March 11, 2011

In the Suitcase: travel vouchers

So I headed to Austin this weekend for the notorious South by Southwest film/ music/ interactive conference, where the world’s hippest and geekiest self-proclaimed techie heads in their skinny jeans, derby hats and Ipads all jetted in. It is such a huge event that every flight to Austin was oversold and every hotel was booked.

I became one of those oversold people, whose ticket type on American Airlines didn’t deserve a seat nor was I allowed to standby on an earlier flight unless I shelled out $50 – which my company would have paid, but out of principle I refused. My favorite is when the gate agent tells you your ticket type is the wrong kind, as if it was something personal and that I had purposely chosen this particular ticket type (W instead of Q, none of which mean anything to me). In any case, my ticket type was so low on the alphabet and therefore my status as a human being diminshed greatly that I didn’t get my seat until I arrived in Austin.

Meanwhile, the gate was giving away travel vouchers worth $300 if you volunteered to give up your seat for a later time. I was really in no rush to get to this conference and I would have welcomed the free ticket, which I would get to keep, not my office.

I’ve heard and read how easy it is for airlines to hand out free vouchers, and how difficult it is for passengers to redeem these vouchers for an actual flight. Just recently, American was slapped with a penalty for charging its passengers a $30 fee to use a voucher. a $30 fee!! The audacity some airlines have! They oversell their own flights and then charge people whse original flight they couldn’t even honor. Blech.

However, ‘ve used one voucher ever, and that was with United Airlines. They were kind after a delay from mechanical difficulty to hand them out to frustrated passengers. I used ours promptly to book a flight to a wedding in LA.

Vouchers are usually handed out on oversold flights, so if you’re really looking to score them and you have lots of free time on your hands, travel on the really busy times of the day - Friday afternoons, Sunday evenings, during conferences and popular events, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Easter weekend – those will usually do the trick.

You will always be placed first on the next available flight with open seats. If you’re really good, you can volunteer to get off the next flight and earn yourself another free seat somewhere.

Make sure you use your ticket within a year. Most expire after a year is up.

If you get bumped from a late flight and have to stay in a hotel or over a meal, ask for a voucher or how to get your meal and/ or hotel covered by the airline.

Now I arrived in Austin and the meeting I needed to go to doesn’t even start until 3:30, so I technically could have taken the voucher and hopped on a 2:00 flight from Dallas. Next time…

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February 18, 2011

Now Boarding: Delta miles don’t expire anymore

In a bold move to be different from the rest of the airlines, Delta announced this week that its frequent flier miles will not expire anymore. Yay!

Several airlines started adding end dates to the frequent flier miles that passengers work so hard to earn – forcing many to subscribe to magazines (using miles) they didn’t really want just so they could say they “spent” some miles before they expired.

The change is effective starting January 1, 2011.

 

 

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February 17, 2011

On My Itinerary: CHINA!

My Travel Hats is back from hiatus! It’s been a hectic start to 2011, albeit a good one so far, with many, many, many adventures to come this year. Since we just kicked off the Year of the Rabbit at the start of February, it’s only fitting to write about our upcoming travels to the grand land of China.

We’ll be traveling with my dad, my sister and five-year-old niece, who has been obsesssed with going to China ever since she watched the Kai-lan special about going to China. (You can watch the video where they sing “We’re going to China, we’re going to China, I feel so happy!”) In the Kai-lan special, they make friends with pandas who speak English. I hope my niece isn’t disappointed.

This will be my – I’m not sure, 8th? 10th? 12th? time to China. I was one of few American tourists who headed over there in the late 1970′s and then through the 80′s, 90′s and millenium, watching the country move through post-Maoist era into the consumer capital of the world it is today. It’s an incredible transformation to watch, and every time I go back there’s something very new to see. The last time I went was in 2005 for work and I toured the Birds’ Nest Olympic Stadium with a hard hat as it was being constructed.

Though I’ve been over there several times, this is actually my first time purchasing a guidebook. And boy, there are several. I finally settled on the Eyewitness Guide to China, because it has lots of pictures, and my niece would enjoy the pictures. I forget that China has 5,000 years of history, tons of temples and statues and tombs and summer palaces and winter palaces and gardens and pagodas. Even a small town in the middle of nowhere has so many interesting things to see and do and eat. Beijing alone can take a month to cover. Since we are Americans, we only have two weeks and cramming a whole lot of country into this short time.

Some tips for planning a trip to China.

1. Buy a guidebook with Chinese characters written on the maps. The more Chinese characters in a guidebook, the better. Cab drivers have no idea what you’re referring to when you point to the English version, or even to a map, and if you try to pronounce it (especially if you don’t speak Chinese) you’ll get nowhere. You should also ask your hotel to write down the names of places you’re going to, in Chinese, that you can just hand to the driver.

