Today I have a guest post from fellow blogger Ken Dunlop from The Vancouver Traveler. Ken spent several months traveling around Southeast Asia, and he graciously offered to share a bit of his trip with you. This is one of what I am sure is many anecdotes about getting around in Southeast Asia. So, you find yourself in Sihanouk Ville in Cambodia, and you are desperate to get into Thailand. Not wanting to travel the four hours to Phnom Penh in order to fly, the lady at the Internet Café presented a great plan, “Mr Ken, take the bus…it is good ride and only 8 hours.” Yup, you have it I took the bus. The day began at 07:00 for the tuk tuks ride to the bus depot, for the 07:50 bus departure. The bus is one of those huge […]
Read MoreCategory Archive: Tips
Back to Basics: Mastering Celsius
I’m leaving for Italy in a couple of weeks, and in addition to bragging to friends and practicing my Italian phrases, I’ve been re-learning the metric system. I’ve especially been interested in following the weather forecast as I struggle to figure out the proper clothes to pack. Since I was raised on the Fahrenheit system of measuring temperature, it always takes me a bit of thinking to do the conversion. The simplest way for me to remember is this formula: Multiply the Celsius temperature by two, and then add 30 to convert to Fahrenheit. While it won’t give you an exact temperature, it’s close enough for most purposes. So here’s what the temperature looks like today in the general areas where I’ll be traveling: Rome: 18C (66 degrees) Pienza: 16C (62 degrees) Sorrento: 17C (64 degrees) It should even be […]
Read MoreBack to Basics: Mastering the Reservation Phone Line
I’ve written about this previously, but it’s basic information that can’t be repeated too many times. I know that most people do their research and booking online, but there are times when you are going to have to call a reservation center. It can be annoying to be put on hold, and repeatedly hear how many callers are ahead of your or how long your expected wait time is, and even further annoying to finally get a person who you can’t understand. I hope these tips will help reduce your frustration factor, and get you the information and service that you really need. Call at non-peak times. This means avoiding calls during standard business hours, if at all possible. Late nights (generally considered after 8 pm) are usually good are usually light in terms of wait time. News stories can […]
Read MoreBack to Basics: Hang Up
How many times have you called up an airline (or hotel, tour operator, car rental company, or any other company that you want to do business with), and found yourself talking with someone who is rude, unintelligible to you, unwilling to assist you, or is downright hostile? If you’ve spent any time on the phone at all, this has probably happened to you many over. I know that I have spent countless hours trying to understand an accent or explaining myself to someone who wasn’t listening to me and merely reading a prepared “script.” It frustrates me when I have to repeatedly ask someone to slow down so that I can understand what they are saying. And turn down the background noise so that I can hear you! How to resolve these telephone aggravations? Hang up and start again! Chances […]
Read MoreShould You Buy a Paris Museum Pass
Since a good portion of my time in Paris was spent visiting museums, the Paris Museum Pass was both a money saver and time saver. With the pass, you get admission to a number of monuments and museums in and around Paris. Best of all — you don’t have to stand in those long lines — you get to bypass all those people and go straight to the front of the line. Temporary exhibits at the museums are usually excluded, though. The pass can be purchased for 2, 4, or 6 days, and currently costs 30, 45, and 60 euros respectively. (Check the website for pricing changes.) On your first visit to one of the museums or monuments, the pass is activated, and your time starts running. This allows you to buy the pass in advance, should you wish. You […]
Read MoreThe Paris Series: Preparation
Last month I took a much delayed, but VERY anticipated, trip to Paris. The City of Lights has long called to me, and I was determined to finally make it happen. I decided to share with you my preparation for the trip, and some of the memorable experiences I had while there, over the next few months. The process is one that can be replicated for most destinations. Preparation is a key part of travel, but despite my best efforts to plan as far in advance as possible, some last minute scheduling issues intervened, and I was left with only about a week to pull everything together. This was my first trip to Paris, and despite a flurry of last minute changes, I found that it is a trip that can be done at the last minute. Preparation helps, but if […]
Read MoreFall Money Saving Travel Tips
As we head into the fall travel season, here are a few money saving travel tips to keep in mind: October and early November are generally considered “shoulder” seasons in the travel industry. If you can travel now, you may be able to find some great bargains — especially in you have flexibility in your travel dates or location. This time of year is also a busy one for conventions and conferences. Generally speaking, there will be one or two conference hotels, and organizers will strongly encourage you to make your reservations using a group booking method. This usually results in a very good rate, but always check. I have found special web fares and other discounts available that can occasionally beat the conference price. NOTE: It is impossible to use a group booking, if the price is right, when attending a […]
Read MoreJust One!
A few weeks ago, I overnighted in Las Vegas. Although I was with a group of people, when it came time for dinner, I really just wanted to go off on my own. Las Vegas does a huge conference and convention business, so you would think that businesses and restaurants would be used to a patron dining alone. My guess however, is that while that may be true if you’re a man, Las Vegas still isn’t used to women dining alone. Here’s my experience: After spending some time shopping, I had worked up a real appetite. Shopping sometimes has that effect on me. I decided to have dinner at a nearby, mid-priced, casual, but still nice, restaurant. It was after the main dinner rush, and while there were still a number of diners in the restaurant, there was no line. […]
Read MoreTravelers' Century Club is for the Well Traveled
I heard about the Travelers’ Century Club from fellow blogger, Gadling, and had to check it out. Basically, it’s an organization whose membership is limited to people who have visited 100 or more countries of the world. It was founded in Los Angeles in 1954, and now has members throughout the world. “Countries” are defined pursuant to s specific list, and may be a little different than how you might typically think. For example, the United States has three different “country” classifications, continental U.S., Alaska, and Hawaii. In addition to meetings, the TCC offers a variety of events and travel opportunities (including escorted trips) for the discerning traveler. The initiation fee is $100 for the member, and $100 to include a spouse. Yearly dues are $40/$30 for U.S. residents, and $50 each (member and spouse) for residents of other countries. […]
Read MoreMaking Faster Car Rental Pick-ups and Returns
In the March 2007 edition of Fast Company magazine, blogging pal Mark Ashley of Upgrade Travel Better wrote a great article about the changing rental car industry. Mark observes: Online check-in and on-site kiosks have quickly revolutionized the way we get through airports and hotels. Renting a car, however, has remained a stubbornly retro experience. What can be done to make renting a car more user-friendly? How about check in kiosks, just like you’d check in for your flight? I figure if the airlines can make sure you don’t present a risk to fly, that there’s a way to check to make sure you have a driver’s license and insurance and entrust a vehicle to your care. Alamo and National apparently agree, and expect to have kiosks in 80 and 70 cities, respectively, by summertime. What about a return policy that’s […]
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