Your Travel Source for Luggage Fees, Part 2

Ready to take a great family trip and not sure what to take?  Pack too much and you’ll pay.  Today’s baggage fees are stiff, with prices ranging from 15 dollars for a carry on to 25 for a checked bag and up to 100 for a third suitcase.  Then, if the bag is a bit on the heavy side—even by a pound—you’re looking at more fees.  Travel expert Greg Hobica has some tips to save you the extra expense.  For example, compare the costs of an overweight bag against packing a second suitcase.  In some cases, Hobica points out, a second bag may cost less.  Use your bathroom scale to weigh your luggage so you don’t have any surprises at the airport (and then have to shift your unmentionables from one bag to another to get your heavy bag back under the limit).  If you picked up some extra items while you were away and have to get them home, Hobica suggests you consider shipping them. It could be cheaper than stuffing them into your suitcase, making it heavier than the airlines allow, or throwing them into another suitcase you have to pay extra fees for to get on the plane.  And Hobica says most important of all: compare the prices of the flights you’re considering, but look at the total expense.  Sometimes, an airfare of $100 round trip could be more expensive than one for $150 when you add in extra baggage fees on the first flight that might not exist for the second one.  Sometimes, less is more. Just check the airline web sites for the information on baggage fees, or go to www.luggagelimits.com for a complete list of charges for luggage on dozens of different airlines.

Your Travel Source for Luggage Fees, Part 1

When you’re planning a family vacation, you better build in some extra bucks for baggage fees these days.  How much?  Not an easy question to answer since the fees are all over the board.  Some airlines now charge 15 dollars for your first checked bag, 25 bucks for a second, and as much as $100 for a third—and that’s each way!  That doesn’t even touch the fees you’ll face for going oversize or overweight.  It’s tough to keep up with what each airline charges, too.  Now, there’s a web site to make finding that information simple.  Www.luggagelimits.com has a free search tool that offers baggage information for more than 55 airlines.  All you have to do is select the one you’re flying, or considering flying, then input a departure and arrival airport, and hit search.  What you’ll come up with is what I consider priceless information (and you will, too, if you’ve ever spent hours trying to find these details in the fine print on the individual airline sites).  You’ll find the weights and dimensions you’re allowed for checked and carry-on baggage.  That’s important because not all luggage is built in standard sizes.  With this site you’ll know right away the number of free bags you can bring and the fees for those that are stuffed a bit too full (we’ve all been there!).  Luggagelimits.com also gives you special baggage policies, critical information for those of you who typically fly your child safety seat from one destination to another, or the people lucky enough to be able to bring golf clubs along on the trip.  Very handy information indeed.  And if your next thought is whether the information is accurate, the site saw you coming.  They say they repeatedly check their information with the airlines so you won’t have to.  Now that you know where to find the information on what you can bring, next week we’ll have some tips on how to squeeze it all in while still making your luggage the weight that is safe.

