Travel is . . .

Alway changing . . .

I love car travel. It's kind of my own song of the open road. I enjoy throwing my belongings into the car and taking off.

I loved the car trips my parents and I took to visit an aunt and uncle in Michigan or another set in Milwaukee from our Chicago home. I enjoyed loading the car for summer vacations. My dad's unfortunate cigar-smoking habit sometimes made me queasy, but I always enjoyed most of the trips!

Unfortunately, I have been flying a lot more these last few years, but in 2007 my late husband and I put on over 4,000 miles driving throughout the southeast, visiting kids and completing some assignments in Little Rock, Memphis and Natchez. It was great. We visited a lot of Cracker Barrels, but also spent time on Beale Street and at Graceland, toured the amazing Clinton Library and enjoyed our month-long odyssey. I am thrilled we did it when we did.

Last summer a dozen family members and I headed to Naples. Six flew in from Texas, one drove down from Central Florida and the locals and I joined a caravan across Florida to the magnificent white sand beaches of Naples. (Read about Naples, FL at www.SouthernTravelNews.Com,) and now as I head out for the New Year's holiday I wish I were driving.

Given the airline challenges of these last few days the concept of security and on-time flights gets a bit hairy. Can you believe a Cathay Pacific flight sat on the tarmac in New York for 11 hours because no gate was available? Or being told by an over-worked and under-paid gate agent that they won't get home until after the new year?

Of couse gas is reported to be 40 cents a gallon higher this year than last, and some holiday wise men observed gas could be $5 a gallon by mid-2012.

So on that great note, happy new year. I am off to the airport and I hope an easy flight. May all your wishes be granted in 2011.

Travel is . . .

. . . Sky high



Or rather, prices to travel by air are sky high in a time when newspapers are reporting the 20 largest U S airlines collected more the $900 million in baggage-related fees during the third quarter of the year. That is in addition to putting you in a seat!

The airlines netted an obscene $4 billion (with a "b") this year in total add-ons to the price of a ticket.


In other words, overweight baggage helped net these companies - which are enjoying a great financial time right now - a bonanza. Why is that? Is it because someone can't decide between six pair of shoes? A dozen sweaters? Has no concept of packing? Or money to burn?


None of it makes sense. Sure, I don't like shlepping my bag on board, making room and sometimes asking for help putting it into an overhead bin. Worse, I hate fellow travelers who seem to be carting around their entire worldly goods and inevitably conk me on the head with their packages as they try to stow them away. And I am not crazy about waiting for my bag to appear on a luggage carousel.

But I fly a lot.

One secret might be to pack lighter, a trick I had to learn years ago. Stick with one color scheme: black is easy and color can come in a lightweight t-shirt, a scarf or a sweater - all of which are easy to pack. Rather than requiring a major shopping experience before each trip, purchase clothes with the idea of having to pack and live with the item for a long weekend or a even a week. Consider a basic two or three pair of pants or skirts; a dark dress, the right jewelry can work for a business meeting or a theater opening; mix and match tops for the pants or skirt, and make up your mind ahead of time that clothes can be worn more than once. Travel generally is not a fashion show.

I've traveled with veterans who can do a month out of a small duffle bag and with others who need a half dozen sherpas for a three-day weekend just to maneuver suitcases large enough to hide a body.

If it doesn't bother you to pay extra for each suitcase you check, go for it.

If it does, consider flying Southwest which doesn't charge for up to two pieces of luggage, or better yet, pack light.

But $4 billion in add-ons? Wow.

Travel is. . .

. . . A great visual

I saw "The Tourist" yesterday. I am not a film critic, but it is definitely a so-so film: so good and sooooo bad.

Angelina Jolie, while astonishingly beautiful, does little more than vogue and strut. Johnny Depp is as cute as he was on "21 Jump Street," but the true star of the movie is the magnificent setting that is Venice.

I have had the good fortune to have visited Venice several times. The first time we stayed at the magnificent Danieli Hotel, where the two stars land upon their arrival by launch from the train station. We came into Venice the same way, but were content with our small room and bath, not the sprawling suite depicted in the movie.

I loved the drama of the Grand Canal, the beautiful Piazza San Marco - pigeons and all, the elegant Doge's Palace and the wonderful history of this glorious city.

And who, with even a tiny dollop of romance in their soul. wouldn't love to ride a gondola while a sexy gondolier sings songs of love?

All this and more star in the movie. I don't feel cheated because the story is paper thin and the surprise ending no surprise at all,. The scenery, backgrounds and memories of Venice provided a bigger bonus than my free bag of popcorn.

And while the film doesn't feature the pricey ($16 for a cup of coffee five years ago) Cafe Florian or the mass transit vaporettoes, a Bellini cocktail at Harry's American Bar, or strolling around the Rialto bridge, the memories are all there.

