How Time Flies

It's hard to believe it was 18 years ago that my family traveled to England and France...EIGHTEEN YEARS! Back then, we didn't have the luxury of the Internet to help us plan where we'd be staying, like being able to look up hotels on http://www.cheaperthanhotels.co.uk/United-Kingdom/York/ to find a cheap place to stay in York, which by the way was one of my favorite places we visited. Although, we just drove around until we found a bed and breakfast that looked decent. But still, it might have been cheaper for my folks to go to a site like http://www.cheaperthanhotels.co.uk/United-Kingdom/York/ and do a search beforehand. Granted, the spontaneity would have been killed, but my folks could have probably saved a ton of money. I wonder if being able to find inexpensive, yet decent, places to stay so easily has made more people be less spontaneous about where they might end up staying? Does being able to plan every last detail on the Internet at sites like http://www.cheaperthanhotels.co.uk/United-Kingdom/York/ hurt the spontaneity of some trips? Probably not...I mean, we had travel agents before the Internet, right?

Tags: Internet, United Kingdom, hotels, travel, trips

Delta's Monopoly on Cincinnati

Spring break is right around the corner for most folks. Me? Well, I'd prefer to wait until it was a little warmer. But I'm wondering if now would be a good time to find cheap flights for later in the year? Of course, there's no such thing flying out of Cincinnati, which is one of, if not the, most expensive airports in the country. Gotta love Delta! So if I really want a cheap flight, I have to look at Dayton, Columbus, Louisville, and/or Indianapolis. It's very frustrating! Anytime a cheap carrier like JetBlue tries to make a go of it, Delta somehow puts them out of business here. Not sure how, but they do. Grrr! Nothing like driving 2 hours to save a few hundred dollars...

Tags: spring break, Delta, Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, Louisville, JetBlue

Cruising

When we went on our cruise back in 2005 (can't believe it was THREE years ago!!), my dad got travel health insurance because of his health problems, and the fact we'd be at sea with access to only a ship's doctor for a week. Did we need it? Thank goodness, no. But I think for anyone with serious health problems who travels should at least look into getting it, just in case the worst should happen...and your regular health insurance is a pain in the ass to deal with if you go out of network (like mine is).

Tags: cruise, health insurance

Folly Beach SC Real Estate - The Place To Be?

I'm always on the lookout for places to go that have a beach, and Folly Beach SC real estate looks very promising. Not that I'd buy anything there, or anywhere for that matter, but it looks like a lovely beach. And given it's 10 degrees outside with a few inches of snow on the ground, anyplace that has a beach sounds great to me right now. Seriously, it's so freakin' cold right now, I don't want to go outside. Of course, it's going to be in the 50s later this week. Why it can't just be in the 30s or 40s like it's supposed to be, I have no idea. I just hope that we don't have a repeat of last year, where February was full of days in single digit temperatures, and nights below zero. That would suck, and might make me flee to warmer climes if I can.

Glitter and Glam

Perhaps when my dad feels up to it, we can go to do something fun, or at least something we've never done before, like go to Las Vegas. I think it's something everyone should see once in their lives. If they don't like it, they don't have to go back, right? So, to take my mind off of his situation, I'm sitting here looking up a LasVegas hotel or two seeing where we might stay. I have this idea that we'll stay somewhere near all the action. I mean, why else go? I'm not much of a gambler myself, but every now and then it's fun. My mom always said she'd take me once I was 21, because apparently I used to roll doubles when we played Monopoly more than average, heh. That never happened. So if we do ever go, you can bet you'll find me playing at least one game of craps to fulfill a fun thing Mom wanted to do with me.

Amusement

Just the other day, I saw a commercial for Dollywood down in Pigeon Forge, Tennesee. I have absolutely no desire to go there, whatsoever. Now maybe, I wouldn't mind renting one of those Pigeon Forge cabins and enjoying the beauty of the Smoky Mountains. But really, I can't see myself ever setting foot in Dollywood. Why? Maybe it's because I'm not exactly a fan of country music. Perhaps it has nothing to do with it, and I'm just basing my lack of interest on a falsehood. But, I think I'd rather visit Disneyworld, since the last time I was there I was...8 years old! I hear they have some new-fangled stuff since I've been there...

Travelling with an Umbrella

The only time anyone in my family got travel insurance was when we went on a cruise. In most cases, I can't see getting it, just because it's an added expense. But when you think about the chances of a hurricane, tropical storm, or an outbreak of that cruise ship virus (name escapes me) interrupting your trip, it kinda does make sense to get it just for this type of trip. Luckily we didn't need it, but it felt nice to have it. Given I haven't really been on a real vacation since then, I haven't had the chance to look into it. But maybe the next time we go on a cruise (I think my dad might want to do another one, maybe an Alaskan cruise!), we'll end up getting it again.

Hey, That's My Backpack!