2. Everyone assumes you can get by with English. Correction: if you’re lucky, you can get by with English. Hotels will speak English (at least major hotels). There will be a lot of pantomime and sign language and a lot of confusion. If you don’t know Chinese and you’re trying to pronounce things out of a phrasebook, you’ll also get nowhere. The best you can do is have as much written out in Chinese as possible, including food allergies and where you’d like to go, and point.

3. There’s too much to see in China. If you’re a first-timer, you cannot miss Beijing. People are very attracted to Shanghai, but bear in mind it is just like a westernized city nowadays, so the real history and gems are in Beijing. I would spend a solid week in Beijing and the outskirts of Beijing, and maybe go to Shanghai, plus the surrounding cities of Shanghai (like Suzhou, Nanjing, and Hangzhou) and check out Xi’an – land of the terracotta soldiers.

4. Get a visa. You’ll need to get a visa, and it only takes about four days (if you have an embassy in town). However, the visa fee has skyrocketed for Americans to $140. (Don’t whine about the Chinese – Tanzania charged Americans $100). If you’re not American, it’s $30!

5. Vaccinations. Unless you’re going farming, and likely you’re sticking to major tourist cities, you won’t need any major vaccines. You should already be up to date with your regular vaccinations (MMR), hepatitis A and B, and polio. Typhoid and rabies only if you plan to be outside hiking or working in fields.

Stay tuned for more updates!

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January 21, 2011

MY TRAVEL HATS STILL EXISTS!

Just because we’ve picked up a very busy full-time job doesn’t mean we’re not still traveling. In fact, we’ve been to the island of Culebra (Puerto Rico) and to lovely Orlando, Fla. since the last entry. And we’re hoping to head to the great land of China in mid-March. So heed patience and stay tuned for more updates!

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November 29, 2010

Getting Lost In: Medellín!

(photo by Noah Bleicher) Oh, Medellín! With your daily rainstorms, fruit markets, $4 lunches, mobile phone girls, salsa tunes and Botero art that decorates the city the way Gaudi decorates Barcelona, it was not hard to love Medellín- pronounced “Med-i-shjeen”. We spent three days there during the first half of our Thanksgiving week trip to Colombia with our friends Noah and Marcela, who own and operate Su Casa Colombia, a tour guide/B&B business in the city.

Medellín was once ruled in fear by Pablo Escobar, the notorious drug lord. After his death, the Colombian government made great strides to sweep up the mess left behind and to give Medellín a second chance. In the past 20 years, Medellín has risen to become Colombia’s Second City and encouraging its residents to come out of hiding and enjoy its parks, museums, gardens, cafes, restaurants and shopping districts. Medellín still bears the reputation for crime, but on the contrary, we felt very safe. In addition, there are barely any other tourists – so get in before anyone else does. Like any city, visitors should be aware of their surroundings, don’t buy drugs from strangers, and don’t head into the poorer districts.

Stay: We stayed at Su Casa Colombia, which was Marcela’s grandparents’ home and where Marcela’s mother was raised. This typical middle-upper-class home has two levels with an open courtyard with hammocks, crisp white bedding, bright balconies where you are woken by fruit peddlers singing their songs of avocado, a pool table and a fun Colombian ring-toss game called Sapo. Noah puts together an excellent Colombian breakfast (or a regular American breakfast, since they are Americans) and organizes very full and fun itineraries to take you around town.

See: Fernando Botero’s art is the real gem of Medellín. This artist of oversized, overweight, expressionless characters creates a fun, round and humorous take on life, even the really serious ones. You can view his bronze sculptures at Palacio Municipal (including the Bird of Peace which, ironically, was damaged by a guerrilla bomb), Parque Berrio, and at the Museo de Antioquia which also has his paintings and drawings. We got an excellent walk-through from Marcela, who is an art expert and artist herself, and pointed out details we would never have noticed.

See also: A country of 98 percent Catholics, you can bet they have some interesting churches as well. The Catedral Metropolitana is made of 1.2 million bricks and is quite possibly the only brick cathedral you’ll ever encounter. The Basilica de la Candelaria, situated in Parque Berrio, is also another interesting design in black-and-white. There’s also the pretend church at Pueblito Paisa, a reconstructed mini-village of a typical Antioquian settlement atop a hill with sweeping views of Medellín. The other two percent may find spiritual peace at the Jardín Botánico’s orchid display, an architectural beauty in itself (right).

Ride: the Metrocable gondolas, which every city should implement to bypass traffic and provide birdseye views above. Medellín’s metro is the first for Colombia, too, and a very clean and impressive mode of transport about town. Otherwise, take a cab to your destinations – they’re incredibly inexpensive by American and European standards.

