tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46685492719464574922024-03-21T18:42:06.921-04:00Travel SkillsSave Money, Time, and Stress on Your Next---and EVERY--Trip. Travel tips, tactics, strategies, and ploys to help you travel better.Charles McCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13042775104717332647noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4668549271946457492.post-33012714576886819692010-09-25T23:18:00.002-04:002010-09-25T23:25:49.722-04:00$1 per day Car RentalsJust found this <a href="http://bit.ly/cOau9X">superb deal</a> on one-way car rentals.<br /><br />~ $1 per day car rentals from <a href="http://www.thrifty.com">Thrifty</a> for one-way travel<br />~ pick up in Seattle, Portland or Boise<br />~ return to major airports in California, Arizona and Las Vegas<br />~ rent (pickup and return) between September 21 and October 31<br />~ more details: <a href="http://bit.ly/cOau9X">http://bit.ly/cOau9X<br /></a>Charles McCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13042775104717332647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4668549271946457492.post-82603294786715663382010-09-06T12:04:00.006-04:002010-09-06T13:26:11.385-04:008 Ways to Get Free Lodging in New York CityTomorrow I (and many others) begin a month of travel using <a href="http://www.jetblue.com/">JetBlue</a>'s <a href="http://www.jetblue.com/aycj">All-You-Can-Fly pass</a>. One destination I want to visit is New York City. That is convenient, since New York's <a href="http://www.panynj.gov/airports/jfk.html">JFK airport </a>is a <a href="http://www.jetblue.com/">JetBlue</a> hub and their HQ.<br /><br />Some say New York City is the greatest city in the world. I recently saw <a href="http://www.travelandleisure.com/worldsbest/2010/cities">Travel and Leisure's ratings of the world's top ten cities</a>: New York City was number 10. It was the <a href="http://www.travelandleisure.com/worldsbest/2010/cities/us-canada-cities/7">#1 city in the United States; San Francisco was #2</a>.<br /><br />I have already planned a couple of day trips to the <a href="%3Ca%20href=%22http://salwen.com/apple.html%22%3E">Big </a><a href="%3Ca%20href=%22http://salwen.com/apple.html%22%3E">Apple</a>. It is an easy flight to and from my home airport. However, I do not plan to spend a night in the city that never sleeps. I would like to but have not found a place to stay. OK, my budget is very, very tight and I am looking for free or cheap lodging. Here is my process. Perhaps it will help others:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. Have a friend living in the city</span><br /><br />I will start with the obvious. Knowing someone in New York City or even close would be ideal. I do not. Strike one.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. Have a friend of a friend in the city<br /><br /></span>I even put out a feeler on <a href="http://www.facebook.com">Facebook </a>and <a href="http://www.linkedin.com">LinkedIn </a>for a friend or a friend of a friend. I must know someone or know someone that knows someone there. OK, I can certainly try harder but I have not. Strike two (let's call it a check swing).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. Anonymous "friends"</span><br /><br />There are places to find people with a spare bed, couch or floor space for a night. I have not tried <a href="http://www.couchsurfing.com">couchsurfing.com</a>, <a href="http://www.usservas.org">servas</a>, <a href="http://www.craiglist.com">craigslist </a>(shiver) or others. There must be dozens or hundreds. Again, I could spend some time trying to find a place or a host. Do I want to? I am pretty comfortable flying up in the morning and flying home 8 to 10 hours later--and even repeating the process the next day. I know that I could try alumni groups and even travel contacts. Hey, Donald Trump might be in <a href="http://www.trumpchicago.com/">Chicago </a>or <a href="http://www.trumpnationallosangeles.com/">Palos Verdes </a>during my visit. Even if he is in town, there would be plenty of room. So, <a href="http://www.trumpinitiative.com/blog/">Mr. Trump</a>, have your people call my people. OK, I have no people. Darn. Strike three (looking).<br /><br />OK, so the nearly passive approach will not work for me. What else can I do? I struck out but I am still in the game...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. Make a new friend during my trips</span><br /><br />Indeed, I will attend the JetBlue AYCJ kick off celebration in Terminal 5 tomorrow. Perhaps I can sweet talk my way into some free floor space in one of the boroughs. Yes, Upper East Side is preferred but anywhere is a short subway ride from anywhere. Right? OK, this idea has merit. Also, I will be on probably a dozen flights during the first two weeks. There will probably be over 2,000 potential people that live in New York City or know someone that lives there. On the other hand, I am not much for in-person networking. Plus, is the allure of a free place to stay worth the potential risk? I am not <a href="http://www.usanetwork.com/series/monk/">Monk from USA Network </a>but, still, many people are scary.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5. Sleep? I don't need no stinking sleep</span><br /><br />I can book a morning flight to New York City and return home the next morning. Sure, I can stay up all night and see what the fuss is all about in this city. When it gets to be 3am, I just have to stay awake until my flight in the morning.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">6. Ride the rails</span><br /><br />Researching ground transportation options from JFK airport to Manhattan and around New York City, I learned that the <a href="http://www.mta.info/nyct/facts/about_us.htm">subway operates 24 hours</a>. Sweet! I can ride the rails when I get tired. Oh, yeah, there are the <a href="http://www.popeater.com/2009/05/24/kevin-bacon-mugged-in-nyc-subway/">muggings on the subway</a>. I cannot realistically do this, can I?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">7. Sneak a snooze</span><br /><br />Then there are hotel lobbies, all night diners (like on <a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_4510390_find-monks-diner-seinfelds-upper.html">Seinfeld</a>), theaters, train/bus stations and parks. Again, scary people and the mugging factor. Perhaps the JetBlue terminal would be a safe haven. I can book an early morning flight from JFK, play in the city all night and when I get tired, take the subway/train to JFK and snooze before the flight.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">8. JetBlue Flights</span><br /><br />I can keep doing what I already have planned. Visit New York City between morning and evening flights. Take an evening flight home and then fly back to New York City in the morning. Honestly, I live close enough to do this and it will be fun. If I did not, I would consider flying to another city to stay the night and then return the next morning. JetBlue has tons of flights from JFK and there must be many evening flights to destinations with less expensive lodging. For instance, there is a 10:3oPM flight to Portland, Maine. Perhaps there are even red-eye, overnight transcontinental flights (there are from the West coast to the East coast).<span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /><br />So, there you have my 8 Ways list. What do you think? Any additions? More importantly, can you spare a spot for me in the next month? Especially anyone from the Trump camp.<br /><br />Happy Travels.