flight, and they'll pick up the basic $97 tab for passports for the entire traveling party! Better yet, there's no red tape-- no forms to fill out or proof to send in. They've already taken $100 per person off the great price of your vacation!
See the Apple Vacations link to the right.

more on Nemacolin Woodlands

2006-07-17T13:07:00.000-07:00

Did I speak yet about the Butler assigned to us in our room at Falling Rock???
One touch of a button on the phone and the Butler was there to fulfill nearly any request we could make. Draw a bath. Bring our breakfast. Get us drinks. Turn down our beds. Open the drapes. Oh, yes, and bring our choice of pillow from the "Pillow Menu" offering up 16 different choices! (My friend and I both chose 1 buckwheat and 1 water pillow. The water pillow was the BEST!)

On day two, we played the other 9 holes that had been rained out the day before. This was the back nine on the Links course. The Links was a good choice for us -- challenging enough to keep our interest but fair enough to keep us from frustration.
There were several interesting "diversions" on the back nine: first was an area (caged, thankfully!) with a mother black bear and her two adorable cubs. As we teed off the hole nearest them, we looked over and spied one of the cubs peeking up and spying on us in return. The second diversion came with a herd of 11 zebras adjacent to the fairway on #16 (I think). Anyhow, zebras in Ohio were a bit of a surprise.

After golf, we took a tour of Chateau Lafayette with our gracious host, Brian Pruden. Brian showed us the beautiful ballroom with the six chandeliers valued at $1,000,000 (yes, MILLION) each. We also saw some of the unique pieces from the resort's private art collection and the beautiful top floor concierge level. We had a great lunch at The Tavern before heading out for a Trail Ride at the Equestrian center.
more to come...

Nemacolin Woodlands Resort & Spa

2006-07-03T11:17:00.000-07:00

Just before Independence Day, a friend and I had the pleasure to experience a brief getaway at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort .
Nemacolin is just a 3 hour drive from Akron but it feels as though you've entered another land: a land of understated luxury and surprises at every turn.
There are two main accommodation buildings at Nemacolin, the very French Chateau Lafayette, styled after the Ritz in Paris, and Falling Rock, a luxury boutique hotel inspired by the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright with 42 rooms and personal butler service. We were delighted by our wonderful room in Falling Rock. It looked out over the 18th green of the famed Mystic Rock course, the sight of the 84 Lumber Classic each September. In the early mroning, the mist over the mountains made me feel as though I was in the clouds (actually, I was!)
We spent our first day playing golf and dodging thunderstorms. After the second lightning alert, we packed away our clubs for the day and were satisfied that we at least got 9 holes in that day.
The dinner we enjoyed at Falling Rock's Aqueous was a twelve course gourmet wonder. According to the Nemacolin website, "The cuisine at this restaurant imparts the aspects that set Frank Lloyd Wright apart from his peers: harmony with natural surroundings, calculated use of angles, progressive thought, and use of regional materials. The menu at Aqueous features "Forward Thinking American" cuisine, which give the freedom to be bold and creative, using the finest selection of ingredients found in the United States. Chef de Cuisine Dave Racicot places strong emphasis on using only American products, choosing to showcase the foods of small farmers whose passion for their craft matches that of the Aqueous culinary team.
The dining experience at Aqueous brings Wright’s “progressive thought” to the forefront by concentrating on key flavors in each dish and manipulating their texture and temperature as a way to keep dining interesting. For example, one main ingredient such as Perfect Spring Asparagus could be served with three flavor profiles such as sweet, smoked and spicy. Dessert also focuses on American methods and flavors, using both sweet and savory ingredients to complete the dining experience".
Each course was accompanied by a wine specifically paired to the food. It was easy to see why Aqueous has been named as one of the Top 25 restaurants in Pittsburgh (about an hour away).
(More in my next post)

FREE Passports for 2007 Caribbean travel!

2006-07-03T11:14:00.000-07:00

Found this article today!

Caribbean offers to reimburse passport cost to US travelers
By Hazel Heyer l Special to eTN

At the recently concluded 2006 Caribbean Hotel Industry Conference organized by the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA), tourism leaders expressed serious concerns over the proposed Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative requiring Americans to have their passports ready by January 1, 2007 on traveling back from the Caribbean by air and sea. The issue is not so much the requirement as the effective date itself affecting US vacationers planning trips to the CARICOM.

