Anyway, here are some resolutions brought to you by your editor and creator of your favorite travel blog:

1.  2012 will be the start to a soon-to-be expanded My Travel Hats! Editorial plan still in the works.

2. I will be documenting more places to travel. So far I’ve been sent requests for Istanbul, Budapest, Delhi, Boston and southern California.

3. I will find myself in a foreign country sometime this year. I don’t know when.

4. I will report back what it’s like to drag a small infant around through airports and all the unnecessary necessities to pack along.

Any other requests, please let me know! Happy new year everyone!

Still, I had to lug my luggage around the airport by myself for a while, since I was traveling alone. Fortunately I only have about three pieces of maternity clothing that fits at all, so that’s all I packed into a roomy laptop briefcase, along with several snacks. A month ago  Jon and I flew down to the island of Anguilla, and even though he was there to drag our suitcase around and help me out, we still managed to get a bit of star treatment.

It’s amazing how a protruding belly can suddenly get in the way of a lot of ordinary habits. For example:

• You can’t lift your own luggage to put in the overhead anymore
• You can barely bend over to access the bag under your seat
• Airline seats are designed to make you hunched over, which is even worse when all your want to do is bend in the opposite direction (and there are no pillows or blankets to be found anymore)
• You and the tray-table compete for space, especially when the guy in front reclines his seat. Makes typing on a laptop difficult
• If you don’t have an aisle seat, your neighbors start to hate you for needing to pee every 20 minutes.

Some benefits, however:

• I ended up on a “priority lane” at the TSA security point and skipped ahead of everyone, and nobody questioned me
• Nobody saw me naked on those new X-ray machines since I opted for a pat-down instead
• The pregnant belly distracts people enough so they don’t notice you are still wearing a cardigan or have three carry-on items as you enter security.
• People feel sorry for the solo pregnant traveler.

Some tips for pregnant travelers:

• Pack light. Seriously. You can’t expect someone else to do all your hauling, even your spouse.
• You already look disproportional and weird, so don’t worry what your shoes look like. Sneakers go a long way. Wear them in the airport.
• You already look disproportional and weird, so don’t worry what your clothes look like. Pack light. Pack few. You probably don’t own much that fits anyway. Less is easier to haul around.
• Bring snacks. Lots of them. Granola bars, saltines, pretzels, fruit, raisins. And bring enough for your husband who will have “sympathy hunger”.
• If you’re going to a beach, just wear a bikini and ignore the comments more conservative people make about pregnant bellies and bikinis. There were plenty of potbellied men on the beach who looked like they could go into labor any minute, and I think I looked better than they did. Same applies to overweight women.
• Bring Tylenol (for headaches), ginger candy and/or tiger balm (for nausea), hand sanitizer and drink lots of water.
• Give yourself plenty of time before your flight. You really don’t want to be racing through the airport, even if you’re wearing the sneakers I recommended.
• Have fun. This is going to be nothing compared to the next time you travel, which is with a kid and all the accoutrements kids come with.

In any case, our last journey to somewhere exotic will be the island of Anguilla, which I’ve written about before, where we’ll be exercising our new snorkels I got everyone for Christmas last year, and getting pampered at the CuisinArt Resort (but staying at my favorite Shoal Bay Villas). Even with maternity clothes, my luggage is being reduced to a backpack and camera, since all you need are flip-flops and swimsuits anyway.

In the meantime, we’re preparing for all sorts of adventures and researching how to pack a baby to travel the world. Stay tuned for our list of tried-and-true world-travelin’ baby gear!

photo by Saffron Blaze

Jon has never been to Niagara Falls either, whereas I apparently visit it at least once a decade. This will mark my third time to the falls, and each time the area becomes more and more middle-America (or, middle-Canada). Today it is a destination spot for roadtrippers, luring businesses to its convention center and with the addition of many Falls-front hotel chains, like Marriott, Hilton, Embassy Suites, etc. etc. Many of these have hotel rooms with full views of the falls, which is kind of cool, so we booked one. There’s even a casino scene,  and you know you’ve reached the ultimate roadtrip destination when there’s a Great Wolf Lodge (an indoor waterpark hotel resort, yes). And all your favorite destination eateries: Rainforest Cafe, Hard Rock Cafe, Tony Romas, Outback Steakhouse, etc.

From there we will drive through the Niagara-on-the-Lake region, known for its wine and then into Toronto, which will be my second time there, which is actually a really cool city if it wasn’t in the middle of Canada. Jon is excited for the Hockey Hall of Fame and I for the walking tours where I can put my new camera to work.

