Pearls of Travel Wisdom
Every travel adviser owns an extensive collection of cruise passengers' complaints: the waves were way too loud to sleep, the sand on the beach was the wrong color, there was nothing to look at from the ocean view stateroom balcony except for the ocean ...
One of my all-time favorites though: there was too much food in the cruise ship buffet, which, of course, resulted in a few extra pounds by the end of the week long sailing.
OK, I will not get into rather trivial situations, such as when you end up in Toledo, Ohio instead of Toledo, Spain, or accidentally switch departure and arrival destinations or overlook the fact that the connecting flight arrives and departs from different airports. I will treat you with the respect you deserve as an educated adult and experienced traveler. And I certainly will not dare to dispute the fact that, for people who prefer to handle their own travel arrangements, the Internet is the greatest invention of our time.
To me, the best attempt to describe modern travel in one short sentence looked like this: ”Breakfast in London, lunch in LA, luggage in Kuala Lumpur”.
This is, of course, an exaggeration. Should we all know that every suitcase goes to Kuala Lumpur the airlines would not need to look for it for 5 days. In reality your bags can end up in any part of the Universe. Mark Russell once even offered the very scientific theory that “the rings of Saturn are composed entirely of lost airline luggage."
How to cruise and lose ... five pounds.
Every travel adviser owns an extensive collection of cruise passengers' complaints: the waves were way too loud to sleep, the sand on the beach was the wrong color, there was nothing to look at from the ocean view stateroom balcony except for the ocean ...
One of my all-time favorites though: there was too much food in the cruise ship buffet, which, of course, resulted in a few extra pounds by the end of the week long sailing. I really should resist the temptation to point out that nobody obligated anyone to eat everything at the buffet and the sole purpose of the abundance of choices is to provide a good selection for us picky eaters.
Instead, please let me list a few simple ways to fight extra calories and enjoy your cruise regardless.
Start your day by running or walking on the upper deck. The view is so breath-taking, it'll easily make up for a losing the extra hour of sleep. Some ships have a dedicated running track, so you'll find yourself in the good company of like-minded people.
Opt for the dinners at first sitting - and then spend an evening dancing. Even if you are not a world champion in ballroom dancing, try it anyway. There is little chance that your boss, co-workers or neighbors will be around, so, go ahead, have fun being among total strangers and get a great work out along the way.
Eat just a few bites of anything especially tempting. Oh, no, I would not dare to suggest that you'll skip altogether all those Creme Brulees and Beef Bourguignons. However, very reputable and extremely scientific studies (yes, I also wonder how they do it) have found that the first two bites of anything you crave are actually the most enjoyable. Then the pleasure goes down quickly with each nibble.
Choose the active shore excursions, which will take you walking, biking or mountain climbing, and not the ones which make you sit in the bus for a good half of the day. If laying down on the warm sand is your favorite sport, spend more time swimming or walking along the beach, it does wonders for your tan as much as to your waistline.
Before going for lunch at the buffet, check the spa's cafe, as it usually provides plenty of salads, vegetable soups and fresh fruits deserts... Surprisingly, I've found that to diet - or, rather, eating healthy - is even easier on the cruise ship than at home because a healthy meal is always readily available. You can eat often and in smaller portions - every dietician's dream which is normally difficult to integrate into our busy day schedule.
Drink cautiously, or not at all. Alcohol has tons of calories and mixing those liquors with sugary sodas or juices makes the calories add up even faster. Skipping the extra drink would also make your final bill leaner and healthier.
Most of the contemporary cruise ships have state-of-the-art gym facility, so put them to good use. They're free, except for the yoga and Pilates classes. Well, not exactly free, but you've paid for it already, so to use it to the fullest extent would make perfect sense.
Actually, look at the whole ship as a multi-floor exercise machine: forget the elevators, use stairs. After all, you are in no rush, right? Stairs work the quads and gluts, and experts say that 10 minutes of stair walking (both up and down) burns about 100 calories. If you're sailing on a large and modern cruise ship, there is a good chance to find rock-climbing walls, ice-skating rinks and surfing machines there.
If you are part of the multi-generational family group offer to baby sit for a couple hours - ok, for an hour - a very energetic toddler: they tend to run non-stop, and that means so will you. It'll probably take you a few more hours to find the hiding parents to give the child back, so your dessert at dinner that night will be well earned.
Skip this midnight buffet or bring your camera. By the time you'll stop taking pictures, there will not be much left to eat anyway.
When you'll get back home, people you know might get suspicious about your new slim and youthful look and start asking questions. If you like them, you will let the secret out about the transformative cruise vacation. If you don't... Isn't it great to feel powerful sometime?
How to use Internet to book your own travel.
OK, I will not get into rather trivial situations, such as when you end up in Toledo, Ohio instead of Toledo, Spain, or accidentally switch departure and arrival destinations or overlook the fact that the connecting flight arrives and departs from different airports. I will treat you with the respect you deserve as an educated adult and experienced traveler. And I certainly will not dare to dispute the fact that, for people who prefer to handle their own travel arrangements, the Internet is the greatest invention of our time. As with any great tool, however, the Internet is meant to be used with care, because too many things in the process can go wrong. And according to the Murphy’s known law, if they can, they do – believe me I have such a collection of desperate calls for help and horror stories of booked-it-on-line spoiled vacations, that I’ll be able soon to write my own book. So here is the excerpt from my future “Manual for Using the Internet to Book Your Own Travel.”