According to a research by the WTTC on behalf of the Caribbean Hotels Association, visitor market share from the United States to the Caribbean and the percentage of those visitors who do not use a valid US passport will decline dramatically. Currently, about 20 percent of Americans do not possess a passport.

Based on the WTTC research, total visitor exports earnings in the Caribbean region are estimated at US$20.7 billion. Contribution to regional GDP for 2004 accounted for 14.8 percent of the total GDP representing US$28.4 billion for the region, according to the sponsored study. In 2006, the Caribbean travel economy went a couple of notches up 2005’s GDP contribution - going beyond the 15 percent mark.

The WTTC recognizes the Caribbean is the most dependent region in the world on tourism. If globally, the travel and tourism sector employs on in every five people, in the Caribbean, the figure is one in every four with 2,416,500 jobs created since 2004.

When the law takes into effect January 1, 2007, more than US$2.6 billion of visitor export earnings and more than 188,300 tourism jobs in the CARICOM could be at risk. Considering US visitor market share to the Caribbean is 51 percent of the total visitor market share and represents the largest market segment to the Caribbean, the repercussion to trade is huge.

USA’s market is double the size of the second regional visitor market share.

The hotel association recognizes the best way to demonstrate the impact of this on the Caribbean is to quantify in monetary terms. There are 35 countries in the organization, only 8 –Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Dominica, Guyana, St. Lucia, St. Eustasius, Trinidad and Tobago – require US citizens to enter with passports. There are 27 countries that do not require US visitors passports just yet. But come 2007, things will dramatically change.

Jamaica, counting on 58.4 percent US tourists, will feel the pinch, the most. Cayman Islands depends on 40.5 percent US visits, while the British Virgin Islands 32.2 percent, Bahamas 21.7 percent, St. Kitts and Nevis 20.4 percent, Aruba 18.2 percent, St. Vincent & the Grenadines 14 percent, Grenada 13.8 percent and the Dominican Republic 12.7 percent will have to look elsewhere for traffic.

Similarly, the United Nations-World Tourism Organization recognizes the powerhouse in the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic whose tourism receipts represent up to as much as 90 percent of their service exports. Antigua and Barbuda’s tourism contributes directly and indirectly to economy with over 75 percent of the GDP, according to UN-WTO Secretary General Francesco Frangialli.

Thus far, any regulation governing tourism to these countries will have significant toll.

Outgoing president of the CHA, Berthia Parle in her term recognized the real negative impact of the Western Hemisphere Initiative on the economies and jobs of the Caribbean countries and the hotel members of CHA. She submitted a position paper to the US Department of Homeland Security explaining the earlier introductory date proposed for the Caribbean will also have a potential to spark up social unrest and other imbalances in the region and beyond. Upon her departure as CHA head, she alluded to the issue before the CHIC attendees saying: “We must protect our hard-earned investments and the livelihood of the thousands, who depend on us for survival, whether our industry is threatened by the Western Hemisphere Initiative and other detrimental policies.”

Secretary General of the Caribbean Tourism Organization Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, a firm believer of the use of the Internet to promote tourism to the maximum, thinks the information super-highway can be tapped to address the passport requirement issue. “We recommend for travelers trolling on websites looking for vacations to use those sites to educate themselves on the passport requirement. Rather than using en-masse advertising to tell the people, we are going through specific sites to direct our audience,” he said.

“Second of all, the second initiative we’ve launched is paying Americans for the passports,” said Vanderpool-Wallace. An additional negative impact by the initiative alongside the immediate decline will result from Americans having to choose another destination while they are not willing to pay the extra cost of a passport. Costs could approach $400.00 for a family of four. The impact could render itself permanent where US citizens without passport can only select to visit US territories in the Caribbean.

The CTO chief said the way to do that is to pay out of the commission to be paid to the website used by the traveler. One site has already started to do so. “We encourage others to do the same,” said Vanderpool-Wallace adding, “In that way, the customer will not have any difficulty whatsoever getting a travel document.”

Aren’t the islands spoiling the US travelers rotten by covering the cost of an official document every traveler in the world needs to have anyway in this day and age? “We have thought about it and the only option to take is to go someplace else. We’d rather pay some small sum of money for their passport through some private sector sites, than allow the tourists to stay closer to home or within.” For the cost of a $100, we get a new customer spending thousands of dollars in the Caribbean is not even a choice, he said adding that in effect, “We are actually reimbursing them for the passports they pay for to travel to our destination.”