So while I didn't love the film, and I do love Venice, it wasn't a bad way to spend and hour-and-a-half.

And a great visual.

Travel is . . .

. . .Often a series of coincidences



Earlier this week I wrote about visiting smaller museums. In essence, I said while the major tourist sites are important, sometimes smaller attractions can be exciting.



Prior to that, I had written a story about Branson, MO for another publication and in it I noted I'd visited an auto museum and seen some remarkable cars.



Both "news items" came into play this week when I attended a holiday party for the Board of Directors of the Memorial Hospital, Memorial South and Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital Auxiliary.



It was a surprise party, inasmuch as Volunteer Director David Reinmund, planned it as a surprise for our members, keeping the destination a secret until we arrived. We met at the hospital, boarded a bus and were taken to - drum roll, please -- the Fort Lauderdale Antique Car Museum.



We were served a magnificent catered luncheon and toured an amazing collection of 39 Packard cars, dating back to 1916. Beautiful luxury autos, with lace curtains, charming crystal flower holders and wondrous hood ornaments are the collection of the late Arthur and Shirley Stone. Shirley, now 92, runs the attraction with help from her family.



All the cars are in working order and the 20,000 square foot building is stocked with a great deal of Packard memorabilia, including cars belonging to many celebrities and statesmen. The building was designed as a Packard showroom from the 1920s.



The museum is located at 1527 SW First Ave., Ft. Lauderdale, http://www.antiquecarmuseum.org/ and worth a visit.



Once again, serendipity.

Travel is. . .

. . . Looking at the bigger picture

Which is sometimes looking for something smaller.

Any of us who travel get sightseeing advice all the time. "Don't miss this, don't miss that," we're told. For example when it comes to museums, dedicated travelers know that there are plenty of givens no one should miss. Especially when it comes to the world's largest cities.

Consider in Paris, one goes to the Louvre; New York, it's MOMA, London, the British Museum, Washington, D.C., the Smithsonian. In Chicago, my hometown, I always recommend the Museum of Science and Industry. I first went with a fourth grade class and have been back may times since. I have a high school reunion next fall and hope to go again.

But in the process we can miss something that can be even more relevant: Smaller museums that reflect things much more contemporary than mummies or skeletons.

For example the Andy Griffith Museum in Mt. Airy, N.C., documents the entire
"Andy of Mayberry" concept, a delightful slice of Americana. Griffith portrayed America in a more benign time, when life was simple and lifestyles even more so.

More than 50,000 visitors explored the museum in its first year in its permanent home - that's 10,000 more than were expected, and they came from 50 states and 47 countries.

Without planning to I toured the Branson Auto Museum in Branson, MO where I saw a car used in the film "Robo Cop," another used by Steve McQueen and a 1964 Chevy Impala like one I owned when it was new. I loved it.

Sometime these smaller museums, that don't always make the top 10 or someone's "don't miss" lists can be very satisfying and serendipitious.

Travel is . . .

. . . Research

Some 40 years ago, when my husband and I were making our first trip to England, I went to the library and brought home an armful of guidebooks. I selected a variety of books about England, Scotland and Wales and researched the areas we planned to visit.

Twenty-odd years later I was writing and contributing to guidebooks about the Caribbean and cruising. Doing that early research was largely responsible for my decision to write about travel.

In the interim the concept of guidebooks has altered considerably.

Today, someone contemplating a first trip to England - or outer space for that matter - can log on to the Internet, hit a few buttons and voila! all the information you can imagine about restaurants, hotels, sightseeing attractions, local transportation, sporting events, etc. is at your fingertips. (Okay, I don't know about the restaurants in outer space.) Hit print, and you've the material.

Of course not all sites are reliable, but sites sponsored by the country, hotel chain, cruise line or other verifiable sources are sound. The bottom line is while guidebooks can still be found at Barnes & Nobel and Borders, there are fewer today -- and fewer people use them.

Today's hottest technology is to use an "app," on an IPhone (or like electronic device) that serves as a guide to wherever you are visiting. You pay a fee and the material is updated and whether you go to Seattle tomorrow or in three months, you'll have the current information.

(That was always the problem with guidebooks. Often by the time the book was published, the information was outdated.)

But now a new form of travel information has arisen. A personal experience, so to speak.

A friend has a grandaughter at school in Italy. This young woman has taken several trips with school friends around Europe and has blogged her experiences. My grandson is at school in London. He plans a trip to several of the cities my friend's grandaughter has visited. I forwarded a copy of her blog to my grandson who was thrilled to get the information. (What a 20-something chooses to visit in Paris is not necessarily what grandma recommends, so he now has a new "guidebook.")

But guidebooks and guidebook authors still exist, but today they are more often than not Internet based.

Like my friend's grandaughter's blog.