. . . Dealing with it
I traveled to Houston for the Thanksgiving holiday. I left on the Tuesday prior to the holiday amid a national brouhaha about patdowns, radioactive scanners and a national paranoia reaching, no pun intended, new heights.
People were actually -- I head on TV before leaving for the airport -- going to rally at airports to decry the TSA patdowns and the new scanners. They were actually willing to further tie up traffic at airports to prove their points. And what exactly was their point?
Only one percent -- ONE PERCENT -- of the traveling public have been selected for either the patdowns or the scanners. The rest, as I did, proceeded through TSA processes in accord with the law. And, because I traveled on Tuesday, although the plane was packed, the airport traffic pattern moved perfectly.
I heard someone say the other day "you can either get felt up or blown up" and while that's a funny line, for most travelers the drill is the same as it's been these last nine years. "Remove your shoes and jackets, take your computers out of the case, yadda yadda yadda." We comply like the robotons we've been conditioned to be while traveling. Is it a sad commentary? You betcha! But if just one crazy who has a bomb in his underwear is caught because he is in the one percent chosen for a futher check, so be it.
So don't make further waves and tie up airport traffic and personnel. Just deal with it and go with the flow.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
Travel is . . .
. . .Travel is
A tale of two ships.
I spent four of the last seven days on two new cruise ships. Along with media from all over the country we toured and ate, listened to executives and explored the vessels. It was tiring, but it was fun and the ships? Both were amazing.
I spent Tuesday-Thursday on Seabourn Sojourn, a wonderful vessel and the newest addition to the Seabourn fleet. Earlier ships accommodated 200-something guests. While the new ship - and a sister, Seabourn Odyssey which debuted last year - still have that yacht-like wonderful intimacy, they feature space for 450 guests. Seabourn has long been a favorite for me. I've sailed to some spectacular ports, through South America, and at another time, New England and Canada, but the ship has always been the destination for me.
Seabourn Sojourn will leave Port Everglades for a 109-day world cruise in January. The all-suite ship is delightful. The decor is soothing. The Spa features the newest spa amenities and entertainment is low-key and superb. It is a famously gracious vessel.
Friday - Sunday were spent on Royal Caribbean's new Allure of the Seas, a sister ship to Oasis of the Seas, but five centimeters longer, (that's only two inches, but who's counting?)
The ship is a marvel - 26 places to dine, a dozen lounges, entertainment that ranges from an ice show to an aqua show, from a Broadway show to a parade of DreamWorks characters. Active travelers can choose from Zip Lines, FlowRiders or rock climbing and pools and sunning areas are plentiful.
The ship, which accommodates 5,400 guests, is dynamite and perfect for families and singles, for anyone who enjoys a shipboard vacation with amenities galore.
Both vessels are cutting edge. Technology and design are major components and once again indicate how varied the cruise industry really is.
Two very different ships, part of that proverbial something for everyone that is cruising in the 21st century. Check them out.
A tale of two ships.
I spent four of the last seven days on two new cruise ships. Along with media from all over the country we toured and ate, listened to executives and explored the vessels. It was tiring, but it was fun and the ships? Both were amazing.
I spent Tuesday-Thursday on Seabourn Sojourn, a wonderful vessel and the newest addition to the Seabourn fleet. Earlier ships accommodated 200-something guests. While the new ship - and a sister, Seabourn Odyssey which debuted last year - still have that yacht-like wonderful intimacy, they feature space for 450 guests. Seabourn has long been a favorite for me. I've sailed to some spectacular ports, through South America, and at another time, New England and Canada, but the ship has always been the destination for me.
Seabourn Sojourn will leave Port Everglades for a 109-day world cruise in January. The all-suite ship is delightful. The decor is soothing. The Spa features the newest spa amenities and entertainment is low-key and superb. It is a famously gracious vessel.
Friday - Sunday were spent on Royal Caribbean's new Allure of the Seas, a sister ship to Oasis of the Seas, but five centimeters longer, (that's only two inches, but who's counting?)
The ship is a marvel - 26 places to dine, a dozen lounges, entertainment that ranges from an ice show to an aqua show, from a Broadway show to a parade of DreamWorks characters. Active travelers can choose from Zip Lines, FlowRiders or rock climbing and pools and sunning areas are plentiful.
The ship, which accommodates 5,400 guests, is dynamite and perfect for families and singles, for anyone who enjoys a shipboard vacation with amenities galore.
Both vessels are cutting edge. Technology and design are major components and once again indicate how varied the cruise industry really is.