Calling on the US policy-makers for reactions, eTN learned the gesture is welcomed.
“We perceive this as a positive development in line with the Western Hemisphere Initiative,” said US State Department spokesperson Joe Mancini. “However they receive or pay for them as US individuals, is perceived as positive development. As long as they comply, we are fine with that. ”

About a potential security breach and safety concern while making it dead easy for Americans to venture out, Vanderpool-Wallace said: “There won’t be any issue with security. We will reimburse provided we know the use of the passport first-time is for the Caribbean.”

But how will the private sector groups, travel agents and site managers know they will be the first destination to be visited?

“In truth, we won’t,” closed the CTO chair. “But by reason of their name and booking, we would know they are coming to the Caribbean. There’s almost an honor system.”

Excitement in Akron, Ohio!

2006-06-28T17:37:00.000-07:00

Tonight was the "unveiling" of the new logo for the new Akron Art Museum, scheduled to be open in Spring of 2007. What a simple yet effective design! We were privileged to have been invited to this event held at the Oneil House Bed and Breakfast due to our involvement with the Art Museum's annual Wine Auction.
Oneil House is an absolutely delightful bed and breakfast which was the former home of one of the families in the rubber industry in Akron in the early 1900's. Not only is the house a charmer, the food is INCREDIBLE! If your path leads you to Akron DON'T MISS THIS ONE!

We're going to Scotland!

2006-06-22T09:09:00.000-07:00

My husband Don had a birthday a few weeks back. He's NOT the easiest guy to buy for. If he wants something he just goes and gets it. This year, I finally found something unique that he was wild about. Using HIS frequent flyer miles :>) I arranged a trip for us to go to Scotland. I had read in the Wall Street Journal about a scotch distillery on Islay where you can go and live on the premises including all of your accommodation, meals and BAR for 4 days whilst working side-by-side with the employees to make Scotch Whisky!!
With dogged determination, I was able put the whole thing together for him as a surprise. We'll go in September We’ll also do the scotch whisky trail and a night in Glasgow and 3 in Edinburgh. Can’t wait! Neither of us has been there before.
Yippee!

A day off...

2006-06-14T05:01:00.000-07:00

Or at least part of one. This morning I'm playing hooky to play golf with some friends. Ditto for this afternoon! I am eager to get back later this evening and do a "real" post, however, so see ya then!

Above The Crowds Travel deals

2006-06-13T06:40:00.000-07:00

While I'm not overly fond of advertising on my blog, today I learned of a fantastic deal. This one is almost too good to be true but since it comes from Apple Vacations I know that it IS true. If you've been longing to get away, here's the scoop:
Cleveland to Cancun's Riviera Maya at Iberostar resorts (all are 5 to 6 "Apples" in rating) and all are all-inclusive.
At Iberostar Tucan and Iberostar Paraiso del Mar, Kids 12 and under stay, play and eat for FREE Adult prices are 3 nights for $499, 4 nights for $569 or 7 nights for $759. All prices include air, all meals, drinks, activities.
At Iberostar Paraiso Maya the costs are $899 for 3 nights, $999 for 4 nights nad $1399 for 7 nights.
Iberostar Paraiso Lindo is the 6 Golden Apple property and they are featuring 3 nights for $879, 4 nights for $999 or 7 nights for $1359.
Here's the sweet part -- prices apply for select departures from August 18 through October 29! All you have to do is book by June 17.
And you can do that by calling me at 330-644-1870 or e-mailing me at abovethecrowds@sbcglobal.net

A Book for Remembering

2006-06-12T07:35:00.000-07:00

Last week I received my order of "for my Grandchild. A GRANDMOTHER'S GIFT OF MEMORY" books. I ordered one for myself and two for friends who are also Grannies. I learned of this book through a newspaper article that referred me to AARP to buy it (which then directs you to Barnes & Noble). If you buy it through AARP, it is less than $10 per copy.
So what is this book? It is a place for you to record all the facts and fun and photos all about YOU to give to your grandchild(ren). It is kind of the opposite of one of those Baby Books that you filled out for your kids way back when.
From the cover flap: "Today's grandmothers lead full and active lives that include everything from working and traveling to taking classes and volunteering". Thay got MY attention! Sounded like they were writing about me! Anyhow, I'm looking forward to filling my book(s) and handing them out, maybe as birthday presents for the older grandkids -- along with their normal present, of course.

Got minutes?

