vacation from the tourists

Along with the mass invasion of tourists that summer brings, it also makes us feel like leaving the town. Not permanently, mind you, but for little extended vacations. While bed & breakfast aficionados are swarming into our town, we're swarming away. As soon as my daughter is out of school (which may take a while since they keep extending the school semester due to snow days), we're planning on several trips. None of them are luxury vacations, but all will give us the chance to get out of town and avoid the crowds.

One will be back to Colorado, where we have lots of family to visit with. I'm not necessarily looking forward to this one, as I hate bouncing back and forth from one person's house to the next, as our guests argue with us about spending our time "equally" with everyone we visit. That's part of the fun of presenting your parents with their first grandkids, I suppose. While we are there, I am considering taking the kids camping. Camping in Colorado is fun, and I know of several areas that aren't as crowded during the summer. I'd share them here with you, but that might spoil our fun by exposing them, so...sorry.

We did decide to pick up season tickets to Branson's Silver Dollar City theme park this year, too. It set us back $200 for the entire family, which is pricey. However, if we visit twice they are paid for, and I'm sure we'll go more often than that.

I look forward to the day when our kids are old enough to fly out to the grandparents house on their own, so that my wife and I can do some traveling in Europe and other far-off exotic places that we've been longing to see.

planning ahead? only in the states

Lately, there has been much discussion on the internet about planning trips at the last minute and how flexibility can result in some killer last minute travel deals. I'm unsold, though. It would appear that most "last minute" offers aren't last minute at all. Rather they are contingency plans that were already set in motion weeks before the "last minute" was approaching. As such, there is usually little room to bargain for find exclusive deals. There are also certain areas that just don't participate. Finding a last minute deal in Vegas, for example, appears much easier than finding one in Boston. So is it the platform that is missing for that last minute line of communication between merchant and customer?

In the U.S., we've got bargain based sites like Priceline which never seem to work. I've tried numerous times to get good last minute deals on airfare with no success. It would appear that certain locations just don't care whether they fly and empty plane or a full one.

In the UK, they have sites like HotelShop which specialize in last minute hotel rooms. What's really coo about this site is that the hotels aren't your typical chain hotels, which tend to have a single mindset and established rates for their supposed "last minute" rates. Instead, we get awesome little historic establishments like the Inverness Crown Court Hotel or the Barcelo Cardiff Angel that offer visitors a unique lodging experience. Why can't we have a service like this here in the States? Something that consolidates last minute offers from smaller family-owned inns and hostels would be a great asset for the more adventurous traveler who is tired of the same old Holiday Inn Express.

It's unbelievable, really. In the UK, if I booked through HotelShop, I could stay in a castle built in 1282 for only 60 pounds a night. In the states, I'd be stuck at the Econolodge. Of course, if you were traveling to the UK and were willing to stay in hostels, you'd probably find even cheaper rates, but you wouldn't get hotel service or the grandeur that you would get staying in one of these historic establishments. I truly am impressed with this site. Not only does it compile a great selection of historic hotels in one place (with ratings, details and multiple photos), but it lets you shop for last minute specials.

If you're heading to Europe at any point in the near future, and will be staying over in the UK at all, you should keep this site handy. If you're still trying to find last minute deals in the States, best of luck.

the new canadian utopia?

Lately, the weather has been unbearably hot. Looking at the Weather channel, it is apparent that much of the nation is experiencing the same heat wave that (for us) started precisely at the beginning of August. The humidity has hit us full force, as if making up for its absence in June and July. The locals claim that the weather has progressively gotten worse over the last few years, and can only speculate that global warming is the cause. Will the human race just adapt to these areas if they continue to heat up every year?

I saw a special report not too long ago regarding the effects of global warming, and they made a bold prediction that people would start looking to Canada as a source of perfect weather. Believe it or not, they were actually referring to the frozen tundra areas of Northern Canada...the areas that one often gets confused with say...Greenland or the North Pole. As crazy as this sounds, it makes perfect sense if you read what any scientists are saying about the future climate changes that we will be seeing.