Two very different ships, part of that proverbial something for everyone that is cruising in the 21st century. Check them out.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Travel is . . .
. . . A section of the Sunday paper.
Granted it is a slimmer section than it was once, ads are fewer and far between, and stories are often syndicated not created out of unique content for the publication. Sunday Travel Sections still own a large piece of my heart and back in the days when papers paid for publication of assigned stories, it was always a thrill for your story to appear on the first page.
Last week I saw the Travel sections of both the Orlando Sentinel and the Miami Herald feature front page stories on the new cruise ship sweepstakes. It was a vital story as these new ships debut this week and will serve as vacation destination
That same week the New York Times Travel section featured the Caribbean. These were once my stomping grounds. About 20 years ago I wrote guidebooks to the region and updated them for a few years afterwards. I got to know the islands - at the time . Everything changes so drastically in tourism in two decades.
A piece on St. Martin/St. Maarten brought back fond memories. I spent a lot of time on that island that is half Dutch and half French - and the best halves of both, I might add.
The French side offers some of the finest cuisine in the Caribbean and used to be home to a sprawling, quiet Orient Beach where clothing was optional. Now, Orient Beach is all built up with timeshares, condos and hotels. Marigot, the capital of the French side of St. Martin provided ferry service, so a quick visit to Anguilla for lunch was fast and easy and elelgant.
Philipsburg, capital of the Dutch side of the island, had great beaches as well - although clothing was always a necessity - and gambling casinos. Hotels across the island were great and shopping quite charming.
I haven't been to St. Martin/Marten in a few years. The last time I took a couple of grandkids on a yacht race and from the sea, the island looked the same.
The Times article include a picture of a plane taking off from Princess Juliana Airport (on the Dutch side) right over one of the most populous beaches. I remember being scared by the noise and the draft. That seems to be the same.
Good memories.
And good travel sections. Keep reading them.
Yesterday's Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel offered a delightful geography quiz compiled by A; Borcover, the former travel editor of The Chicago Tribune.
It was clever and smart and the kind of things newspapers used to do. Components included a match-the-currencies section, a true and false section and one in which readers were supposed to fill in the blank. Borcover has always been a bright guy and kudos to Tribune Newspapers for utilizing his talents so well.
Granted it is a slimmer section than it was once, ads are fewer and far between, and stories are often syndicated not created out of unique content for the publication. Sunday Travel Sections still own a large piece of my heart and back in the days when papers paid for publication of assigned stories, it was always a thrill for your story to appear on the first page.
Last week I saw the Travel sections of both the Orlando Sentinel and the Miami Herald feature front page stories on the new cruise ship sweepstakes. It was a vital story as these new ships debut this week and will serve as vacation destination
That same week the New York Times Travel section featured the Caribbean. These were once my stomping grounds. About 20 years ago I wrote guidebooks to the region and updated them for a few years afterwards. I got to know the islands - at the time . Everything changes so drastically in tourism in two decades.
A piece on St. Martin/St. Maarten brought back fond memories. I spent a lot of time on that island that is half Dutch and half French - and the best halves of both, I might add.
The French side offers some of the finest cuisine in the Caribbean and used to be home to a sprawling, quiet Orient Beach where clothing was optional. Now, Orient Beach is all built up with timeshares, condos and hotels. Marigot, the capital of the French side of St. Martin provided ferry service, so a quick visit to Anguilla for lunch was fast and easy and elelgant.
Philipsburg, capital of the Dutch side of the island, had great beaches as well - although clothing was always a necessity - and gambling casinos. Hotels across the island were great and shopping quite charming.
I haven't been to St. Martin/Marten in a few years. The last time I took a couple of grandkids on a yacht race and from the sea, the island looked the same.
The Times article include a picture of a plane taking off from Princess Juliana Airport (on the Dutch side) right over one of the most populous beaches. I remember being scared by the noise and the draft. That seems to be the same.
Good memories.
And good travel sections. Keep reading them.
Yesterday's Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel offered a delightful geography quiz compiled by A; Borcover, the former travel editor of The Chicago Tribune.
It was clever and smart and the kind of things newspapers used to do. Components included a match-the-currencies section, a true and false section and one in which readers were supposed to fill in the blank. Borcover has always been a bright guy and kudos to Tribune Newspapers for utilizing his talents so well.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Travel is ...
. . . Occasionally awful!
Think of the passengers aboard Carnival Splendor. Their experience defines "awful."
