Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for U.S. travel
Power Napping At a Pod Near You
By Linda Tancs
You’ve heard of yellow cabs. Now meet YeloCab in New York City, a suite of cabins with adjustable lighting and reflexology designed to invigorate you during your busy day. Now you can catch some zzz’s in style. Learn more at www.yelonyc.com.
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Travel May Affect Insurance–Part Two
By Linda Tancs
In follow up to our 26 February post, New Jersey has now passed a law forbidding life insurance companies from adjusting premiums based on the travel predilections of policy owners–for the most part, that is. Exclusion is made for the application of sound actuarial principles or past experience. You can read the new law at http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2008/Bills/A2000/1586_I1.HTM.
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Desert Dreams in Winter
By Linda Tancs
Ah, winter. In the midst of Arctic 50-mph winds, I’m trying hard to embrace its virtues. Or at least think of warmer, drier climes. How about the Alvord Desert in Oregon? Cracked and dry in summer, like winter hands–or lips. So at least it has something in common with the here and now although you’d freeze your tail off there, too, at the moment–except for the hot springs. Lying in the shadows of Steens Mountain, it only gets six inches of precipitation per year. Reminds me of Dickens’ “Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit”: “Look round and round upon this bare bleak plain, and see even here, upon a winter’s day, how beautiful the shadows are!”
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The Price of Excess
By Linda Tancs
In the good old days, excess baggage generally meant checked baggage that exceeded two freebies, or bags that went over the standard weight or size. In any of those limited cases, additional fees would apply. Now, however, at least one major carrier has broken with tradition. As has been widely reported, United Airlines will now charge economy-class customers with non-refundable tickets $25 for a second checked bag for travel within the U.S. and to or from Canada, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands. High-tiered frequent flyers, award ticket holders, refundable ticket holders, first class and business class passengers need not worry–the two-bag freebie continues to apply. Is it reasonable to assume that if fuel prices drop down, the newest surcharge will go away? If fuel prices continue to escalate and, in the absence of a huge public outcry, the surcharge sticks, will other airlines follow suit? Readers, weigh in.
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Countdown to Mardi Gras
By Linda Tancs
Time flies. Just a mere 5 days to go till New Orleans brings down the house. There’s still time to book your flight but, alas, is there (affordable) room at the inn? Maybe www.travelnow.com can help. Check out the parade schedules and other Mardi Gras must-knows at www.nola.com. It wouldn’t hurt to pray for better weather, either. Some krewes have already been postponed or cancelled.
You’ll need a warm shirt, with temperatures hovering in the 50s tomorrow. Why not buy a Louisiana sweatshirt here: http://www.cafepress.com/wanderfulplaces/2321003
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Sundance a Draw for Film Cognoscenti and Skier Alike
By Linda Tancs
It’s not too late to make your way to Utah’s Sundance Film Festival in Park City, running from 17 January to 27 January. And remember, they say that folks come to Park City for two reasons: Sundance and skiing. So if upping your arts quotient isn’t your cup of tea, then head for the pistes. Pick up free ski vouchers at the Sundance box office if you can, or just head for the slopes. Snow conditions are reportedly favorable, so hop on the next plane to Salt Lake City, and experience what many consider to be the best powder quality anywhere.
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Registered Travelers Sail Through Airport Security
By Linda Tancs
If you’re an airport latecomer, frequent flier or business traveler, there’s Zen-like relief from airport security lines at your disposal. In case you haven’t heard, a program called Clear allows registered travelers access to a special security lane to breeze through security. The one-year-old program works like this: you fill out an online form and then meet with a Homeland Security representative to verify your ID and select your fingerprint and iris images for your Clear card. At a participating airport (there are 14 to date), you move through a special security lane with your ID and Clear card. The program does not remove the need to pass through the metal detectors and x-rays, but the special lanes should theoretically cut down on your airport transit time. So how much is all this convenience worth to you? There’s a special first-year introductory rate of $100. If your security “status” changes (in other words, you’re not on Santa’s good list anymore), then you’ll get a refund for the unused portion of your annual fee. Clear encourages lobbying your state airport directors to make its program more widespread–and therefore more viable–across the country. Learn more at www.flyclear.com.
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Winter Fantasy Thrills Families at Longwood Gardens
By Linda Tancs
Want to see a Currier & Ives lithograph come to life? Then be sure to visit Longwood Gardens’ Winter Fantasy now through 6 January. Located in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania (outside Philadelphia), Longwood Gardens produces a dreamlike atmosphere of caroling, bell ringing, dancing fountains and outdoor lighting (500,000 bulbs strong) sufficient to snuff the bah-humbug out of anyone. And don’t miss the skating shows highlighting professional and amateur skaters near the Chimes Tower.
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The Art of Tipping
By Linda Tancs
The now-debunked story of Donald Trump leaving a $10,000 or so tip to a waiter has me thinking about the art–some would say, science–of tipping. How much is too much or not enough? Do popular conventions typically override the actual service received? Do you tip differently when you travel internationally? Calling all pundits–what say you?
P.S. If you enjoy my blog, please leave a comment and/or write a short review at a site like Stumbleupon. Thanks!
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The New South Beach
By Linda Tancs
If market saturation in Miami’s South Beach has you feeling less than sanguine about your prospects for peace and quiet–not to mention scoring that coveted table at Bed–then head a bit north to Sunny Isles. Soon to go upmarket, Sunny Isles will offer CHI condo towers, sporting $5 to $7 million digs complete with personal mineral water pools. Not to be outdone, Regalia will offer full-floor condos in the $7 to $14 million price range. Better hurry before the Euro crowd–or any other dollar beaters for that matter- swoops in for the kill.
If you enjoyed my post, please leave a comment and/or write a short review at a site like Stumbleupon.