If you take a look at the current trends of UK travelers (which tend to predate the investment travel done by Americans), you'll quickly find that travel sites like Dialaflight offer regular flights to Canada (or as UK travelers call them "holidays" in Canada) and one can only speculate if many of those flights end up being house-hunting trips. The site sets up reservations by phone specialist only, so you know that anyone booking these trips are serious about their flights and not simply internet junkies looking for last minute $10 off coupons. I also read not to long ago about how UK travelers have been purchasing land in many small towns in areas of France and Spain. If their purchases are any indication of the new hot property markets, then Canada may be next on the list.

My wife has a large group of relatives in Quebec and we have had to spend quite a bit of cash on Quebec flights in the past, but I have also visited areas like Banff, Calgary and the super-mall in Edmonton. The land in that area is just gorgeous, and I wouldn't have to worry about the whole "Francais factor".

While I am not rushing out to buy a bunch of land in the Canadian tundra, the idea of living in Canada has crossed my mind. In addition to the fact that my wife has relatives there, I think we would fit in quite nicely in a country that keeps their international noses out of everyone else's business. I don't really get their government system, as I haven't been exposed to it very much, but I have heard that they offer free education and health care to their citizens, which is commendable. Cigarettes are said to be ridiculously expensive, but I don't smoke so I couldn't care less.

great idea for a new invention

As I am discussing traveling, I can't help but set my sights on more distant lands. I hope to one day visit places across the ocean, like Europe or Asia. As my mother in law is from Canada and speaks fluid French, I've always thought that it might be a little more convenient to invite her to go with us as a translator for when we're in French speaking countries. My wife and I both took French back in high school, but I have no idea whether we would be able to keep up if we were visiting France. Some people talk very fast, and seeing as I am more interested in venturing off the beaten path, we may find ourselves in non-tourist areas where native bilingual skills are more limited.

I was recently thinking about voice recognition software and those handy little translator devices that you can take with you, and I was thinking that it would make so much sense of someone were to combine the two. In a sense, it would be like having closed captioning for real life. You could carry your little hand-held voice recognition device with you and as others speak to you, it could translate what they are saying. Unfortunately, I don't think we're quit there yet with voice recognition, as most of the software that I have see takes some time to effectively "learn" a certain persons voice. However, seeing as many large companies are now using voice recognition for their customer service systems (with arguable success) for a multitude of customer calls, I would suspect that we are not that far off from implementing this same technology in other places.

Of course, traveling "purists" might say that this is missing the whole point of visiting other countries. What good is visiting another land if you're not willing to absorb yourself in their culture? My only problem with that is that areas like Europe have countries that are very near each other and yet speak different languages. To effectively communicate across Europe, I would suspect that you would have to learn Spanish, German, French, and Italian...maybe other languages, too. And seeing as not all of us have the cash to visit often enough to polish up on our foreign languages, I don't see this as a viable solution.

Sci-fi authors have already foreseen this type of translation technology. I can't remember the names, but I know that I have seen movies where someone is wearing a small button or pin that automatically translates what someone is saying to the other person's language. What they don't explain is how it makes it so that they cannot hear the original words being spoken at the same time.

I can picture a "Whisper 2000" styled apparatus, like an ipod that allows you to get a custom translation while in a foreign land. And like an Imac, I can see something that even allows you to customize the type of translation you hear...be it a male or female voice, a robotic voice, etc. Eventually, I suspect that it would detect the timber of the speaker's voice, and mimic it appropriately.

Just think of how much easier it will be to find the bathroom in a foreign country!

vacations.net

Far be it from me to pass up the opportunity to review a new travel site, especially after my last two posts. This one is a bit different, as vacations.net focuses more on all-inclusive travel destinations. Personally, I've never tried an all-inclusive vacation, but I have heard shining reviews from friends and family from their experiences with staying in them in Mexico.

An "all-inclusive" vacation package does just what it says - it includes everything in the cost. Or at least, most everything. It all depends on the specific package, but many of them include meals, lodging, tax, gratuity, and even transportation. As vacations.net states, you can "leave your wallet at home". Of course, you may want to bring your ID and passport.

