Destination, When and Where

You've heard the expression, Location-Location-Location!  While that generally refers to where a house or business is in relationship to what the price tag is...it occurs to me Location=Destination when thinking about traveling. (or if you want a location Drayton Hall, South Carolina)

So, here we are with another A-Z post.  We'll discuss destinations.  How do you decide where to go on your family vacation, or in your travels?  Do you think about what you want to do or do you just go to places you know; or places others have told you about?  Are you often disappointed about your vacation/travels?

What you want to do should be decided first, then you narrow your choices about where and when.  Example:  You lead a really busy time oriented life style and you want to relax on your trip in order to rest and re-charge.  You lead a quiet home life and want some adventure in your travels. You need family oriented activities vs adult only activities.

If you want an active vacation you'll need to think of places to hike, or scuba dive, or snow ski or perhaps sky dive.  Hiking is generally not done in beach areas for example; so then maybe you're looking for mountains.  If on the other hand you want to relax and read by the pool, you'll want a hot sunny area Florida vs Maine.  If you want to entertain the kids area's with Casino's aren't the way to go.  So think about what you want to get out of your vacation.

The number of times I've heard people say well yeah the resort was really nice; but there wasn't anything to do.  Apparently they wanted a more active vacation vs some dear friends of ours that said I felt like I was a boot camp...........too active and time scheduled.

So think:

• Relax
• Active
• Family Oriented
• Pet Friendly
• Adults please with nice restaurants.

Answering a few questions like that will get you started on selecting the ideal destination for your travels.

Pop in Often, remember Menu Mondays for dining tips, Traveling Tips on Thursday, and any day for vacation destinations.

Pop in Often, remember Menu Mondays for dining tips, Traveling Tips on Thursday, and any day for vacation destinations.

Carry On Lugguage, A-Z Challenge

What's all the Fuse about Carry On's? (or any of 28 blog posts on California)

Another A-Z post.  This piece of luggage (with wheels) is called a carry on.  But, in reality I know and you do too there's no way that's going to fit underneath the seat in front of me.  AND yet, I constantly see people with suitcases larger then this one trying to push and squeeze it into the overheads.  Some are so large they can't even make it down the isle with them.  Why do the airlines not enforce the real size?

How does a luggage company call something a carry on, when in fact the size of said carry on is not uniform, it is in fact determined by the individual airlines.  Some airlines say a carry on can't weight more then 11 pounds.  11=6.8=4.2.  Keep in mind unless all you put in this size suitcase is hose and underwear........there's no way it's not going to weight more then 4.2 pounds.  AND this carry on is a good 3 pounds lighter then most.  I checked out about 15 different models, styles, and makers recently.

Some airlines say a carry on should not be larger then 40-45-50 inches total.  I found 3 different parameters when looking through American Airlines, Southwest, and Delta's webpages.  What does then mean, not total more then 40-45-or 50 inches?  L+W+H.  American Airlines specifically gives these dimensions 22 x 14 x 19.  If you add 22+14+19 you get 45.  In centimeters they list 56x36x23.  Another website indicates 10 x 16 x 24.  Those measurements total 50.  But, get out your yard stick and see how small those measurements actually are.  And yet we constantly see duffels and suitcases so large it takes 2 grown men to lift it in the overhead and takes up 2 or 3 spaces.  I don't think this should be permitted.  Heavy plans use more fuel, more fuel makes the need to raise the cost of tickets.  Why should the traveler not toting a heavy too large carry on help to pay for those who do not abide by the rules?  AND...it makes loading the plan slower.

A carry on should a few items you need or want to have with you during the flight, NOT your weeks worth of junk...you need to check that bag.  Think about it next time you travel.  Get your tape measure out and actually measure your bag.  Weight it, see how far beyond 11 pounds you are.

I measured 3 different "carry on's" here at the house.  Bags that look more like a brief case and they're all in the 17 x 5 x 15 range.  They don't have wheels and I doubt most of them would fit under the seat.  Seems the airlines need to re-define what is a carry one.  Perhaps there should be categories, those with bags that fit under the seat free, those that use up valuable cargo above charge them, perhaps less then a checked bag...but, that would be a more equitable arrangement.  Pay for what you use.  I often opt for a canvass Zip back I can stuff under the seat and easily carry.

