Travels With Jane

Visit me at my new address

2008-05-09T13:10:00.000-07:00

My blog has moved. You'll find me from now on at the new Travels with Jane.

The idea is the same: tips, deals, trip logs, photos and conversations about travel strategies and issues. I hope you'll bookmark the new address and visit often. Make it easy on yourself and sign up for an RSS feed.

See you there!

Affordable spa - a fab find

2008-05-07T07:09:00.000-07:00

I've never done the destination spa thing because, well, it's expensive. And, I figured, the benefits wouldn't last. As much as I love a good massage, the rosy glow of relaxation lasts only a few hours before I'm heading back toward Stress Level A.

But when a friend suggested meeting at the Ixtapan Spa in Mexico, I plunked down the credit card. Between a dying parent, wacko workplace, a Zero birthday and The Husband's emergency appendectomy, I needed a break. And the price was right: $830 for a four-night package including a single room, all meals and a bunch of services (three massages, two reflexologies, two golf lessons, mani-pedi and more.) Book a spa day at a top spot in South Florida, and you'll end up with a tab of $785 for the day.

So what did I find? A comfy -- though not luxurious -- hotel in the mountains two hours south of Mexico City, aerobics and yoga classes (I bypassed the morning walks and water aerobics), a sweet safe town, two big pools, tasty food, beautiful golf course (I actually took a lesson) and tennis courts (I passed).

Well worth it -- even when you add in 16 percent taxes and airfare. Transportation can be a killer -- roundtrip from Mexico City costs $360 in the hotel van -- but if you go with a gang, you can split that amount for up to four people, which make it a much more manageable $90 per person roundtrip.

Taking a little vacation

2008-04-30T15:34:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm taking a few days off, meeting a friend of a spa weekend in Mexico.

I can use both the R&R and the girl time. Usually I travel alone or with The Husband. The idea of some wine and bonding seems like just the tonic ... and especially at these prices.

At home I avoid spas for the sheer cost. But this experience at Ixtapan Spa costs $830 for four nights lodging in a single room, a host of spa treatments and all my spa cuisine.

I'll let you know how it goes. And here's to losing a little weight...my jeans are stretched to the max.

Buy asap for this fab deal

2008-04-29T11:57:00.000-07:00

Spirit Airlines is offering one of it's supercheap deals...36 cents from Fort Lauderdale to Freeport, reports SmarterTravel.com. You must purchase by April 30 and travel May 4, 5, 6, 11, 13 or 18.

Surcharges: What do you think?

2008-04-24T06:58:00.000-07:00

Given the hyperspeed rise of gasoline prices, it's no surprise that cruise lines and airlines have imposed fuel surcharges. And who can blame them -- especially after Delta Airlines' grim quarterly report of a $6.93 billion loss. Northwest posted a $4.1 billion loss. While both companies took some one-time losses, both said the high fuel costs were part of the problem.

No, it's not the fuel surcharges that have me steamed, it's the way they -- and taxes -- are buried on websites. Whether you're booking a cruise -- Oceania just imposed an $10 per person per day fuel surcharge, following the lead of most other major cruise lines -- ir airline ticket, in most cases, you can't see how those surcharges are affecting the bottom line until you go all the way through the booking process. And that generally applies whether you're booking online or on the phone, I've found.

Worse yet, agree consumer advocates, are hotel surcharges, which rack up a reported $1.6 billion in revenues annually.

You've probably seen them on your bill: "Resort fees'' imposed by resorts, "energy surcharges'' and additional fees for items like in-room safes.

To a traveler, this falls between nickel-and-diming and downright deceit. The hotels have long ago installed both the safes and the resort facilities. In fact, the practice has come under legal fire, and the Wyndham chain is being sued. (Because of pending litigation the company declined to comment.)

Earlier this week I got hit with a $2.50 per night surcharge at a Sleep Inn in Orlando. It was disclosed when I booked on the website as a fee for using the safe. When the woman in front of me asked to have the fee removed at check-out because she didn't use the safe, the clerk refused. And of course, the clerk refused me, too.

That's a no-no, said Rocco Loverro, spokesman for Choice Hotels, which operates Sleep Inn, Comfort Inn, Quality and other brands. And if the hotel refuses, the consumer can contact Choice's corporate headquarter.

Choice recognizes this is a consumer hot-button. Though all of its properties are individually owned, the company is working toward a "seamless billing'' initiative, said Loverro. That means surcharges would be folded into the rate. But there's no timetable for completion.

Have you had a similar experience? What's your view? Click to comment below.

Busch Gardens: Tiger in the Tank

2008-04-23T12:13:00.000-07:00

Who knew that tigers like to swim? That orangutans like to paint? Or that there really is a theme park area just for tweeners?

Welcome to Jungala, the new 4-plus acre area at Busch Gardens Africa in Tampa.

The animal exhibits here -- tigers, orangutans, flying foxes -- are all from Asia. And you can get up-close and personal without risking limbs, thanks to some wonderfully inventive see-through barriers and viewing areas that put you right inside the exhibits. (Of course, you can still hear the roller coaster roaring overhead.)

There's a giant rope jungle gym with totaly enclosed byways so kids can't fall through (or get pushed by a sibling), a "zip-line'' ride just for kids and a "surge'' ride that's only 35 feet tall, which is just about right for kids who aren't ready for the 'coaster (and the adults who aren't ready for them either!)

Of all the new attractions I saw this year on my annual dash through the theme parks, Jungala is the one that most captured my imagination. If there's another place you can watch tigers swim just behind a glass, or play tug-of-war with a tiger, I haven't seen it yet.

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Photos by JANE WOOLDRIDGE / THE MIAMI HERALD

The Disney report

2008-04-23T10:27:00.000-07:00

This year, most of Disney's news happens at the park formerly known as Disney-MGM Studios, now called Disney's Hollywood Studios.

No, we're not talking about new park areas or major changes. There is one new ride on the way -- that's the 3D Toy Story Mania! ride through shoot out -- but it doesn't debut until late May. Meanwhile, Studios offers three smaller but energetic additions. Times for each can change daily so you'll need to consult the park schedule when you arrive.

Last December, the megahit High School Musical 2: Schools Out! literally rolled into the park. Think singers and dancers on a stage that glides through the "streets'', stopping at Mickey's Magic Scorcerer Hat. Kids are encouraged to join in, which means every little girl (and a few big ones too) can have her shot at a moment of cheerleadering glory.

New is the musical parade Block Party Bash. Floats decked with characters from Toy Story, Monsters Inc. and other Pixar faves winds through the park, then stops for a high-energy dance party where -- once again -- pint-sized partiers are invited to join the festivities.

For the smallest park visitors, Playhouse Disney Live offers a chance to learn a few of life's lessons (the importance of friends, everyone can play an important role) in the company of Mickey, Minnie, Tigger and Pooh and Roo. The show offer plenty of chances for kids to clap and dance along -- yes, it's a pattern -- so they won't get bored.

At Epcot, Spaceship Earth has been refreshed -- the story line used to end about 1980 -- with the addition of touch-screen interaction and a new voice-over by Dame Judi Dench. But the most fun may come in the "post-show'' at the ride's end called Project Tomorrow, when parkgoers can make postcards based on photos shot during the ride, explore the human body via a 3-D game and find out what happens during an auto accident -- courtesy of technology by Siemens.

Oh, and lest the Disney PR people bang me on the head for forgetting, the annual Epcot Flower & Garden Festival runs through June 1. (Don't miss the topiaries, which are truly amazing.)

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Photos by JANE WOOLDRIDGE / THE MIAMI HERALD

The Simpsons hit Universal

2008-04-22T17:55:00.000-07:00

Marge, Homer and the gang have made it to Universal Studios.

That's the big news this summer at Universal, both in Orlando and Hollywood. (Both Disney and Universal are opening attractions simultaneously on coasts east and west --- one has to figure it's at least a little more economical.)

Here's the drill: Our old buddy Krusty the Clown is opening a new theme park, and the Simpsons are getting the first ride. Little do they know that the evil Sideshow Bob has sneaked himself into a character suit and is running amok throughout the park with the idea of destroying it all. Trouble ensues -- hey, this is a theme park ride -- but in the end all's well that ends well. (But you knew that.)

The new ride, which debuts late next month, is stationed in the old Back to the Future space (now that Future is past, so to speak.) You'll hardly recognize the place; just about the only things that are the same are the actual massive building and the mechanical pads that the motion simulators sit on. Yup, this is a simulation ride .... though based on our preview, you'll hardly notice you're not actually spinning in the air.

Tomorrow, we'll catch up on Disney!

Aquatica: Cool new water park

2008-04-21T18:53:00.000-07:00

The big news in Orlando is Aquatica, the water park opened in March by SeaWorld (and located just across the street.) Aquatica mixes water slides, lazy rivers, falls, wave pools, a wet jungle-gym type area for little kids -- and animal interactions. There's nothing else quite like it, and mom Deborah Poppe from Long Island rated it the best attraction in Orlando for her kids, ages 4 and 5. "It's amazing,'' she said.

Teens, families and young adults all rated the park as a A-plus -- all except one mom, who came up to the park operations manager while we were talking about complained that she'd be searching for 30 minutes and couldn't find a place to sit with her baby and two other children. Aquatica is on the case, said operations manager Bryan Nadreau. He's already added 1,000 chairs since the park opened, and another 500 are on order.

Park officials say the signature attraction is Dolphin Plunge, which allows riders to zip through a tube atop a wooden tower down 250 feet of clear tubes that run through the habitat of four Commerson's dolphins. Lines were long, lasting about 45 minutes. But a few riders we spoke with thought it wasn't worth the wait. "I couldn't see anything,'' said Erin Cottet of Orlando. But the rest of the park got a big thumbs up.

A really great steak

2008-04-21T18:32:00.000-07:00

Theme parks aren't known for their culinary prowess, but every now and then you get surprised. Tonight I had a meal at Le Cellar, the steak house in the Canada area of Epcot.

Report: Killer Prince Edward Island mussells in Thai coconut curry sauces, and one of the best filet mignon I've had in a while...even at The Palm.

Report from Theme Park Central

2008-04-20T17:25:00.001-07:00

It's a Sunday night in April, and even on insane I-Drive things are (relatively) quiet. It's a perfect time to be Central Florida checking on the newest offerings from the theme parks.

Tomorrow, I'll visit Universal, the new Aquatica water park near SeaWorld and Disney. Look for my report tomorrow night (or if I get really carried away, Tuesday morning!)

Europe for cheap...well, cheaper

2008-04-16T13:10:00.000-07:00

Experts predicted it, and here it comes: Fixed-dollar rates.

European hotels aching for U.S. business are starting to promise rates fixed in U.S. dollars at a substantial discount over what you'd pay at today's eggregious dollar-euro exchange rate. And British Airways is offering discounts for travelers who book in its World Traveller Plus class (that's Premium Economy, with more leg-room but not all the other biz-class frills.)

A few examples:

The Stafford in London promises a fixed rate of $1.80 per 1 pound if you book directly with the hotel by calling 011 44 20 7493 0111. That offer is good throughout 2008.
Worldhotels is offering a $1 to 1 euro rate for its European hotels booked from the U.S. through June 30. That means a hotel whose rate is 150 euros will charge only $150 during this period when booked in advance from the U.S.

Travel agent Nancy McLemore at Coral Gables-based TraveLeaders is telling us she's seeing more and more dollar-fixed rates offered to travel agents. Word to the wise: If you're looking for a Europe hotel this year, you might want to call an agent first.

The merger: Bad news for travelers?

2008-04-15T07:55:00.000-07:00

That's the buzz out in the bloggesphere. The proposed Delta - Northwest merger -- which will create the world's biggest carrier in terms of traffic -- will probably mean a cut in seats on some routes and decreased customer service, reported Travel Mole, an industry report, which wrote:

Consumer advocate Christopher Elliott doubts the company spin that the new entity will result in "a stronger, more resilient airline that will be a leader in providing customer service and value.''

On his Today in the Sky blog, USA Today staffer Ben Mutzabaugh reports that a United / Continental merger may be just around the corner.

In these economic times, you have to figure that a merger might be better for consumers than a continuation of the airline shutdowns we saw in recent weeks, when Skybus, ATA and Aloha shut down, and Frontier filed for Chapter 11. But as frequent flier, I can't believe that service will improve.

Free market supporters may argue that the market will win out, but if it does, I'm sorry to suggest that consumers probably won't. If we had a true Open Skies with all airlines around the world competing equally, that might actually happen...but I'm not betting on it. The barriers to entry are simply too high, and some niche markets too small, for a pure "open market'' to yield the kind of service I'd like to see in the skies.

Part of the problem is us. Me. I want cheap fares. And so does most everyone else I know. But I also want reasonable service -- and with consolidation, it's ever-less likely. Which puts me in favor of a basic Airline Passenger Bill of Rights.

What about you? Vote at right or click to comment below.

Airline woes will continue

2008-04-10T12:12:00.000-07:00

That's the latest from the soothsayers.

The Associated Press is reporting that delays are likely to get worse throughout the summer, though it may not be because of maintenance issues. (New York area airports and those in Chicago (O'Hare) and Minneapolis will be worst hit, they project.)

Randall Travel Marketing, a respected trend watcher, thinks more regional airline carriers may go under in wake of rising fuel costs. They mention a story from Airline Weekly: "Aloha Airlines and Skybus joined ATA in bankruptcy recently. Alitalia is also on the brink of bankruptcy. RTM expects to see this trend continue throughout 2008 due to rising fuel costs and weak management plans. Mostly affected will be smaller, regional carriers."

Get advice and more info from travel advocate Christopher Elliott, columnist for MSNBC.

What to do if you're delayed

2008-04-10T08:44:00.000-07:00

Whether you're stuck now in the rash of American Airlines cancellations or plan to travel this summer, chances are good that you'll be stuck at some point.

We've published tips for coping before, but you might not have needed them then. So here they are again:

Call ahead to double-check on your flight.
Register your cell number with your airline.
Bring a cellphone, and keep your airline and/or travel agent's phone number handy. You can usually call ahead to rebook.
Have the phone numbers of people you are meeting, hotels where you're staying and car rental agencies, so you can advise them of changes.
Book hotels that allow you to cancel. Some online services have 24-hour cancellation policies and will charge you for the first night regardless of the reason for delay.
Build in an an extra day between your flight arrival and the departure of your cruise or tour for travel insurance. Compare policies at www.insuremytrip.com.
Keep toys and extra diapers handy.
Bring snacks. Airlines rarely offer meals anymore, and airport offerings can be limited at best.

What do you think about air safety?

2008-04-10T07:30:00.000-07:00

Is it safe to fly? I have no way of knowing, any more than any other average consumer. But I can tell you that it's not something I worry about.

You can argue all day long about whether the FAA is doing the job it should, whether airlines are trying to cut costs, and whether the current grounding of AA flights is as much about political showmanship -- as some stories have suggested -- as it is safety. If this is like most everything else, there's probably a little bit of truth in all those things.

Personally, I'm more concerned about traffic control in the air and near misses than I am about safety at one publicly-held airline. Market economics have severe limitations, but any airline that doesn't put safety first is going to end up with problems that can wreck the entire company -- and no management team or board of directors is going to be in favor of that.

Will the current mess keep me off planes? Not a chance. While I've had plenty of arguments with AA over the years -- I'm a million miler -- those arguments are related to sometimes surly service, not safety.

For some people, flying evokes a primeval fear, and any turbulence is reason to cling to the ground. Me, I drive regularly in Miami-Dade County. I guarantee you, flying on any U.S. airline is safer.

What do you think? Click to Comment below.

Cell phones in the skies?