<br /><br />©2010, Charles McCoolCharles McCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13042775104717332647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4668549271946457492.post-20071015756531266162010-08-17T17:06:00.000-04:002010-08-17T17:12:36.228-04:00JetBlue's All You Can Jet dealOK, <a href="http://www.jetblue.com">JetBlue </a>is doing it again. They are selling a pass for unlimited travel during a one month period. It costs as little as $499, to be able to fly on Monday - Thursday and Saturday. To fly every day, the pass will cost $699. The period of travel, incidentally, is from September 7 through October 6. They call it the <a href="http://jetblue.com/aycj">All You Can Jet </a>pass.<br /><br />I just purchased mine but ran into one snag. The website initially said that no more passes were available. I was crushed. Instead, I opened another browser and, voila, I bought a pass. Perhaps what they say about <a href="http://www.elliott.org/the-navigator/no-airline-cookie-conspiracy-what-about-this-trail-of-crumbs/">airlines and internet cookies </a>is true.<br /><br />Let me know if you buy a pass. Perhaps we can meet along the road, er, sky, somewhere.Charles McCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13042775104717332647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4668549271946457492.post-3726119362990057812010-06-18T14:45:00.004-04:002010-06-18T15:03:18.028-04:00Ritz-Carlton DiscountsThe best hotel rates (for most chains and properties) are usually accompanied by a special rate code. You never know where you will find that rate code so keep your options open. I consider the AAA rate as my baseline amount and try to find lower rates than that.<br /><br />Recently, I was looking up college football 2010 schedules. On the website with the University of Miami schedule, there is a <a href="http://hurricanesports.cstv.com/travel/hotel/mifl-travel-hotel.html">link to "travel and leisure partners." </a>I clicked the link and checked out some of the hotels. One of the offerings is the <a href="http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/CoconutGrove/Default.htm">Ritz-Carlton in Coconut Grove</a>. I looked at sample rates for a weekend in October. Here are the results:<br /><br />$189 - University of Miami rate<br />$269 - AAA rate<br />$299 - regular rate (corporate rate)<br />$299 - hotels.com (Best Rate Guaranteed, ha!)<br /><br />I would check a few other online booking sites, but, in this case, I would also call the headquarters (800-542-8680) and the property directly (305-644-4680) to see if they have any weekend specials, visitor rates, etc. (I love to find discounts).<br /><br />Just spending a couple of minutes (and knowing the secret, negotiated code) saved me $110 PER NIGHT (or $80 per night off my AAA baseline rate). Places to find these magic codes include <a href="http://www.flyertalk.com/">FlyerTalk.com</a>, magazines, e-mail subscriptions, your company's HR department, and so on. Any other suggestions?<br /><br />Happy travels. Incorporate this strategy into your travel skill arsenal and save big money on lodging this summer.<br /><br />©2010, Charles McCoolCharles McCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13042775104717332647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4668549271946457492.post-90208413661830968952010-05-04T11:34:00.003-04:002010-05-04T13:43:31.906-04:00Road Trip Zen<span style="font-family:verdana;">The day after my latest <a href="http://roadtripnation.com/">road trip</a>, I was <a href="http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,397198,00.html">working in my yard</a> when my son came home from school. We said hello and then I said, "What did you learn today to get you closer to your <a href="http://jobsearch.about.com/cs/cooljobs/a/dreamjob.htm">dream job</a>?" He <a href="http://thebsreport.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/hillary25.jpg">looked at me like I was insane</a>, which is typical since he is a teen and I am his father.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">It got me thinking about what steps I took today and recently. Whether you know me or not, a little insight is that I have struggled with the dream job/<a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/66/mylife.html">what to do with my life</a>/<a href="http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=385">who am I</a> issues for at least 25 years. I am not making the leap (yet) into being a life coach but realized a great analogy from my recent road trip.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">As usual, my trip goals were to have fun and explore, to stay off <a href="http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Multimedia.jsp?id=m-2584">interstates</a> and not go to any <a href="http://www.restaurantchainlinks.net/">chains</a> (to eat or stay). My first paid lodging stay was at <a href="http://www.motel6.com/">Motel 6</a> in <a href="http://www.cityofbradenton.com/">Bradenton, FL</a> (and I drove <a href="http://www.golfi75.com/html/florida.html">I-75</a> from <a href="http://www.naples-florida.com/">Naples</a> to get there) but otherwise I managed to avoid interstates and chains between <a href="http://www.miami.com/">Miami</a> and <a href="http://washington.org/">DC</a>.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The last morning of my trip, I sat in the parking lot of <a href="http://www.comparesupermarkets.com/">Compare Foods</a> (an awesome Latin grocery store) in <a href="http://www.sciway.net/city/rockhill.html">Rock Hill SC</a> after buying a couple of pastries from the independent bakery inside. I stared at my <a href="http://www.apple.com/">iPhone</a> GPS app and maps for literally 15 minutes (and, Yes!, I know what literally means). You see, I could not make up my mind which road to take. It was a frustrating series of what-ifs; what if this road accidentally merges onto the interstate, what if this road is not fun, what if this road takes too long, and so on.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Unlike my dream job search, I had an end goal for my road trip--to be in <a href="http://www.thedctraveler.com/files/2007/05/a-creek-in-spring-on-a-northern-virginia-bike-path.JPG">Northern Virginia</a> by my kid's <a href="http://www.bedtime.com/">bedtime</a>. If I sat there staring at the map for another two hours then I would have to take the interstate and ruin my fun trip. I was suffering a massive case of TCS (trip completion syndrome). It was the last day of a fun road trip. I wanted it to last longer. I wanted everything to be perfect on that last day. I did not want to miss anything.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Surely you know what happened (and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080339/quotes">stop calling me Shirley</a>). I picked a route and started driving. For a few miles I had <a href="http://www.askmen.com/money/body_and_mind_100/125_better_living.html">buyer's remorse</a>. I kept thinking that maybe the other way would be better after all. I played with the radio and scanned for some new stations. Then I popped in a CD. Really, this road stinks, so maybe I should turn around and try another route. All of a sudden a possible interesting shortcut road appeared, not shown on my map. I checked the GPS and it does look like a connecting road to my next target road.