2006-06-09T18:25:00.000-07:00

Today I read about a really cool thing that you can do with those unlimited weekend minutes on your cell phone. When traveling to places like New York, Boston and Washington DC, you can listen to audio tours narrated by celebrities such as Larry King, Steven Tyler and Sigourney Weaver.
Check it out at TalkingStreet

Check out this website

2006-06-09T17:59:00.000-07:00

Just a note today about the really fine job Phat Web Solutions has done on their new web site. If you'd like to check it out, see
Phat Web Solutions
It is simple yet effective; easy to navigate yet "punchy". Good job guys!

2006-06-06T12:43:00.000-07:00

As promised .... Here's Poppy!

Sometimes you have to just play

2006-06-06T12:38:00.000-07:00

After a dreary weekend full of gray skies and rain, the past two days have been glorious. Will anyone blame me for not composing a blog full of deep thoughts but just going out to play golf instead??????

Consistency is key

2006-06-02T14:17:00.000-07:00

As much as I know this, it is still sometimes difficult to accomplish!
All I know about blogging says to write SOMETHING every day and yet there are times when it JUST ISN'T THERE!
Just as I'm beginning to get postings to my blog and should be going with the flow, when what comes into my life but a NEW PUPPY! Being a new parent at least gets you "in the mood" for nine months but with a puppy it's kind of BANG -- here you go!
That said, I will soon post a photo of our new little darling. Her name is Poppy and she is a Papillon. She was acquired at a charity auction. Both my husband Don & I thought we had had too many martinis prior to the event as we woke up the morning after saying, "What have we done????!!"
Now we're saying, "This is nice".
Poppy is officially 12 weeks old today and is a bundle of energy and comfort all wrapped up in a soft, furry, black and white ball with HUGE ears. We adore her!
So, just when you think you have nothing to write, a puppy comes into your life and -- VOILA!

Jet Blue

2006-05-23T07:13:00.000-07:00

Came across this in my daily e-mails and thought I'd pass it on. Thanks eTN and Dr. Garely!

There is Jet Blue – and Everyone Else
Courtesy of eTN, Dr. Elinor Garely
Have a choice? Take Jet Blue! There is a quantifiable difference between Jet Blue and almost every other US airline and the differentiation starts with the reservation system, extends through the in-flight experience and crests at luggage retrieval. The Jet Blue folks have got the system as close to “right” as any US carrier I have recently experienced.

The on-line technology is user-friendly and almost intuitive. Can’t find the right link? A call to the 800 number representative delivers quick and pleasant instructions; no patronizing tone, no “too busy to deal with your stupid question,” just a clear, precise staffer who asks the right questions and moves the issue to resolution.

Back on the site, instructions steer me to finding flight information and seat selection, payment options, confirmation instructions and print-out guidelines. The extra-goody is the Jet Blue follow-up. The day before flight departure, an email arrived at my inbox, reminding me that I was flying Jet Blue the next day, asked me if I wanted to make any changes in the flight or seat selection. To review the flight time or seat location takes only a moment, and the software works effortlessly. No – I had no changes so I was processed through to a request for luggage information. Checking a bag? Click here. No bags? Another click. A quick print-out of my boarding pass and I was good to go.

Next day –I arrived at the Jet Blue terminal, slipped my credit card into the kiosk, pulled up flight information, checked out the departure gate – and that was it! Problem? Question? Jet Blue staff is eager to help – actually they are happy to help! Since there are so few problems they appear close to being bored. Jet Bluers’ remind me of the Maytag repairman advertisement that shows the guy sleeping, implying that since the appliance never breaks down there is nothing for the guy to do except sleep. At the moment, the Jet Blue system has so few “wrinkles” the major task of the airport employee is to be pleasant.

Onboard – the seats are cushy leather and almost large enough to be comfortable. Operationally, the cabin is a tribute to efficiency. From the first offer of liquid refreshment and the subsequent passage of garbage bags for the plastic toss, followed by the snack pass and the almost immediate garbage collection– passengers are almost programmed to “select” “eat” and “toss.”

Would I change the cabin experience? Yes! Take away the carbs, calories and salt, offer me something heart-healthy. With new packaging available, it should not be a “no-brainers” to offer fresh fruit and unprocessed cheese. I would also add sports drinks to the beverage list. Gatorade and Propel are much easier to digest (and healthier) than soft drinks and go a long way to stemming the queasy tummy feeling that is frequently part being in orbit.

