Photo by snappED_up

There is no doubt that air fares are beginning to creep up again. We all know about the airlines who have already added the fuel surcharge and, more recently, baggage charges and some who even charge for snacks. When these worked the floodgates opened and airlines looked for ways to add on some more. Due to supply and demand, the “Peak Holiday Surcharge” is a common add-on for holidays like Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve.

So now, yes, there is another layer of fees or surcharges that have been added to the pot. When the holiday surcharge became commonplace, it was just a natural progression to add more days, and more and more days every few weeks, until now many airlines charge for most days – some as high as $50 one way for something like the Superbowl.

When you add all these surcharges to sales tax, airport, FAA and TSA fees, this can really add up.

Thank goodness, some of the low fare airlines are still holding out – like Southwest. I love Southwest and use them whenever and wherever possible. Then there are others like Air Trans who only adds sporadic and minimal surcharges.

To see a fee added chart with the days they are added by airlines, as well as some tips on avoiding them take a look at Rick Seaney’s article on Fare Compare under the Quick Links heading.

When you have an option to not use one of these fee happy airline,  it seems to have an impact.

Sometimes when you are traveling, it is hard to stay organized. Everything gets jumbled up in your suitcase or seemingly bottomless purse. I think I have a few tips that could at least make a little order out of chaos. Two things – a small, tension curtain rod and a hanging shoe bag, both of which can be stuffed into your suitcase.

You can minimize the amount of clothes you need by rinsing them in the sink and then hanging them to dry on the tension rod placed in the shower. Some hotels have retractable clothes lines but most don’t.

The shoe bag can be hung on the bathroom door and can contain makeup, jewelry, hair care items like your brush, curling iron, etc, tooth brush, maybe even shoes!! Really whatever you want.

This way you can have things handy at your reach with no more packing and unpacking stuff every morning and evening when you do your grooming and at the same time keep your room nice and tidy.

Let me know what some of your packing tips are.

Having just come back from a little cruise, I thought I would leave you with a few tips this week so that you might benefit from my experiences.

The first deals with preparing in advance for the chance that you might experience a bout of sea sickness. If we could have spared my travel friend, Margaret, from her misery that first evening it would have made a profound difference in her enjoyment of the trip. Even if you think you would never yourself fall victim to it, it is better, as they say,to be safe than sorry. We got advice from several of the other ladies we met who had taken advance precautions. A trip to the drugstore for a patch or whatever the pharmacist had to offer would be one choice. The other was that one of the gals had bracelets special for this problem that put pressure on the inside of her wrists to avert getting sick. Next time, while I was fortunate not to be sick, I think I will be more proactive and prepare for the unexpected.

The other tip deals with watching your budget while on board. While it is true that food and SOFT beverages are included, alcohol is not. The wait staff was constantly in our face to offer Bahama Mama drinks or wine or something. And believe me, people were drinking freely at 6 or 7 or even 10 dollars a pop. I would hate to see their bills when they signed out. Fortunately, neither Margaret nor I succumbed to this so we saved a lot of money. I do enjoy a nice glass of wine or a fruity drink now and then, but we had just decided that for this trip, we would forgo the drinking, opting for iced tea, juice, milk and coffee. We are both trying to lose weight and tried to watch calories, even though I managed to gain 4 pounds!!!! Those desserts caught up with me I guess. And we really did try to monitor as best we could. But when you are out of your own kitchen, you are getting more sugar, salt, carbs, etc than you would when you prepare for yourself. But that is another topic for later perhaps.

So we are back, a little “fatter” and a little wiser. Hope you find these cruise tips helpful. If any of you have cruise experience and tips of your own, I would love for you to leave a comment and share yours too.

Going for the fancy isn’t always the best way to go. There are a lot of little hidden gems out there where one can get the authentic flavor of a locale without falling into the tourist trap. We like to veer off the path now and then and follow the locals to see where they like to eat.

In a little town called Dunnellon, Florida, right along SR 41, we found a spot called The Front Porch. It was about as down home as you could get but I am telling you, finding a parking spot was hard to come by. Hand painted scenes on the walls and colorful rocking chairs gave it character. Even the walls in the restrooms were painted to resemble on old fashioned out house. Kind of a hoot, really.