(example of a condo you can rent in Hawaii)

My friend Grace, who lives in a one-bedroom in NYC’s Chinatown, was suddenly deluged with family coming in to visit: her mother and father, her sister, her sister’s husband, her sister’s baby; her brother, his wife and toddler. There was no way they were all going to squash into her apartment, especially not with two kids.

She considered Craigslist, a venue she went by before; the problem with Craigslist is it can also result in scams: like the person who subletted someone’s apartment, then posed as a landlord and “rented” the apartment out to dozens of people and taking their deposits (which happened to my friend’s apartment she subletted for a month in Brooklyn). Hotels in Manhattan are pricy, especially by the week.

My super boss’s son, a clueless 18-year-old, and his 12 friends thought they were renting a house in Ocean City, Md. through a rental website and wired money to a man whose English was terrible, with whom they never spoke to, and who disappeared with the money and never turned over a house key.

Enter airbnb. I’m not sure what the Air part means, but it’s a great site that allows you to browse through people’s apartments, homes, cottages and rooms they are renting. Past visitors can post reviews on the site.

It’s a great alternative to a hotel, and it’s safer than relying on Craigslist or any other rental listing site online. I’m a big fan of staying in places with kitchens that cost under $100 a night.

You browse through the places based on location, price, number of people, private house or private room in a house, amenities and so forth. Once you’ve decided on a place, you are put in touch with the owner; the two of you arrange schedules and meeting points, and then you put down a deposit and final amount. Here’s the scam protectant: the owner doesn’t get the money until you’ve checked into the place.

So if some dumb person tries to list a fake place, he or she won’t get the money. Any of it.

Grace was even able to talk to someone about the fact that her apartment didn’t come with electricity and it was 105 degrees in New York City that week. They didn’t have to pay until the electricity was turned on.

Of course, having discovered this little web gem, I’ve already gone hunting for pads around the world. Paris! Berlin! Rio! But we’ll test out airbnb on our hopefully upcoming trip to Kauai over Thanksgiving, so we’ll let you know our experience!

Photo by Todd MacDonald

You used to be able to take 35,000 frequent flier miles and travel to Hawaii, which was the best use of miles since Hawaii is so far and so expensive.

That was the game plan for me and Jon to do over this Thanksgiving, now that we’ve reached the 35,000 mile mark on United.

However, United quietly – very very quietly – released new changes to its frequent flier program that made it impossible for me to get to Hawaii for 35,000 miles. In fact, it will be 40,000 miles… ONE WAY.

?!?

The “saver” version is 20,000 miles one-way, so you could theoretically get a round-trip for 40,000 to Hawaii, but nobody is ever that lucky. In fact, I was just looking online around Thanksgiving, which is five months away, and no such ticket exists. Perhaps if I looked for next April I’ll be lucky.

I checked other airlines to see if anyone else has jumped on the baggage cart, but it seems only United has done this. However, others, like American, are allowing you to book one-way tickets using miles, for 12,500, a nice change from when you had to book a round-trip only for 25,000.

The key? Don’t rely on your miles to get you somewhere but use them for a flexible trip way off in the distant future. I don’t doubt that other airlines will start to add more restrictions to their awards programs as well. They are still a great way to fund a trip that can otherwise cost a couple thousand dollars, so use them wisely.

(This is a picture of my friend Boris on the bike we rented in Goa, India – in reference to the way we “prayed” in India (or didn’t pray, just had fun like normal people)

It is an unbelievable summer: we have no travel plans! In fact, this is the first summer neither of us have weddings – which means every weekend is open, available, for adventure (we do have three for next year). The other reason we are entirely free is because I used up all my vacation time for China this past April, and partly because we decided maybe we should be grounded for summer after all the hubbub that’s been circulating our lives since December.

As a poor substitute, I sit around reading Food & Wine magazine for their latest recommendations in travel and watch bad TV on our new (and terribly serviced) Comcast. Last night I watched about 15 minutes of Eat Pray Love before I had to switch channels because she bothered me so much. Now, I like Julia Roberts, but the woman she was playing was particularly annoying (apparently the author of this memoir). Ooh, she’s tired of supporting her husband and wants to travel the world! She goes to Italy to – eat! No way! and then to India to – pray! Is she Hindu now? Does she think doing yoga makes her spiritual now? And then I don’t comprehend the Indonesia part to love – she wants to meet an Indonesian? Why does it have to be Indonesia? Hasn’t she been reading the State department warnings about traveling to Jakarta? It’s also incredibly expensive to do all this stuff. I don’t feel very sorry for her. In fact, I’m rather jealous that she got to travel the world for a year, although I would have taken Jon along because it’s more to explore things together. (To be fair, I only watched about 15 minutes, but that was all I could take).