Fast forward – and we are on the ground. Jet Blue understands the passengers’ need to “get out” at faster than light travels so- as the plane lands the doors are opened, and the cabin crew gets out of the way of the passengers as they stampede to daylight and the terminal. On many flights it seems that the cabin crew is first reading the training manual trying to figure out the best method for getting the doors opened, while the airport team stumbles over themselves getting the jet-way into position. The rush for luggage is also rewarded with a fast-tracked retrieval system. Before disbelief set I had my duffle in hand and was outside the terminal, looking for my car service.

Rarely do I find anything nice to say about an airline. The activity is not pleasant and short of teaming up with Captain Kirk and the Star Trek crew – I have no choice but to use an airplane for moving from A to B. Jet Blue was so good on my recent flight from New York to Anaheim that I think they should start a training program for all the other guys that are only pretending to run an airline company. To paraphrase Emeril Lagasse-- “Jet Blue Rules.”

books, books and more (good) books

2006-05-18T13:30:00.000-07:00

Ever since we cancelled the cable and put away all the TV’s 2 ½ years ago, I have become a voracious reader. This is really saying something for someone who could barely finish their reading assignments in High School and college!
Anyhow, I look to many sources for recommendations of good books and have learned which friends like the kind of books that I also enjoy.
Recently, I have participated in a number of “webinars” sponsored by Cruise West, a small-ship cruise company. The presenter for these webinars was Lisa Haneberg who is the sole propietor of her company, Haneberg Management, and the author of H.I.M.M.: (High Impact Middle Management): Solutions for Today's Busy Managers, Organization Development Basics, Coaching Basics and several short e-books.
Though Lisa is not "literally" a friend (she lives 2500 miles from me and we have never met in person), I truly value her book recommendations. Why? Because every one of the book authors she tauts displays the same passion about their subject that Lisa displays in her management business and that I (hope) I display in my Travel Planning business. Without fail, I come away from the books with new ideas, new passion and renewed energy for my business.
Just when I had finished the last of the books from last month, I went to Lisa’s blog and – TA DA! – just today she wrote about a new one! The latest is is called Encyclopedia of Positive Questions - Volume One by experts in Appreciative Inquiry, Cooperrider, Whitney, Trosten-Bloom and Kaplin. I am generally able to obtain the books at my local library so, guess where I’m headed next!
Anyone reading my blog who has read something great that you'd like to share, bring it on!

Active Grannies

2006-05-17T14:24:00.000-07:00

Today I learned that I'm not the only active Granny out there looking to do much, much more than sit around the TV knitting!
There are soooo many trips designed precisely for today's "Mature Traveler" (ugh!) Whether you want to GrandTrip (travel with the grandkids to explore and learn together), take epoch journeys or short trips, drink wine and dine on fine food, visit great gardens and enhance your gardening skills, follow the "DaVinci Code" trail or just go relax after all your hard work at home --- there are trips out there for YOU!
Don't see what it is that floats your boat in this list??? Contact me and I'll find the right one for you.
Linda

Dance With The Stars

2006-05-11T13:15:00.000-07:00

For those who have become addicted to the popular TV program, read on:
With the season finale of ABC's "Dancing with the Stars," The Roosevelt Hotel is offering guests their dancing fix even after the show's culmination, with the "Rumba at the Roosevelt" program, starting at $325 per couple, per night through Aug. 30.
More details can be found at http://www.theroosevelthotel.com/

Works for those of us who don't have or watch TV, too! At least this way you can get a little exercise while spinning around the dance floor.

Cruising with kids

2006-05-10T06:36:00.000-07:00

Cruising with Kids
Families are the fastest growing segment of the cruise market. Many cruise lines are now catering to families and their unique needs. While most now offer children’s programs and kid friendly food options, choosing the best cruise for your client can take some research. Below are some tips to assist in determining the best cruise line for your client along with links for more information on each cruise line’s children’s program.
Time of year – not all of the cruise lines offer year-round children’s programs. Some operate only with a minimum number of children. If your client is not traveling during a school break, be sure to recommend one of the larger, well-known ‘family friendly’ cruise lines that offer a year-round program. The longer cruises (10 days or more) tend to have an older clientele, while 3 or 4 night cruises tend to have a younger, ‘partying’ clientele. The 7-night cruise is the most popular among families. The Caribbean and Alaska are the most popular destinations.

Family accommodations – many of the new ships have been built with families in mind offering family suites or a variety of connecting cabins.