As crowded as it was, we only had about a five minute wait to be seated. The folks who worked there were about as laid back as you could get. But friendly and courteous and downright neighborly. It was quite a diverse gang of patrons there too from a guy with a mullet and tats to two little old ladies in their Sunday going to the meeting fancy dresses with matching hats.

They had a nice little selection of menu items that I don’t often see these days- like okra and beets. But we’d had heard about the pies, and that was what we had come for. We decided to have the Cubans, not that original- I know. But then came the pies.

Roberto chose the Key Lime. It has been one of his favorites and as they were soon leaving the South, he had his last piece. He liked it.

Jenn went for the coconut cream. It was just full of fresh grated toasted coconut in the filling and the meringue and she dug right in.

Me, I went for the Lemon Meringue. Not as tart as I would have liked but very lemony and the meringue was a mile high.

It was fun exploring and we were glad we took the time out to have lunch there.

I am always looking for a way to travel and keep to a budget. Have you ever received in the mail that you have won a free trip? We all know that that is usually never the case and there are strings attached. Right. Well, I got one for a free 3 day, 2 night cruise to the Bahamas for two, which in my case is with my ever ready travel buddy, Margaret.

Turns out, the “string attached” to this freebie is that you have to take a look at a time share in south Florida. Since I already live in Florida, there is no way I need that. But what the heck.

While this is not a way I would generally like to do it, we decided that we would do it anyway. We have to get there, but for us that is a drive in the car sharing gas, and we have to pay the port tax in the Bahamas. So if this is halfway decent, we had a few days on a cruise ship and a day of shopping at the Straw Market in Nassau. Whether this turns out to be a good idea or not we shall see. When I get back next week, I will let you know. Meanwhile, if you don’t mind the annoyance of looking, it is a free trip.

Photo by emilio labrador

Over the last few months I have heard from several people who have had special situations requiring some degree of assistance at airports. One involved an elderly parent traveling alone and not being able to walk from one gate to another while changing planes, the next was having two young children traveling unaccompanied by an adult and the other was having a person coming into the states from another country who was unable to speak English. All different scenarios, but each presented a specific need for special assistance. These are but a few examples that I have heard about myself and I am sure there are many more situations where people have some disability or need for some kind of help to make their journey easier, safer and less fearful.

When you are making your reservations and if you are dealing with a traveler who has some limitation or disability, ask for special services. They can send a  transport or wheelchair and quickly escort you through the terminal to the next gate, and they can help you arrange for an escort pass so you can go through security to the gate with those small children or loved ones on both ends of the trip.  Just knowing that help is available can give your traveler more freedom to take those trips and give you some peace of mind.

On an earlier post I had mentioned about traveling with one of those special money belts that can be worn around your waist under your clothing to keep your cash, credit cards, etc. safe from those who would like to take it from you. When you travel alone you may be more conspicuous as a target so I would remind you to take that precaution.

Recently, in just surfing, I came upon another similar idea for you ladies, or really anyone, who has access to a pair of old pantyhose. If you do not have a place to purchase the zippered money belt that I spoke of, another alternative would be to use the leg of a pair of panty hose. You could just place the money and cards in it and then tie it around your waist.

If you are also carrying a little purse, I would leave a little cash there to pay for tips, cab fares, and little odds and ends you may want to purchase en-route with out exposing to anyone about your little secret stash.

                                                                         Photo by IvyLodge

Since I just did a post on a B&B, I think I will stick with this theme this week.

For the longest time one of my own dreams was to have my own Bed and Breakfast. I imagined all of these different scenarios of where it would be, what it would look like and who would do all of the various tasks associated with it – the decorating of it, the paperwork of it, the cleaning and the cooking, even having a little organic garden of veggies and herbs. In my minds eye it was really fun and things ran seemingly flawlessly. I realized with having that dream that owning a bed and breakfast was a really personal extension of what I would consider my home that I would be opening to invite guests to share with me.