That doesn’t mean that I don’t sit around dreaming of our next escape. For example: how can we go to Cuba legally? Should we go to Maui or Kauai over Thanksgiving? Maybe we can take a wine trip to Bordeaux for a week! Or what’s the latest we can go on an Alaskan cruise? And did you see -the Westin in Paris is on sale through Travelocity for 199 euros a night (a steal for that hotel – but I still prefer staying in a Parisian apartment with a kitchen so we can take advantage of the farmers markets).

Then we decided to stop sounding like old cranky folks who can’t operate a computer and get with the technological times. The flip-phones became toys for my niece and nephew, and we got the iPhone 4.

Of course, with the iPhone, you have to download lots of apps. So, my co-worker, who is one of these stereotypical slaves to Steve Jobs and Starbucks (the kind I saw at South by Southwest), made me download the FlightViewApp. It really should be called the Stalker App, because that’s what it does – stalks flights across the sky. My co-worker, who traveled with me to Austin but on a separate flight out of DCA, took my flight info and then continually texted me updates about my gate, my flight times, my estimated arrival time, and my connection Dallas.

That’s exactly what FlightView does. Enter a flight number and date, and it will tell you when it lands and where. I admit it was handy when I was still on the plane and wondering where my connection in Dallas was, although part of me still resists being that dependent on my IPhone – and checked the monitors in the airport instead. There is also an “airport delay map” but only of the United States (and Canada) showing weather and delays, which is kind of cool, but not terribly useful to me.

What is cool, however, is the ability to keep track of upcoming flights for yourself and others. Picking up someone at the airport? You can keep that person’s info right on hand, and then check if they’re coming in on time before heading to the airport. It saves from having to dig through e-mails and airline websites to find out whether you’re delayed or not, especially if you’re like me and cut it close – sheerly out of principle because it shouldn’t take an hour to go through security.

(By the way, did I mention that in other countries like Japan and China, they actually HELPED you load your items into the x-ray? A nice individual helps put your coat and smaller items into a bin, asks you kindly to remove your belt and wallet, asks if you have liquids or a laptop, places it in a bin FOR YOU, and helps you put your other luggage on the belt as well? And there was hardly a line for security. When I flew out of Chicago, the TSA people just barked at me – remove your coat! Take off your shoes! Hurry up! Nobody to help me load it – and the line was significantly long. But this has nothing to do with FlightView)

E-Reader. Oh, how flat! So light! Look how many books it carries! See how it can take your travel guide in electronic form! I have no opinion on which e-reader to get, but there’s something about the Kindle over the IPad that makes me feel less vulnerable standing around like a tourist on a street corner, especially since the Kindle is only $118 now versus the IPad which is like $499.

World Necklace. I’m still deciding whether this necklace is cheesy or not. It has potential to be really fun, but also look like something an elementary school teacher would wear. Could be a great gift for a female travelhead, but make sure to include a gift receipt. Available in gold, too, from www.uncommongoods.com.

50 Wonders of the World Book. This enormous coffee table book has some incredible photography and description of some of the greatest things in the world. The Great Wall of China, the Bay Bridge in San Francisco, the Egyptian Pyramids, Ankor Wat, Stonehenge, and 45 other things. It’s a great way for job-bound travelheads to dream a little and create a checklist of things to visit next. (Tip: I also found this book in the bargain bin at Barnes& Noble – or maybe it was the now defunct Borders – for about $10. It sits on our coffee table at home, and it is everyone’s favorite book to browse through when they come over.)

Miles. Now that they are set to expire, give a travelhead your infrequently used miles. They’ll love you.  A lot.

A Clear Compact Umbrella. I’ve found ones that are clear, but none that seem to fold up small enough to fit into a jacket pocket or purse. There is nothing like trying to see the Coliseum when it’s raining and you have a purple umbrella that cuts out half your view. I’ve been on a pursuit for the compact clear umbrella ever since. If you find one, please email me! (mytravelhats@gmail.com)

World Dartboard. Another item I’ve been looking for, but no dartboards seem to come with maps on them. There’s nothing like aiming a dart at the world map and determining your next destination as the ultimate adventure. It could be Borneo! Russia!  The middle of the Indian Ocean! Somewhere in Indiana! And I don’t mean a corkboard with the map stuck to it; I mean a solid dartboard with the heavy darts designed to choose your adventure.

Check out some of the pictures I shot during our trip through Beijing at www.RedKiteStudios.net!