Traveling with the Girls for a Tennis Getaway

The tennis gals on their getaway. It’s always great to get out of town with the family, but sometimes you just need a different kind of escape. Sometimes, you need to go with the girls to a place without children and husbands and dishes in the sink. I got to take one of those trips this past weekend and it sure was good for the soul. And great for my tennis game, too. I play on a women’s tennis team and our coach holds tennis camps on the coast every now and then. The idea for him is to help us work on our game on the court with extra long practices. The idea for us is to work on our sanity by taking a step back from our normal routine and treating ourselves to a change of scenery (the kind of scenery that allows you to think of yourself and only yourself for about 48 hours). You could tell we were ready to go when we all decided to meet before dawn the day we were to leave town. We wanted to maximize every minute. As we pulled out of town, I felt more like a college student headed toward spring break than the 40 yr old mom of four that I am today. And I know my girlfriends felt the same way. The arrival at our destination was tainted by a touch by rain, but as the sun started to shine, our attitudes brightened, too. We were just about giddy by the time we were able to get into our rooms and unpack. It wasn’t long before we were on the courts, serving up some aces and painting the alley. We weren’t exactly relaxing at a spa, but the action on the court was definitely medicine for my soul. We were soon sweating profusely, but not even close to wanting to call it a day. Even after out time on the courts was over for the evening, we were still ready to go make the most of our night away from our normal routines. It was incredibly refreshing to pack up and meet the girls for dinner without the kids in tow, and minus an argument with the husband about how to get there. The meal wasn’t anything spectacular, but the fact that we only needed to think of ourselves (no whining for a different kind of mac n cheese and no rush to the restroom when a 4 year old’s bladder wouldn’t last another second). Yes, what a sweet treat to have this time to ourselves. We didn’t go tear up the town (guess we are only college spring breakers in our own minds) and were all asleep by 11 I’m sure. And even though there were no children pulling at us to rise and shine, we still all woke up right at 7 the next morning. I suppose old habits die hard…that, or we were just so excited to have a full day for just us that we didn’t want to waste the weekend in bed. If it’s been longer than a few months since you got to disappear with the girls for a night or two, put it on the calendar now! It’s good for the soul to take care of YOU and let someone else take care of the rest of the family for a while. It’s good for the mind and body to experience this kind of adventure and escape, allowing you to rejuvenate in ways you didn’t realize you needed. Don’t get me wrong–we missed the kids (and the husbands, too). But with so little time in our normal lives just for us, it was great to be gone. And with hugs waiting at the door, just as great to get back home!

Negotiating a less expensive Family Getaway

     You haggle over lots of things in life, so why not try to negotiate the price on your next family getaway?  If you think the price hotels post online or offer over the phone are written in stone, think again.  Money is tight for many of us these days and the travel industry is hurting, too.  That has many businesses offering steep discounts.  Yes, many are posting great deals, but if you want the real steals, you have to be willing to ask for them.  If you’re up for the art of negotiation, there’s no telling what you can save.  Some suggestions from those in the industry include doing a little research first.  If you know there are multiple hotels in one area that are about the same price, play off each business’s rates.  Let the other hotel know they won’t get your business unless they match or go lower than their competition.  It’s even easier if you’re in an area that has had a recent construction boom and has too many rooms sitting empty each night.  Just be ready to book immediately because they deal may change later.  If the business says they can’t come down off the rate, you can always try to get them to throw in some perks for nothing.  Free parking, gym usage, laundry or breakfast can all add up and really make your stay feel like a more lavish experience.  Some businesses may have connections to outside events or facilities that you might enjoy, too, such as golf or amusement parks.  And if you have no money but can offer skills, that may be worth mentioning.  The owner of a home available for vacation rentals may really love to have a landscaper stay on the property for a couple days in exchange for some new plants or lawn care. Bartering is big these days.  However, it’s not likely you’ll get the lowest rate available without asking outright.  The real thing to remember: money is tight for most of us, but it doesn’t mean you have to stay stuck at home.

No Travel Money? Take the Family on a Virtual Vacation!

     Are you dreaming of a nice little getaway with the family but your bank account is telling you to stay home?  There’s a way to do both. Sort of. You can try relaxing with the kids on a “virtual vacation”.  What’s that?  Well, it’s a way to mentally get away so you can float in the aqua waters of a relaxing, sunny beach or charge down the slopes of your favorite mountain resort.  Park yourself, and anyone else you want to take with you on your virtual trip, and let your fingers do the walking across your computer’s keyboard.  A quick search of web camera sites will have you transported in no time.    The online cams stream video from spots all over the world, taking you to faraway places in a fraction of a second.  Dozens can be discovered on sites such as www.earthcam.com and www.uswebcameras.com.  The streaming video takes you there live where you can see the action, whether it’s Old Faithful erupting at Yellowstone or a shark swimming by at a coral reef.  Dr. Jack Singer, President of Psychologically Speaking,  believes the web camera can be a real stress reliever.  Just pulling up a pretty place and visualizing yourself there can slow down your heart rate, lower your blood pressure, calm your senses and bring stress relief to your body whenever you need it.  No, it’s not the same as being there, but it’s the next best thing.  And there’s no packing or planning.  Just click and enjoy.