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Predictably, I eventually forgot about the other route and started enjoying the journey. I saw some great new sites that I had no idea was near: a US President's hometown, gorgeous small roads through southern NC, oncoming drivers doing the finger wave (a sure sign of a great road to me), and at least one BBQ joint to go back to. I even ended up in a town with a "must try before I die" BBQ restaurant that I could never seem to find a reason to visit. As an aside, I thought that <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/lexington-bbq-1-lexington">Lexington BBQ</a> was OK but their <a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1319/1450673830_6f96f1f8ef.jpg">peach cobbler</a> is superb.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The rest of the day was fantastic. My TCS anxiety was left near the SC/NC border. Later, I stopped for a break and walked on a great green trail in <a href="http://www.reidsvillechamber.org/recreation.php">Reidsville, NC</a>. I ran into groups of high school baseball players walking the opposite way. Was this a sign? A couple of days earlier, I ran into a former teammate in Miami who encouraged me to pursue baseball coaching (one of my what-if dream job possibilities). Well, that remains to be seen but I did "discover" to get unstuck, at least for one trip:</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong>Lesson 1: when stuck, do something.</strong> Do anything. Get moving. I had to leave that parking lot, pick a road, and start driving. Otherwise, I would have remained in that parking lot forever. I have read and heard this suggestion but still remain paralyzed in my <a href="http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/01/how-to-discover-your-life-purpose-in-about-20-minutes/">life's passion pursuit</a>. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong>Lesson 2: be open to possibilities.</strong> During my trip, new opportunities (expected and unexpected) presented themselves. Ironic that such valuable lessons were learned, not in a seminar or book or <a href="http://www.pbcoaching.com/article-dimensions-of-a-coaching-session.php">coaching session</a>, but alone in an unrelated leisure activity. You never know where inspiration will come from.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong>Lesson 3: you gotta swing before you can hit a home run.</strong> Well, it is a sport's analogy but appropriate for getting unstuck. First, you have to simply be in the game (or even know what game to be in), then you have to step up to the <a href="http://www.quabbinvalley.com/images/From%20Home%20Plate.jpg">plate</a>. Getting unstuck is not always fixed with one swing; often it is an incremental, step-by-step process...</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">... and here are some steps:</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong>Step 1: Start Where You Are</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">- figure out your current location</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">* for any problem, define the issue</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">* while travelling, use a map</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong>Step 2: Determine Where You Want To Go</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">- if no idea where to go:</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">* for any problem, choose an action and see what happens</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">* while travelling, pick a route and get moving or stay put</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">"If you do not where you are going any road will take you there."</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">"When you see a fork in the road, take it."</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>Step 3: Move Between Location (Step #1) and Destination (Step #2)</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">- track your progress on a map or journal</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">"Life is a journey, not a destination."</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>Step 4: Reassess Your Route</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">- periodically figure out where you are (Step #1) and where you are going (Step #2). Change the route, as needed.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">"We are lost but making good time."</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>Step 5: Avoid Traffic Problems</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">- unless your goal is to blaze a new trail, there is an established path to your destination. Learn from others.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">- look out for <a href="http://prabaharan.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/traffic.jpg">traffic jams</a>. Learn from mistakes. </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">"It's deja vu all over again."</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Congratulations on the completion of your journey, whether it was actual travel or some life issue. Please share your "trip report" comments with others.</span>Charles McCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13042775104717332647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4668549271946457492.post-83833056628524047532010-03-12T08:30:00.003-05:002010-03-12T08:43:40.837-05:00Cheap Rental Car Rates from FloridaIt is that time of year again. The rental car companies need their cars to leave Florida for other parts of the United States. They are offering low, low daily rates for one-way rentals.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.hertz.com/rentacar/specialoffers/index.jsp?targetPage=fldriveout123.jsp&Category=OO&TabLink=tlink5">Hertz</a>, for instance, has rates as low as $3 per day for rentals in March. For April, I just booked a week's rental for $30 and am also considering upgrading to a RAV for an extra $10 a day ($100 total).<br /><br /><a href="https://www.nationalcar.com/index.do?action=/hotDealsTemplate&msg=national-FloridaDriveOut">National</a> has a similar promotion for $10 a day.<br /><br />If you are planning a trip between now and Labor Day, consider driving one of these cars out of Florida to another state. You can easily fly one-way into Florida. For instance, flights between Dulles and Ft. Lauderdale on <a href="http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-3707653-10577240">JetBlue</a> are only $74.Charles McCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13042775104717332647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4668549271946457492.post-55068824964888683572010-02-18T07:58:00.005-05:002010-02-18T08:21:27.121-05:00Restaurant Discounts - Dining DealsMost travellers are going to eat out more while on trips than they do at home. In fact, travel dining expenses can easily be most expensive part of your trip. Here are some easy ways to save some money on restaurants, whether at home or for trips:<br /><br />1. <a href="http://www.costco.com/Common/Category.aspx?ec=BC-EC18537-Cat29676&pos=6&whse=BC&topnav=&cat=74748&eCat=BC|3605|74748&lang=en-US">Costco</a> sells restaurant gift cards at a 20% discount. Some national chains included are <a href="http://www.mccormickandschmicks.com/">McCormick & Schmicks</a> and <a href="http://bajafresh.com/">Baja Fresh</a>. Costco members can visit warehouses on their trips, too. Cheap basic prepared food ($2 giant pizza slices, $1.50 hot dog & drink), goods, and gifts are obvious purchases, but also look for local restaurant gift cards. The other day I bought a $100 gift card (for $80) for <a href="http://glorydaysgrill.com/">Glory Days</a> in Northern Virginia.