I am not a spokesperson for Carnival Cruise Lines, but many in the media have taken a lot of cheap shots at the Miami-based mega-company. You can be sure that in addition to the 3,500 passengers on the ill-fated ship, Carnival management certainly didn't want the vessel dying in the water off the coast of Mexico a day after departing California for a seven-day trip to the Mexican Riviera.
Many passengers had saved and planned for the cruise for years. For some it was a birthday or anniversary treat. One couple were on their honeymoon. For many it was a family getaway. But for the folks at Carnival it was a big bucks investment going nowhere fast and incurring the wrath of news people around the world. I heard one prominent network political reporter ask "why don't they just bring another ship alongside," as though Carnival has a fleet of empty ships standing by. Another said the crew panicked, a third thought the crew was heroic. On and on it went and finally, three days after the power went off, the passengers disembarked in San Diego with vouchers for future cruises and stories to dine out on for years. And network news went back to what it was doing before.
I would not have enjoyed the experience. Of this I am sure. But it was not a plan. It was not a Carnival itinerary to sail and fail. That's not what cruising is all about. I've been on dozens of Carnival cruises and have found their security measures comforting. In fact all cruise lines these days offer broad-based security.
But on sea, as in life, stuff happens. (And hey, how much fun was the Quantas flight when the engine dropped off?)
Cruising is about enjoying a sea-based vacation. A concept about 13-14 million North American travelers have embraced this year.
Coincidentally, a week after the Splendor experience new ships will be sailing out of Port Everglades: Seabourn Sojourn, Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas, Holland America's Nieuw Amsterdam and Celebrity's Eclipse. Long may they sail.
Think of the passengers aboard Carnival Splendor. Their experience defines "awful."
I am not a spokesperson for Carnival Cruise Lines, but many in the media have taken a lot of cheap shots at the Miami-based mega-company. You can be sure that in addition to the 3,500 passengers on the ill-fated ship, Carnival management certainly didn't want the vessel dying in the water off the coast of Mexico a day after departing California for a seven-day trip to the Mexican Riviera.
Many passengers had saved and planned for the cruise for years. For some it was a birthday or anniversary treat. One couple were on their honeymoon. For many it was a family getaway. But for the folks at Carnival it was a big bucks investment going nowhere fast and incurring the wrath of news people around the world. I heard one prominent network political reporter ask "why don't they just bring another ship alongside," as though Carnival has a fleet of empty ships standing by. Another said the crew panicked, a third thought the crew was heroic. On and on it went and finally, three days after the power went off, the passengers disembarked in San Diego with vouchers for future cruises and stories to dine out on for years. And network news went back to what it was doing before.
I would not have enjoyed the experience. Of this I am sure. But it was not a plan. It was not a Carnival itinerary to sail and fail. That's not what cruising is all about. I've been on dozens of Carnival cruises and have found their security measures comforting. In fact all cruise lines these days offer broad-based security.
But on sea, as in life, stuff happens. (And hey, how much fun was the Quantas flight when the engine dropped off?)
Cruising is about enjoying a sea-based vacation. A concept about 13-14 million North American travelers have embraced this year.
Coincidentally, a week after the Splendor experience new ships will be sailing out of Port Everglades: Seabourn Sojourn, Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas, Holland America's Nieuw Amsterdam and Celebrity's Eclipse. Long may they sail.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Travel is . . .
. . . Whatever gets you there
I wrote, the other day, about my love affair with cruising. I truly enjoy nothing more than being on a ship - not necessarily calling at port after port - but at sea. Maybe having breakfast on my terrace, doing laps around the deck, sitting outside with a good book, taking part in an enrichment lecture. It is my kind of travel.
But for hundreds of thousands of people air travel is the way to go. I saw a story in the Orlando Sentinel on Sunday about people who'd used that Jet Blue air pass to travel hundreds of thousands of miles. For about $600-700 per person these folks purchased the option of unlimited flights wherever the airline goes. An imposed time limit still permitted travel all across the country and to Bermuda. I don't remember all the details, but those who had utilized the program loved it. And even though television gurus are telling us holiday air travel prices are up some 40% from last year, I am sure people will fill air fleets for Thanksgiving and Christmas trips. (I am paying almost twice what I normally pay to fly to Houston for the holiday.)
I knew a writer who only enjoyed train travel. He'd taken trains all over the U.S. but was especially fond of the European train system and had written several books about it. He'd fly to Europe than travel from country to country by rail. That's a concept that makes sense, because unlike airports, train stations in Europe are situated in the center of cities. European train stations usually double as shopping malls where you can pick up a lipstick, a pair of panty hose or a heavy jacket when cold air awaits. The trains are usually clean and on time and it is a sensible mode of travel.