2008-04-08T08:05:00.001-07:00

If you're flying over Europe, you'll soon be able to yammer away on your cell phone. But not in the U.S. -- at least yet.

The European Union has confirmed what many of us have long suspected: the turn-off-your-cell rule isn't a safety issue per se. But it could be a sanity issue.

Europeans use their mobile phones differently from Americans. They tend to text -- much cheaper in Europe than calling -- and talk briefly. Yes, right, fine, thanks, ciao.

Americans, as we all well know, use their phones as an extension of their personal space. A trip to my local grocery is an involuntary expedition into fellow shoppers' health issues, marital distress, love affairs -- and in amazingly graphic detail. It's not unusual to find someone so engrossed in their business negotiation or gossipfest that they stop in mid-aisle or forget to pull out money at the register.

Now, let's take that scenario to the skies. 3B is yelling about the deal that went south, 12C is placing a bet with his bookie, 14D is making a salon appointment, 16A is chattering about last night's hot date, and the teen in 22C is plotting parental revenge. My husband is the guy complaining -- loudly -- that his Bose noise-cancelling earphones aren't protection enough, and whose stupid idea was this cellphone thing anyway?

With those images in mind, I think I'm in favor of keeping the cell switch turned off in-flight.

What about you? Click to comment below and take our poll at right.
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NOTE: We removed the poll to add our most recent question about airline safety. But the cell phone issue was a hot button: 128 people voted the first day, with 20 percent in favor of allowing cell phones in the air and 80 percent against.

Can travel insurance help?

2008-04-06T12:38:00.000-07:00

With the recent troubles at three airlines … Aloha, Skybus and ATA … you may be wondering how to protect your vacation. Travel insurance may provide an answer -- but it doesn't always. Here are a few things to consider:

Never buy insurance from the travel provider; instead, go with a reputable third-party insurer. You'll find them at Insure My Trip and Quote Wright . Both firms represent highly-rated travel insurance companies.
Be sure the policy you are considering covers the conditions that concern you most. Nearly all package policies include trip interruption, baggage loss, medical evacuation, medical care and trip delay. But coverage amounts vary … and so do conditions. One policy may kick in if your mother dies but not your favorite uncle. Look online, then call to be sure.
Check to see your travel providers are covered. Some insurance companies only cover travel firms on a pre-approved "white list;" others won't cover companies on their "black list." (Tip: Look under financial default.)
Buy insurance immediately after you book your trip to be sure all pre-existing conditions are covered. But know that you can buy trip insurance as late as the day you travel; you'll simply forgo coverage of prexisting conditions.
Ask the insurance broker if your trip is covered if you purchased directly with the airline or other travel supplier. A few policies cover you only if you purchased trip elements through a travel agent.
Buy enough coverage to be sure you can get home in an emergency. Buying a last-minute ticket in high season can cost several thousand dollars.
Doublecheck hurricane policies. Nearly all policies will cover you if a hurricane actually hits … but most will make you leave on a planned trip even if a hurricane warning has been issued for your home city.
Few policies cover civil unrest. When turmoil errupted in Kenya early this year, few insurance policies paid for trip cancellations.
Look carefully at terrorism definitions. Many policies will cover a cancellation only if terrorism erupts on a city on your itinerary … but not if it hits elsewhere in the country you are visiting.

Airfare wars

2008-04-02T09:19:00.000-07:00

Got the money blues? The airlines must, too, because there's a new round of cheap fares out there.

Our friends at SmarterTravel and Hotwire have alerted us to fare wars at American Airlines and Southwest, and British Airways has also announced a sale.

The rub: The fares are fine, but fuel surcharges and taxes can really rack up the final price. And the best fares often limited to schedules that aren't always convenient, usually on Saturdays and mid-week. You know the drill: Book asap or you're toast.

Here are a few samples:

AA

American's sale includes a dozen-plus destinations from Fort Lauderdale and about the same from Miami.

The price from Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles, for instance, is only $218 roundtrip ... but when you add in taxes, etc., the final cost is $260 (which is still a bargain.)

From Miami, you can fly to New Orleans for a fare of $162 roundtrip -- a total of $175 with taxes and fees.

SOUTHWEST

For this sale, you have to book by April 17 with at least 14-days' advance notice. Lowest fares range from $49 to $99 each way. Locally, Southwest serves Fort Lauderdale.

Sample fare: We were able to find a Lauderdale to Las Vegas fare of $241.50, including all the taxes and fees, but we had to hunt around for days when the cheapest fare was available. Lauderdale to Manchester, N.H. (near Boston) priced out at $183.

BRITISH AIRWAYS

Book by April 10 for discounts on travel to Europe through May 25. We aren't talking dirt cheap -- we found a Miami-Madrid fare for May for $860 including taxes -- but BA will throw in a $50 discount if you book car rental or hotel through them with your flight.

Hint: You might do better to buy a cheap flight to New York, then purchase a separate ticket from New York to Europe. Case in point: We found a roundtrip fare from New York to London for $544.61; from Miami the cheapest we could snag was $797. But if you do this, be sure to leave plenty of extra time between your New York and Miami flights; if you miss a leg, you could have to pay full fare.Got the money blues? The airlines must, too, because there's a new round of cheap fares out there.

Is the economy shrinking your vacation?

2008-04-01T05:40:00.000-07:00

I'm in Asheville, N.C. (more about that later!) at a conference of the Southeast Tourism Society. One of the questions under discussion: How will the economy affect travel this year?

It's a subject we've reported on at the Miami Herald. Our reporting -- along with the research of some pretty smart people -- tells us that vacation time is sacred. Despite the economic downtown, Americans will continue to take vacations this year. But they may scale back, stay closer to home, eat in less-grand restaurants or downscale their accommodations. And they probably won't be going to Europe.

What are you doing? Answer our poll at right or click below to Comment.

RESULTS OF OUR PREVIOUS POLL

Q: Can a "deal'' such as an extra night free or free gas influence your vacation decision?

Definitely: 25 percent
Possibly: 43 percent.
Unlikely: 30 percent.

Airports: The biggest loser

2008-03-25T07:51:00.001-07:00

Last week, we asked you to vote on the airport you deemed the worst. We took our choices from a list from US News that ranked the nations five worst as Chicago O'Hare, Newark, San Francisco, Dallas/Fort Worth and Miami International.

Those of you who voted in our poll say US News got it wrong. More than 60 percent of the 226 who voted deemed MIA as the worst. Does that mean it's really so bad, or just that -- as Shakespeare would claim -- familiarity breeds contempt?

You tell us. Click to Comment below.

Poll results

Q: In your opinion, which of the following airport's is the nation's worst?

Miami International, 61 percent
Chicago O'Hare, 14 percent
Newark, 13 percent
Dallas/Fort Worth, 6 percent
San Francisco, 3 percent

Are you a weekend cruiser?

2008-03-25T07:46:00.000-07:00

Hi. I'm looking for people who are frequent weekend cruisers (averaging more than one per year) for a story I'm writing. If you fit the bill and would be willing to talk about what you do (and don't) like about them, please e-mail me at jwooldridge@MiamiHerald.com.

Sail on!

Tibet darkens

2008-03-20T08:20:00.001-07:00

In Sunday's Miami Herald and online at our website, we'll publish my story about Tibet. I've been there twice now, once last summer and the first time, in 1991. We had planned to run our coverage about my July 2007 visit in a few weeks, but the sad events of the past week forced us to rethink -- and rewrite.

Most Westerners familiar with Tibet's story side with Tibetans. The Chinese forceably annexed the country in 1950; in the years since, the death toll due to execution, prison camps and suicide has numbered above 1 million, according the Tibetan goverment in exile. The death count in the current uprising varies but reports put it as high as 80.

The situation clearly is a mess. The Dalai Lama -- Tibet's spiritual leader and head of the government in exile -- has decried the violence and requested a meeting with Chinese leaders. Chinese leaders have refused. Meanwhile, young Tibetans and exiles have complained that the Dalai Lama's methods are too tame.

No win seems likely here, but that's what miracles are for. So the world -- Tibetan, Chinese and the rest of us -- will wait and see.

Meanwhile, these websites will help keep you up to date:

Dalai Lama
Tibetan Government in Exile
Official Government Tibet website in English(down when we checked it)
The Miami Herald
Associated Press
South China Morning Post
The Straits Times
Human Rights Watch

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Photo by Jane Wooldridge / The Miami Herald

The World's Worst Airport?

2008-03-16T05:55:00.000-07:00

Now, I have to admit that Miami International is high on my list of Places Needing Improvement. Granted, the new South Terminal is pretty spiffy, and the new shops in the old terminal are a huge step-up. Still, there's more than a little work left to be done -- like speeding up the luggage delivery (and seeing that nothing is missing from your bag), fixing the escalators, etc.

But is it among the nation's worst airport? Well, yes, according to a story by US News (reported by TravelMole, an industry news cruncher.)

US News distilled government numbers to come up with an Airport Misery Index, based largely on delay records and load factors. (I'd throw in a few more factors, such as quality of airport staffing. Last trip through MIA, the non-local travelers in front of me were aghast to learn that at the Versailles outlet on our concourse, no prices were posted, the staff largely didn't speak English, only one person seemed to know the prices -- and they were truly outrageous.)

The 10 worst, according to the US News rankings:

Chicago O'Hare
Newark
San Francisco
Dallas/Fort Worth
Miami
Las Vegas
Charlotte
JFK in New York
Atlanta
Seattle-Tacoma

Least stressful, according to the report: San Jose.

Of course, none of these compares with some of the international airports I visit. Both London Heathrow -- which blessedly just opened a new terminal -- and Charles de Gaulle can try a traveler's patience to the max. But worst I've ever seen, anywhere: Douala, Cameroon. The place is a dump, the AC doesn't work, the temperatures even in the cool season are hellish and the bribe factor -- well, that's another story, but let's just say you'd better come with cash in hand.

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GOT A LEAST-FAVE AIRPORT? CLICK TO COMMENT BELOW, OR VOTE AT RIGHT

Europe trip recap

2008-03-12T12:50:00.000-07:00

If you're reading this blog and you feel like you've been whiplashed from Italy to Britain to some weird industry event called Seatrade -- well, you have. Due to jetlag, I failed to explain that soon as I landed in Miami I headed right over to Seatrade, an annual industry convention.

And now, I'm back in my office at 1 Herald Plaza, the yellow egg-crate overlooking Biscayne Bay (though not in my personal office, which overlooks the legal and education reporters), busily cranking out a story on Vatican City for Easter and finishing up my tallies for the Europe trip.

Herewith, the final tally. For more details on traveling to Europe this fall, check out Sunday's Miami Herald in print or online. (Hey, it looks snazzier in print, I'm telling you.)

Our report:

Hotels are cheapest when booked through websites like Hotels.com, Venere.com and Lastminute.com. Prices are prepaid, so we were protected when the dollar dropped during the trip. (When we e-mailed the hotels directly for rate quotes, we found them more expensive than booking with the above sites.)
City passes that include public transportation and some museum entries can save money … but they don't always. Think realistically about what youére likely to do before you buy the pass.
In cities, public transportation is far cheaper than a taxi. Most cities offer day passes that include both metro and buses. (In Rome, youéll pay about $6; in London, about $7.)
Train tickets are often expensive, and even with the price of gas, if youére
traveling tandem, you may be better off renting a car for that jaunt into the countryside than taking the train.
Car rental generally is cheaper when you prepay via a discount car rental site … but not always. It pays to shop around on the Internet.
Lodging and food are both considerably cheaper in the countryside than in cities like Rome and London. But you can snag good-quality meals in big cities if you eat your big meal at lunch and avoid the temptation to go gourmet.
Small things can add up. When the dollar is trading at $1.53 to the euro, that ice cream costs $2.50, the espresso $3 and parking $4.50. Don't even consider a latte.

The really good news: Even at the current exchange rates, some things are a bargain. In Italy, good-quality local wines averaged $4.50 for a lusty glass of house red. When you figure a glass of wine in Miami costs $8-15, you might as well keep sipping. It will take the edge off your credit card bill.

Going fast: Air sales to Europe

2008-03-12T12:24:00.000-07:00

In the last 24 hours, air sales to Europe have hit the Internet. Most are good for spring and at least part of summer -- something that rarely happens. This means you can save on your airfare, even if the dollar exchange rate drives you to ruin once you arrive.

A few announced sales:

British Airways: Purchase by midnight Thursday, March 13, for sale fares to London for travel from May 26 - Sept. 3. Sample fare: $474 each way (about $1,118 roundtrip with taxes) traveling mid-week
American Airlines: Purchase by March 26 for fares as low as $390 (plus those whomping taxes and surcharges). Leave by May 15, return by June 14. Sample fare: $776 roundtrip midweek from Miami to Paris including taxes.

Don't see the dates you want? Our advice is to just wait a little while. Given the current economic indicators, we're betting you'll see more fare sales. But they probably won't get cheaper.

The next big cruise destination...

2008-03-11T12:02:00.001-07:00

Count on it being Asia. Those are the indications from this week's Seatrade industry convention, where Singapore, Taiwan and Korea have all announced new cruise terminals or other initiatives.

Already, Royal Caribbean has a ship in the east, and so do several other smaller, luxury lines. But the new cruise terminals aren't just aimed at North American cruises -- they're also aimed at people who live in that region, say cruise execs. In other words, before you book your Asia cruise, ask about menus.

Six miles of ships

2008-03-11T11:23:00.001-07:00

Crusing is still a deal. That was the message this morning at Seatrade, an annual industry get-together where the CEOs of major cruise lines deliver their "state of the union'' panel.

As proof, Stein Kruse, president of Holland America Line, said he recently looked at cruise brochures from the 1980s, the 1990s and today. Prices for a week-long cruise have remained about the same, he noted -- and that's without adjusting for inflation and other factors.

In real terms, that means the price of cruising has gotten cheaper. (These days, you can often get a Caribbean cruise for about $100 per person per day. European cruises cost a little more, but your costs are set in U.S. dollars -- a bonus at a time that exchange rates are plummeting daily.)

The relative value of a cruise that includes food, lodging and transportation from port to port is one reason that cruise executives remain bullish on their industry, despite the economic slump. About 12.8 million passengers are expected to sail in 2008 on the major lines that are members of the Cruise Lines International Association -- about 200,000 more than in 2007.

Member cruise lines will introduce 36 new ships by 2012, reported Dan Hanrahan, president of Celebrity/Azamara cruises and chief of CLIA's marketing committee. Put them all end-to-end, and they'd stretch six miles long, he said.

Priceless -- at any cost

2008-03-09T11:04:00.000-07:00

My time in Italy was business. But as I said in the first posting about this trip, these last days, in the U.K., have been a personal trip to celebrate the wedding of my niece, Kim, whose first backpacking trip was chronicled in The Miami Herald nearly 15 years ago.

Thanks to the wonders of the Internet, Kim met and fell in love with Henry Romero, raised in both England and Spain. They married yesterday in near Winchester, in the south of England, at the 18th century Marwell Hall, once owned by Jane Seymour's family. It's a splendid manor home -- walnut fireplaces, leaded windows, a grand staircase -- that is now the centerpiece of the Marwell Zoological Park.

English weddings are a grand and lengthy business, with a formal legal ceremony followed by champagne and hors d'oeuvres (while the bride and groom were having their photos taken with the zoo's lemurs), a wedding breakfast (this is the name of the meal, no matter the menu or time of day), followed by dancing and more wine and more food. A grand moment.

And herewith, the newly married couple, Kimberly Wooldridge Romero and Enrique Romero. Best wishes!