<br /><br />2. <a href="http://www.restaurant.com/index.asp?">Restaurant.com</a> certificates have been a favorite of mine for years. In fact, they are celebrating their <a href="http://www.restaurant.com/sweeps/index.asp">10th anniversary</a> now. They sell $25 certificates for $10. Wait, there's more. Sign up to receive promo codes by mail (and there is ALWAYS a sale) and save up to 90%. Yes, you can buy (and I have, many times) $25 certificates for $1.<br /><br />3. I have used <a href="http://www.entertainment.com/discount/home.shtml">Entertainment discount books</a> even longer than Restaurant.com certificates. 2-for-1 dining coupons are the primary draw, but they offer attraction and other travel (air, hotel, rental car) discounts, too. <br /><br />4. also check local sources, such as <a href="http://www.halfoffdeals.com/">Half Off Deals</a> and <a href="http://livingsocial.com/">Living Social</a>. When travelling (or before), I like to browse local newspapers and tourist guides.<br /><br />Happy Dining!Charles McCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13042775104717332647noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4668549271946457492.post-54125667696333123182010-01-21T08:23:00.002-05:002010-01-21T08:28:11.900-05:00JetSetter.com Exclusive Luxury Travel Discounts<a href="http://www.jetsetter.com/invite/18690569a9lmej97gr3g">Jetsetter.com</a> is a website that offers private (not available to the public) luxury travel discounts. Membership is free but you have to be invited by another jetsetter member. <br /><br />The good news is that you can join through my <a href="http://www.jetsetter.com/invite/18690569a9lmej97gr3g">Travel Skills exclusive link</a>.<br /><br />Again, this is a free membership but you cannot just simply register through the website. You must be invited by another jetsetter.com member (me!).<br /><br />Happy 2010 Travels.Charles McCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13042775104717332647noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4668549271946457492.post-79285836656452789632010-01-15T11:23:00.001-05:002010-01-15T11:25:17.886-05:002 ways to help Haiti1. use your cell phone to text "HAITI" to 90999. A $10 donation will be automatically charged and appear on your next bill.<br /><br />2. <a href="https://american.redcross.org/site/Donation2?4306.donation=form1&idb=1955615449&df_id=4306&s_src=RSG00100E002&s_subsrc=McCool Travel"><img border="0" src="http://www.redcross.org/www-files/psabanners/Haiti/728x90.jpg" alt="International Response Fund"></a>Charles McCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13042775104717332647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4668549271946457492.post-28526596997660166252010-01-05T20:48:00.002-05:002010-01-05T20:56:05.115-05:00travel contestsHappy New Year. Hope you have a happy and healthy 2010.<br /><br />I just found out about this great contest. Check it out:<br /><br />Things You Should Do is celebrating their 1,000,000th visitor with a fantastic <a href="http://thingsyoushoulddo.com/1000000th-visitor-contest">travel contest. You can win overnight stays at some of America’s top hotels, plus tours, meals & activities. Visit website for details.</a>Charles McCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13042775104717332647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4668549271946457492.post-17861188118504823862009-12-28T23:59:00.002-05:002009-12-29T00:03:51.424-05:00my book - Winning the Airfare Game - on eBay and AmazonJust found a listing for my book, Winning the Airfare Game, on eBay. Actually, I do see it listed every once in awhile (I receive alerts from eBay). http://cgi.ebay.com/Winning-the-Airfare-Game-Save-Money-and-Stress-on-Eve_W0QQitemZ270504825407QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Nonfiction_Book?hash=item3efb58123f<br /><br />If you want to buy a copy directly from me--a brand new fresh never been read copy-- buy it at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0970511922/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&qid=1262062815&sr=8-1&condition=new. The seller "lowerairfaresdotcom" is me. I am redesigning LowerAirfares.com and am not currently selling copies there.Charles McCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13042775104717332647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4668549271946457492.post-78141656737971009482009-12-09T14:33:00.002-05:002009-12-09T14:42:42.426-05:00$25 off JetBlue flights and no pay until April 2010Here is an exciting offer from JetBlue. You can save $25 on your next JetBlue flight. Only one $25 discount is permitted per person. Although you can book flights until December 18, I suggest you do it right away. Click the JetBlue ad below or <a href="http://www.kqzyfj.com/click-3707606-10729738">here</a> to start shopping for cheap flights. Happy Flying!<br /><br />Bill Me Later Offer!<br />We are excited to announce the launch of our Bill Me Later Offer! When you use Bill Me Later you can save $25 off your tickets for holiday flights! This offer takes place TODAY Wednesday, December 9 until Friday, December 18 11:59 PM EST. Hurry and post the below creative to take advantage of this great promotion!<br /><br />Please see Terms & Conditions for detailed information. Offer ends December 18, 11:59 PM EST.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-3707606-10693576"><br /><img border="0" alt="JetBlue Sale " src="http://www.ftjcfx.com/image-3707606-10693576" width="234" height="60" /></a>Charles McCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13042775104717332647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4668549271946457492.post-73603888398789861552009-12-01T16:24:00.005-05:002009-12-01T16:51:36.410-05:00Holiday Shopping - Get Your Travel Points<span style="font-family:verdana;">Surely you are not one of those people that are already finished with your holiday shopping. There are countless deals out there in cyberworld. I want to make sure that you remember to "earn" as many points as you can.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">As I prepare to buy anything online, I visit <a href="http://www.rewardsdb.com/">rewardsdb</a> to see what mile/point values are awarded for my desired vendor. For instance, if I intend to buy something from <a href="http://www.eddiebauer.com/">eddiebauer.com</a>, I see how many miles per dollar each airline (hotel, etc.) program will award.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">I use this process because I have several accounts that I can add points to. If you have only one (or just a couple), it may be easier to go directly to the source and buy. By the source, I mean the point issuing website and not the vendor. For instance, logon to <a href="http://www.mileageplusmall.com/">mileageplusmall.com</a> and link to the Eddie Bauer website, in order to receive United Airlines miles.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Besides earning bonus points, holiday shopping gives consumers a great opportunity to keep accounts active. Billions of points expire annually from inactive accounts. You do not have to travel to keep your account active. You can spend as little as $1 (buy a song on iTunes).</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">There are many promotions also. <a href="http://www.usairways.com/en-US/dividendmiles/promotions/holiday_partner_promo.html?c=glam_00775&re=1">US Airways</a> has a 250% bonus, in addition to the other earned points. To qualify, you need to buy from 5 separate merchants.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">If your miles are going to expire and you do not want to buy anything, or you have the holiday spirit, you can donate your points. <a href="http://www.wish.org/help/donate_airline_miles">Make-A-Wish</a> is one charity that can really use any donation of frequent flyer points. Check your desired airline's website for more charities and suggestions.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">I intentionally did not go into much more detail in this post. There are other websites and people that cover this topic better than I. For all things related to optimizing travel, I frequently visit <a href="http://www.flyertalk.com/">FlyerTalk.com</a>. A mileage guru that you should <span style="font-family:verdana;">follow on Twitter is </span><a href="http://twitter.com/garyleff"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Gary Leff</span></a></span><span style="font-family:verdana;">.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">© 2009, Charles McCool</span>Charles McCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13042775104717332647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4668549271946457492.post-26130833974100973902009-11-11T10:25:00.005-05:002009-11-11T11:15:58.330-05:00Trip Ideas - Travel Awards<span style="font-family:verdana;">Last night I read the latest issue (Nov. 2009) of one of my favorite travel magazines, <a href="http://www.intltravelnews.com/">ITN</a>. They just announced a new award for travelers; the Phileas Fogg award. The award is so new that it is not yet listed on ITN's <a href="http://www.intltravelnews.com/awards/">website</a>. The concept of qualifying for an award seemed like a decent blog post. Some travelers need an inspiration, a challenge, to get outta town.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><a href="http://www.intltravelnews.com/awards/">ITN travel awards</a> are available only to subscribers and represent travels to a certain number of places. There are awards for visiting all 7 continents, all countries in Africa/Europe/CentAm/SoAm, all 24 time zones, and more.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Here is the complete list of ITN's travel awards and requirements:</span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Phileas Fogg - visit destinations from "Around the World in 80 Days"</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;">100 Nations - visit 100 of the 195 listed</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Quarto Mondo - visit 49 countries</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Travel is My Forte - visit 40 countries</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;">World Traveler - visit the 40 most popular nations</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;">ITN Globetrotter - visit the 20 most popular nations</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;">24 Time Zones</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Continents - separate awards for 6 and 7 continents</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Following the Equator - 13 countries at the center of the world</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;">All of Africa - all 53 countries</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Half of Africa - 27 of the 53</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;">All of Europe - all 44 countries</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;">All South America - 13</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;">All Central America - 7</span></li></ul><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Subscribers can receive a certificate by confirming their travels--checking off the countries on a list or listing the month/year of visit. No receipts or documentation is necessary. Each certificate costs around $7. Each issue lists several recipients in the different award categories so people evidently like this program. I can imagine undergoing the challenge of completing the tasks but being realtively unfulfilled with a paper certificate. Perhaps it is said best by ITN in describing their <a href="http://www.intltravelnews.com/awards/followingtheequator/">Following the Equator certificate</a>: "It's perfect for covering up cracks in a wall."</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">BTW, ITN will send you a <a href="http://www.intltravelnews.com/samplecopy/">FREE sample copy</a>.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">In my next post, I will write about some other trip ideas. Meanwhile, let me know what you think about these awards or if you know of other awards. What travel challenges have you or someone you know attempted? How about all of the tours offered by <a href="http://www.abercrombiekent.com/">A&K</a>, <a href="http://tours.ricksteves.com/tours10/">Rick Steves</a>, or <a href="http://tauck.com/">Tauck</a>?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">© 2009, Charles McCool </span>Charles McCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13042775104717332647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4668549271946457492.post-12959310175152133232009-11-10T20:45:00.001-05:002009-11-10T20:47:53.894-05:00Air Traveler's Holiday List<span style="font-family:verdana;">I published this back in 2002. How much is still true?</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The following is the last verse, to be sung to the tune of the popular Christmas Carol, "The 12 Days of Christmas." Enjoy! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">On the Twelfth Flight of Christmas, the airlines* should give us:<br />Undamaged Baggage </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Pleasant Customer Service </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Easier Check-in </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">No Overbookings </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">More Non-stop Flights, Please </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Better Eating Choices </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Convenient Parking </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">L O W E R A I R F A R E S </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Increased Leg Room </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">More jetBlues** </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Fewer Delays and </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">NO Lines at Se-cu-ri-ty </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">* Sure, the airline are not to blame for every air travel problem. What fun is there in teasing the airports or FAA? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">** Substitute "Southwest" for "jetBlue," if desired. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">******************************************************<br />Happy Holidays!<br />Charles McCool </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">author, Winning the Airfare Game </span><br /><a href="http://www.lowerairfares.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span style="font-family:verdana;">http://www.LowerAirfares.com</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> </span>Charles McCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13042775104717332647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4668549271946457492.post-2914890527254892772009-11-09T11:43:00.002-05:002009-11-09T11:48:46.098-05:00How to save on airfares the easy way<span style="font-family:verdana;">This is my article published many years ago on <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/travel/tips/tip-of-the-week.htm">USAToday.com</a>. I have been involved recently in many research projects. I will continue to re-publish favorite travel skills articles. Let me know what topics are of interest to you<br /><br />How to save on airfares the easy way<br /><br />Check various routes to ensure you find lower airfares. A nonstop flight may be more or less expensive than a connecting or direct flight. Lower airfares may result from connecting in certain airports rather than others. Being a bit more creative with the routing can save you a bundle. On longer (such as transoceanic) flights, try splitting your itinerary into two separate roundtrips. For instance, lower airfares between Northeast cities and Hawaii can often be found through California (LAX, SFO, OAK). Buy separate Northeast-to-California and California-to-Hawaii roundtrip tickets; the total price can be much lower than the Northeast-to-Hawaii fare. In addition, split tickets allow consumers to select preferred airlines and create a stopover vacation<br /><br />It pays (saves!) to shop around. Sometimes lower airfares are offered by certain websites, travel agents, or directly from the airline.<br /><br />When you see a fantastic fare price, such as during a fare war (which can be up to nine months before flying), make your plans. You might not find better deals as the travel date approaches. When the fare drops, however, most airlines allow consumers to rebook and receive a travel voucher for the difference (as long as seats are available).<br /><br />-Charles McCool, author, Winning the Airfare Game</span>Charles McCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13042775104717332647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4668549271946457492.post-24215982679786370542009-10-26T15:25:00.002-04:002009-10-26T15:30:29.382-04:008 Steps to Getting Lower Airfares<span style="font-family:verdana;">This is my article published many years ago in the <a href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/">Baltimore Sun</a> and other newspapers. I have been involved recently in many research projects. I will continue to re-publish favorite travel skills articles. Let me know what topics are of interest to you.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong>Be Flexible</strong> The most important factor for getting lower airfares is flexibility. When possible, check alternate airports, a range of days and times, other carriers, and various routings. Opportunities for lower airfares increase when you have more options.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong>Buy Early</strong> Most discounted airfares must be purchased several days before the flight­­—usually 21 or 14 for the biggest discounts. However, the lowest prices are offered during fare wars (sales), which may be several months before you want to fly. For instance, the cheapest summer flights to Europe are traditionally sold between the previous Thanksgiving and Christmas. One way to discover fare wars is to use a customized homepage (such as My Yahoo!) and continually check fares for your favorite routes. Investigate whether a sale is in progress when prices suddenly change. Many web sites, including airline and booking web sites, notify subscribers by e-mail when fares drop.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong>Buy Late</strong> Many airlines offer distressed inventory as last-minute airfares. They rarely match the lowest airfares offered during fare sales, but last-minute airfares can be great deals for emergency flights or impulse trips. Airlines release last-minute airfares each week around Wednesday morning for flights that weekend. However, a recent trend is to offer “last-minute” fares for flights more than one week into the future. Sign up to receive e-mail notification from each airline or SmarterLiving.com, who compiles the information from all airlines for most cities.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong>Surf for Lower Airfares</strong> Compare fares offered by major booking web sites to fares listed on the airline’s web site. The airline’s price may be lower or they may offer bonus frequent flyer points. Booking web sites do not include Southwest Airlines, so visit Southwest’s web site to find their fares.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong>Use a Travel Agent</strong> Travel agents usually save you time and stress and often save you money. For instance, they may have preferred discounts with certain airlines and can offer lower airfares than you can find. They can also sell consolidator fares and charter flights that are not available to consumers.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong>Book Direct</strong> Call airlines directly to book bereavement or compassion fares. Some web sites do not offer senior, children, or group discounts. Keep in mind Step 1, Be Flexible, when calling airlines for fare quotes.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong>Get More, Pay Less</strong> Look for packages—lodging, rental car, and/or meals in addition to the flight—that cost a little more or even LESS than the airfare alone. Each winter, packages (including seven nights lodging and rental car) to Australia and other South Pacific destinations cost only $100 more than the airfare. Prices do not increase as the departure date approaches and a Saturday night stay is not required, making packages ideal for last-minute travelers.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong>Airfare Ploys</strong> Big savings can result from splitting long flights into two separate round-trip flights. You can even create a stopover and use different airlines, if you choose. Lower airfares or more convenient flights may be found when using co-terminals, which are different airports in the same city or area. Open jaw, charter, courier, consolidator, or round-the-world flights result in lower airfares in some situations.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Charles McCool is a travel consultant specializing in helping consumers and businesses save money, time, and stress on all aspects of travel. He is the author of Winning the Airfare Game and operates </span><a href="http://lowerairfares.com/" target="_new" jquery1256585050750="11"><span style="font-family:verdana;">http://lowerairfares.com/</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">.</span>Charles McCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13042775104717332647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4668549271946457492.post-60668846360261808012009-10-16T09:22:00.004-04:002009-10-16T09:35:52.859-04:00travel deals on Twitter revisited<span style="font-family:verdana;">Well, I did not get much reaction to <a href="http://travelskills.blogspot.com/2009/08/is-twitter-all-that.html">my blog post about Twitter not being great for travel deals</a>. I will assume, then, that it is still true.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">In the October issue of <a href="http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler/articles/search/results?issueId=9_2009">Conde Nast Traveler magazine</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/perrinpost">Wendy Perrin</a> wrote an article titled, "<a href="http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler/articles/501669">How to Tweet Your Way to Amazing Travel Deals</a>," with a sidebar article to <a href="http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler/articles/501694">21 Twitterers to Follow</a>. Check it out and let me know what you think.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Thank you.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">© 2009, Charles McCool </span>Charles McCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13042775104717332647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4668549271946457492.post-73935028904230204062009-09-22T07:49:00.003-04:002009-09-22T07:59:30.390-04:00$163 cross-country flights<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm1LB64bMChHvT8wiLv9QkB-DzXa-nAblM3kF09THzPtfcIoxmY5Ioi6s5KNenRrXQ6Ib5mNX7adAhuTLQ8MsDoy4zuc1YdyU6jU0D8BANjv_s_F6Xs_aYIVNkq1p6fI-NIuZ9aUyYWXqw/s1600-h/virg-am.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384258374368201090" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 261px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm1LB64bMChHvT8wiLv9QkB-DzXa-nAblM3kF09THzPtfcIoxmY5Ioi6s5KNenRrXQ6Ib5mNX7adAhuTLQ8MsDoy4zuc1YdyU6jU0D8BANjv_s_F6Xs_aYIVNkq1p6fI-NIuZ9aUyYWXqw/s320/virg-am.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>There are only a couple of hours left in this sale (expires 7 am Pacific time, September 22). Virgin America is having a business special for last minute travel. I combined these low almost-walk up fares with my promo code (for Elevate members, 20% off, sent by e-mail on Sept 3) to get this wonderful roundtrip fare.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>Charles McCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13042775104717332647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4668549271946457492.post-19870496749318295852009-09-09T22:05:00.004-04:002009-09-09T22:14:38.874-04:00Recommended Travel Book: Power Travel<span style="font-family:verdana;">It is not often that I am impressed by another travel reference book. I am only about 50 pages into a current one and I am thoroughly impressed. The book is "The Wall Street Journal Guide to Power Travel: How to Arrive with Your Dignity, Sanity, and Wallet Intact" by Scott McCartney (aka WSJ's Middle Seat columnist).<br /><br />Scott's writing is unpretentious, straightforward, and, most importantly, valuable. So far in the book, he outlines important websites (and specific features and methods) for booking airfares.<br /><br />Again, I have only read a small percentage but I believe this book is better than any other travel reference book published since 2001. More details to come but I do not hesitate to suggest that you go buy it (or check it out from the library, as I did).<br /><br />© 2009, Charles McCool </span>Charles McCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13042775104717332647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4668549271946457492.post-53271924901356172512009-09-08T21:19:00.009-04:002009-09-09T22:03:02.044-04:00Travel Book Special for 09/09/09 ONLY!*** SORRY, Deal has expired ***<br /><br />LowerAirfares.com and Charles McCool (author of <strong>Winning the Airfare Game</strong>) have a very special deal for travel consumers to celebrate September 9, 2009 (09/09/09).<br /><br />Less than 100 mint condition copies of <strong>Winning the Airfare Game</strong> remain in our inventory. For one day only, we are offering one copy of our book PLUS a free gift, along with FREE shipping--all for a low price of $9.99 (local pickup from Northern Virginia ZIPCODE=20191, otherwise add $4 shipping).<br /><br />Your free gift will be your choice of a current travel guide (including Zagats and other travel reference books), older travel guides, or a collection of travel magazines (current year, local pickup only for magazines). The free gifts will be first come, first served. I will send the updated list of available titles to buyers in chronological order, according to when payment is received by PayPal.<br /><br />Each bonus travel book costs over $10. Retail value of <strong>Winning the Airfare Game</strong> is $13.95. With today's special, you get two travel books (worth over $20) for only $9.99. You will dave at least 50%. PLUS, I always guarantee that you will be learn to save money, time, and stress from my book. If you are not completely satisfied, return your order for a complete refund.<br /><br />Please select the appropriate option from the drop-down list below and click the Buy Now button. Credit cards are accepted and your financial data is confidential. PayPal payments are completely safe and secure. If you wish to pick up your copy of <strong>Winning the Airfare Game</strong> and your bonus travel guide (or collection of current year travel magazines), select "Local pickup." If you want your two books mailed to you (for only $4!), select "Ship It!"<br /><br />Please note that I have limited supply and this offer will expire prior to midnight on September 9, 2009, if enough orders are received. If too many orders have been received and I have not had a chance to update this web page, I will issue an immediate PayPal refund (sorry, I do not have a real-time automated inventory tracking system). Act early to get best choice of BONUS travel guides.<br /><br />** SORRY, Deal has expired ***Charles McCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13042775104717332647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4668549271946457492.post-5949558995239842872009-09-02T10:18:00.003-04:002009-09-02T10:41:22.534-04:00Global Top 5 Under $5 Must Eat Dishes<span style="font-family:verdana;">In the September 2009 issue of </span><a href="http://www.travelandleisure.com/"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Travel & Leisure</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">, there is an article called, "</span><a href="http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/top-30-cant-miss-meals/1"><span style="font-family:verdana;">30 Dishes Worth Traveling For</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">." Of course you would have to be a hypertraveler to have tried more than a few of them.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">What particularly caught me attention was the sidebar that they called Global Top 5 Under $5. Here they are:</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">* Duck-fat fries at Hot Doug's, Chicago</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">* Soup noodles with braised brisket at Kau Kee, Hong Kong</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">* Custard tart at Pastéis de Belém, Lisbon</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">* Poutine at La Banquise, Montreal</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">* Soup dumplings at Nanxiang Mantou Dian, Shanghai</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Sorry, no mention of <a href="http://www.blogadilla.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/innout20x20.jpg">In & Out</a> or <a href="http://www.thedctraveler.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/five-guys-burger.jpg">Five Guys</a>.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Has anyone tried any of these dishes? Are they worthy of inclusion? What are your top 5 under $5?</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Thank you.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">© 2009, Charles McCool </span>Charles McCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13042775104717332647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4668549271946457492.post-74163622839640869422009-08-28T14:24:00.006-04:002009-10-16T09:22:27.305-04:00Is Twitter all that?<span style="font-family:verdana;">Is anyone reading this?