These all-inclusive travel packages are intended to be as stress-free as possible. You don't have to worry about the cost of anything, as it's already pre-paid. No need to tip anybody, and there are no hassles over the bill. When my sister first booked one of these all-inclusive trips to Mexico, I was a bit quick to warn her to "check the menu". After all, if all meals are included, you may end up with fish tacos every night. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that she and her husband were dining on steak and coconut shrimp as part of their package. Another perk is that these resorts are generally more private than other non-inclusive chains, so you don't have to worry as much about sand-vendors walking up to you on the beach, trying to sell you plastic crap from Taiwan.

The vacations.net site is pretty easy to navigate. My only complaints were that it would have been nice if it remembered my travel dates when I returned to the homepage to try a different destination. I also had to keep typing in my children's age every time I tried to search. Again, it would be nice it if remembered these details from the last search, and allowed me to change them if need be. (Obviously, my kids aren't going to change age from one search to the next.) The site automatically includes the all-inclusive results in your search. If you want other offers, you need to click on the "change" link where it says "All-Inclusive resort (change)".

It would also be nice if they included the estimated cost for the entire stay in the results, instead of just the average per night. Sure, I can take out the calculator and multiply $247.35 times seven nights, but it would be nice if they did it for me. My only other complaint was that it was showing me rooms that said "Exceeds max guests" in the results. If the room won't accommodate my family, why are you showing it to me?

One nice feature is the "travel style" selector. You are able to pick from a list of hotels based on whether they are family friendly, or just for adults, etc. This made it a little easier for me to narrow down results for a family of four. Unlike many of the new travel sites on the net that try to compete with the "biggies" by offering up half-baked affiliate booking links, this is one that I could actually see myself using if booking an all-inclusive trip.

I'm just not sure if the "all-inclusive" option is something that I'd be interested in. Sure, there's a lot of stress that is eliminated, especially when you're staying in a foreign country, but part of the fun of traveling is exploring, trying new cuisine, finding the "local dives". If I had an all-inclusive package, I wouldn't want to eat anywhere else, because I'd feel that we were wasting money. I guess that you need to look at an all-inclusive trip as a slightly different approach at traveling. It's more about getting away from the world, and relaxing in a protected and predictable environment. For the road-weary and those less-inclined to haggle, an all-inclusive package could prove to be a blessing.

the road to non-road recovery

In my last post, I discussed how some people (myself included) are obsessed with "the journey" and can't seem to settle down when they reach their destination, even when that destination is near perfect. So is there a cure?

Is there some way that we can re-train our minds into slowing down, appreciating what we have, and ignoring the allure of the open road? Or is it too dangerous to simply go "cold turkey" and does it make more sense to allow ourselves a hefty travel budget to cure those late night (and long weekend) cravings? But what keeps us from eyeing every new travel destination as a potential living destination? I am guilty of this - very much so.

The last dozen or so travel trips that I took were not only vacations - they were more like hometown scouting reports. What did I think of the town? Could I see my family living there? How does it compare with where we are at right now? would we be happy there? The last question, obviously is a trick question, as we would be happy anywhere that is new, for a short period of time. Then, it would get old to me, and that open road would be "curling up like smoke" above my shoulder. It was even worse when I was traveling frequently for work - alone in a car, driving thousands of miles with nothing but my thoughts to keep me company.

So what is the cure? That is, if it is truly a problem in the first place...

Maybe there is nothing wrong with having a desire to travel, and see new places, and want to live in them. Like any fantasy, I suppose that thinking about it doesn't hurt - dwelling on it or acting on it would, though. I don't want to uproot my children from their friends and school every time I feel like moving. It's not fair - I hated it as a child, so I know that they would, too.

Aha!! A Freudian moment! Did you hear that last sentence? It's not fair - I hated it as a child, so I know that they would, too. Perhaps that really is the defining reason for my condition. I secretly want to torment my children by moving around often because that's what I grew up with. LOL. Just kidding. But I am sure that moving around often as a child has something to do with it. I left my hometown before I felt established enough to call it my hometown, and my second hometown never accepted me for who I was - a Southern boy, tried and true. Every town that I have lived in since has been a predetermined "temporary" thing.

Sometimes I am convinced that we would be happy living in Europe somewhere. A small town in the South of France, perhaps. It's all very dreamy and idealistic, but we do find that the qualities that we look for in potential "hometowns" are its small-town European self-sustaining type qualities. Meanwhile, rural youth are knocking down doors to get into the big cities so they can get their hands on technology jobs. Small towns are left with nothing but "silver-stranders" who have no skills (or interest) in computer technology.