Stonehenge - worth the price

2008-03-09T08:15:00.000-07:00

Nothing in Britain is cheap, but even at the horrific exchange rate, the sites are unbeatable. The adult ticket to Stonehenge costs $13, but even though I've been here twice before, visiting this 5000-year-old stone circle is a moving experience. Legends and theories about the who and why -- Merlin? Giants? The devil? Aliens? -- but more intriquing, said my nephew Rob, is the how. Which of course nobody knows.

"People always say you'll be disappointed by Stonehenge, but I'm not disappointed at all," said sister-in-law Cathy.

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Pub lunch is the way to go

2008-03-07T05:38:00.000-08:00

Best deal in Britain: a pub meal. A huge plate of fish and chips codt less than $15. A chicken pie with fresh peas and fries: $16.
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In Britain, sticker shock

2008-03-06T06:09:00.000-08:00

Hotel and car rental aren't too appalling; the car is about $40 per day and the chain motel is $120. [that's for a basic room with no phone.] So imagine the nasty shock when the TGIFriday's cheeseburger racked up at $17 at the current exchange rate. Oh, and gas fill up in my tiny manual-shift rental car: $90.
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Don't fly too early

2008-03-06T06:01:00.000-08:00

Here's a lesson I learned on a previous trip to Europe -- but forgot.

Avoid that early morning flight. My 7:50 am flight was just early enough that I couldn't take the first airport train, which would have dropped me at Da Vinci airport just an hour before flight time. So instead of a $16 train ride, I was in for a $60 taxi ride -- more than half the cost of my flight to London.
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Driving in Italy: Expensive!

2008-03-05T10:53:00.000-08:00

Today I drove about 275 miles from Trani, in the south of Italy, to Rome. The gasoline tab: $130. Tolls: $40. And tomorrow's taxi to the airport for a too-early-for-the-train flight: $60. Ouch!

In Rome, no minor miracle

2008-03-05T10:51:00.001-08:00

Driving in Rome is a job for a gladiator. The place is a warren of one-way streets and general traffic insanity, and I knew that navigating my motorized rollerskate back to the rental car garage near the Termini train station was going to be agonizing.

So I did the smart thing: I Mapquested the route, sending the directions to my handheld and downloading it on my laptop as a back-up. But the directions didn’t send to the blackberry, the download wouldn’t open, and I was left to my own shaky skills to wind my way through the city.

After driving for a week in Italy, I’ve learned that signs to the “Centro’’ sometimes disappear just when you need them most. Other times, they direct you to the “Centro’’ via Acapulco, and in fact I did pass a huge mariachi band in Rome on my way to the station. (Go figure.)

Luckily, I have a decent sense of direction, and I headed down the one street I remembered from the outgoing route. It landed me in a tight lane, and I was sure I was lost. The Google maps GPS feature on my handheld indicated that I was indeed within a few hundred meters of the station (hooray!) -- but I couldn’t see it.

I rounded a corner, and suddenly, just on my left, was the street that runs next to my hotel. And – heavens be blessed – there was actually an open parking space! I wiggled into it – thank you Daddy for those parallel parking lessons – and bene! I was able to dash around the corner and drop off my luggage (a darn sight better than having to drag it through the rain!)

Then it was back to the car. Now I knew where I was, and though it took some backtracking through the one-way maze, I actually found my way back to the parking garage unscathed. This definitely rates as a miracle – and a welcome one at that.

The Power of Eight

2008-03-05T10:49:00.001-08:00

It stands stark and imposing on the plain, a stone tower on a hill visible for miles across the Apulian countryside. It is the 13th century marvel known today as the Castel del Monte, a symbol of the power of Frederick II and one of his series of castles. It is believed that Frederick himself never used the castle, though it did serve as prison to one of his descendents. Theories about the octagonal manse abound: was it a mathematical puzzle, an astrological observatory, or something even more mystical? Standing in the open atrium of the octagon, you can believe it was something more – until the tour group arrives that spoils the magic.

Give them the finger

2008-03-05T10:47:00.000-08:00

Delicate frescoes cover the walls of Galatina’s Basilica of St. Catherina d’Allesandria: armored knights from the crusades, Christ and his disciples, angels that seem to hover in the vaulted arch above the altar. It all seems so refined, so intricate – especially for a 13th century church that is said to have been built to house the finger of St. Catherine. Legend has it that the powerful lord Raimondello Orsini visited the saint’s remains in the Sinai, bent to kiss her hand and bit off the finger, supposedly now housed in the church museum. (It was closed when we visited.)

Shall we eat donkey?

2008-03-05T10:44:00.000-08:00

In the rocky hills of Puglia’s Murge, meat is rare, explains vintner Sebastiano de Corato of Rivera Wines. We’re lunching at the cozy Anticha Sapori de Montegrosso, a Slow Food mecca, and cuisine is largely about vegetables. No matter that the sea is only 15 miles away; when the cuisines here developed centuries ago, 15 miles was beyond the ken.

And so the plates arrive: grilled spring onion in olive oil with sea salt, puffy foccacio topped with local herbs, a wild bulb fried with olive oil, yet another spring onion baked with parmesan, a fluffy fresh ricotta with candied celery that is worth a moment of prayer, broccoli roasted with olive oil (are you seeing the pattern?), a hard cheese with carmelized onion, soup with chickpeas and barley, orecchiette with tomato sauce and braesola. And then the meats of a barren region: tiny lamb chops, smoked horse belly and yes, donkey filet, which is surprisingly tender and sweet. Don’t tell Shrek.

Matera: A place of Passion

2008-03-05T10:40:00.000-08:00

Most cities start at the top: A hillside, a mountain, a promontory. Matera swells from the bottom, an ancient series of caves carved into a ravine and expanded by man. It’s easy to believe that this is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world. What isn’t so easy is this: Until the 1950s, the rough scooped dwellings were home to 30,000 people, when the government moved 15,000 out of the caves and into housing above. Today the “sassi’’ or stones are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, still home to some locals, churches, hotels and restaurants. If you saw Mel Gibson’s The Passion it will look familiar; some scenes were shot here.

Tuesday

2008-03-04T10:03:00.000-08:00

Lost often, awed frequently. Fabulous food, good wine. No internet access, tired blackberry thumbs. Goodnight.

Expenses

Lunch - wow - $45
Too full for dinner
Hotel $53

Total $99
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Monday expenses

2008-03-04T09:58:00.000-08:00

Hotel $75
Gas $60
Lunch $4.50
Dinner $23

Total $163
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B&B: bring matches

2008-03-04T09:55:00.000-08:00

Many b&bs here have gas hotplates so you can make your coffee in the morning. But they're tricky. The first night, the gas stove came without matches. The second one was self-starting -- but I couldn't find the valve for the gas. Oh well, I don't know how to make stove-top perked coffee anyway.
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Matera charm

2008-03-03T09:42:00.000-08:00

This atm machine plays Sinatra's version of "My Way" as you pull out cash
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Expense report

2008-03-02T11:59:00.000-08:00

Sunday

Hotel $75
Lunch $7.50
Dinner $13
Ice cream yum! $2.70

TOTAL $98
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Lecce: Evening stroll

2008-03-02T11:12:00.000-08:00

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Italy: Images from Puglia

2008-03-02T09:48:00.000-08:00

Sweet Pugilese

2008-03-02T09:36:00.000-08:00

The town of Galatina is shuttered tight for the Sunday lunch siesta, and save for a few leather-clad men laughing in front of a door, the place seems deserted. I stop to shoot of a photo of a church façade, then turn to read the historical information on a placard out front.

‘’Signora, Signora,’’ a man calls. I cower, wondering what sales pitch might be coming next. He gestures, showing me the church is open; I can go inside.

I step into an ornate Easter egg, rich salmon-colored walls flanking a rich marble altar surrounding a painting of the Virgin Mary on a startling field of blue. And to think I could have missed it.

In Puglia, such helpfulness seems a way of life. The farm hand who opens the gate so I can see the cows, then leads me through the yard and stands me just right so I can catch photos of the goats as they’re led out to pasture. The bar worker who follows me across the plaza to be sure I understand the directions to the cathedral. The police officer who stops traffic to explain that I should go to the “rontondo,’’ then points right so I will understand the directions. The elderly woman in the church who mistakes me for her friend, then touches my face in smiling greeting.

“Those Pugilese, they’re so sweet,’’ said a friend whose mother is Italian before my trip. So sweet, so right.

A great cheap sleep

2008-03-02T00:13:00.000-08:00

Tonight and tomorrow I am in a b&b in the old city of Lecce. The location is primo - just around the corner from the city's most fab Baroque church - and the price is 50 euros, about $75. What I get is a comfortable apartment with small kitchen, sitting area and a cozy bed under a vaulted alcove. And private bath of course. No internet connection, no shampoo and no hair dryer - for the price, who cares?

EXPENSES

Except for gas, a cheap day

Hotel $75
Lunch $18
Dinner $8
Gas $60 ouch

TOTAL
$141
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Go for baroque in Lecce

2008-03-01T10:53:00.000-08:00

The city of Lecce in Italy's southern heel is a testament to unrestrained exuberance. The 17th century church facades are a riot of roses and saints, flourishes and garlands and dragons and popes and monks and lambs -- so much icing on the wedding cake that you scarcely know where to begin. And then you realize - you should begin at the ruin of the Roman amphitheater in the town center. It's a reminder that in Italy, history underlies all.
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Looks like Turkey

2008-02-29T14:12:00.000-08:00

If you think the Valle d’Istria area of Puglia looks like Anatolia, Turkey, you’re right. When invaders left here centuries ago, they left their traditional architectural style of “trulli’’ houses topped with stone-covered cones.

The trulli appear atop hillsides, in olive orchards, amid the almond trees now flocked with white blooms, and in towns like Aberobello. The town itself has become something of a tourist trap, with a shop in every trulli, but it’s still a marvelous site.

EXPENSE ACCOUNT

Puglia: The food's too good!

2008-02-29T13:53:00.000-08:00

There is a problem with Puglia, and it is this: There is too much food, and it is too good.

About 50 percent of the vegetables grown in Italy come from this region, and more than 50 percent of the olive oil. The ingredients are so fresh that even the simplest meal will ruin your taste buds for the shipped and processed foods so common in the U.S.
There is a problem with Puglia, and it is this: There is too much food, and it is too good.

About 50 percent of the vegetables grown in Italy come from this region, and more than 50 percent of the olive oil. The ingredients are so fresh that even the simplest meal will ruin your taste buds for the shipped and processed foods so common in the U.S.

That wasn’t the point of my cooking class today at the Masseria Torre Coccara, but it may be the most memorable. That, and the fact that making pasta from scratch is an incredible amount of work. Four of us worked an hour to make enough orecchiette – the “little ears’’ – for lunch.

The other dishes were easier: a sauce of anchovies and broccoli rabe, pastry pockets filled with mozzarella and tomatoes, and a grouper baked with vegetables, capers and olives. Most of the vegetables are grown here on the farm – five minutes from the earth to the table.

And what isn’t grown here comes from just down the road, at small farms where the people gladly show you around even though you aren’t speaking the same language. But then, food and farming are the same language – whatever the words.

That wasn’t the point of my cooking class today at the Masseria Torre Coccara, but it may be the most memorable. That, and the fact that making pasta from scratch is an incredible amount of work. Four of us worked an hour to make enough orecchiette – the “little ears’’ – for lunch.

The other dishes were easier: a sauce of anchovies and broccoli rabe, pastry pockets filled with mozzarella and tomatoes, and a grouper baked with vegetables, capers and olives. Most of the vegetables are grown here on the farm – five minutes from the earth to the table.

And what isn’t grown here comes from just down the road, at small farms where the people gladly show you around even though you aren’t speaking the same language. But then, food and farming are the same language – whatever the words.

Scene from Alberobello

2008-02-29T07:55:00.000-08:00

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In Italy, travel on your stomach

2008-02-28T14:24:00.000-08:00

The Husband often describes my travel life as “five stars to under the stars’’ – and sometimes it is literally true. (Think camel trekking in Australia to the Aman Resort at Borobodur and you get the picture.)

On this trip, the range isn’t quite as dramatic. Most of my lodgings are budget, but tonight I’ve splurged at the rustically beautiful Masseria Torre Coccaro, built in a defensive tower dating from the 1700s near the sea in Savelletri di Fasano. Rooms with vaulted ceilings surround a courtyard that is simple but artfully tended – the kind of warm sophistication born of an authentic place and genuine hospitality.

The tower sits on a working farm, and the owners still grow vegetables and make olive oil here. It all ends up on your plate at dinner, which is a spectacular experience of the sweetest carrots and fennel served raw with a basalmic vinegar sauce, red tuna carpaccio with a spicy fig sauce, pasta served with bits of local langoustine and zucchini grown on the farm. The Primitivo wine comes from 50 kilometers down the road, the cheeses next door, the pasta from this very kitchen.

This doesn’t come cheap – appetizers run 13-18 euros, pastas around 16 and main dishes 22-34. But when it comes to value, there’s nothing here to argue about. The meal was, simply, divine.

EXPENSE ACCOUNT

Rental car: $46 per day
Gas: $50
Toll: $35
Splurge hotel: $285 (single)
Splurge dinner: $65 (so worth it!)

TOTAL: $481
If splitting a double room and car expenses: $200 for the room, about $307 per person

Driving in Europe isn't cheap

2008-02-28T14:22:00.000-08:00

Driving in an unfamiliar city is always stressful. Doing it in a foreign country…that’s madness.

But driving is the most flexible way to tour the countryside, so for my trip to Puglia, I picked up a car in Rome. Getting out of town brought on the predictable migraine – the directions given by the rental car guy weren’t exactly right, the traffic was scary, I nearly took out a small van and another car. But finally, I was on the Autostrada doing 140 kph – that’s about 87 miles per hour – and getting passed nonstop.

My route led beneath snow-crusted mountains and across wide valleys green with lettuce, carrots and cabbages. The hills and valleys were lined with vines, squarely plotted with orchards of olives and almonds.

Diversions often bring unexpected pleasures, and so I cut away from the direct route to Bari and headed for the coast. A mistake. I got mired in the overgrowth of a town burst beyond its historic borders, a mad explosion of dusty streets, drab-but-useful shops and cars bolting from every side street. A headache squared.

The really sad news: Driving is expensive. My tiny Hyundai car cost $276 for six days – 46 per day including all the taxes and insurances. I refilled the tank once – 33 euros, or $50. The Autostrade toll: 23 euros, or about $35. Ouch.

Only in Rome

2008-02-28T00:34:00.000-08:00

From a papal blessing in the morning to a gladiator lesson at night (more about that later!) -- I must be in Rome.

The dollar dumps

2008-02-28T00:28:00.000-08:00

One of the drawbacks to winter travel: unpredictable weather. The day was gray and damp – not quite what I’d hoped for on the day designated for the Colosseum and Piazza Navona.

But it was fairly cheap, thanks to having bought my Rome Pass and paid my hotel before the dollar dumped to a new low.

The Pass covered my bus to the Pantheon, my bus to St. Peter’s for the Pope’s weekly blessing, my metro ticket to the Colosseum. The ticket to the papal blessing is free, of course – you pick it up a day in advance.

But before you buy the Pass, think hard about what you'll be doing, I learned. Day passes on the Metro/bus system cost 4 euros each -- meaning the Rome Pass is only a good deal if you'll be staying a full three days and if you'll be visiting at least two museums. (The Vatican Museums aren't covered.)

Still, I already have mine. So Wednesday's only costs were lunch and dinner. With lousy weather, I lingered at both and ate more than I should have. It was yummy.

Sadly, I never did see the Colosseum. Winter hours were shorter than my guidebook had indicated, and I arrived exactly 6 minutes after it closed. I tried again early this morning....it's closed until noon for a workers' rally. Now, couldn't they have posted that yesterday?

