May 24, 2010
Each Monday through Friday, a Travel Gem of the Day will be posted at SmartWomenTravelers.com. These Travel Gems are tips that will help a traveler travel smarter, safer, handle home issues, be prepared and enjoy their journeys.
Here are last week’s Travel Gems:
Monday May 17th – Traveling internationally and can’t get your point across? Here’s an easy way to be understood without words. Use Point it! It’s a travel dictionary for when you find yourself in a country where you are not too familiar with the language. All you have to do is get out your Point It! and point to the picture. It’s the perfect way to communicate when you don’t know how to say it. Available as both a print book and an iPhone app.
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Posted by Carol Margolis under Travel |
May 14, 2010
It has been a month since Mount Eyjafjallajökull erupted in Iceland causing major shutdowns across European airports for mid-April. The volcano continues to erupt and airport shutdowns and flight delays are still occurring. Flights into the UK are being routed on a southerly direction to avoid the ash and this is adding to already long international flights. This week’s continued ash issue (say that three times fast!) has closed down airports in Spain as well.
The impact of the volcanic ash on a plane can be devastating. Smoke and ash from eruptions reduce visibility for visual navigation, and microscopic debris in the ash can sandblast windscreens and melt in the heat of aircraft engines, damaging them and making them shut down. Feel better about being delayed vs. subject to engine shutdowns? I do!
Thousands upon thousands of travelers in Europe and around the globe have been and continue to be affected by this volcanic ash. Not only are there current flight delays, but many people considering their summer holiday plans are taking Europe off their list for this year. This doesn’t help the slowly-rebounding travel sector.
What does all of this mean to you?
- If you are traveling on any international flight that flies to or over Europe, check the airlines’ websites often for the latest news.
According to Delta: Periodic air traffic control restrictions continue to be possible due to the volcanic ash from the Mount Eyjafjallajokull eruption in Iceland. Customers traveling in these markets are encouraged to check Delta’s website for updated flight arrival and departure times before leaving for the airport. This volcanic eruption is an ongoing situation that Delta will continue to monitor closely. In the event your flight is delayed or canceled, Delta will continue to offer alternate routings to assist with your travel plans. The same info is being provided by other airlines as well.
- If your flight is delayed or cancelled, immediately call or get online with your airline for rebooking. Change fees are being waived by most, if not all, airlines for the volcano-related flight issues. Several airlines are also offering the option of a refund on your ticket, though refunds may take several weeks to get to you due to the current volume of refunds. (Though why is it that a high volume of people booking tickets doesn’t slow down the process of posting the charges to our credit cards?)
- Look for alternative transportation:
I sent a ‘tweet’ to my Twitter followers asking for a Plan B if my flight to Aberdeen is cancelled once I reach Paris. I received great replies such as:
Eurostar to London, recheck air options – train or bus to Aberdeen Natl Express Bus runs 3 coaches daily or
Chunnel or Calais/Dover ferry, train to London, and train from Kings Cross to Edinburgh then connect to Aberdeen
(If you are on Twitter but feel your follower count is too low to receive answers, ask a fellow Twitterer to post or retweet your request. Most people are happy to help.)
Do a Google search. I typed in ‘how to get from Paris to Aberdeen’ and Eurostar train was the first link to come up, with many more viable flight, train and bus results to review.
- If you purchased insurance for your trip, you may be entitled to a refund or other compensation. Read the insurance policy’s wording carefully to see what is and is not covered and also look at the procedures for making a claim as they differ from insurer to insurer.
Hopefully this volcano will quiet itself down for hundreds of years and Volcanic Ash Updates will no longer be on our airline alerts. In the meantime, keep informed and consider alternative plans … and consider visiting other parts of our great planet for the next little while.
As for me, I’ve got the Eurostar website bookmarked if I have a flight cancellation to Aberdeen once I’ve landed in Paris.
But then again, I have great travel karma so I shouldn’t need this Plan B (fingers crossed!).
Posted by Carol Margolis under Current Affairs |
May 11, 2010
Ah, the good old days when there used to be three elite levels for airlines – Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Generally, those levels were recognized at 25K, 50K, 75 or 100K respectively for miles flown annually.
I realize this is a bit of an oversimplification because not all the legacy carriers followed this strict status. Also, there are some frequent fliers who qualify for elite status through segments, not air miles. Nevertheless, the points here remain valid.
In days gone by, Silver status had some value though it varied by airline. It was considered an achievement and there were rewards. Indeed, it was very possible for Silver status fliers to get upgrades to first class as long as they flew at non-peak times.
Those days are gone. Here are the frequent flier status programs today:
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Posted by Carol Margolis under Current Affairs, Travel |
May 10, 2010
Each Monday through Friday, a Travel Gem of the Day will be posted at SmartWomenTravelers.com. These Travel Gems are tips that will help a traveler travel smarter, safer, handle home issues, be prepared and enjoy their journeys.
Here are last week’s Travel Gems:
Monday May 3rd – Would you like to know what’s going on in major cities throughout the world but only have a few minutes a day to do so? Here’s the perfect solution, especially for travelers.
Newseum.org, Washington D.C.’s most interactive museum contains 574 front pages from 56 countries, updated daily with each edition of the paper. The Newseum displays these daily newspaper front pages in their original, unedited form. Just put your mouse on a city anywhere in the world and the newspaper headlines pop up. Double click the city and the page gets larger… you can read the entire paper on some if you click on their web page link. You really could spend forever here if you have the time.
This is a great way to get informed on what’s going on in a city that you are visiting or one that you have future plans to get to.
Tuesday May 4th – You know it’s important to keep your hands clean while traveling. Another area where germs tend to harbor is in the mouth. While good dental hygiene should always include daily brushing and flossing, rinsing with an antibacterial mouth wash can help keep you from becoming ill when you are subjected to a number of different strains of bacteria and viruses.
Just like using antibacterial hand soap, antibacterial mouth wash adds another layer of protection between you and the dreaded “airplane cold!”
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Posted by Carol Margolis under Travel |
May 6, 2010
Over one thousand hotel stays and I’ve just realized something — I am very predicable in my hotel routine. I bet you are too!
Enter hotel room … lug the bag onto the bed… unzip… call husband so I can multi-task … grab hangars from the closet… hang blouses with their respective jackets or sweaters… hang slacks and skirts… leave non-hangables in my suitcase… place shoes on closet floor… turn up temperature… Read more of this article »
Posted by Carol Margolis under Hotel Living, Random Thoughts |
May 3, 2010
Each Monday through Friday, a Travel Gem of the Day will be posted at SmartWomenTravelers.com. These Travel Gems are tips that will help a traveler travel smarter, safer, handle home issues, be prepared and enjoy their journeys.
Here are last week’s Travel Gems:
Monday April 26th – Know where to ‘go’ when you’re on the go? The Bathroom Diaries is the world’s largest database of restroom locations. There are ratings for 12000+ public bathrooms in more than 120 countries, providing a wealth of information to both travelers and urban dwellers. Add your own public bathroom experiences to keep the database growing.
Tuesday April 27th – How to travel Gluten Free: After you’ve mastered your own gluten-free eating regimen, the next big hurdle may be finding restaurants that offer gluten-free options on their menus. Fortunately, since gluten-free living is becoming more common, there are resources you can turn to. One great resource for travelers is Gluten Free Travel Site which has a database of User-Submitted Dining and Travel Reviews for gluten-free eating.
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Posted by Carol Margolis under Travel |