Cruise line’s newer ships – the newer ships tend to not only have more family accommodations, but larger and more elaborate children’s centers, pools and public areas.

Soda Card – some cruise lines offer a pre-paid soda card good for a set number of non-alcoholic beverages.

Below are Cruise Lines offering Kids programs

Carnival Cruise Line – Camp Carnival
Celebrity X-Club Youth Program
Costa Cruise Line Kid’s Club
Crystal Cruises Junior’s Activities
Disney Cruise Line
Holland America Cruise Line – Club Hal for Kids
NCL Kid’s Crew
P&O Cruises
Princess Cruises
Royal Caribbean Cruises
Windjammer Cruises

Frequent Flyer Miles

2006-05-10T06:19:00.000-07:00

So many places to travel, so little time!
Has anyone else tried to redeem their frequent flyer miles lately? Only to find that there are NO dates available, no matter where you want to go? It's really frustrating. So we go on looking for bargain fares and accumulating even more miles that we can never redeem!
There are charts to tell you "how much" your miles are worth (currently about 1.2cents per mile). With package trips keeping air fares so low, I'm thinking I'll cash in my miles for merchandise I wouldn't normally spend the extra $$$ to get.

serendipity

2006-05-09T10:57:00.000-07:00

Isn't it strange and wonderful how strangers with like minds often meet in the most unlikely places? What is it - a personal radar field, a super awareness or just plain coincidence?
Keep your eyes open for those unplanned and unexpected events. Thay may change your life!

2006-03-28T08:22:00.000-08:00

Linda

Trips galore!

2006-02-16T13:25:00.000-08:00

What an exciting start to 2006! We have a Stately Homes & Gardens tour booked for Stan Hywet in May of 2007 plus FOUR cruises that will benefit Akron Children's Hospital with donations made on behalf of each passenger booked. Other exciting trips are the Gals 'n Pals trip to New York City in May and the Napa Valley Wine Tour for Silver Lake Country Club.
Niche groups are great!

Above The Crowds

Smartphone apps from Rick Steves

How to find the right travel agent by Ed Hewitt

The Most Expensive US cities to visit

Carnival Fantasy

10 great places to savor Chinese food

Visiting Italy

Top 10 Travel articles for 2010 - courtesy of the New York Times

Above The Crowds: Customer service is a reward in itself

Customer service is a reward in itself

client appreciation

Top Airport Restaurants

PASSPORT FEES ARE GOING UP JULY 13!!

Think you know your Caribbean islands?

NYC potty spots

top 5 bargain destinations for Winter 2009/2010 - #5

top 5 bargain destinations for Winter 2009/2010

top 5 bargain destinations for Winter 2009/2010 (cont.)

Top 5 bargain destinations for Winter 2009/2010 (cont.)

Top 5 bargain destinations for Winter 2009/2010

NYC Trivia

An interesting insight into airline frequent flyer programs

Complaining as an art

Forbes list of dollar-friendliest countries

(someone's) Top 10 Travel List!

Traveling by car

L A Times article

More packing tips

packing for your cruise

Why pay airlines for checked bags?

Countdown to South Carolina

Packing tips

2008 -- already????

Our Caravan tour to Costa Rica

Golf and travel -- it's a beautiful thing!

Excerpt from Fodors.com newsletter

Beautiful, amazing Costa Rica

CANCUN & RIVIERA MAYA

Updated photo from beautiful Oregon

OREGON!

Back to reality

Having a dog

A surprise!

Islay, Scotland

Poppy is growing up!

More photos of the Scotch making process

Making Scotch Whisky

Beverly Hills - a break from Scotland

Exceeding Expectation

More on Scotland

Scotland continued

photo of An Cala Guest House

Scotland Journal cont.

My Scotland trip journal

Scotland - beginning of my journal at last

Time sure does fly

photos from Nemacolin

Book Apple Vacations to the Caribbean, save on your passport

more on Nemacolin Woodlands

Nemacolin Woodlands Resort & Spa

FREE Passports for 2007 Caribbean travel!

Excitement in Akron, Ohio!

We're going to Scotland!

A day off...

Above The Crowds Travel deals

A Book for Remembering

Got minutes?

Check out this website

Sometimes you have to just play

Consistency is key

Jet Blue

books, books and more (good) books

Active Grannies

Dance With The Stars

Cruising with kids

Frequent Flyer Miles

serendipity

Trips galore!