EXPENSE ACCOUNT

Lunch: $21 (14 euros)
Dinner: $21 (14 euros)
Bottle of water: $1.50 (1 euro)
Hotel: $115

TOTAL: $158.50
(If I’d been sharing my room with another person: $101)

Day two: Rome expenses

2008-02-26T13:48:00.000-08:00

EXPENSE ACCOUNT

A cheap day, thanks to the metro access provided by my Rome Pass.

TOTAL: $167.50
(If I’d been sharing room with another person: $115.50 per person)

Rome without crowds

2008-02-26T13:11:00.000-08:00

In summer, Rome is wretchedly hot – and its often mobbed. But in February, relative calm reigns.

That was part of the allure for Mainers Helene and Bill Chase, Scott and Patty Ruppert and Dave and Maggie Baribeau. The Rupperts have visited many times before and chose February for both the temps and the relative peace. “Other parts of Italy go on holiday for renovations, but everything in Rome is open,’’ said Scott.

I arrived at the Vatican Museums about 10:30 – and waltzed right in, a luxury unthinkable in June. And while there were plenty of other visitors around – including several school groups – I could easily enjoy the Eyptian mummies, the Raphael-muraled rooms and even the cafeteria without having to elbow for space.

Today’s visit was like seeing the museums for the first time. Before, I took the shortest route to Michelangelo’s staggeringly beautiful Sistine Chapel. Today I took my time, tempted by a relatively new audio guide and other changes in recent years. The result: sore feet, an overwhelmed mind – and five hours that left me wishing for more.

“It’s all so breathtaking,’’ said Antoinette Schifferer of California, making her first visit. “I’m not a very religious person, but I found it moving. I can’t even explain why.’’

But then it was time to dash off to St. Peter’s before it closed for the day. The wait: 7 minutes – and that was for the security check.

A few scenes:

Rome report: Partly cloudy, 60 degrees

2008-02-26T01:53:00.001-08:00

A great cheap sleep

2008-02-25T23:59:00.000-08:00

So, what kind of hotel do you get for $115 per night? At the Hotel des Artistes near the Termini train station, I’ve got a clean room with pain that looks fresh, comfortable beds, a TV, spotless en-suite bathroom with a bidet (the water is a little tepid) and breakfast. Internet service costs extra.

I’d read reports that the neighborhood wasn’t the best, but by day it’s fine. And at night, there’s a metro stop just a block away. Next door is a Best Western. Granted, it’s a bit posher … but the price is nearly twice as much.

Rome: Don't ask cops for directions!

2008-02-25T23:56:00.000-08:00

Rome is notorious for petty crime, and in tourist areas, you’ll find plenty of police. Part of their job: Reminding tourists that munching their ice cream or cheese in public isn’t cool – at least on the Spanish Steps. What they probably won’t be able to do: Give you directions. We have a half-dozen policemen before we found one who knew the location of a nearby street

Rome: Won't break the bank

2008-02-25T23:50:00.000-08:00

The good news: The weather has cleared, Rome is beautiful – and it won’t break the bank.

After checking into my modest hotel, I grabbed lunch with a friend, sharing a yummy plate of antipasto and a bowl of spaghetti al carbonara, a local specialty, and a cup of badly-needed espresso. Then we hopped one of the on-again-off-again tour buses – a great way to get your bearings, I’ve learned, especially when you’re jetlagged.

The commentary was a bore – too many dates, not enough storytelling to make it interesting – but the ride was well worth it. Rome is the text book case that everything old is new again. Crumbled walls, the columns still staggering centuries after they were built, churches and Roman temples and the magnificent bounty of the baroque age aren’t museum pieces here – they’re part of the offices and apartments and churches where people work and live and pray.

“Can you imagine how Miami looks to people coming from here who visit for the first time?’’ my friend Kate asked. Fresh off the shelf.

EXPENSE ACCOUNT:

Train from the airport: $15 (11 euros)
Rome pass (begins tomorrow): $30
City hop-off tour bus: $20
Lunch at I Leoni d’Abruzzi: $13
Lonely Planet guide: $36 (ouch!)
Dinner at the friendly Hostaria Trevi (artichoke, veal stew and wine): $23
Visits to the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain: free
Bottled water: $3
Taxi to hotel (sore feet!): $9
Hotel: $115

TOTAL: $228
(Note: If sharing hotel, the cost would have been $170 per person including food, transport and all expenses – but not the Lonely Planet)

Grab that guidebook!

2008-02-25T12:38:00.001-08:00

Looking to save money? Don't leave your guidebook at home. I searched high and low but was unable to find the Rome Lonely Planet guide in Miami, where it costs about 17 dollars. In Rome, it cost 24 euros - about 36 dollars.

In Rome under a cloudy sky

2008-02-25T02:49:00.000-08:00

Here I am, in the Italian capital, dank but warmish at 60 degrees.

The report so far: Costs are under control.

The train from the airport to town cost 11 Euros, or about 15 dollars -- less than I'd pay for a taxi from MIA to my home.

Once here, I snagged two tourist-friendly deals. The first is the new Rome Pass, which gives you entry to the first two museums on a long list (including the Colisseum and Forum) for free plus all public transport for three days, for about $30. We'll figure out as we go whether this is a huge bargain, but given the price of taxis everywhere, I think it has to be.

My hotel room isn't ready for a few hours yet, but the place itself is clean and the staff abundantly friendly (and English speaking!) It's not a primo neighborhood but considering there's a Best Western next door and another across the street, I'm not too worried about safety. The hotel tab: $115 per night including breakfast. Can't argue with that!

Time for a spin on a hop-on hop-off bus tour. With the Rome pass, it cost 13 Euros...a discounted price that will help me reorient myself in my jetlagged state.

'til later.....

Europe bound!

2008-02-22T10:00:00.000-08:00

On Monday morning, I'll land in Rome. It will be my first visit since I backpacked there with my niece Kim -- who is getting married next month in England -- more than a dozen years ago.

But it's not nostalgia, it's you that's taking me there. Every year we ask readers where they most want to read about. And for the past few years, you've said Italy. So here I go.

The problem with Italy or any place using the euro these days is the cost. As I write this, my fave exchange website tells me the exchange is $1.48 to 1 euro and $1.96 to 1 British pound. I remember worse times -- back in 1979, when I studied in England, the exchange was $2.12 to the pound -- but this clearly makes pond-hopping pricey.

We've all heard the horror tales. $6 cups of coffee (yes, I bought one in London's Heathrow Airport last fall), $50 kebab dinners.

But how bad is it really? I'm here to let you know. Each day through March 9, I'll log on and give you my expense report.

Let me warn you: I'll be traveling pretty cheaply. The point here is not to spend money -- but not to backpack it, either.

In Rome, I've pre-booked my hotel via Hotels.com. I shopped around and found prices aimed at Americans through websites like Hotels.com and Venere.com were about 40 percent cheaper than booking with the hotel's own websites, which quote prices in euros.

If I were feeling a little richer, I could have had a lovely room for 100 euros at several better-than-average hotels. As it is, I'm paying $105 plus a handling fee, for a total of $115 per night, for a hotel recommended by both Fodor's and Lonely Planet near the train station. Not the best neighborhood, but not the worst. I'll let you know how it goes.

I'm renting a car to drive to Puglia, Italy's little known heel. By prepaying the car through Kemwel, I got a price of about $275 for a week...about $150 cheaper than using one of the usual cancel-at-will services.

In Puglia, I'm staying mostly in small mid-range hotels that charge about 50 euros per night, including breakfast, or about $75. This I know to be reasonable; when I drove across the U.S. two years ago, I generally paid that much or more to stay in chain motels.

My one splurge: A 100-euro-per night hotel. Usually, the Masseria Torre Coccaro -- a member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World -- and it's highly rated cooking school charge much more. But this is the off season, and I was able to snag a surprisingly low rate.

That's one of the bonuses of traveling off-season, which in Europe usually means November-April. But there are drawbacks as well: Several of the hotels and restaurants we contacted were closed in February and early March.

I'll end my trip in England, at Kim's wedding. Readers sometimes ask about her; a dozen years ago, she and I wrote a story about our backpacking trip to Europe. It was her first trip to Europe. She arrived home in one piece, generally unscathed ... and with a lust for travel.

So it's a handy thing that she's fallen in love with a delight fellow name Henry, half British and half Spanish, who lives in Southampton, England. Her mother, of course, is blaming me for the fact that her yet-to-be-born grandchildren will be living abroad. But I'm blaming my brother, a techno-geek. You see, Kim and Henry met on the Internet.

----

1992: Jane Wooldridge, left, and Kim Wooldridge in Paris.

Getting a deal to Beijing

2008-02-19T13:28:00.000-08:00

Several people have asked, so here's the answer:

The cheap airfares posted below are good for travel through various spring and summer dates, and in the case of the China deals, through mid-April. So how to get to the Olympics without breaking the bank?

A couple of strategies:

Look for a flight to Hong Kong or Shanghai via your regular fave carrier (many of them go to both places), then look to snag a reasonably priced ticket from your pacific destination to Beijing on a Chinese carrier. Expedia sells tickets on several Chinese carriers (Travelocity and Orbitz don't.) BEWARE: If you take this approach and your first flight is cancelled or runs late, you could miss your connection. You can protect against this by (a) Leaving lots of time (like an overnight stay) between flights, and (b) Buying travel insurance. Two sources: Insure My Trip and Quotewright.
Follow the same process above, but buy a train ticket to get to Beijing. You will want to prebook this. Many Chinese travel agencies can handle this for you; last year I used CITS and it worked well for me. (They've got offices in New York and L.A.)
Check out Cathay Pacific, which sometimes offers an Asia pass to all its Asian destinations. I didn't see one there today but you never know.
Consider going via Europe. You could buy a ticket to, say, London, then buy a cheap ticket via a London discounter (such as Trailfinders) to Asia. Again, you want to buy well in advance, and you want to leave plenty of time between your flights.
Buy an Olympics travel package that includes air, lodging and tickets. WARNING: These are NOT cheap. Cosport is the official U.S. ticket seller; it and other companies offer Olympics travel packages.
Grab a cheap flight to the West Coast, then hop onto Air China . (Yes, I've flown them, yes it was fine though the legroom was best suited to midgets.) Other options include China Eastern, which flies from L.A., New York, Dallas, Chicago and Vancouver, and Eva, which flies from Vancouver, Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco and New York. (I have a friend who swears by them.)
Try to snag a budget tour during the Olympic period that doesn't include Olympic tickets, then dump the tour. For instance, Ritz Tours offers a 10-day China visit during the Olympic period for about $2,500 that includes air from L.A. SmarTours offers a similar package that costs slightly more but includes more cities and a Yangtze River cruise.
Try other unexpected airlines. Both Air Canada and Korean Airlines offer flights.

Like to live wildly? You could just wait and see if an fare sale pops up. But given the interest in the Beijing Olympics, I wouldn't count on it.

----

PHOTO BY JANE WOOLDRIDGE / COPYRIGHT THE MIAMI HERALD

You gotta love a deal (but buy fast)

2008-02-19T10:48:00.001-08:00

One of my several fave e-mail newsletters comes from Airfarewatchdog (we also post their deals daily on our website.)

Just in are these eye-poppers. I'm cutting and pasting their whole list, but here are a few highlights:

Miami-Beijing, $861 roundtrip on Air Canada, good through mid-April
Miami-Munich, $408 roundtrip for winter travel on Lufthansa and United
Miami-Burlington, Vt., $179 roundtrip through early June on Northwest
Miami-Savannah, Ga., $149 roundtrip through April 1 on AirTran
Miami-Portland, Maine, $179 roundtrip through April 1 on AirTran
Fort Lauderdale-Denver, $198 roundtrip through June 25 on Southwest
Fort Lauderdale-Los Angeles, $204 roundtrip through May 21 on American
Fort Lauderdale-New York LaGuardia, $139 roundtrip through May 20 on U.S. Airways
Fort Lauderdale-San Jose, Costa Rica, $248 roundtrip this winter on American

You know the drill: Limited availability, some restrictions apply, etc.....which means you better buy fast.

-------

Source: Airfarewatchdog.com
Miami Area Area AirfaresAs of Tuesday, February 19, 2008 12:41 PM EST
* Unadvertised - can be dropped at any time.

FROM MIAMI(MIA)

US Domestic Airfares
Akron, OH $179 RT NEW! No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru Apr 1, 2008 (FL)
Atlanta, GA $149 RT * No min. stay, Nonstop flights (FL)
Bloomington, IL $179 RT NEW! No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru Apr 1, 2008 (FL)
Boston, MA $139 RT * 1 night min. stay (US)
Burlington, VT $188 RT * No min. stay, Travel thru Jun 10, 2008 (DL)
Burlington, VT $179 RT * No min. stay, Travel thru Jun 10, 2008 (NW)
Charleston, SC $149 RT NEW! No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru Apr 1, 2008 (FL)
Chicago Midway, IL $151 RT * No min. stay, Nonstop flights, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru Jan 15, 2009 (FL)
Cincinnati, OH $189 RT * No min. stay, Travel thru Jan 15, 2009 (NW)
Dallas, TX $179 RT NEW! No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru Apr 1, 2008 (FL)
Dayton, OH $179 RT NEW! No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru Apr 1, 2008 (FL)
Elmira, NY $159 RT * 1 night min. stay (US)
Flint, MI $179 RT NEW! No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru Apr 1, 2008 (FL)
Hayden/Steamboat Springs, CO $361 RT * 1 night min. stay (AA)
Jackson Hole, WY $361 RT * 1 night min. stay (AA)
Los Angeles, CA $240 RT * No min. stay, Travel thru Jun 25, 2008 (FL, US)
Memphis, TN $179 RT NEW! No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru Apr 1, 2008 (FL)
Milwaukee, WI $179 RT NEW! No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru Apr 1, 2008 (FL)
Minneapolis, MN $179 RT NEW! No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru Apr 1, 2008 (FL)
Moline, IL $179 RT NEW! No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru Apr 1, 2008 (FL)
Newburgh, NY $179 RT NEW! No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru Apr 1, 2008 (FL)
Newport News, VA $179 RT NEW! No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru Apr 1, 2008 (FL)
Portland, ME $179 RT NEW! No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru Apr 1, 2008 (FL)
Raleigh/Durham, NC $143 RT * No min. stay, Nonstop flights, Travel bet Apr 1-30, 2008 (AA)
Salt Lake City, UT $189 RT * No min. stay, Travel thru Jan 15, 2009 (NW)
Savannah, GA $149 RT NEW! No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru Apr 1, 2008 (FL)
White Plains, NY $179 RT NEW! No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru Apr 1, 2008 (FL)
Wichita, KS $179 RT NEW! No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru Apr 1, 2008 (FL)

International Airfares
Adelaide, Australia $1623 RT * 7 nights min. stay, Includes all taxes (QF)
Beijing, China $861 RT * 5 nights min. stay, Includes all taxes (AC)
Brisbane, Australia $1499 RT * 4 nights min. stay, Includes all taxes (QF)
Brisbane, Australia $1623 RT * 7 nights min. stay, Includes all taxes (QF)
Frankfurt, Germany $419 RT * Sat. night min. stay, Includes all taxes, Winter travel (LH, UA)
Hong Kong, Hong Kong $803 RT * 5 nights min. stay, Includes all taxes (AC)
Melbourne, Australia $1499 RT * 4 nights min. stay, Includes all taxes (QF)
Melbourne, Australia $1623 RT * 7 nights min. stay, Includes all taxes (QF)
Munich, Germany $408 RT * Sat. night min. stay, Includes all taxes, Winter travel (LH, UA)
San Jose, Costa Rica $237 RT * Sat. night min. stay, Nonstop flights, Includes all taxes, Winter travel (MP)
Shanghai, China $819 RT * 5 nights min. stay, Includes all taxes (AC)
Sydney, Australia $1499 RT * 4 nights min. stay, Includes all taxes (QF)
Sydney, Australia $1623 RT * 7 nights min. stay, Includes all taxes (QF)
Tokyo, Japan $879 RT * Includes all taxes (AA, NW)
Toronto, ON $245 RT * NEW! No min. stay, Nonstop flights, Travel thru May 20, 2008 (AA)

