Skip to main content

Travel Tips

Over the years, I have learned a number of tips about travel. Some tips I have picked up from friends and relatives. Others have come about as a result of trial and error. Here are a few of the pointers that have helped to make my travels smoother and more pleasant:

General:
Expect issues. Travel almost never goes as smoothly as you would wish.
Seek the recommendations of people you know who have visited a destination.
Utilize internet resources, including airfare-related search engines.

Air:
Arrive at major airports at least two hours early.
If you are unable to reserve your desired seat when purchasing the ticket,
          look again when checking-in for the flight.
Join the airline’s loyalty program. Most are free and a great way to build
          towards discounted or free travel.
Purchase tickets online. Occasionally, airlines post lower fares on their websites
         than can be found through other avenues.
Avoid purchasing airfares over the telephone. Some carriers are now charging
         passengers to speak to an agent to book travel.

Hotel:
Call the reservations center or the hotel directly.
Always ask about promotions or packages. Some hotels seem hesitant
          to advertise these rates.
Remember to look into any possible sources of discounts. These include
          corporate affiliations and warehouse club memberships.
Be specific with regards to your room-type preferences.
Join the hotel’s loyalty program. These are an easy way to work towards
          free stays and other incentives.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Olympic Memories

Twenty years ago this week, I - along with my family - was sitting in my house watching the Opening Ceremonies of the Summer Olympics.  I have always loved watching the Olympics, but this time was different.  This time, the Games were not on some far-away continent.  These Games were in my own hometown!  In fact, just the night before, I had been in Olympic Stadium - now Turner Field - watching the dress rehearsal for what I was watching on tv.  Now, twenty years later, some of my most vivid memories remain: The seemingly always-crowded highways of Atlanta were practically desolate, providing a seldom-seen sight. Meeting the Frenchman who wondered if I had ever heard of the book about the Civil War written by an Atlanta woman named Margaret Mitchell. The dress rehearsal crowd cheering wildly during the parade of nations for the entry of the flag from (the nation of) Georgia. Attending the women's gymnastics podium trials, watching the Magnificent 7 prepa...
Post a Comment
Read more

Speaking the Language

For a moment, I had to step back. I just wanted to take in what I was hearing. In the midst of the 1996 Summer Olympics, I was at a hotel in downtown Atlanta with a good friend. We were standing aside two other ladies, whom we did not know, listening to a speech on the highlights of Athens, Greece. My friend and I listened as the speaker, himself a native of Greece, spoke of Athens’ history, its culture, and its desire to host the Games. But, it was not the speech itself that caught me off guard. It was the fact that he was speaking in Spanish.   In the summer of 1996, I volunteered with the host committee for the Olympic Games in Atlanta. One of the benefits of volunteering with the Games was admittance into places and events otherwise off limits to the general public. One such area was the bid lounges for the cities competing to host the 2004 Summer Games. For the duration of the Games, the organizing committee of each city had occupied a room at a d...
Post a Comment
Read more

Seattle Sunset

The neighborhood was full of people enjoying the summer evening. People standing in their front lawns, casually talking with their neighbors. Fathers guiding their children as they unsteadily steered their bicycles along the sidewalk. Mothers pushing strollers while the children riding inside stared out in wonder, attempting to take in the activity around them. Families exiting the neighborhood ice cream shop, cool, frozen desserts in hand. A steady stream of cars passing along the neighborhood’s narrow, curving streets. At the neighborhood’s center was a large manmade lake, rimmed with tall, green trees. A curving concrete path wound through the surrounding meadow. Couples jogged along the trail, careful to avoid anyone who crossed the path. A wading pool which at any other time would have been a noisy, chaotic scene, was nearly silent, save for the occasional splash of water. Even the lake itself was still, with nothing to disrupt the calm, slow mot...
Post a Comment
Read more