Photo by Bill Mayer

A few weeks ago I did a post discussing accommodation options that could save you a little money while you travel. I want to talk about accommodations again but this time I want to talk about what can be called “Dirty Little Secrets”. This morning in the period of about 30 minutes I heard two reports that made me want to take a shower right away. The first was when I just woke up. There was a news item on the radio about a well known hotel in London that offered bed warmers as a customer service. Human ones. They felt it was a good thing because “people sleep better when the sheets are warm”. Hello!! The bed warmers are supposed to wear one piece pajamas and have their hair covered. But they couldn’t guarantee that they would have had a shower. Call me crazy, I wouldn’t want a stranger warming up my sheets even if they had a shower!

And speaking of sheets that brings me to the second story I heard this morning. It is fairly common knowledge that the cleanliness of hotel rooms comes under question at times – even the GOOD ones. But after I heard a report on GMA this morning, I felt the need to report what I heard. Maybe some of you saw it too. They had a segment that was even worse in the creepy crawly division than the bed warmer. Trip Advisor has a list of the 10 dirtiest hotels. They are listed for you if you visit their site. The show featured a microbiologist going into a few of the hotels with an ATP Meter that picks up bacteria and mold. While they say a meter reading of 300 is considered safe, they were picking up readings of 2040. That and other instruments showed not only mold and bacteria on walls, floors, bathrooms, etc.; they also found rust, water damage on ceiling tiles, bodily fluids on bedspreads, walls, chairs, floors. A real cesspool. And then there are the bed bugs.

Now that I most likely have you all retching, what is a traveler to do? The first thing to do when you get to your room is conduct a room inspection. Do not put your suitcase on the bed. (And when you get home, do not put your suitcase on your own bed.) Put it on the bag holder. Look for stains on the spread. Remove the spread entirely. Who knows when or if these ever are cleaned. Check the linens for stains. Pull up the corners of the sheets and look for bug debris or dander or any little droplets of what could be blood in the crease if the mattress along the seam that would indicate the presence of bed bugs. Then move to the bathroom. Look for rust, water damage or stains in the sink, tub and around the toilet floor. If ANY of these are found at this point, ask to have a different room.

If the room passes all of these tests, here are some more just general things to do. Bring you Clorox wipes and clean off the doorknob and the remote. Give a good healthy disinfectant spray on surfaces in the bathroom. Don’t use the glasses or cups unless they are paper and wrapped. Bring slippers or at least Flip Flops when walking on the carpet or in the bath. They had these little plastic mattress bags that you could bring along but didn’t say where they got them. Anyone know? Precautions like these, while annoying, can help prevent things like the flu, colds, or athletes feet.

I am sure that many hotels go out of their way to keep their rooms clean and safe. But there are always some that might look the other way when it comes to training and monitoring staff. Better to be safe.

If you can think of other things to look for or have any other ideas to protect yourselves from unwanted contaminants, please leave a comment.

Photo courtesy of Bradipo

Tipping for services provided can be tricky, if not confusing, for a traveler. This travel tip is not going to go in to all the many service providers that in the states particularly are accustomed to getting tips, like your favorite hair stylist or mailman. For our purposes, this is just to bring up the idea of tipping while on travel – whether in the US or abroad. Should you or shouldn’t you? And who and how much?

Whether one considers tipping an option or that people expect a tip, there is no arguing that most of the people who are the recipients of tips are the ones who most often rely on what is given for the bulk of their salary.

If this is an area of concern for you, then it is best to know what is the norm in the country you are heading to. Just do your research before you go. You might be surprised at the difference in customs from one country to the next. There are many tipping places on the web where amounts are suggested for various services – be it the cleaning staff in your hotel or the person who serves your food and I will list a few links for you at the end. The thing to remember is that this person is providing a service. If, for example, you do not like your room or the meal is not as tasty as you wished, it is not the maid or the waitress who is to blame. You tip for the quality of service you receive. (The one thing about room service that I will mention is that if you are going to tip and are staying multiple nights, it is to your advantage to tip daily, leaving it before you head out in the morning. This will go a long way in placing you in good hands during your stay.)

When you leave a tip, you should know whether or not leaving US money is convenient. Many times folks will prefer getting tips in their local currency which is most likely available at the airport when you arrive. This has to do with the inconvenience or loss of value when the recipients would be faced with changing it to their currency.

Please visit these places for specific tipping information.

http://www.magellans.com/store/article/367

http://www.itipping.com/

http://www.findalink.net/

Do you have any travel experience or advice on tipping from places you have visited to share ? Please leave a comment!

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Travel has become so common place that people who heretofore would always put their pets in a kennel or have someone home sit, are now thinking about the rewards of taking their pets along for the ride. I am sure if you asked the pets to vote they would say “take me too”.

While it is possible to take your pet on a plane or other mass transportation, there are certain safety and comfort limitations to consider. The best option would be to take your pets with you on a road trip by car. There is one exception that is worth mentioning and that is the new pets only airline, pet airways. You really need to pop over there and take a look at this amazing site. It will give all the details of how it is set up and will offer many, many more travel tips for your cats or dogs.

Car trips can be fun but they do require careful planning. It is interesting to see that pets require a lot of stuff and can quickly usurp much of your cargo space, but pet lovers would probably agree that it is worth it.