International Weekend Airfares
Aruba, Aruba $306 RT NEW! Nonstop flights, Includes all taxes, Travel next weekend (AA)
Barranquilla, Colombia $470 RT NEW! Nonstop flights, Includes all taxes, Travel next weekend (AA)
Belize City, Belize $618 RT NEW! Nonstop flights, Includes all taxes, Travel next weekend (AA)
Bogota, Colombia $447 RT NEW! Nonstop flights, Includes all taxes, Travel next weekend (AA)
Curacao, Netherlands Antilles $280 RT NEW! Nonstop flights, Includes all taxes, Travel next weekend (AA)
Tegucigalpa, Honduras $564 RT NEW! Nonstop flights, Includes all taxes, Travel next weekend (AA)

FROM FORT LAUDERDALE (FLL)

US Domestic Airfares
Allentown, PA $138 RT * No advance purchase req, No min. stay, Nonstop flights, One-way for half RT fare (G4)
Aspen, CO $220 RT * 1 night min. stay (DL)
Atlantic City, NJ $149 RT * No min. stay, Nonstop flights, Travel thru May 21, 2008 (NK)
Austin, TX $186 RT No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru May 21, 2008 (WN)
Baltimore, MD $162 RT No min. stay, Nonstop flights, Travel thru Apr 30, 2008 (WN)
Baltimore, MD $186 RT No min. stay, Travel thru Jun 25, 2008 (WN)
Birmingham, AL $148 RT No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru May 21, 2008 (WN)
Birmingham, AL $159 RT * 1 night min. stay (US)
Bloomington, IL $179 RT NEW! No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru Jun 4, 2008 (FL)
Blountville/Johnson City, TN $98 RT * No min. stay, Nonstop flights, One-way for half RT fare (G4)
Brownsville, TX $199 RT * No min. stay, Travel thru Jun 13, 2008 (CO)
Buffalo, NY $168 RT No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru May 21, 2008 (WN)
Burbank, CA $198 RT No min. stay, Travel thru Jun 25, 2008 (WN)
Burlington, VT $179 RT * No min. stay, Travel thru Jun 10, 2008 (NW)
Charleston, SC $149 RT NEW! No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru Jun 4, 2008 (FL)
Charlotte, NC $133 RT * No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru Jan 15, 2009 (FL)
Charlotte, NC $159 RT * No min. stay, Nonstop flights, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru Mar 7, 2008 (B6)
Chattanooga, TN $98 RT * No advance purchase req, No min. stay, Nonstop flights, One-way for half RT fare (G4)
Chicago Midway, IL $212 RT No min. stay, Nonstop flights, Travel thru Apr 30, 2008 (WN)
Chicago Midway, IL $198 RT No min. stay, Travel thru Jun 25, 2008 (WN)
Chicago Midway, IL $151 RT * No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru Jan 15, 2009 (FL)
Cleveland, OH $178 RT No min. stay, Travel thru Apr 30, 2008 (WN)
Columbus, OH $150 RT * No min. stay, Nonstop flights, One-way for half RT fare (SX)
Columbus, OH $162 RT No min. stay, Travel thru Apr 30, 2008 (WN)
Columbus, OH $186 RT No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru May 21, 2008 (WN)
Dallas, TX $220 RT * No min. stay, Nonstop flights, Travel thru Aug 22, 2008 (AA)
Dallas Love, TX $198 RT No min. stay, Travel thru Jun 25, 2008 (WN)
Dayton, OH $179 RT NEW! No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru Jun 4, 2008 (FL)
Denver, CO $198 RT No min. stay, Travel thru Jun 25, 2008 (WN)
Elmira, NY $159 RT * 1 night min. stay (US)
Erie, PA $139 RT * No min. stay, Travel thru Aug 3, 2008 (NW, US)
Flint, MI $179 RT NEW! No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru Apr 1, 2008 (FL)
Greenville, SC $98 RT * No min. stay, Nonstop flights, One-way for half RT fare (G4)
Gunnison, CO $211 RT * 1 night min. stay (AA, UA)
Hartford, CT $186 RT No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru May 21, 2008 (WN)
Hayden/Steamboat Springs, CO $210 RT * 1 night min. stay (CO, AA, NW)
Houston Hobby, TX $186 RT No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru May 21, 2008 (WN)
Huntsville, AL $58 RT * No min. stay, Nonstop flights, One-way for half RT fare (G4)
Huntsville, AL $09 OW * Nonstop flights (G4)
Indianapolis, IN $162 RT No min. stay, Travel thru Apr 30, 2008 (WN)
Indianapolis, IN $186 RT No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru May 21, 2008 (WN)
Ithaca, NY $159 RT * 1 night min. stay (US)
Jackson, MS $148 RT No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru May 21, 2008 (WN)
Jacksonville, FL $96 RT No min. stay, Nonstop flights, Travel thru Apr 30, 2008 (WN)
Jacksonville, FL $98 RT No min. stay, Travel thru Jun 25, 2008 (WN)
Kansas City, MO $162 RT No min. stay, Travel thru Apr 30, 2008 (WN)
Kansas City, MO $64 OW NEW! Southwest Ding! Fare, No roundtrip purchase req (WN)
Kansas City, MO $129 RT * No min. stay, Travel bet Apr 1-30, 2008 (NW)
Kansas City, MO $186 RT No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru May 21, 2008 (WN)
Knoxville, TN $118 RT * No advance purchase req, No min. stay, Nonstop flights, One-way for half RT fare (G4)
Long Beach, CA $199 RT * No min. stay, Nonstop flights, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru May 21, 2008 (B6)
Long Island, NY $186 RT No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru May 21, 2008 (WN)
Long Island, NY $64 OW NEW! Southwest Ding! Fare, No roundtrip purchase req (WN)
Los Angeles, CA $204 RT * No min. stay, Nonstop flights, Travel thru May 21, 2008 (AA)
Los Angeles, CA $198 RT No min. stay, Travel thru Jun 25, 2008 (WN)
Louisville, KY $186 RT No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru May 21, 2008 (WN)
Minneapolis, MN $164 RT * 1 night min. stay, Travel thru Jan 15, 2009 (F9, US)
Moline, IL $179 RT NEW! No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru Apr 1, 2008 (FL)
Montrose, CO $210 RT * No min. stay (CO, AA)
Nashville, TN $168 RT No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru May 21, 2008 (WN)
Nashville, TN $146 RT No min. stay, Nonstop flights, Travel thru Apr 30, 2008 (WN)
New Orleans, LA $122 RT No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru May 21, 2008 (WN)
New York JFK, NY $179 RT * No min. stay, Nonstop flights, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru Jan 15, 2009 (B6)
New York LGA, NY $139 RT * No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru May 20, 2008 (US)
Newark, NJ $119 RT * No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare (US)
Newport News, VA $149 RT NEW! No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru Apr 1, 2008 (FL)
Norfolk, VA $168 RT No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru May 21, 2008 (WN)
Oakland, CA $228 RT No min. stay, Travel thru Apr 30, 2008 (WN)
Oakland, CA $198 RT No min. stay, Travel thru Jun 25, 2008 (WN)
Omaha, NE $186 RT No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru May 21, 2008 (WN)
Omaha, NE $64 OW NEW! Southwest Ding! Fare, No roundtrip purchase req (WN)
Omaha, NE $162 RT No min. stay, Travel thru Apr 30, 2008 (WN)
Ontario, CA $198 RT No min. stay, Travel thru Jun 25, 2008 (WN)
Ontario, CA $212 RT * No min. stay, Travel thru Jan 15, 2009 (AA)
Orlando, FL $96 RT No min. stay, Nonstop flights, Travel thru Apr 30, 2008 (WN)
Orlando, FL $98 RT No min. stay, Travel thru Jun 25, 2008 (WN)
Palmdale, CA $198 RT * NEW! No min. stay (UA)
Peoria, IL $171 RT * No min. stay, Travel thru Aug 22, 2008 (NW)
Philadelphia, PA $168 RT No min. stay, Travel thru Jun 25, 2008 (WN)
Philadelphia, PA $146 RT No min. stay, Nonstop flights, Travel thru Apr 30, 2008 (WN)
Phoenix, AZ $114 RT * No min. stay, Travel thru Jan 15, 2009 (NW)
Phoenix, AZ $198 RT No min. stay, Travel thru Jun 25, 2008 (WN)
Pittsburgh, PA $168 RT No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru May 21, 2008 (WN)
Plattsburgh, NY $198 RT * No min. stay, Nonstop flights, One-way for half RT fare (G4)
Portland, ME $179 RT NEW! No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru Apr 1, 2008 (FL)
Raleigh/Durham, NC $51 OW NEW! Southwest Ding! Fare, No roundtrip purchase req (WN)
Raleigh/Durham, NC $148 RT No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru May 21, 2008 (WN)
Richmond, VA $159 RT * 120 days min. stay (FL, US)
Rockford, IL $158 RT * No advance purchase req, No min. stay, Nonstop flights, One-way for half RT fare (G4)
Sacramento, CA $198 RT No min. stay, Travel thru Jun 25, 2008 (WN)
San Diego, CA $198 RT No min. stay, Travel thru Jun 25, 2008 (WN)
San Francisco, CA $198 RT No min. stay, Travel thru Jun 25, 2008 (WN)
San Jose, CA $198 RT No min. stay, Travel thru Jun 25, 2008 (WN)
Santa Ana, CA $212 RT * No min. stay, Travel thru Jan 15, 2009 (AA, F9, NW)
Savannah, GA $149 RT NEW! No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru Apr 1, 2008 (FL)
St Louis, MO $168 RT No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru May 21, 2008 (WN)
St Thomas, USVI $282 RT * 2 nights min. stay, Nonstop flights, Travel thru May 21, 2008 (NK)
Syracuse, NY $164 RT * No min. stay, Travel thru Jan 15, 2009 (NW)
Tampa, FL $96 RT No min. stay, Nonstop flights, Travel thru Apr 30, 2008 (WN)
Tampa, FL $98 RT No min. stay, Travel thru Jun 25, 2008 (WN)
Washington Dulles, DC $186 RT No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare, Travel thru May 21, 2008 (WN)

International Airfares
Abbotsford, BC $482 RT No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare (WS)
Beijing, China $858 RT * 5 nights min. stay, Includes all taxes (AC)
Calgary, AB $418 RT No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare (WS)
Charlottetown, PE $358 RT No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare (WS)
Comox, BC $502 RT No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare (WS)
Edmonton, AB $438 RT No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare (WS)
Halifax, NS $338 RT No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare (WS)
Hamilton, ON $238 RT No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare (WS)
Hong Kong, Hong Kong $769 RT * 5 nights min. stay, Includes all taxes (AC)
Kelowna, BC $482 RT No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare (WS)
London Heathrow, UK $570 RT * Sat. night min. stay, Includes all taxes, Spring travel (AC)
Moncton, NB $358 RT No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare (WS)
Montreal, QC $258 RT No min. stay, Nonstop flights, One-way for half RT fare (WS)
Ottawa, ON $298 RT No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare (WS)
Prince George, BC $506 RT No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare (WS)
Regina, SK $408 RT No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare (WS)
Saint John, NB $398 RT No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare (WS)
San Jose, Costa Rica $248 RT * Sat. night min. stay, Nonstop flights, Includes all taxes, Winter travel (AA)
Saskatoon, SK $410 RT No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare (WS)
Shanghai, China $818 RT * 5 nights min. stay, Includes all taxes (AC)
St John's, NL $398 RT No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare (WS)
Taipei, Taiwan $859 RT * Includes all taxes (UA)
Thunder Bay, ON $338 RT No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare (WS)
Toronto, ON $238 RT No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare (WS)
Toronto, ON $164 RT * No min. stay, Travel thru Jan 15, 2009 (NW)
Vancouver, BC $482 RT No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare (WS)
Victoria, BC $482 RT No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare (WS)
Winnipeg, MB $378 RT No min. stay, One-way for half RT fare (WS)
Zurich, Switzerland $549 RT * Sat. night min. stay, Includes all taxes, Spring travel (AC)

Cruising: Early birds get the best worms

2008-02-15T11:35:00.000-08:00

This weekend I'm cruising aboard the Celebrity Century, on a four-night cruise to Key West and Cozumel. It's part of series we're writing about weekend cruises from South Florida; you can catch it later this spring at www.MiamiHerald.com/travel.

Meanwhile, though, here's what you need to know: Don't be late.

Used to be that you could dash from your office mid-afternoon, jump aboard ship and minimize the out-of-office time. No more. Thanks to new rules from Homeland Security, all passengers on all ships have to be on board no less than 90 minutes in advance.

And to make matters worse, once you do get on board, you may find that all the spots in the specialty, reservations-only restaurants and spa are all taken. Which is a real bummer.

Celebrity doesn't allow agents or anyone else to make reservations in its specialty restaurants pre-boarding. Our travel agent told us that since we were in Concierge Class -- a premium upgrade including canapes, Frette bathrobes and specialty service -- we shouldn't have any trouble getting a reservation in Murano, this ship's specialty restaurant. WRONG. We can't get a space for love or money, and my husband had to be very insistent before the restaurant even offered to put us on the waiting list. So you have to wonder what good the concierge can do ... at least on a short cruise like this.

(The good news: Food in the main dining room last night was very, very good, and it's included in the price we've already paid. In Murano, we'd have to pay $30 per person extra.)

When I went up to the spa just after the mandatory safety drill, the spa manager said people had been standing in line since 11 a.m. to snag spa appointments, and there were no appointments left for the periods we'd be at sea (and not many for times when we're in port!)

Bottom line: If you want to use the ship's services, you'll need to get aboard early. Which defeats the purpose of a weekend cruise for working stiffs like me.

Are you downsizing? We want to know!

2008-02-08T14:36:00.001-08:00

Yes, the economy has been wobbly lately. Is that affecting your vacation plans? We want to know.

Are you planning to stay closer to home? Take fewer trips? Visit with friends and family instead of staying in a hotel? Trimming days off your trip?

If you...or anyone you know...is trimming back, please contact my colleage Jay Clarke at jclarke@herald.com.

Phoenix suffers from grumpy grumpy TSA

2008-02-07T05:58:00.001-08:00

I love Miami, but there are good reasons we're known as one of the rudest cities in the U.S. Based on this morning's experience, I'd say Phoenix has us beat.

Well, not Phoenix, where the people are actually pretty nice despite having a horrific Super Bowl hangover. I'm talking about the TSA staff at Phoenix's Sky Harbor International Airport.

Yeah, it's a ridiculously early hour. But that's not an excuse for the TSA attitude here, which is most politely described as CRANKY CRANKY CRANKY!

The entry space for TSA is long and narrow here, which is clearly part of the problem. But it doesn't excuse bad manners.

One generously apportioned TSA man pushed through passengers on his way through, charging like a fullback (oh God, even I've got a Super Bowl hangover) through the opposing passengers who were just doing what you do in airports, which is to say standing in line waiting for the next guy. Did Mr. TSA Fullback utter the words, "Excuse me?'' Not in my presence. And not when he charged back through the other way just a few minutes later.