Pop in Often, remember Menu Mondays for dining tips, Traveling Tips on Thursday, and any day for vacation destinations.

Baggage Claim, A-Z Challenge

BAGGAGE Claim (or Baltimore Harbor)

Another challenge Post.  Baggage Claim can be a wild and frustrating part of travel.  Why?  Everyone is excited and anxious to get their bags and get on with their trip, or they're tired and want to get home if it's the return trip.

Everyone lines up 2 inches from the conveyor belt...crowding each other out and making it next to impossible see bags or for the person who's bag does arrive to retrieve it without hitting those crammed together.  BACK UP.  Yes, you really can see from a foot away, and yes you won't get hit, and yes you'll have room to get your bag.

Got twelve people in your group?  Do all twelve of you need to be there?  NO!  Station a few people to get the luggage and others well back to watch over the luggage as you get it.  Particularly if you have children in the mix.  Kids at the edge getting fingers caught trying to grab luggage not smart.  Kids sitting on the lip of the conveyor belt........really not smart.  Wake up parents.

How many people have black luggage?  THOUSANDS and then some.  Attach ribbons, bows, colorful something to your bag so you can spot it easier.  And while they...(airport officials) always tell people to look at the address label that should be on luggage, 9 out of 10 people don't look.  I've lost track of the number of times I see someone grab and go and minutes later someone finds out their luggage was taken by someone else.  Pay attention, yes it takes a few minutes; but far less time then filing a claim and going to the hotel empty handed or returning home waiting on the jerk to realize he or she has your luggage.

Travel isn't very civilized, but YOU can make it nicer.  Breath and take a few minutes, everyone will feel better if you do.

Pop in Often, remember Menu Mondays for dining tips, Traveling Tips on Thursday, and any day for vacation destinations.

Airports, A-Z Challenge

And we begin at the beginning, a very good place to start.  Some of you may be playing today with April Fools Jokes, but lots of us are starting our Blog Challenge because it's April 1.  

AIRPORTS (or Adena Mounds, an A post)

Airports are a necessary evil of lots of travel, they can make or break you.  Think about your needs, your family needs don't just assume everything will happen the way you want or need it to.  Think BEFORE you go.  Airports are busy, loud, dirty and generally inconvenient places.  None of that makes for a pleasant day to start or end your travels.  

Food is generally expensive at airports, and typically not all that good.  What time are you traveling, can you...should you eat before?  Should you take snacks in your bag?  Often the place you might prefer to eat isn't where your gate is.  Look at the airport maps BEFORE you go, have a plan.  This is particularly important if you're traveling with small children and or a senior who walks with a cane or needs a wheel chair.  Airports are large and often not that easy to navigate.

I mentioned their dirty, do you really want to sit on the floor where thousands of people have walked with their shoes?  Parents this is particularly directed to you.  DON'T allow your children to wallow on the floor.  

Yes, airports are dirty and people who leave their trash behind them only make matters worse.  Don't be a slob and leave you chip bag on the floor along with your half finished big Slurpee.  It's guaranteed to get knocked over and cause a mess.  

Airports are loud, people are talking, there are announcements, radio's and games on.  Hello...you're not here along, turn down the volume or better yet plug in your ear phones.  There's no reason why the other 300 travelers crammed into that one gate need to hear your head banging garbage you call music...or the beep beep beep of the kids game.

Pillows, why do people drag their pillows with them?  I do mean drag.  They flop them on the suitcases, on the floor, on the seats both in the airports and planes where thousands have been before them, then they sleep on them with all those germs and wonder why they always get sick when they travel...hum!  If you must tote your pillow like it's your safety blanket but it in a plastic bag to keep it clean

Cell phones, wonderful tools.  Can't travel without them; but...........hold it to your ear and talk, like we all did back in the dark ages with a real phone.  Don't put the speaker on.  We really don't need or want to listen to several hundred conversations about who ate what for dinner the night before and like he said she said, know what I mean.

Pop in Often, remember Menu Mondays for dining tips, Traveling Tips on Thursday, and any day for vacation destinations.