Well, that never happened and that dream will just remain a dream. But when I think about the reality of owning and running a successful Bed and Breakfast, I realize what a lot of work it must be for those who do own one. For that reason, I have decided to give some of what I think are things to think about first for the traveler going to a bed and breakfast, and then for us also to remember what could be important to the owners. Each, the guest and the innkeeper, have certain responsibilities to the other.

We would expect good, prompt service that lives up to the advertising to be sure. Bed and Breakfasts are not all the same though. If you are after a gourmet breakfast, be sure that the one you select advertises that. Some just have a continental type breakfast – maybe homemade muffins and jams set out as a serve yourself. Same goes if you are expecting afternoon tea or sherry. Or antiques and fine linens. Make sure you do a little research so that you won’t be disappointed. While most times these days reservations can be made on the internet, I would suggest a call to the innkeeper just to have some personal contact. Just remember that if you do call, the owner would likely be tied up in the morning with breakfast. While you are at it, in discussing your particular needs, you could ask if you need to bring a specific item or if it will be supplied. And you may as well find out what local events or activities are in the area.

Many times the innkeeper may be able to accommodate a special request.I have heard of a bride who  bookied a whole B&B for her family. Or if you have a very small child, an advance call could help you find out if there is an age minimum. If they do allow babies, a call will help them get ready for your visit to make it perfect for you. Most would likely go all out to make your stay memorable.

Which brings us to the other part. Unlike hotels, these are usually privately owned homes. Those antiques you sit on or sleep on and the china you eat your gourmet breakfast on are special to the owners. So in return for allowing us to share them, we have the responsibility being good stewards of their B&B and to treat it and its furnishings gently.

Photo by moon 69

Ever wonder how you are supposed to carry on a purse, a tote with stuff for the flight and your laptop? I used to take my small roll on suitcase and a purse. But now it makes more sense to use a multipurpose approach. In my small backpack, I can tote my laptop, my digital camera, my cell phone, a bottle of water and a snack, a book to read, and a small wallet. Best part is that carrying it on your back is pretty easy when jockeying up and down escalators. I have everything I would need for the flight all in one place.

The rest can go in my roll on which I can just check if I can’t also take it with me on board. Besides the usual packing items, I can pack a very soft and a collapsible tote bag that can double for a purse and shopping bag when I get to my destination.

                                                                                  Photo by Dave McLean

I am in the market for purchasing some airline tickets to a couple of places for this summer. I was just thinking to myself that I wish I could figure the best days to get the best buys on tickets. Quite by accident while going online to follow up on a totally unrelated news report on ABC this morning I found another report on “What is the Best Day to Buy Cheap Airfare”. Now, if that isn’t the universe speaking to me, I don’t know what is.

The column, written by Rick Seaney, a noted expert on air travel, offered some good advice to get a good deal. He confirmed what I already figured out with my searches for good flights. In his opinion – there is a method.

First, don’t be in a huge rush to buy too soon. He noted that four months before is time enough to start looking. He also said that you should shop around a bit to get a good ballpark of going rates among the airlines so that when specials are advertized you will know if it really is a good deal. Usually, there are not many seats at those prices, so don’t delay or they will be gone.

If you can wait, sometimes, as the date gets closer, you could see an airline offer a sale, usually on a Monday. And by mid day on Tuesday the other airlines will follow. So, Seaney says that Tuesday afternoons are the best days to get a good price. Wednesdays and Saturdays are good days for a deal too as people don’t often pick those days to travel.

Other considerations are the time of day. Most do not prefer real early mornings or late at night, so there could be some deals there too if you don’t mind the inconvenience.

If travel dates are flexible he reminds that off season travel or not going the day before or after a holiday would save you too.

Finally, he suggests using a site that will show you monthly calendars with posted fares for each day and you can do that at his site. I went there and put in my travel dates and could see the prices day to day. It was great. I also was able to sign up for email alerts reporting price changes. Take a look. It was a bit of good luck that I was able to find his report just when I was thinking about it for myself and then to be able to share the tips with you.