To the Moon! Web Site Lets Your Family Travel to Outer Space

     Now here’s an amazing family travel idea–a trip to the moon!  It’s possible to climb right in with the astronauts without leaving your living room, thanks to a new Web site launched recently by the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.  The site, wechoosethemoon.org, commemorates the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission and man’s first walk on the moon back in 1969.  The site lets you virtually join the mission in various stages, using real time countdowns to each phase and incorporating interactive graphics.   And it also lets you follow the action with updates on other sites, such as Twitter and Facebook.

     The most impressive part to me is the radio transmission you can hear from NASA flight controllers in Houston to Apollo 11–it’s the actual recordings from the mission and you feel as though you’re part of the crew listening in to the action.   Even thought I know the outcome, it’s hard not to hold my breath a bit when you hear them say they’re about to be out of  transmission ability as they travel around the other side of the moon.  

     The name of the site, we choose the moon, comes from a speech President Kennedy gave in 1962.  During the speech he said, “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone and one which we intend to win.”  Powerful stuff. And what a powerful site!  

    I was born the year we walked on the moon, just one month after this historic event.  I grew up on the east coast of Florida, not far from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral.   I still remember our elementary school principal calling us out of our classes when a launch was scheduled so we could all walk outside and see the shuttle fly over our skies–high above us, but still visible–and never knew how lucky we were to be able to see such a thing first hand.  I’ve seen video of the landing on the moon dozens of times in black and white and never really felt so much a part of it all until listening to the voices on this web site, tracking the activities by the minute.  It’s hard not to get excited as the seconds tick away and the moon gets closer by the minute.  “One small step for man. One giant leap for mankind.” And now, this web site is one really great virtual adventure for my family and yours!

 

Flights for Our Four-legged Friends

My mom loves to travel and her dog, Molly, is like an American Express card.  She wouldn’t consider leaving home without her.  Luckily, she does most of her traveling on the road, driving to her destinations.  That’s good because in South Florida, it’s often too hot for her to be able to bring her dog on a flight.  Molly is too big to ride coach on the plane, in a carrier under the seat in front of her.  That would normally mean she would go in her carrier into a different section of the plane, but the airlines have a summer heat embargo.  When the temperature on the tarmac goes above a certain degree, it’s no longer safe for the animals to ride in other sections of the plane.  That means those pets are essentially grounded from flying into and out of certain locations because of their climate.  That’s heartbreaking for people like my mom, who considers her pet part of the family and doesn’t want to leave the animal at home with a pet sitter or at a doggie daycare. 

But now, pet owners have a new option: Pet Airways.  Launching this week, Pet Airways is essentially a kennel in the sky.  It’s designed especially for pets. Pet owners can pay for flights for their animals to ride in the section of the plane where people normally sit, only on these flights, the only people you’ll see are the pilots and flight attendants. At this point, Pet Airways will fly to five cities: Washington DC/Baltimore, New York (NJ, CT and Philly), Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles. It’s an interesting concept and Pet Airways is not the first to try it.  However, Pet Airways is the newest, and the concept is attractive to pet owners looking for options.  The flights start at $150 each way, so it may be a bit pricey for some, but for pet owners who otherwise would have to drive, it could be worth every penny.  Meantime, Molly and my mom will still be taking to the road for their travels, since South Florida isn’t on Pet Airways’ list of destinations quite yet.