OK, so he missed his morning Wheaties. Or maybe he's pulled a double shift, I think.

Then I get to the X-ray belt, where the morning's TSA quarterback is barking orders, and more discontent becomes obvious.

Yes, BARKING. As in, I was the high school coach and my team towed the line, damn it. As in, I was a drill sargeant at Fort Bragg and don't you forget it ('cause I haven't.) As in, I am the alpha dog, and he who crosses me will be left on the wrong side of the security creek and miss his flight.

Of course, none of that is what he said. What he did yell was: Female assist at No. 3. Male assist at No. 2, no alarm.

And he didn't just bark at staff. He barked at passengers non-stop.

Put your bags flat. Get that bag flat. Your bag wasn't flat (even though the guy in front of me had put it in flat, and the bag was flipped up.) He barked instructions about the 3-ounce-liquids in the one-quart Ziplock plastic bag, about shoes, about computers and cameras and water and every other potential sin.

It wasn't the content -- people do seem to completely lose their sense of time and motion when they hit the X-ray line -- but the delivery that was so offensive.

Sure, there are lots of retirees out here who may not hear well and need the volume. Yes, it's 6 a.m. and most brains aren't really functional yet.

But the barking? Totally unnecessary, totally offputting, totally RUDE.

No wonder all the TSA staffers here were scowling.

TSA is an agency many of us love to hate. We love them because we need the security, we need the protection against the unimaginable and now too possible. But we hate them because of what seems to be amazing inefficiency -- can you say "hurry up and wait?'' -- and an attitude that comes off way too often as supercilious and power hungry.

TSA must know something about this -- and not only because Travel Detective author Peter Greenberg dubbed them "morons in uniforms.'' TSA recently launched its own blog. It's clearly a PR effort, but it's remarkably friendly, and a good example of how government ought to deal with complaints: Seriously, directly, timely.

In response to posts about airports that were requiring all electronics be removed from carry-on bags, for instance, the blogger writes:

After some calls to our airports, we learned that this exercise was set up by local TSA offices and was not part of any grand plan across the country. These practices were stopped on Monday afternoon....thanks to everyone for asking about this and for giving us a chance to make it right.

I rarely find myself applauding government these days, but here's an attitude that's right. Government for the people -- a recognition that the people are paying the tab and therefore, are boss. So a little applause is in order....along with a suggestion that other government agencies follow suit.

Now, if they can just do something about this cranky guy at the Phoenix airport....

Does "green'' matter to you?

2008-02-06T14:09:00.000-08:00

When you make a travel decision, does "green" matter to you?

That's one of the questions that came up on a lunch panel in Scottsdale, Ariz. I'm here with a number of other journalists -- including Dana Dickey of Conde Nast Traveler, Travel Troubleshooter Chris Elliot and Travel Mom Emily Kaufman -- talking to PR professionals at the Hyatt Regency Resort at Gainey Ranch.

No one is questioning whether the environment is important, or whether we should be protecting it. What is up for debate is whether travelers care enough about it to make environmental impact part of their decision-making.

Conde Nast Traveler thinks social consciousness is so important that it has created a "green'' travel conference for industry decision-makers. And for those executives, the environment is crucial; if there's not enough water to keep the golf courses green or not enough water to support wildlife, those types of tourism could disappear.

But Chris brought up the reality check: For his cost-conscious readers, room rate probably comes first. Most of Conde Nast Traveler's readers bend toward luxury travel and can afford to make decisions on criteria aside from value.

My own view: There's a baseline now. All travelers expect hotels to have some basic "green'' practices in place, just as they expect hotels to have wireless internet access. Not meeting those basic expectations is a problem. But many of the green programs implemented by hotels and other suppliers are largely "green washing'' -- they sound good, but they don't deliver. So unless a green program shows demonstrable impact, it may not mean much -- unless it affects the traveler's cost.

It's a strange conversation to be having in a desert community known for magnificent golf courses. But all is not lost: At this Hyatt, the greens are maintained with recycled water. Which is a real impact, and makes them truly green.

What do you think? Vote in the web poll at right.

Pondering a second home? We too!

2008-02-04T07:26:00.000-08:00

It's a time of strange confluence. On the one hand the economy wobbles; on the other, it's the time in my husband's and my lives that we are pondering a second home. And, statistics be true, we're not alone.

It's not that we need two homes, or that we can even use them just now. But we can see a time in the years to come that The Husband might have more flexibility in his job life than is now the case. And with the real estate market slipping, perhaps this is the moment for getting a good deal.

Our plan: Look for raw land. Because we can't use a second home just now, getting a house -- with all those real estate taxes -- doesn't work for us. So we're thinking to snag a piece of land and wait until our lives have shifted to actually build on it.

Heading to the mountains

We've followed in the footsteps of many South Floridians and headed north. But while many of our neighbors have landed in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, we thought we'd try something different (though we'll surely make it to N.C., my birthplace, before we make a final decision.)

This past weekend, we headed off to the mountains of Virginia, concentrating our search on Little Washington and Staunton, with stops in Culpeper and Charlottesville.

Friends have a place in Little Washington, a 1700s town of 200 that is probably best known for the spectacular Inn at Little Washington. The surrounding county is protected by strict zoning, leaving the aged and rounded shoulders of the Blue Ridge pristine save for the odd farmhouse, silo and cows. Rappahannock County lies just over an hour from Dulles Airport, making the region reasonably accessible.

Therein lies part of the problem. Zoning requires most countryside land tracts to measure at least 25 acres; smaller tracts (some with homes) do exist, but they're relatively rare, explained realtors Rick and Kaye Kohler, who showed us around.

If that arrangements works for you, it's a spot well worth considering. Shenandoah National Park lies but a dozen miles away, and Luray Caverns another 10 miles further. Several excellent restaurants dot the area, and there's a fine fresh-roast Central Coffee in Sperryville. The upbeat and historic town of Culpepper (good gourmet shop, fun art galleries and shops, plus loads of Civil War history) lies less than 30 minutes away. An hour's drive will take you to Charlottesville, Monticello and the University of Virginia.

But cheap it isn't. A 50-acre tract just outside town was priced at more than $750,000. A double tract of 1.5 acres in town was priced $359. Friends, we learned, had recently bought a two-bedroom house on 3 acres for about $500,000. (It was fully updated and had a spectacular view.)

The most affordable land we saw was a 5-acre parcel priced around $200,000. But we didn't much like the idea of investing that much in property with a view of the least-attractive houses we'd seen in the entire county.

So it was on to cozy Staunton, home of the Blackfriars Shakespeare theater and soon, to the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library. Check back tomorrow to find out what we discovered.

Europe deals, prices

2008-01-29T14:34:00.000-08:00

Next month, I'll spend two weeks in Europe, finding out just how expensive everything really is.

Already I'm getting a hint, and I'd say that things aren't as bad as I'd feared.

Granted, winter is Europe's least expensive season; prices typically go up in spring, and by June 1 they go through the roof. But if you want to go to Europe before the end of April, you might be surprised.

An excellent hotel in Rome, the Bettoja, is charging $160 per night on Hotels.com for late February. (I'm staying in cheaper digs at Hotel des Artistes for $105 per night, also booked through Hotels.com) While a rental car through Orbitz is pricing out at $400 per week including the taxes, I'm finding the tab about 40 percent less if I prepay the car through Kemwel, and even less through Economy Car Rentals. (Yes, that's for a manual: Thanks, Daddy, for teaching me to drive stick!)

The U.K. is unbelievably expensive...but not as bad as I'd feared. A rental car for five days costs $100 -- yes, that's in dollars. And though hotel prices seem truly staggering, I snagged a rate of about 40 percent less on the hotel I wanted at Lastminute. (The double room, including tax, will cost $120 per night.)

You can follow the daily tab here on my blog once I start my trip, on Feb. 24. Meanwhile, I'll be keeping my eyes open for deals and passing them along.

Here's one worth considering:

Tourcrafters is offering a six-night package to Sicily including air from New York or Boston for $929 per person, double occupancy. The package includes airfare, hotel and car rental ... making it a seriously good deal. Prices are good through March 20.

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AP Photo/Andrew Medichini

Great fares to the Carib

2008-01-22T11:32:00.000-08:00

Want to head for the islands? Book by Jan. 28 and you can snag flights for $49 each way from Miami and Fort Lauderdale to the Caribbean on American Airlines.

That hot deal comes from Travelzoo. You can sign up for deals from them or just check daily deals from Travelzoo, Airfarewatchdog and Farecompare at our website; check under Just In!

The skinny on this island deal: Not every flight is as cheap as $49, and seats are limited (what's new?) Some samples, provided by Travelzoo:

- Ft. Lauderdale-Nassau ... $49
- Miami-Montego Bay ... $74
- Ft. Lauderdale-San Juan ... $84

For details, click here

Booking a flight online? Change your browser!

2008-01-18T09:04:00.001-08:00

Travel experts -- and many of us who book air tickets online -- have long suspected that least some airline websites insert "cookies'' when you visit...which means your "fare'' can rise when you check back a few minutes later.

Case in point: You go online to an airline site, find a round-trip fare of $200 to New York. Then you shop around a bit and come back a few minutes later...only to find the fare has jumped by $75.

What happened? A number of possibilities. One is that the flight could have been booked in the interim by several other people. The automatic "yield management'' programs of the airline push the remaining inventory up a notch pricewise. So the only seats left are more expensive ones.

Another possibilities is the cookies scenario: The airline's computer recognizes your computer and nudges the price north.

How to cope? The easy answer is to open a different browser. (I keep both Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox on my computers for just this reason.) So if I went in on Mozilla the first time, I go in on Exlorer the next. (Another option is to go onto a colleague's computer.)

But what if the seats really have been snagged?

Well, listen to what happened to me this morning. Yesterday, I booked an itinerary for Miami - Rome - London, price of $646. Rather than purchasing the flight, I held it to be sure my husband -- who will meet me for a family wedding in London -- could get the same return flight.

When I went back to purchase the flight this morning, the price had kicked up to $2,100 plus! No way!

So I opened another browser and put in the search dates again. My original itinerary cost a mint, but there were a ton of other options at my same happy $646 price. And since the exact itinerary details aren't that important to me, I was prepared to make a change.

But...I did like the original itinerary, because it gives me lunch time in NYC on a Sunday, so I can catch up with a friend. So I killed the original itinerary that I had on hold, waited 5 minutes and repriced the trip. Sure enough, releasing the original seat knocked the price back down, and I got my original itinerary for $646.

A hassle? Yeah, somewhat. But when it comes to booking airline seats, I'm happy to beat the airlines at their own game.

More on Windjammer woes

2008-01-17T13:07:00.000-08:00

Windjammer Barefoot Cruises has been in trouble since last fall. Our last report, from my Miami Herald colleague Patrick Danner on Dec. 11, indicated that Windjammer's ship Legacy was slated to resume service Jan. 5.

That date has come and gone -- and all January sailings have been cancelled, according to a company announcement at Coconut Telegraph, posted on Dec. 21.

Refund and re-booking requests should be faxed to 305-531-1805, according to the posting.

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12/11/2007
From The Miami Herald

WINDJAMMER WOES WORSEN

BY PATRICK DANNER
pdanner@MiamiHerald.com

Windjammer Barefoot Cruises' troubles appear to be worsening, casting further doubt on whether it will sail any of its four tall ships again.

The financially ailing Miami Beach company had planned to resume sailing one of the ships this past weekend, but canceled after it failed to "overcome the vast difficulties and roadblocks that have hampered [its] operation of late, " the company said on an online message board popular with Windjammer aficionados.

It's the fifth time a sailing on the Legacy has been canceled since a son of Windjammer's legendary founder Mike Burke announced the cruise line would restart on Nov. 3.

The company has set a Jan. 5 target date to resume sailing the Legacy, but it's not supposed to sell trips because its state license has expired. More than 100 customer complaints have been filed with Florida agencies.

Meanwhile, Windjammer's vessels still are detained in various Caribbean ports, encumbered by liens.

The vessels have fallen into disrepair while they've been idle, said Anthony Bellmar, a maritime official in Grenada, where three of Windjammer's vessels are registered.

"Ships deteriorate quickly if you don't pay attention to their needs, " Bellmar said. "The longer they wait, the more expenses to bring the ships back to standard. Sailing would be difficult."

Joey Burke, who has been trying to revive the business started by his father 60 years ago, said he had been advised by an attorney for the family trust that now owns Windjammer not to say anything because there is a reorganization in the works that involves outside investors.

Previous attempts to land investors, however, have not panned out.

One purported investor has even sued Windjammer, accusing it of "double-dealing" by negotiating with other parties.

The U.K.-based lawyer for the trust didn't respond to a message.

The string of canceled cruises has alienated many Windjammer customers. More than 100 complaints have been registered with the state Attorney General's office and the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services since August.

A spokeswoman for the attorney general said it is "conducting a preliminary review." The Department of Agriculture is investigating Windjammer primarily to make sure it isn't selling travel while it's not licensed by the state.

Windjammer's license to sell travel expired Nov. 9. Windjammer applied for renewal on Nov. 20, but was denied because it didn't post a $25,000 surety bond. The state is requiring the bond so that if Windjammer fails to honor sales, customers have an avenue to obtain refunds, said Terence McElroy, a spokesman for the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Burke said Windjammer is in the process of getting the bond.

Greg Nelson of Somerset, Wis., had planned a week's vacation beginning Nov. 11 from St. Lucia on the Windjammer's Polynesia vessel. The trip was canceled and he has been fighting ever since to get a refund for the cost of the trip -- about $2,700 -- from either Windjammer or his credit card company.

"It's a good thing we're separated by a few states because I'm so angry, " Nelson said Friday. Later that day, he received an e-mail from Burke.

"I have a negative balance in our account right now so I can't send a refund right away, " Burke wrote in the e-mail, which he confirmed sending. "We should have some money by the 18th from the sale of some assets. Can you please contact me then?"

Miami Herald business writer Bridget Carey contributed to this report.

Queen Victoria is short on drawers

2008-01-17T07:24:00.001-08:00

This report comes from Jay Clarke, our correspondent currently aboard the new Queen Victoria, and photographer Robert Koltun of El Nuevo Herald. (The photo above was shot in New York earlier this week by AP photographer Don Emmert.) You can contact Jay at jclarke@MiamiHerald.com:

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Drawers are the hot topic on the world's newest cruise ship, Cunard's Queen Victoria. Not the kind you wear, but the kind you put things in.

The issue? There aren't enough drawers in passenger staterooms on this, the newest of Cunard's legendary ''Queens,'' and passengers are not happy about it. In the most numerous staterooms, for instance, there are four shelves in the closet, but two of them are occupied by a safe and pillows. Each of the two night tables has a drawer and an open space above, and that's it.

Even Capt. Paul Wright took note of passenger ire over the drawer situation.

''I'm supposed to get a big room,'' he told guests at the captain's reception, with tongue in cheek, ''but they gave me this small room. And it's full of drawers. Drawers everywhere.''

When you're embarked on a 106-night world cruise, that's not much space to put your belongings. So some passengers are improvising.

''When we get to Los Angeles, friends are meeting us,'' said passenger Judy Duvall. ''They're going to take us to Wal-Mart so we can buy plastic boxes.'' She and her friend Sue Moore, both from Hawaii, are traveling on the entire cruise, so they'll need the boxes.

The Queen Victoria got off to a rousing start last Sunday in New York, when all three of Cunard's Queens -- the Queen Elizabeth 2, the Queen Mary 2 and this new ship -- rendezvoused in New York harbor to a spectacular display of fireworks. It was the first and only time the three Queens would be in the same place at the same time. The QE2 has been sold and will become a permanently moored hotel in Dubai this fall.