Before we had more strict rules about what could be carried on a plane, I used to carry a Swiss Army knife with me wherever I went. That thing really came in handy, more than I thought it would. But now I'm sure it would be confiscated, and I'd rather not have something that cost $100 become property of the TSA.

Speaking of the TSA, I had to go through a search of my backpack and my laptop leaving from the Helena airport. Same thing happened to me in Duluth a few years ago. They did that to just about everyone, especially the laptop test (turned it on without shutting it down properly...nice!). It just cracks me up that the smaller airports (this one has a grand total of three gates...yes, three) feel like they have to prove themselves, so they search everyone they possibly can. I guess they have the time, since there aren't thousands of people going through the security checkpoint at any given time, like say in LAX or O'Hare. But still, it was rather annoying.

Business Travel

I just got back from a business trip to Boston (Cambridge, actually). And today I'm taking a vacation day, because I didn't get in until 1 AM. I'm tired. But you know what? I realized I'd love to travel for my work. It was very exciting. And, I'd get more frequent flier miles so that I could take more vacations, like one I found to Branson Missouri. Seems like a nice little weekend getaway that's undiscovered.

Reminiscing

I've been reminiscing lately about a trip my family took back in 1990 to the UK and to France. We ended up staying in a lot of bed & breakfast places in the UK, and I wouldn't have had it any other way. We met the most interesting people and got good "inside" information on places to see and whatnot. Having tea setups in each room was wonderful too, as I had caught a horrible, awful, nasty cold...and for June, it was chilly (at least for someone from Ohio).

There were only two incidents, as I call them, that ruffled my feathers a bit. One was a place where I couldn't get both orange juice and cereal with milk for breakfast. I had to choose between the two. And the other was a place that ran out of water in the middle of my shower...while I had a head full of shampoo. That was interesting. But overall, I think if you're going to do a driving tour of another country, especially England, that bed & breakfasts are the way to go.

Tags: travel, bed & breakfast, bed & breakfasts, UK, France, England

Just Another Dreary Day in Ohio

I swear, if it's not cloudy, it's raining. Where's the sun? Oh, that's right...it's winter, and this is Ohio. We're officially in the "cloud belt" during this time of year. Cold I can take, but not cold and dreary. It's actually warm and dreary today, which is only making my allergies act up. There's something weird about having seasonal allergies in January.

Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, daydreaming of a vacation to a warm place with a beach and plenty of sun, or maybe a vacation taken on one of those yacht charters I've seen advertised in some travel magazines. That would be fun, and I think I'd enjoy it more than another cruise on a floating city (Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas carries 3500 passengers...so it's a floating city, in my humble opinion). Perhaps if we do get our full bonus (doubtful, but I can always dream, right?) maybe I'll invest in a trip like that this time around. Anything to get me away from here would be great right about now...

Enjoying the Peace and Quiet

This week, my office is all but empty because my company's national sales meeting is taking place in Orlando. I wonder if anyone's staying in one of the Orlando town homes? Doubt it, as there are all day meetings...then parties late at night...at the resort they're in. But maybe one of them is deciding to stay a little longer and rent out a nice house, rather than stay in a hotel.

Don't Knock Boise!

*Disclaimer: This is a paid advertisement for Boisehomesguide.com*

I just got an e-mail from one of my cousins who lives in Boise, Idaho. She loves it and thinks it is a wonderful place to raise her family of 2 small boys and a little girl. Her husband stays at home with the kids, actually, as she is an attending physician/department head at the local hospital...and makes more than enough to support them. And, from what I can gather, he's the perfect stay-at-home dad. I, for one, love it that he's so good at it...as my cousin's job can be very, very demanding.

I remember when they were looking for Boise real estate, they easily found a home that they could see themselves raising a family in. It's a beautiful place, really, very rustic...which suits them perfectly. Well, I know it suits her husband perfectly, as he loves all things outdoors. And, there's plenty of places for them to go camping and spend time outdoors. Whenever she's come to visit, he takes them all camping...yes, this includes the little girl too. I think the only thing that they find to be a drawback is the political landscape, as they're both fairly liberal...and Idaho isn't exactly a liberal place (to make an understatement). But, despite that, they really do love to live there. I'd be surprised if they ever moved from there, to be honest.

Tags: travel, journal, diary, real estate, Boise, Idaho

Won't Be Going to NC for Christmas This Year

In the past, we have gone down to Greensboro, NC for Christmas to visit my dad's family. We started doing it right after my mom died, and I have to admit, I enjoyed doing that. But now that it's been a few years, I like being able to stay at home and relax a little, not have to worry about packing a suitcase and driving for 8 hours. We also used to stop by Raleigh and visit my step-grandfather's family. Every now and then, I like to look at Apex NC real estate to see what the houses are going for in that general area, and I have to say that it's a little out of my range (total understatement). But, it's still fun to see all the houses. Perhaps someday, I'll move to that part of the country. So it's good to know what I need to set my sights on.

Tags: journal, travel, Christmas