Traveling Back to School

     Family vacations are wrapping up and the lazy days of summer are soon to be replaced with the craziness of heading back to class.  For many, that means figuring out a new bus schedule or arranging car pools. But when I think back on my school days, I can remember walking down the road, a little less than a mile, with my backpack full, through the crosswalk past the friendly crossing guard, waiting at the playground in class lines for the school day to start.  It was a big deal when I was big enough to ride my bike! Now, the only walking my kids do to get to school is the short distance to their bus stop.  Biking Is a cruise up and down our street, not much more.  We don’t live too far from school, but not all the roads getting there have sidewalks or bike paths, and a walk to class would be incredibly dangerous.  That doesn’t even take into account the fear we now have of child predators and such.  It makes me sad that my children don’t get to take the same journey I did.  I can remember to this day how touched I was when my first little “boyfriend”, Mason, offered to walk me home and carry my books for me.  We were just in 5^th grade, but that’s how you knew a boy liked you in that day.  Missing the walk to and from school may mean missing those experiences, too, and I hate that for my children.  I also hate that they’re missing the great benefits of walking.  And my children aren’t the only ones. Statistics show forty years ago, nearly half of all students walked or biked to school.  Now, fewer than 15 percent do.  About a fourth ride a school bus, while 60 percent are taken in cars.  Wouldn’t it be great if we could get more of those children taking the trip to school on their own two feet?  We all know it’s healthier.  And I understand safety is a huge concern.  No parent wants their child to have to walk on the side of a busy road where their life is at risk.  But we also know studies show there are risks for children who aren’t physically active.  They are at higher risk of illnesses such as diabetes. And their ability to learn is also impacted.  Studies indicate children with moderate or vigorous activity incorporated into their day are better able to concentrate, are more creative, better at problem solving and memory learning, and have improved mood for up to two hours after exercise.  This is enough evidence for me to start looking into new options for my children.  We need to get back to where nearly half of the children can safely walk to school.  Maybe more communities can build side walks and bike paths into their road plans.  Steps can be taken by parents, too.  We can all use a little more exercise in our lives, and walking with our children can have a number of benefits.  Instead of organizing carpools, we can organize what’s known as the Walking School Bus.  It’s something that’s been tried with success in Canada and England. Parents take turns getting children to and school on foot or bike, picking children up at their “stops” along the way. If it’s something you want to try, the CDC is offering a guidebook.  Check the website, www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/kidswalk/.  It seems to me as a new school year approaches, we all have something to learn from the students four decades ago.

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Traveling Through Time

We took off for an 8 hour (each way) drive to see my parents last week and it hit me—my kids have it sooo much better than I did as a kid.  At least when it comes to road trips they do.  See, I was one of ten kids and my parents didn’t get a van until half of us were already out of high school and on our own.  Back in my day, we packed every crevice of our four-door car for hours (and what felt like days) at a time.  There was room for my mom and dad and one of us in the front bench seat. Then room for 4 kids in the back bench seat.  The rest of us just found spots. That was before seatbelts were the law and it was just fine for me to sit on the floor at my mom’s feet up front.  My little sister got the back dash of the car where the glass angled down to meet the trunk. She was the lucky one because she actually got to stretch out. We were so happy to hit the road, though, we just did what we had to do to get there.  We were packed in like sardines and didn’t have the luxury of game boys and portable T.V.’s.  Nope, we had to read or listen to the radio, and my parents controlled what we listened to.  We got to hear a lot of old country tunes (ever heard of “A Boy Named Sue”?), not exactly to our delight.  Sometimes it was more than we could stand and we’d end up in arguments with each other. The solution?  An invisible brick wall my mom would theoretically build between us.  You know what I mean–somehow that invisible wall was as big and sturdy as the Great Wall of China, keeping warring groups separated physically.  My mom’s brick wall had the same effect.  In those days, it was ok to sit on Dad’s lap while he drove, and that was always fun—especially at night when everyone else in the car slept. I can still remember controlling the steering wheel on the less-than winding roads of Florida.  We didn’t really have the money for hotels along the way, but sometimes we’d have to stop so my dad could rest (he typically did all the driving, mostly because he couldn’t tolerate my mother’s driving abilities).  In those days, you paid a different rate for the room if you had more than 2 people, and because we were so poor, my mom would have us all duck down in the car just in case the hotel staff looked outside to see if my dad was being honest.  Can you even imagine the rate for 12 in one room? We didn’t see the hiding as a lie so much—it was a matter of necessity. Somehow, we’d eventually make it to our destination, so glad we were there.  It probably explains my desire even today to not waste an extra minute in the car.  My kids get their spot and there they sit, all belted in, happy for a few minutes.  Few being the key word.  If I’m lucky, it’s more than a few.  Their movies or video games will go on almost as soon as we pull out of the driveway.  They’ll do their own thing for a while and maybe even talk to each other.  But sometimes, they’ll talk too much, or say the wrong thing to each other, and we’ll end up building our own invisible brick walls between them.  Even though they have leg room and fun diversions, I guess some things never change.