Other people enjoy bus travel, a concept I've never really understood, but it's what turns them on.
You pay your money and you take your choice. The choices are many. But staying home? That's not one of them.
I wrote, the other day, about my love affair with cruising. I truly enjoy nothing more than being on a ship - not necessarily calling at port after port - but at sea. Maybe having breakfast on my terrace, doing laps around the deck, sitting outside with a good book, taking part in an enrichment lecture. It is my kind of travel.
But for hundreds of thousands of people air travel is the way to go. I saw a story in the Orlando Sentinel on Sunday about people who'd used that Jet Blue air pass to travel hundreds of thousands of miles. For about $600-700 per person these folks purchased the option of unlimited flights wherever the airline goes. An imposed time limit still permitted travel all across the country and to Bermuda. I don't remember all the details, but those who had utilized the program loved it. And even though television gurus are telling us holiday air travel prices are up some 40% from last year, I am sure people will fill air fleets for Thanksgiving and Christmas trips. (I am paying almost twice what I normally pay to fly to Houston for the holiday.)
I knew a writer who only enjoyed train travel. He'd taken trains all over the U.S. but was especially fond of the European train system and had written several books about it. He'd fly to Europe than travel from country to country by rail. That's a concept that makes sense, because unlike airports, train stations in Europe are situated in the center of cities. European train stations usually double as shopping malls where you can pick up a lipstick, a pair of panty hose or a heavy jacket when cold air awaits. The trains are usually clean and on time and it is a sensible mode of travel.
Other people enjoy bus travel, a concept I've never really understood, but it's what turns them on.
You pay your money and you take your choice. The choices are many. But staying home? That's not one of them.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Travel is . . .
. . . Comfort
Yesterday a friend said "I still want to travel, but my choice is a cruise. That running through airports, packing and unpacking isn't appealing. I prefer a cruise."
Well, yeah.
A cruise is much easier and much more comfortable than a program of six cities in 10 days or flying 9 hours in a middle seat in coach. Then, when you get to your destination, force yourself to try and stay awake and get on to another time zone experience. Plus with today's dollar exchange rate? Travel overseas is a challenge.
I'm not even referencing age. But cruises make good sense for travelers of all ages.
And, a cruise is comfortable.
Unpack once, see what you choose to see, spend days at the pool, in the spa or the casino and basically do what you want to do. Sightsee in port or enjoy a cool drink in a local hot spot, make new friends or opt to go it alone. You can dance until dawn or take a sunrise hike around deck. The choice is yours.
But if your life-long goal has been to climb Mt. Everest, explore the Galapagos or wander through Istanbul's Grand Bazaar, do it. Make plans to realize that goal.
If you find those experiences a little too physical or too daunting, consider a cruise.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Travel is . . .
. . .Or can be, downright silly.
I went into Bed, Bath and Beyond yesterday to replace a meat thermometer and found an amazing array of themometers to choose from. But I also found a display of luggage scales. Luggage scales!
Imagine a nation so terrified of airlines' baggage charges that travelers struggle to weigh their suitcases before leaving for an airport. Having to weigh bags at home is frankly nuts. Pack with discipline, it's not too hard.
In the last month I heard a story about a woman who was boarding a transAtlantic plane when the ticket agent told her she would have $150 in charges because her suitcase was too heavy. She encouraged my friend to go around the corner and buy another bag for $30 and carry it on.
Scenes of people repacking their luggage in public spaces at airports are common.
When I left Frankfurt for home, three weeks ago, I had accrued paper information on Germany that weighed over three pounds, for which I was being charged. Otherwise my luggage was exactly what I'd left home with. (Oh, I did buy a lipstick in a Hamburg department store, but that was in my purse.) Fortunately all the paper had been packed in an outside pocked and I passed off the offending paper I didn't need to the agent and flew home.
We are at the airlines' mercy. I truly am glad they are making money. I am happy when any business is successful, but this continuing luggage tyranny is rather silly.
But I have to go now, I have a plane to catch. And yes, I am checking my bag. But, I am flying Southwest. They don't charge!
I went into Bed, Bath and Beyond yesterday to replace a meat thermometer and found an amazing array of themometers to choose from. But I also found a display of luggage scales. Luggage scales!
Imagine a nation so terrified of airlines' baggage charges that travelers struggle to weigh their suitcases before leaving for an airport. Having to weigh bags at home is frankly nuts. Pack with discipline, it's not too hard.