There is a movement of young people (or at least younger than the boomers) who are simplifying their lives and moving back to smaller communities, but are they doing it to truly simplify and live better lives, or because it offers a more affordable glimpse of what suburban and "new urban" communities promised, but failed to deliver?

Perhaps we are just part of a target market - more "numbers" to fit into these "movements". Or perhaps there really is something wrong with this country, and I'm just way ahead of my time with the disenchantment that I feel.

priortiy club rules

Speaking of travel, I really need to start spending my Holiday Inn Priority Club points! I have been amassing pints for the last few years due to all of the travel that I was doing, and I also have a credit card that awards me additional points for each dollar spent. Out of all of the travel programs that I have signed up in the past, I have to admit that the Holiday Inn Priority Club program has been my favorite. I have managed to earn close to a dozen free hotel stays over the last few years, and they have always been great at dealing with reservations, cancellations and special requests.

I know that "Holiday Inn" has this campy fifties feel to its branding, but the new Holiday Inn Express hotels have all been very nice. In fact, I have found that they are generally $10 to $20 cheaper than the plain "Holiday Inns" and yet they are usually newer and cleaner. I've stayed at lots of chains throughout the years, and although chains like the Embassy Suites are always quite fancy, I think I prefer the predictable comfort and value of the Holiday Inn Express. I have a Hilton Honors card and a Choice Hotels card, as well, but their point and redemption systems pale in comparison with the experience I have had with Priority Club. Check it out if you are a frequent traveler. You don't have to be a traveling "businessman" to earn and redeem these points, either. In fact, I usually rack up points from work and use them for family vacations instead.

japan

So perhaps you've gone the way of the Samurai and you are wondering what it would cost you to fly to Japan. What's the currency exchange like? Would you choose to shack up in a Japanese countryside home or a pill-sized economy unit in the city?

Right now, as of today, it appears that you would get approximately 120 Japanese yen per America dollar. If you're in the UK, you can check out the flights to Japan listed at DialAFlight, which appear to be coming in from Heathrow to Tokyo for only £162 (+ £137 taxes) via British Airways. It appears that the most popular destinations are to the cities of Fukuoka, Kyoto, Nagoya, Osaka, Sapporo, and of course Tokyo.

Personally, I'd be checking out Mount Fuji and the Hot Springs of Beppu. A "vacation" tot he megalopolis that is Tokyo doesn't sound like as much of a vacation to me - more like a very active and overwhelming "experience".

lost in translation

Speaking of exotic travel, I just wanted to mention that if you haven't seen the movie "Lost in Translation" you should check it out. It features Bill Murray, and before you start gagging, rest assured that this (for a change) is a somewhat serious role for him. He does surprisingly well.

Mr. Murray plays an aging action star who now does commercials in Japan for a whiskey company. While exiled in this strange land, he meets up with Scarlet Johansen's character, who is stuck in her own bit of exile while her photographer boyfriend is off living the glamorous Tokyo life as a band photographer.

Although a little slow at times, the film has some shining moments and if you can get past the stomach-turning near love affair between Murray and Johansen, you may walk away feeling the same as I do - I gotta visit Japan some day!

exotic travel

Back when I worked in a large office with lots of fellow employees, one source of amusement and wonder during this time of the year was to see the screen savers others had placed on their computers. When the local weather was treating us poorly, I would always happen to catch glimpses of beautiful crystal clear blue ocean beaches, lush green rain forests, and exotic travel destinations on my coworkers' terminals.

Now that I work at home, I have to do my own searching now and then for unique travel photos to keep my spirits up when the local outdoors are frozen. I never liked loading those "screen saver" subscription applications on my computer though, because they often came with unwanted attachments like adware or spyware.

One site that I recently noticed via PayPerPost was for an Egyptian Travel photo site. Egypt sounds like a mysterious and exotic destination to me, and some of the photos on the site confirm that suspicion. It warms my bones in my current chilly climate to see photos like this in Hurgada Egypt:



Now if I could just figure out what to do with the kids and get someone else to pay for the trip!