After its stop in Fort Lauderdale Wednesday, the QV is continuing on a world cruise that will take it through the Panama Canal, across the Pacific and Indian Oceans and back to Southampton, where she began this maiden global odyssey.

Got compassion? Rate your airline

2008-01-10T05:41:00.000-08:00

How would you rate your airline? Right now mine is getting a big fat goose egg.

SAD SAGA

The call came about 8:30 at night. My mom, a stroke, hospitalized. Siblings out of pocket. We decided I’d fly up as soon as possible.

I checked online; American Airlines seemed to have seats, then they didn’t, then the prices changed with every log-in. I called them; many experts suspect that the airlines use cookies to push up the price when you check the same routing for the same doubt repeatedly through the same web browser, so you either have to move to another browser or make the call.

If you follow this blog, you know I’m a long-time premium frequent flier. But while AA was perfectly happy to take the revenue associated with the 50,074 miles I flew on them in 2007 and the 971,296 miles I’ve flown with them over my lifetime, they didn’t seem to have the same interest in me when my mother was striken.

The premium agent didn’t seem to care much; OK, maybe she’d had a thumper of a day herself. But her fares didn’t show much compassion, either. Since I didn’t know when I was returning, she checked one-way fares. To fly to Raleigh, N.C., the one-way fare would be $1,000-plus, and the first flight she could find would put me there 24 hours later….less efficient than what I was finding myself on American’s website.

“I’m having trouble remembering why I flew 50,000 miles on your airline last year,’’ I told her, thinking to myself “but I doubt I’ll have a lot of trouble figuring out whether to give the miles to your airline next year.’’

NO “COMPASSION’’

Compassion fares, you see, are all but a thing of the past on all airlines. American, I was told, limits the number of compassion fares per day -- the implication being that if you’re going to have a family emergency, you better schedule it wisely.

Alternatively, I was told I could use “anytime’’ miles to get a ticket -- a whomping 50,000 miles rather than the “regular’’ tariff of 25,000 miles. Like the compassion fares, the “regular’’ FF tickets were gone.

Before I go off on a rant about any number of things American could do to better serve their long-time loyal clients in such unhappy circumstance – and if you read far enough, you’re gonna get to that rant – let’s talk about other airlines.

NOT JUST AA

Yes, legacy carriers have faced a tough financial picture in recent years. But travel has rebounded like a roundball that’s been slammed by D-Wade. Yet most U.S. airlines still treat passengers like cattle rather than people paying hard-earned money for a service. Yes, a service. Airline seats are now a commodity, and so, apparently, are those of us who fill them.

Consider the report this week from Florida's Attorney General's office that said travel-related complaints rank No. 2 among Florida consumers, just behind the dreaded violators of the Do Not Call list, and just above communication providers (that's the cable guy and the phone companies.) Granted, many of those travel complaints relate to billing and scams, but some have to do with ... you got it ... service.

Case in point: Former Miamian Karyn Herterich called the other day with a sadly familiar tale about her son, a Delta flight to Miami to catch a cruise, lost luggage. Her complaint was less about the lost luggage than poor service by the Delta representatives handling the matter. A dozen calls to Delta's offshore call center left her furious. You know the drill; someone who speaks English by language but whose cultural orientation leaves him/her completely unprepared to deal with American expectations, habits, idioms, even geography. (One agent even suggested they’d send the luggage to her son’s next shore call at a port in S.C., not geographically adept enough to understand that his next call was at a town by that same name – in the Caribbean.)

Herterich has an advantage: she serves on a national board with a top Delta executive and has shared the details with his executive assistant. “But what about normal people?’’ she says.

Good question. “Normal’’ people are likely in a rough ride. And apparently, being a platinum flier doesn’t mean a darn thing, either.

BETTER POLICIES

So let’s get to the part where we talk about the common-sense steps airlines could implement that would make them seem like they care about something besides $$ (like, say, brand loyalty).

A few ideas:

In emergency cases, airlines could put supervisors on the phone, who could check the long-time loyal flier’s record and find out if they’re a habitual “dog-ate-my-homework, my 25th-grandfather-died’’ abuser, or if they’re really what they claim to be: a flier with a lifetime mileage total of 971,000 miles whose family has suffered a crisis.
They could authorize supervisors to waive the “anytime’’ double mileage requirement in favor of the regular requirement but require some sort of verification letter from a doctor or hospital.
At the very least, they could train their personnel to act like they’ve got hearts, even if they can’t do a lot to help soften the pain of a stupidly costly airline ticket.

Or they could actually have reasonable fares.

As for Herterich's off-shore call problem, let's just say that I vote with my feet. If I can't get reasonable service most of the time for ANY reason -- from my airline, bank, drugstore, mechanic -- I vote with my feet. And I do what Herterich is doing: I let them know why I'm voting with my feet. Enough people do that, and whatever ridiculous practice of the moment sometimes gets changed. (Yup, I'm Pollyanna.)

NOT ALL OINKERS

Before I tell you how this story ended, I want to take a moment for fairness.

Like any big company, American does have some wonderful employees. Like Keith, the purser on my New Year’s Eve flight from Boston to Miami. We were delayed by mechanical failure; Keith was cheery, helpful – even let me use his cell phone to call reservations. And he had a sense of humor.

And Bill, the purser who works First Class on the Miami-Dallas run. Sure, it’s First Class (I snag the occasional FF upgrade) but he’s still nicer, more attentive, than any other First Class server I’ve seen on any AA flight.

The problem is that for every noticeably positive experience I’ve had on AA, I’ve had a noticeably unpleasant one. Let’s call that a 50 percent average. That’s isn’t so bad in baseball, but on a math test, it would earn you an F.

RESOLUTION

Yes, I did get to Raleigh.

Southwest, the airline of humor and reason, had several flights available at acceptable pricing. I snagged one for early the next morning. Yes, I had to drive to Lauderdale when I live 15 minutes from MIA, but it was worth it.

When I got here, I explained to the agent, Karen, at Alamo that I wasn’t sure how long I’d need the car. “If you need to stay longer, just call us. There’s a $10 fee for extending the rental, but I’ll make a note, and we’ll waive it.’’

Now that’s compassion.

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How’s your airline? Share your stories, good and bad; just CLICK TO COMMENT below.

Kenya: Is it safe?

2008-01-10T05:25:00.000-08:00

Is it safe to go to Kenya following recent political unrest?

Local experts are advising travelers to wait and see.

"If you haven't booked anything yet, I'd wait two weeks and see what happens," said Sylvia Berman,owner of Post Haste Travel in Hollywood.

"Anyone who has plans in Kenya in the next four weeks, I've advised not to go," said Norman Pieters, owner of Miami-based Karell's African Dream Vacations.

The situation does seem to be improving slowly, says Fred Ngoga Gateretse, Africa specialist for iJET Intelligent Risk Systems, which advises individual travelers and corporations on safety. "In the tourist areas, the government has reinforced security," he says.

The most significant risk for tourists is when entering Kenya via the capital of Nairobi, said Bruce McIndoe, iJET president.

Several locally-based Africa travel specialists said they knew of no serious inci-
dents involving tourists save for some short-term disruptions to domestic air travel and gas shortages in late December. Major tour operators are whisking travelers away from Nairobi, Berman said. African Travel Inc. told The Washington Post it did not feel it was necessary to cancel any tours but was allowing clients to cancel trips booked for this month.

Travelers who have booked tours are at the mercy of their agent and operator.
Most travel insurance policies do not allow travelers to cancel because of "civil unrest," said Dan McGinnity, spokesman for AIG Travel Guard.

The Kenya Tourist Board's releases as of press time indicated that violence had been limited to areas far from the tourist track and that public transport, banks and offices in Nairobi had returned to business "as usual."

The U.S. State Department has issued an update that advises travelers "to consider carefully the risks of travel to Kenya at this time and updates information on safety and security concerns."

Info:

U.S. Department of
State
Kenya Tourist Board.
.
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PHOTO: Courtesy of Fairmont Mara Safari Club. Tourist resorts have not been affected by unrest, says the Kenya Tourist Board.

Back from the snowy north

2008-01-07T12:55:00.000-08:00

One of the questions I'm asked most frequently is where I go on vacation. After all, if you travel the globe for work, people might rightly figure that when I'm not working, I might stay home.

No way.

Many travel editors do stay home when they've got time off, but I'm not one of them.

Last year, The Husband and I headed to Cameroon, in West Africa. It was a fascinating but in many ways grueling trip...limited food (we're talking Laughing Cow cheese for lunch, every day), AK47-toting guards along the muddy lanes that pass for highways, and bribe-demanding officials throughout the airport.

This year we opted to stick closer to home, spending our days reading, eating, sleeping and tromping through the snow drifts in Maine, Quebec City and Vermont. We slipped down the toboggan run in front of Quebec's Chateau Frontenac, chowed on pork at Buck's Naked BBQ in Freeport, Maine (home of the 24/7 L.L. Bean store) and went snowshoeing through the virgin powder in Greensboro, Vt.

I wouldn't want to live in snow, but it surely was nice to visit it.

A few scenes:

Gone for the holidays

2007-12-19T17:23:00.000-08:00

What does a travel editor do on vacation? Travel!

Here's the view from my room on this snowy night. Guess where I am?

Looking for tips on traveling this holiday season? See our Holiday Travel Survivial Kit at www.MiamiHerald.com/travel.

Have a great holiday!

Home again, home again

2007-12-13T18:02:00.000-08:00

At 6:30 this morning I left home. By 9 p.m. I was back. Thank goodness I didn't route through any of the places that got buried today in snow.

Was it worth it? I think so, and I guess the other half-dozen mileage runners I saw on my return might agree.

Tell us what you think by voting in the poll at right.

Already, I'm trying to figure out my likely flights for next year. Best guess is that I'll run short again. Next time, though, I'll look for a longer haul. Sure could use the miles.

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To see my original story from The Miami Herald, click here.

Heading east

2007-12-13T17:56:00.000-08:00

LA was sunny and slightly cool. The sunny I could see. The slightly cool came from that brief moment on the jetway when I whiffed feel real air.

Now I’m back in the confines of my beloved flying tin can. And yes, I’m in the back of the bus.

When you fly back here all the time, or your upgrade comes at the end of your itinerary, you don’t really notice how cramped economy can be.

Having just come from biz class, believe me, I can tell a difference.

The guy in front of me has reclined onto my laptop, which now has ketchup on it after my dinner with The King – the only grab-and-go food near my gate at LAX. I did get lucky and land a seat with a power plug, but typing in these close quarters seems likely to land me a bout of tendonitis before I get back to Miami. A baby is crying nearby. My seat-back TV doesn’t work.

Good thing I brought Aleve.

On the plus side: My plane is on time, and there are a few familiar faces aboard … familiar from my flight out to LA this morning. Other mileage runners.

They’re obviously already Platinum, because they’re all sitting up in Business. Next year, I will be too.

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PHOTOS: Business vs. economy: You know which is which.

Another mileage fiend

2007-12-13T11:42:00.003-08:00

I’m not the only mileage-running fiend doing the Miami- LA dash today. Also on my flight: Evie Hirschhorn, who works in the law firm of her husband, Miami lawyer Joel Hirschhorn.

She’s flying to ensure she’ll be Platinum again next year. Since her children moved from New York to Miami, she’s flying less, she finds.

“I’ve been Platinum for several years, but I’m about 7000 miles short,’’ she said. This one, plus another holiday trip already planned, will put her over the 50,000 mile mark.

Husband Joel is also short of his Executive Platinum requirement, so he’ll be making a six-leg mileage run late in the month.

The draw: Free upgrades.

“I travel an awful lot, and the comfort is very important when you’re on a plane a lot of time. ‘’

She, too, got an upgrade for the first flight. “It’s been very relaxing. No one can call me, and I’ve slept and read a book.’’

Yup! I made it!

2007-12-13T11:10:00.000-08:00

Yes, I made it to LAX...and soon will be heading back to Miami on exactly the same plane!

Getting an upgrade looks dubious. There are already 10 people on the upgrade request list ahead of me, so I'm not all that hopeful. But we'll see.

Here, at least, the Wi-Fi works. My posts from the first flight appear below. Photos to come soon!

Using those FF miles

2007-12-13T11:09:00.000-08:00

One of my closest colleagues, who also works in Travel, allowed the other day that she’s never used her frequent flier miles.

What?

Well, she and her husband can’t plan far enough in advance. And you can’t get the seats during prime time, anyway, she explained.

That’s the rap, sure enough, but it doesn’t have to be true. In the past decade, I’ve used miles to go to Africa (thrice), Bali, Bangkok and Europe – even in Prime Time seasons like mid-summer and at Christmas.

The Husband and I have a method, and along the way we’ve picked up a few extra tips.

1 – Plan as early as you can. Each airline allows a different window for advance award bookings; at American, where I’m a member, you can book free tickets up to 330 days in advance of travel.

2 – Can’t book early? Give it a shot anyway. Some people snag award tickets, then cancel them…and the seats come open. Or bookings aren’t as strong as the airline had hoped, and they release extra seats. (This is more likely to happen when it’s low season in your destination.)

A couple of cases in point: This fall, I sent The Husband to Ireland on a free ticket that we booked just 60 days in advance. Another year, we snagged two free tickets to Calgary, Canada, by traveling on Christmas day.

3 – Use your miles for the most expensive flights.

If you fly only on the least-expensive economy tickets, you’re probably paying less than 10 cents for every mile you earn. If you use your miles for a ticket you can buy for the same price – say, my Miami-to-LA ticket today for $302 – you’re just getting an even trade. But if you use them for a ticket to Asia or Africa that costs thousands of dollars, you’re getting a deal.

Steve Becker, a government chemist in Washington, D.C., doesn’t travel at all for work. But each year he makes “mileage runs,’’ searching out cheap flights that will rack up lots of miles. His average price per mile earned was 1 cent last year, and 1.61 cents this year. This fall, he used miles to snag a business class ticket that enabled him to visit multiple cities in Asia and Australia for 150,000 miles – or a cost of around $1,500, given the price he’d paid to fly his mileage runs. If he’d purchased his Asia/Australia ticket, he would have paid more than $10,000. Now that’s a bargain.

4 – Don’t book award tickets online. Yes, you’ll pay an additional $15 fee for using a phone agent. But a good airline agent can find you routings that will never show up if you’re booking online.

5 – Call back often. This can be a pain – but worth it.

In July, we’re going with a group of friends on a Baltic cruise. All are from Miami, so the competition for the free seats is tough. And because cruises begin and end on set dates, we’re facing competition from the thousands of other Americans sailing on our ship.

About two weeks ago The Husband called. We were able to secure two free tickets to Copenhagen a day earlier than we really wanted to go, but we couldn’t find a return flight. So we asked the agent to hold the outgoing seats for the period allowed – in this case, two weeks – while we hunted for return seats. Sure enough, a few days later, another agent found us a way back.

Becker told me that to get his free Asia/Australia ticket, he called back almost every day for six weeks. The last four weeks, he spent two hours every night on the phone with his airline’s award desk.

OK, that’s pretty extreme (though Becker’s was an extremely complex itinerary.) People with less time and patience can get a travel agent to do the work for them … for a fee. At TraveLeaders in Coral Gables, for instance, clients are often happy to pay $150 to get their office to handle the hassles of snagging a frequent flier ticket, I was told recently by Nina Meyer, the firm’s leisure travel manager.

6 – Find an experienced airline agent to help you.

How? One method is to call back until you get someone on the phone who really likes doing this. It doesn’t take but a minute of chat to figure out that the agent you’re talking with thinks finding you a free seat is a big snore. We end the call by saying, “thank you very much for your help,’’ hang up and call right back (you nearly always get a different agent.) By the second or third call, we’ve got a winner.