In the last month I heard a story about a woman who was boarding a transAtlantic plane when the ticket agent told her she would have $150 in charges because her suitcase was too heavy. She encouraged my friend to go around the corner and buy another bag for $30 and carry it on.
Scenes of people repacking their luggage in public spaces at airports are common.
When I left Frankfurt for home, three weeks ago, I had accrued paper information on Germany that weighed over three pounds, for which I was being charged. Otherwise my luggage was exactly what I'd left home with. (Oh, I did buy a lipstick in a Hamburg department store, but that was in my purse.) Fortunately all the paper had been packed in an outside pocked and I passed off the offending paper I didn't need to the agent and flew home.
We are at the airlines' mercy. I truly am glad they are making money. I am happy when any business is successful, but this continuing luggage tyranny is rather silly.
But I have to go now, I have a plane to catch. And yes, I am checking my bag. But, I am flying Southwest. They don't charge!
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Travel is . . .
. . .Meeting yourself coming and going
About 15 years ago I interviewed a woman who, at the time, lived here in South Florida. She had created the Women's Travel Club a few years earlier. It is a travel group for women of all ages who for a variety of reasons don't want to travel alone and/or don't have a companion to accompany them.
The Club was made up of women of all ages -- women with husbands who couldn't or wouldn't travel, and single women who wanted to see the world. The just didn't want to travel alone. I remember writing about the differences in lives of the women who traveled with the Club, the very different parts of the world they visited and the serendipity of meeting a need.
The founder, Phyllis Stoller, loved to travel. Her husband wasn't quite as enthralled with the traveling life. Phyllis and I kept in touch for years. After my husband passed away three years ago I developed even more respect for the concept of arranging travel experiences for women.
I had lost contact with Phyllis and couldn't find a way of reaching her.
While my work had empowered me to travel alone - I have been doing so for many years - I suddenly understood what a single women faced and how daunting it must be to someone who had never booked a cruise, made airline reservations or traveled alone.
Last week I received an e-mail from Women's Travel Club and, by phone, suddenly reconnected with Phyllis.
She had moved to the northeast, sold the Club to Club ABC Tours and was only recently back working with Women's Travel Club. After catching up on our personal lives, she told me about a few of the current offerings including a pair exciting cruises on Voyages of Antiquities next spring and summer; a trip to India in January; offerings to Ecuador and the Galapagos; Egypt, and Ixtapan Resort and Spa and Mexico.
The group is still successful and she says the all-inclusive prices are popular. For example, several cruises offer single supplements without the high cost usually associated with these accommodations. Among the many women who have traveled with the Club over the years are a 13-year-old girl and women in their 80s.
For more information on traveling with other women, go to www.womenstravelclub.com or call 800-400-4448.
About 15 years ago I interviewed a woman who, at the time, lived here in South Florida. She had created the Women's Travel Club a few years earlier. It is a travel group for women of all ages who for a variety of reasons don't want to travel alone and/or don't have a companion to accompany them.
The Club was made up of women of all ages -- women with husbands who couldn't or wouldn't travel, and single women who wanted to see the world. The just didn't want to travel alone. I remember writing about the differences in lives of the women who traveled with the Club, the very different parts of the world they visited and the serendipity of meeting a need.
The founder, Phyllis Stoller, loved to travel. Her husband wasn't quite as enthralled with the traveling life. Phyllis and I kept in touch for years. After my husband passed away three years ago I developed even more respect for the concept of arranging travel experiences for women.
I had lost contact with Phyllis and couldn't find a way of reaching her.
While my work had empowered me to travel alone - I have been doing so for many years - I suddenly understood what a single women faced and how daunting it must be to someone who had never booked a cruise, made airline reservations or traveled alone.
Last week I received an e-mail from Women's Travel Club and, by phone, suddenly reconnected with Phyllis.
She had moved to the northeast, sold the Club to Club ABC Tours and was only recently back working with Women's Travel Club. After catching up on our personal lives, she told me about a few of the current offerings including a pair exciting cruises on Voyages of Antiquities next spring and summer; a trip to India in January; offerings to Ecuador and the Galapagos; Egypt, and Ixtapan Resort and Spa and Mexico.
The group is still successful and she says the all-inclusive prices are popular. For example, several cruises offer single supplements without the high cost usually associated with these accommodations. Among the many women who have traveled with the Club over the years are a 13-year-old girl and women in their 80s.
For more information on traveling with other women, go to www.womenstravelclub.com or call 800-400-4448.
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