Check all passenger names twice. Before you press the “Purchase” or “Complete” button on your screen please check all passenger names one more time. Then check them all again. No, I do not doubt that you remember your name. It’s just that some on-line sites assume for some reason I never understood that all passengers traveling with you have the same last name and pre-fill it for you. Though it does save a few seconds of your time, for which I’m sure you are eternally grateful, it often creates more trouble than good. And if a ticket has been printed with the wrong name, it is not an easy task to convince the airline reservation agent that it’s not your fault. To fix the problem, the airline will gladly charge you a $150 change fee or even force you to buy a new ticket. In an industry where every dollar counts, the exact-name rule is the government’s gift to cash-starved air carriers.
Reconfirm your hotel booking. If you are frequently on the traveler forums, you’ve seen it under the ‘I hate Travelocity” or ‘I hate Expedia’ subject line in slight variations: one finally arrives at the hotel lobby after a long and exhaustive flight only to find out that the hotel does not have the reservation. To add insult to injury, it’s 11 pm and hotel is completely sold out for two weeks to come. The reason for the ordeal is that an online booking engine and a hotel’s computer do not talk to each other, so the Internet travel company has to fax your information to the hotel where somebody supposedly enters it manually into a chain’s reservation system. Human intervention creates plenty of opportunities for all kinds of errors, if they don’t forget to enter it altogether. So after you’re done with the online booking process, call the hotel to verify, and then call again two days before your arrival to confirm that your reservation is still in the system.
Review hotel cancellation policy. Last year, you were able to cancel your hotel reservation two days before arrival without any problem, so you assume that you have a freedom of doing it again should your plans change. Well, please read the hotel cancellation policy carefully, as not only do the different chains have different policies, but each hotel can basically establish their own and change it depending on…anything, from time of the year to the stars’ position in the sky. And if they have it written on the hotel’s website somewhere, no matter how inhumanely small font they’ve used, you may be charged for the entire reserved stay if you don’t cancel within the requirements of the individual hotel’s cancellation policy.
Watch for double booking. It’s important when you are making an arrangement online to be fully aware of what you are seeing and purchasing, especially when navigating the unfamiliar site. Sometimes you think you are comparing the price quote when in fact you are clicking the purchase button. Then, not realizing that the first purchase went through, you buy the same package all over again: there is no online feature that would prevent you from doing that. And if you done it and extra reservation need to be cancelled… see the paragraph above about the hotel cancellation policy. So when uncertain, wait for an e-mail confirmation before attempting the transaction for the second time.
Insufficient connection time is money…sometimes a lot. Airline connection times can occasionally challenge common sense. Forty five minutes – perfectly valid connection time on every travel site – isn’t nearly long enough to get to another terminal and board a second flight even under normal circumstances. If your original flight is delayed – which happens too often than we can all bear – you might want to start your training for running the race now. Should you miss the connecting flight, you are at the second airline’s mercy. If they treat you as a no-show, they can charge you a change fee for the next available flight ticket or even force you to by a brand new ticket for the full price. When you see cheap air fare on the internet, consider the connection time carefully. I would strongly recommend at least two hours for the domestic flight and three hours for the international or more than one stop trip.
Scrutinize a cheap deal offered by an unknown company. What can be sweeter for the enthusiastic traveler than finding on the internet “the deal” or, putting it in civil language, a “long dreamed about” package at a stunning price? Well, forgive me for raining on your parade, but we all know too well that every service or product is cost justified – there is a reason that a particular program is “cheaper” – and that reason is often not the one you are prepared to experience. Now, what if the hotel in the photo looks nice, the tour sounds exciting and the price still so tempting? Check the agency or the tour operator behind the offer thoroughly. It must be a financially stable, reputable company. Any great deal will be spoiled if you call the office a week after the final payment to be informed that this phone number is disconnected. Be especially aware of the foreign service providers. They usually require upfront payment and if they will not deliver what they promised, there is no court you can take them to. More, sometimes they are honest people with good intentions, but the local equipment and service standards might be quite different from what we got used to in USA. That can jeopardize not just your vacation money, but your health and even life. So please compare the risk and price benefits wisely: all things considered it might be less expensive to go with a well-known and reliable company.
Whose luggage is it anyway?
To me, the best attempt to describe modern travel in one short sentence looked like this: ”Breakfast in London, lunch in LA, luggage in Kuala Lumpur”.
This is, of course, an exaggeration. Should we all know that every suitcase goes to Kuala Lumpur the airlines would not need to look for it for 5 days. In reality your bags can end up in any part of the Universe. Mark Russell once even offered the very scientific theory that “the rings of Saturn are composed entirely of lost airline luggage."
These tips will help to minimize the risk of losing your luggage, or at least try to make it less painful.
• Pack valuables that you absolutely need in your carry-on. That includes cameras, computers, electronics, medications, etc. If you can’t afford to lose it, don’t take it when you travel.
• If you can avoid checking-in luggage, do it. On short trips, pack light enough that you only need carry-on luggage.
• Avoid air itineraries with connecting flights if possible. Each time the airline handles your luggage is an opportunity for it to be mishandled or lost.
• Remove tags from previous trips, especially those small white bag-check stickers airlines affix to the sides. You don’t want baggage handlers to send it on the wrong flight or to the wrong airport, by reading the wrong tag. Avoid travel stickers or decals: They may make your bag stand out, but they could be misread by a scanner.
• Photograph the contents of luggage you intend to check, and keep an itemized list of valuable items in a safe place, with sales receipts if possible
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• Put the address of your destination—not your home address—on the outside of the bag. Your home address could announce that there is a house available to be burgled. The address on your bag should be where you will next be spending a night.
• If, despite all your efforts, the airline will manage to lose your luggage, insist that it’ll give you a written report with a reference number before you leave the airport.