Dance: Participate in one of the free rumba classes in the Unidad Deportiva Atanasio Girardot plaza. This is one of the city’s ways of encouraging the community to embrace its parks. Or else try your steps at Eslabon Prendido (Calle 53 # 42- 55) downtown where live salsa music is played Tuesday nights. (If you don’t know what you’re doing, just move your legs around very quickly and try to look sassy).

Daytrip: El Peñón is a giant black monolith, which Noah believes to be an asteroid, but the ticket seller says is a result of plate techtonics. It is about two hours outside the city by bus. Catch a bus from the bus station (buses leave every half hour, ask the bus counter which one goes to El Peñón at Guatapé). More than 600 steps lead to the top for breathtaking views of the winding reservoir below. Afterwards, take a colorful tuk-tuk to Guatapé for lunch and to see one of the most charming towns on the planet. Every house is required to be painted colorfully, and entire streets are coordinated.

Eat: En Casa de Oliva’s owner went around all of Colombia researching recipes and regional cooking to create her carefully planned menu. Carrera 43D #10-72 Poblado (encasadeoliva@gmail.com). Also check out the fruit markets, where you can sample fruits that don’t exist back home. Our favorite is the granadilla which we affectionately called “booger fruit”, because its insides resemble, well, a pomegranate. Another option is to stand around an empanada stand and eat to your heart’s content, then pay for the number of empanadas consumed.

Pack: Raingear, like a jacket, umbrella and preferably some kind of waterproof shoe. Plastic bags are good to cover up camera equipment.

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November 10, 2010

In the Suitcase: How to sleep on a plane

beencaughtsleeping.com

I have always slept on planes. Jon can never sleep on planes. In fact, I usually fall asleep before the flight even takes off, even if I’ve slept a full eight hours. It’s the hum and vibration of the engine on the runway that lulls me into sleep and I wake up when the plane is in mid-air. If I’m particularly sleepy, usually because I had to get up at 4am to catch my 6am flight, I will sometimes fall asleep  before the plane takes off and wake up when it’s already landed – but only on short flights like to Chicago. Those are especially cool because as the plane is parking at the gate at our arrival, I’ll turn to Jon and ask, “did we leave yet already?”

It’s not like I find airplane seats oh-so comfortable to curl up and snooze, either – and I don’t wake up from a long flight feeling refreshed like I’ve been to the spa. It is possible, though, to sleep upright – my dad always takes naps in a dining chair, and my grandfather slept in a barker lounger for years (of course, they do recline like first class). I’m also not a fan of medicating. However, here are some tips I’ve learned over the many years that have helped me maximize my sleep so I can maximize my vacation time.

The key, I find, is to already be tired. If you’re taking a red-eye, you should already be tired. If you’re taking a morning flight, sleep about 4 hours the night before.

1. Make sure you get a seat that reclines. Check seatguru.com to see which seats will recline. A window seat is even better, because you can lean your head against the window.

2. Get a neck pillow, an eye mask, and/ or earplugs. I like Brookstone’s travel pack, but it takes up quite a bit of room in the carry-on.

3. Inflate the neck pillow HALWAY – or else your head gets jutted out. Also it will inflate more as the plane changes pressure.

4. Go through your regular night routine: brush your teeth, wash your face, take out the contact lenses, etc.

5. Wear comfortable clothes. Constricting jeans is not what I normally wear to bed. Take off your shoes. Get a blanket or bring a sweatshirt.

6.  If you’re taking a red-eye and if you’re an exerciser, exercising six hours before your flight will also help your body go back to normal rest mode.

7. Though many critics claim alcohol does not help sleep, it’s Jon’s latest discovery: the mini-bottles of red wine. He’ll take one and then sleep a few hours. Another girl I traveled with to India went on a bar-crawl through O’Hare airport and then slept the entire 13 hours to New Delhi.

8. Read a book – don’t watch a movie. Something boring usually helps. Counting clouds helps, too.

Sleep tight!

 

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October 28, 2010

On My Itinerary: Colombia!

photo courtesy of Su Casa Colombia

We’ve decided it was time to take advantage of friends who live internationally and visit them all. So just like that – we booked a flight to Colombia (the country) for Thanksgiving. We’ll be flying into Medellin, out of Cartagena, just for one week, but since I was granted a whole week of vacation I figured I should take advantage of this American rarity. We haven’t planned much beyond that we’ll be staying with Jon’s friends, Noah and Marcela, who own a lovely B&B in Medellin (Su Casa Colombia), fly out to Cartagena on the coast and a UNESCO World Heritage site, and then the rest will take us as the Colombian coffee breeze goes.

Now that the country has cleaned itself up and become much safer for people to venture, Colombia is one of those up-and-coming tourist spots, as Panama and Nicaragua are. It’s a place I never thought I’d venture to and now I am. I couldn’t even find a guide book at the Union Station bookstore on Colombia. If any travel guide companies out there would like to hire me to write the first one, I’d be more than happy to.  Stay tuned for more on this latest trip!

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