Other tips: When The Husband snagged the Europe ticket, he was told that the best time to call is on a weekday morning. More experienced agents get first choice of work shifts, he was told, and those agents are more likely to find you that free routing.

Becker, an American Airlines flier, says he’s been told to call in early afternoons, when the company’s Tucson office opens. That office, he says, is supposed to be the best at finding free seats.

7 – Be flexible. We’ve often paid for a hotel room to make a free ticket routing work. For instance, our last trip to Bali was possible with miles only if we stayed overnight in Tokyo. A hotel room near the airport cost us $100 – far, far less than two tickets to Bali at Christmas time.

8 – Be prepared. Becker checks out every conceivable routing through all of his airline’s partners and puts them on a spreadsheet. When he calls the award agent, he suggests various options instead of expecting the agent to know them all.

For his Asia trip, for instance, he decided he wanted to fly on American’s partner British. But British doesn’t fly west toward Asia from the U.S., and ticket rules wouldn’t let him fly first to Europe, then to Asia. So he routed first to Toronto, which offers a BA flight to Asia.

The Husband and I aren’t quite that organized, but we do try to figure out basic possibilities for partner airlines and routings before we call the awards desk.

Still, we never came up with the routing we finally got: Copenhagen to London, then to Nassau – and then to Miami. For that, we needed an agent.

Never go out in dirty underwear

2007-12-13T11:08:00.000-08:00

Your mother told you: Always put on clean underwear; what if you’re in an accident and have to go to the hospital? (Moms never did focus much on the fact that if you ended up at the Emergency Room, the cleanliness of your undergarments was going to be the least of your worries.)

The corollary to this dictim -- never dash out in a grubby T-shirt, because you’re sure to run into someone you know (and they invariably are dressed better!) – is undeniably true.

Now, with a 10-hour-plus day of flying on my agenda, a business suit was out of the question. (And hey, my T-shirt is clean!)

But of course, I did see Miamians I knew. Lawyer Bob Parks and wife Lyn are heading to Vegas via L.A. (“we couldn’t get seats on the direct flight,’’ Bob said.) And art collector Rosa de la Cruz, barely finished hosting 2,000 Art Basel Miami Beach visitors who visited her collection at home, was dashing out to Los Angeles to work with an installation by a favorite artist at LA MOCA, the museum of contemporary art. She’s returning on my flight … but a day later.

Upgrade: Yes!

2007-12-13T11:06:00.000-08:00

I’m a back-of-the-bus flier. When I’m traveling on business, the Herald pays for discounted Economy Class tickets. When I’m traveling personally, I pay for discounted Economy Class tickets. And while many of my friends use frequent flier miles to upgrade to Business Class, I use my miles to visit far-away places like Africa and Asia.

The only time I get to ride in the front is when I get a free upgrade. And the chances of that go way up if you’re an elite-class frequent flier…which helps explain today’s trip.

This past year I qualified for Gold, American’s lowest level of elite reached after flying 25,000 miles in a single year. The good news is that I earn free upgrade credits (and I can buy more at a right price) that can be used to upgrade one class of service within the U.S. The bad news is that I hardly ever get to snag a space; the Platinums and Executive Platinum fliers get them first.

Today my requested upgrade hadn’t come through before I got to the airport, and because I was arrived at the gate only 30 minutes before take-off, I figured I was out of luck. But the LA flight rates a wide-body Boeing 707, and just minutes before take-off, hooray! I snagged a biz class seat.

The big plus to biz class is space; your chin doesn’t even come close to your knees. Another bonus is a guaranteed power outlet at your seat (important for a working person like me; I’ll spend the entire 10 hours writing.)

The quality of business and first-class service varies with the plane itself; if you’re on a smaller plane, you end up with a slightly bigger seat than economy, free cocktails (irrelevant if you’re working) and not much more. But on wide bodies, you also get an individual video screen and program (standard in economy on some airlines, but not American), a leg rest, duvet and pillow (often rare in economy), hot towels for cleaning your hands, and coffee served in an actual ceramic mug.

And did I mention food? In business and first class, airlines actually serve hot food, accompanied by real stainless flatware.

This morning’s menu options include a choice of cheese omelet “accompanied by a red pepper hash and roasted peach half” or cereal and fruit with yogurt “served with a banana and fresh seasonal berries.’’ If one is so-inclined, one can wash it down with a Domaine Ste-Michelle Columbia Valley sparkling wine, a Wente San Francisco Bay chardonnay or St. Francis Sonoma County merlot.

Fearing I’d be stuck in economy, I’d already wolfed down Cuban toast and café con leche from an airport Versailles outlet. In the back of the plane, you can buy a few cholesterol-infused snacks to stave off starvation, but believe me, you’ve got to be ravenous before you can bring yourself to eat them.

Go early to airport, or you could be MIA

2007-12-13T11:04:00.000-08:00

Don’t laugh, but I got lost on the way to the airport this morning.

Never mind that I was there yesterday to pick up a visiting sister, or that this year I’ll fly a total of 80,000 miles on various airlines – with most of my flights originating at Miami International Airport.

The problem: The airport access coming south from Lejeune Road has changed in the past few weeks, and I missed the cut-off. (I came from a different direction on yesterday’s airport run, so I didn’t see the change.)

To make matters worse, the police have set up a checkpoint near the airport’s entrance. While this might be good for security, it’s lousy for traffic, creating a pinch point and causing slowdowns.

And if that’s not enough, there are the monstrous security lines.

The average TSA security wait at MIA is 25 minutes, the local TSA spokesperson told me a few weeks ago. I beat that record by 5 minutes this morning, but it took dodging my entrance gate – at Concourse E – and running back to Concourse, D, where the queue was about 2/3 shorter than the boa wrap at D. What with running back and forth, the security gauntlet took more than 30 minutes (though I did get my daily dose of exercise!)

Moral of this story: Get to the airport early early early!

We’ve got more tips online in our Holiday Travel Survival Guide at www.MiamiHerald.com/travel.

Jane's on the plane

2007-12-13T05:19:00.001-08:00

The good news: Jane is on the plane to L.A., and she got upgraded to Business Class.

The bad news: The wi-fi at MIA is MIA -- so she asked us to post for her. She'll start posting again when she reaches Los Angeles.

Her tip: Get to the airport EARLY. The longs are long and the traffic is terrible.

Getting the most miles

2007-12-12T07:57:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow, Thursday, I'll be making a "mileage run'' -- a trip just to snare the miles that will push me into the next level of elite status.

I'm already Gold on American -- which means I've flown 25,000 miles already this year. And being Gold comes with my favorite reward: Instead of standing in the Economy Class lines for check-in, I get to stand in the Business Class line.

Now, you might think that's not so important in an age of electronic check-in, but I travel a lot internationally, which generally involves checking luggage. And I have to show my passport to an agent even if I check in online. So not standing in the hours-long economy line really matters.

So why bother with Platinum? Well, last year I let myself slide 5,000 miles short -- and I was sorry.

On American, being Platinum means you're much more likely to get upgraded.(Those electronic upgrades you earn by flying aren't worth anything if the Platium and Executive Platinum fliers have snagged all the Business seats.) And, you get double miles ... a worthy bonus if you use your miles for snagging free long-haul flights, like I do.

Of course, actually using your miles to get free tickets can take some perserverance. I'll share tips about that in this blog tomorrow. I'll have plenty of time to write....10 hours and 25 minutes in the air, fying from Miami to Los Angeles and back.

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PHOTO: Who wouldn't want to go Business? New business class seats on the Airbus 380; photo by Getty Images.

Do you travel just for the miles?

2007-12-10T14:29:00.000-08:00

In December, frequent fliers take a look at their mileage statements and, finding them a bit shy of elite status, sometimes make mad dashes just to rack up the miles.

Do you do this, or does someone you know do it? If so, I'd love to speak to you for a story! Please e-mail me at jwooldridge@herald.com.

Traveling to Art Basel

2007-12-04T07:47:00.000-08:00

This week, my travels will be geographically close at hand ... but intellectually all over the place ... as I dash from art fair to gallery to party to exhibition at Art Basel Miami Beach.

Officially speaking, Art Basel Miami Beach is a single fair showcasing modern and contemporary art from 200 galleries worldwide. It takes place Thursday - Sunday at the Miami Beach Convention Center. From Picassos to Dubuffets, everything here is for sale, though for those of us who are financial mortals, the joy generally is in the viewing and dreaming.

Art Basel Miami Beach is an offshoot of the prestigeous Art Basel fair held annually in June in the medieval city of Basel, Switzerland. (That's Basel, as in Basil Rathbone, not BA-sel, as in the herb.) Because the town is small, and because the lifestyle in Europe is more reserved than that in Miami, the Swiss fair is more contained.

In Miami's physical and mental sprawl, Art Basel spreads out, stretching from Miami Beach to the Design District. So, too, does its influence. This year's Art Basel season comes with 24 side fairs, nearly all unrelated to -- but spurred by -- events at the convention center.

You can learn more them, the main fair and daily happenings at the Miami Herald's Art Basel website.

Come along; everyone is welcome. Word of advice: Wear comfy shoes. When it comes to feet, this week is a killer.

Miami Airport: How bad is it?

2007-11-30T07:03:00.000-08:00

A letter in today's Readers Forum on the Op-Ed page says it all.

Mortin I. Teicher of Miami writes:

As just about anyone who regularly uses MIA will tell you, the place is a pit.

I say this with apologies to the many hard-working employees there. (The new manager at the Starbucks on Concourse D is a marvel: Cheerful and efficient!)

But let's face it: the laundry list of nightmares stretches to New York. Travelers worldwide complain about it; I've heard earfuls about our airport in Europe, Asia and South America.

Among my own less-than-cheery experiences in the past year or two:

Luggage handling. Last Saturday we waited more than an hour for our bags (after the caroussel designation had been switched thrice.) Not sure whether this was MIA's fault or American Airlines, but the result was the same.

(While we're on that subject, can someone explain why the caroussel designated is almost invariably the one furtherest from the gate at which you arrived?)
Non-moving moving sidewalks. This is not to be confused with non-moving escalators, also a problem.
Food choices. You know things are meagre when the opening of the Au Bon Pain in Concourse A was cause for celebration.
Cranky workers. I've been snarked at by workers in two languages who pretend not to speak either when it turns out that I can manage both. (Kudos to the tourism promotion folks, who have started a friendliness and service campaign for all workers who relate to tourists.)

To be fair, things are getting (slightly) better, and hopefully will improve with the full operation of the new terminal. And there is one thing I really like about MIA: All the places its flights can take me.

Got a MIA beef? A practical suggestion? Praise? Click to Comment below.

What's new at sea? Glass-blowing

2007-11-30T06:46:00.001-08:00

You can bowl, star-gaze, golf and surf and go ice-skating on cruise ships. And when the 2,850-passenger ship Celebrity Solstice is launched a year from now, you'll also be able to watch glass-blowing demonstrations.

The demos will be provided by resident gaffers from the Corning Museum of Glass, who will offer demos, lectures and workshops in their decktop studio. And yes, it will be outdoor.

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Photo courtesy of Celebrity Cruises

Cheap seats to London

2007-11-27T12:36:00.001-08:00

Deal of the day: $245 each way buys a roundtrip ticket this winter from Miami to London if you book by Dec. 3 on Virgin Atlantic. Travel is cheapest Monday-Wednesdays. But beware of the whopper taxes and surcharges: On the ticket we tested, that came to more than $300!

Sick and far from home

2007-11-26T08:32:00.000-08:00

I'm sure there are worse things than being sick when you're traveling, but at the moment, illness is the trauma that's got my attention.

I'm not talking anything major, thank goodness. Just good old fashioned food poisoning.

This bout came in New York. The Husband and I shared lunch at one of the many soup-and-sandwich spots dotting Manhattan. Six hours later, I was running out of a friendly little dinner party clutching my stomach.

You'd think I'd get sick in off-the-track places like Cameroon or Papua New Guinea. No, mostly it's mostly normal places, like New York. Or Las Vegas (another case of food poisoning.)

And mostly, I get sick when I'm traveling alone. In Vegas, for instance, I was A) alone and B) naked, thanks to lost luggage, no hotel bathrobes and tiny bathroom towels.

I'm lucky, because I mostly get either food poisoning or dehydration. Other people get heart attacks and stroke -- the most common serious problem for Americans traveling abroad, according to a medical presentation I saw at a conference last year. Seems that office- and sofa-bound Americans tend to get overly ambitious about their physical abilities on vacation.

Still, being sick on the road alone has taught me a few survival skills. Such as:

Drink plenty of bottled water, and carry powdered rehydration salts. (Being dehydrated in a country where you don't speak the language, like China, can be an interesting challenge.)
Think you're going to need a doctor? Ask for him or her before dark, when the price goes up. (Plus, the idea of heading off to clinic in Vietnam after dark is more than even I can manage.)
Find a friend, and ask him/her to stick with you while the doctor visits. A random fellow traveler who speaks English as a first language is an improvement over visiting the doctor alone.
Staying in an apartment or house rather than a hotel? Ask about medical services when you first arrive. (We had to call friends at 3 a.m. in New York one night because we didn't know the location of the closest hospital.)
Wear your seatbelt in the taxi and watch when crossing the road. Traffic collisions are the No. 2 cause of serious problems for Americans abroad.
Consider a medical evacuation policy or travel insurance policy that includes medical care. I've never had to use them and hope I never will, but I do feel better knowing I've got a back-up plan.

Above all, I take a modest jammies in my carry-on. If I don't get sick, I know for sure I'll get locked out of your room with only a towel as cover.

Watch out for holiday air delays

2007-11-08T08:56:00.000-08:00

Chris McGinnis, Expedia's in-house travel info editor, offers the following tips in his seasonal Expedia Travel Trendwatch report, just out.

Get the best deals: The two weeks before Thanksgiving and the three weeks after.

Snag cheaper business-class fares: During the holidays. "Thanksgiving, round trip travel must occur between roughly Nov. 18 and Nov. 28. For Christmas season travel, sale fares are good for roundtrips taken between roughly Dec. 17 and Jan. 6.''

Be prepared for delays: "To gauge where departure and arrival delays are most likely during the upcoming holiday season, all you have to do is look at airline performance last season.

Airports with the most delayed departures in November AND December 2006
· Atlanta (however, recent runway improvements have reduced delays significantly)
· Chicago – O’Hare
· Detroit
· New York – JFK
· Newark
· Philadelphia

Airports with the most delayed arrivals in November AND December 2006
· Boston
· Chicago – O’Hare
· Detroit
· New York – JFK
· New York – La Guardia
· Newark
· Philadelphia
(Source: National Air Traffic Controllers Association)

Christmas travel? I need help!

2007-11-08T07:35:00.000-08:00

You may find this hard to believe, or even silly, but...The Husband and I are having a hard time finding a place to go for Christmas.

The parameters: Low-hassle, and non bank-breakers.

The problem is that I have vacation time I have to take, and The Husband can get away most easily at the holidays. In this case, we can even go the week before the holidays.

The problem: Where?

He doesn't want too cold or too hot or too expensive.

I don't want too far away. (My jetlag quotient for the year is pretty well filled.) That let's out our favorite Asian spots (which are also cheap.)

I'd love to go to Rome, but even on a package it's painfully pricey due to high airfares. (We're saving our cash for an Africa trip next year.)

He's aiming for boutique hotels in Colonial Mexico. I'm not convinced, but right now, it's looking like a good idea.

Got another idea for me? Pass it along...

More on Windjammer

2007-11-05T06:41:00.000-08:00

From the Miami Herald's business staff: