golfkat Travel Blog

What happens when you have nowhere to go?  Airfares are too high, Sheri always wants to take the dog with us in the car, golf courses need to be played, and good restaurant food needs to be tested.
 
The answer is to stay at home for a few days.  We will be doing that over the Thanksgiving weekend.  Normally, we go away, to such places as San Diego, Santa Fe, Seattle, Scottsdale, or Pebble Beach.  We are staying home, cooking a nice Thanksgiving dinner, and inviting anyone who does not family nearby to share the day.
 
When we cannot travel, some things to do include: watch the travel channel, buy travel books, visit the travel web sites and cvb’s .   As far as the Travel Channel, I really like Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern.  Though he gets carried away, he does offer great advice.  He also really tries to give a good perspective on the people and their culture.  Tony Bourdain is a little too self centered, though lately, he seems a little more sensitive to others.  We saw him in Seattle, and he wasn’t half bad.  Samantha Brown has improved with her weekend getaways.  Her longer visits to foreign countries were just a little to prissy and Polly-anna for me.
 
Travel books are to be viewed with caution.  The standards like Frommer, Fodor, Lonely Planet, and Rick Steves are good, basic, introductions to much traveled lands.  The blogs seem to be a little better, but caution.  Some people are either touts, or they have an axe to grind.  If I am are going to an exotic place, I do my research or find a travel agent who really knows the territory.  We have a great one for SE Asia, Ric.  He has been most everywhere, and he knows what kind of travel and hotels we like.
 
There are some good travel themed books and authors out there.  Again, I get a recommendation before I spend the time reading.  Ideally, I try to find someone who is telling about their travels at about the same level that I plan to travel.  If I like air conditioning and a comfortable bed, I stay away from the backpacker books.
 
The extremes of travel to me are:  totally planned itinerary, usually on a group tour, on and off the bus, same people for a week.  OR, fly by the seat of our pants.  We like something in between.  We usually fly on United and use miles to upgrade to Business Class.  That gets us to our destination at least somewhat rested.  We also reserve a good hotel at least for the 1st night in a strange country.  In really primitive locations, we reserve the entire stay, and hire a personal guide.  The only time we have gone wrong with this approach was in Cuzco, Peru.  We got stuck on a bus with a bunch of loud German tourists.
 
We rarely rent a car, except in Spain, Portugal, Scotland, and New Zealand.  We highly recommend a half day city tour whenever we reach a new city or location.  This works well in places like Berlin, Paris, Rome, Rio, New Orleans, Boston, Chicago, or San Antonio.  This provides a good framework for the rest of our trip.  We decide which things we want to see in greater depth, or just skip altogether.
 
Public transportation is usually the best and cheapest way to get around.  Most foreign countries have good train, bus, and metro services.  Cities in the US with good metros are Atlanta, NY, Boston, Washington, DC, and Chicago.  Seattle has FREE bus service in the downtown area.  Cabs are handy when we go far off the beaten path, or get stuck somewhere that looks a little dicey.
 
Always carry small bills and change.  Dollar bills and quarters will be your best friend.  I have found it difficult to break $100 bills, except in Vegas.  Also, ATM’s are your best bet for foreign money, rather than exchange booths or banks.  AAA also has great free info.
 
Your cell phone will work in many countries, particularly ATT services.  Just remember, it will be charged at the roaming rate, so be careful.  You can also buy a sim card with minutes in many countries.  This is handy if you plan to use the phone in a particular country.
 
We always tell the front desk that we want our room made up before noon.  This way, if we get back in the afternoon, we can settle into our room, take a nap or shower, and have a nice quiet place to hang out.  The other thing about hotels is that we request a small refrigerator and/or microwave when most rooms are not equipped as such.  Just call ahead of time, and ask for them to be placed in your room.  Most of the time this is done at no extra charge.
 
We always bring our own bath soap when travelling.  We do not like the small bars of soap offered by the hotels.  Another handy tip: the hangers in the closet with the clips are very useful in keeping the window curtain closed.  We also use the trash can for an ice bucket for my champagne.  It cools the wine or champagne much faster than a real bucket.  We also bring our own Peet’s French Roast coffee, and some filters.  I can’t stand the stuff that the hotel provides.
 
Always ask for a room away from the elevator and ice machine.  Those are two of the most annoying sounds during the night.  Also, we try to stay away from the rooms that have young children, elderly who cannot hear, or handicapped.  The handicapped wheel their chairs around all hours of the night.  The elderly are yelling at each other or have the TV volume on high.  And kids, will be kids.  Don’t be afraid to ask for another room or an upgrade.  Once, we complained at the Inn at Spanish Bay(at Pebble Beach) and got a free room.  It turned out to be the Presidential Suite!
 
We generally avoid hotels for drinks and meals unless 1)it has a great bar, 2)it has a free breakfast and/or buffet, or 3)there is nowhere else nearby or open.  We have found that very few hotels make the effort in their dining rooms to make authentic food, especially in foreign countries.  There are exceptions, as we found in Spain and Portugal, as well as some places in SE Asia.
 
When I am totally unfamiliar with the area, I always ask a local, such a bellman, or the concierge.  They have their favorites too.  They get their payback from the restaurant owner, when he/she finds out that xxx sent us over.  It is a good system when we are willing to take a chance.  The best one we ever had was our friend John Bunting at Spanish Bay.  He knows the area well, and has a good feel for what we like and can afford.  We should clone him, and place him at all of our favorite places.
 
It is always a good idea to carry a business card or a book of matches from your hotel.  This assures I can get back when I find a cabbie or bus driver who does not speak English.  Some of the nicer hotels have their own drivers and cars.  While it may cost a little more than a cab, it is infinitely more reliable and safe.  Plus they usually have nicer cars with AC.
 
Some restaurants do not like it when I order “off menu”.  Some encourage it, and will do almost anything to give us want we want.  We like those places, since some of our favorites may no longer be on the menu.  But it never hurts to have the waiter ask the chef.  It does not work for things that require a long prep, like soups, but it works for side dishes, desserts, and grilled foods.
 
Nothing endears me more to a sushi chef than to ask him to make his specialty or signature sushi.  They all think they are the Claude Monet of sushi.  It feeds their ego, and they end up feeding us all kinds of specials and freebies not on the menu.  It also never hurts to buy the sushi chef a beer or sake.
 
Airport arrivals are another problem area.  If I am not renting a car,  I go to the airport or city’s website to find my options.  For instance, in Chicago, there is a very efficient van system from each main terminal.  We buy the round trip and it is only about $24 each.  In Washington, DC, the limo drivers will match the van price most of the time.  In Seattle, we hire a driver from the hotel that we have been using for about 5 years now.
 
When I rent a car, I always get a map.  I know it sounds simple, but I actually have been caught in rural North Carolina with NO map.  In the back roads of the world, people do not venture far from their home. I have asked about sites that end up less than 50 miles away.  They will say they never heard of it.  When I traveled on business, I always asked for a specific color of car.  When I would end up in a parking lot full of rentals, I would at least know mine was red or blue.
 
Always leave a tip for the maid in your room, especially if you are staying multiple nights.  This ensures several things:  she will clean my room better, and earlier, I can ask for extra shower caps for Sheri, and she won’t steal anything.
 
As far as using the hotel laundry services, again use caution.  It is expensive but very convenient.  Often times in third world countries, the laundry is taken across the street for service.  If it is close by, I just drop it on my way out in the morning, and pick it up in the afternoon on my way back.
 
Another handy trick is to take older clothes to third world countries, that you can discard on your trips.  One, it will lighten your load on the way home, two, allows room for purchases, and three, the people there love to get our old clothes and shoes.  When we accumulate too much stuff, we either buy a soft sided bag, or ship things home.