Jenn and Roberto recently took a road trip from St. Augustine to Vermont. I got a few pointers from them on what made their trip successful taking along their dogs, Pepino and Cipollina {newly acquired in Vermont and actually taking her first road trip on the way back home from Vermont).  When Nimue, their cat, goes along, she sits in the back along with her brother and sister in her crate, too.  This takes the whole back seat when you line them all up!!

Fortunately, they had a great place to stop halfway for the night at their Aunt Carol and Uncle Ed’s in Virginia. But, Roberto said that for those who must stop at a hotel or motel, he would advise calling the hotel ahead of time and speaking to someone, even if the website said “pet friendly”.

Things to know would be if you would be able to leave the pets unattended in the room when you are out dining. While they would need to be in their crates, they might be scared and may bark or cry. I don’t think most hotels would allow pets in the dining room. Although Jenn tells me that some communities are allowing dogs on a leash if you are dining alfresco. Yet, this would not be an option in the winter up North! May be a better bet to get room service or delivery. Another good tip from Roberto was to request a first floor room. It would make those middle of the night potty runs outside a lot easier. Courtesy would dictate that you do not let your pets water the hotel plants or bushes.

Here is a list of items to take for your pet:

• Food
• Water
• Container or bowl
• Lots of treats
• Kongs with peanut butter
• Toys
• Blankets
• Pooper scooper / bags
• Kitty litter
• Carriers with ID tags affixed
• Leash
• Jackets for short haired pets in winter

I asked Pepino and Cipollina if I forgot anything and they gave me two paws up!! Unless of course it was just to take their Grannie to snuggle with, too.

 Photo by Shoomeema 

I am sure by now that most of you have heard about the recent terrorist attempt on that incoming plane from Canada on Christmas. With that in mind airlines are taking a closer look and beefing up security with tighter checks for folks coming in to our airports and at other airports around the world. It is a pity that this is necessary, but that seems to be the times we are living in now.

If you are planning on doing any air travel this New Year and into 2010, there are certain areas where knowing what your responsibilities are will make it easier for you to travel.

You should be aware that:

• Airports are now planning on buying a lot more full body scanners. There are already a few out there and I imagine it is going to take some time to get these in place. They are expensive and in time, these costs may filter down to the traveler, resulting in higher fees or taxes. These scanners are reported to be a revealing invasion of our privacy. But, on the other hand, it is also possible this device will show very clearly if any potentially dangerous items are concealed in any way in any place on or in the body. I do wonder about the safety of exposure to this equipment, though. TSA reports that they emit less energy than a cell phone. But for those who fear this exposure, a physical pat-down is supposed to be offered. I don’t know enough about these to make an educated comment. If any of you know about the safety aspect, I would sure like to hear what you know.
• The no fly lists will be paid better attention. It should already be a common practice, but has apparently become lax.

Here are some tips about what we can do or expect as we get ready to travel be air:

• Expect longer delays.
• Expect an extra pat-down body search at the departure gate for transatlantic flights.
• Expect to have all baggage checked.
• Different airlines may have different regulations- call your airline for theirs.
• One carry-on will be allowed like a purse, a diaper bag, an iPod or laptop ( check on rules for electronic devices to see if they are allowed on flights overseas. If allowed, there may be times they must be turned off.)
• Liquid medications need special clearance. Check your airline for requirements.
• Food that will be eaten immediately may be taken on board.
• During last hour of travel, people will be asked to stay in their seats and will not be allowed to cover themselves with a blanket.

All of this may make you wonder if you should even travel.

Maybe we will just be safer and that is not a bad thing. On that closing thought, I want to wish you a Happy New Year and Happy and Safe Traveling.

Traveling by rail with children might be a relaxing and fun idea. I took an overnight trip on the Auto Train with Jenn and Roberto when I moved down to Florida and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. While this may not be the fastest way to travel when compared with flying, it was novel and relaxing, a boon for parents and I am thinking a really neat experience for a child. With more leg space to spread out to play and the mobility of standing and walking, it would be nice for the little ones to have the opportunity to work off some of that energy. Also, having an actual dining car and movies to watch would be so entertaining. Make sure you arrive early so that you can leisurely board and settle in. Blankets and pillows are supplied but a special cuddle toy might be helpful when you tuck the little tyke in for the family sleep over. Making the journey a part of the vacation will make it more fun for all. Oh, and take lots of pictures!!!

As always, if you have a favorite travel tip, please feel free to leave a comment.

 The holiday travel season is in full swing. The Thanksgiving rush is behind us and now we are gearing up for December travel. What better time to initiate Travel Tip of the Week! Seasoned travelers have a lot of knowledge of how to, what to or not to dos when on the road. Some of these weekly tips will serve as little reminders, and for others, I hope the little tips will help make your travel safer and more fun.

That said, here is the first Travel Tip of the Week.

  Pack light!!! There are a lot of reasons why taking as little as possible is a good idea. When you think you have figured out what to pack, put half of it away. You never need as much as you think you do. Plus, it costs to check those bags, both in fees and fun. Carrying, toting, pulling, dragging a lot of bags up steps, around town, in and out of cars, trains, planes – FUN? No so much. The other thing worth noting is that a traveler dragging around too much baggage will be a real tip off for a con artist.

Do you have a good travel tip? Please feel free to let us know some of you favorite tips.