</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I am on Twitter (</span><a href="http://twitter.com/CharlesMcCool"><span style="font-family:verdana;">CharlesMcCool</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">), use Twitter, but am not that impressed. Am I wrong? </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Sure there is a lot of "social networking"--"follow me," "I'll follow you," "here is an article I found (probably written by one of your Twitter BFFs)," "ooh, look at me retweet someone's link to another article."</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Most (if not all) of the information I find on </span><a href="http://www.twitter.com/"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Twitter </span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">is also posted elsewhere. Do you find it quicker on Twitter? If anything, it is more difficult to find worthwhile information on Twitter with all of the crud. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The most valuable and recent news item I remember finding on Twitter before anywhere else was </span><a href="http://www.jetblue.com/"><span style="font-family:verdana;">jetBlue</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">'s </span><a href="http://jetblue.com/deals/all-you-can-jet/?intcmp=HPAllYouCanJetHowtoUse20090824"><span style="font-family:verdana;">All You Can Travel promotion</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">. I happen to be on Twitter when jetBlue's tweet popped onto my screen. I was likely the first person (out of millions, it seems) to retweet the news. This promotion even spawned a </span><a href="http://twitter.com/home#search?q=aycj"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Twitter acronym (Trending Topic</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">) and </span><a href="http://twitter.com/30daysonjetblue"><span style="font-family:verdana;">accounts dedicated to the trip</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Sure, that is all entertaining but not informative.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">So, what travel skills can be gained from Twitter?</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">:: cricket, cricket ::</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Enlighten me, will ya, if there is some value for DIY travelers using Twitter. I have seen a couple of hotel properties list special rates and </span><a href="http://twitter.com/JetBlueCheeps"><span style="font-family:verdana;">jetbluecheeps </span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">lists rock-bottom, last-minute fares (essentially useless since they are valid for just one day). Other than that, Twitter is not "</span><a href="http://onlineslangdictionary.com/definition+of/all+that"><span style="font-family:verdana;">all that</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">." If it IS all that to you, please let me know what I am missing and who you are following.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Thank you.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">© 2009, Charles McCool </span>Charles McCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13042775104717332647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4668549271946457492.post-37398912507854946192009-07-29T18:15:00.003-04:002009-07-29T18:28:22.518-04:00European Hostel Tips<span style="font-family:verdana;">I just finished reading <a href="http://www.ricksteves.com/tms/article.cfm?id=160">Rick Steve's article about hostels </a>in the latest issue of <a href="http://www.intltravelnews.com/">International Travel News</a>. Of course you should read the entire article but here are some quick tips I got from it:</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">• stay in Northern Europe hostels (much less expensive than standard lodging)</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">• skip hostels in Southern Europe (budget lodging is plentiful)</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">• city and on-the-Eurail-path hostels are overrun with younger travellers</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">• rural and off-the-train-path hostels are more quiet with mature travellers</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">I must admit that I have only stayed in hostels in Anchorage and Cairns. I have seen my share of budget lodging in Europe (rooms, inns, the car) but have not tried any of their hostels. Next trip...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">© 2009, Charles McCool</span>Charles McCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13042775104717332647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4668549271946457492.post-5008312867036799702009-07-24T10:54:00.003-04:002009-07-24T11:15:50.534-04:00Quantity Discounts - NOT<span style="font-family:verdana;">You would think that by buying more of a product that you would get a price break. Sure, that works in practically every industry, except travel. What can you do about it?</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">First, let me explain a bit. You should already know, if you are a loyal reader or just a common sense travel consumer, that travel suppliers charge more when there is higher demand. Rates (airfares, cruise prices, lodging, car rentals) are at their peak, for instance, during the New Year's break in the Caribbean and many destinations. Makes sense, right? </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">On a micro level, airlines charge more when capacity is fillings and hotels charge more during the week than on weekends. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Let's say that you are a group of four travelers. There are only two seats on a flight at the lowest price. However, when making your reservation (whatever source you use), the airline will charge the higher price times four. Hotels do the same thing. The weekend rate is substantially lower than the weekday rate but the property will charge you the weekday rate for each day; or they will charge you less each weekend day but not as low as the available weekend rate. I have seen it time and time and time again.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">What can consumers do?</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">For the airfare situation, I will find out what the price is for one passenger (then two, then three, until I find the "magic" price break point). Many times, I have broken the group reservation into two separate itineraries to save money. For example, if two seats are available at $100 but the next two are $150, then I will buy 2 @ $100 and 2 @ $150, instead of 4 @ $150 (and save $100).</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">A similar process works for lodging and rental cars. I will find out the rate for each day and for each set of days. Similarly, I can make separate reservations at the same property for consecutive days in order to save money. For example, their weekend rate is $99 (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) and their weekday rate is $199. For an entire week, they may quote $199 for each day or perhaps $199 each weekday plus a "discounted rate" for $159 for the weekend. By booking separate weekday and weekend stays, I would save $180 ($60 for each of the three nights).</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Add this strategy to your travel planning arsenal and save money on your next--and EVERY--trip.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">© 2009, Charles McCool</span>Charles McCoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13042775104717332647noreply@blogger.com0