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Baby Hotel: Coming to a City Near YOU

We have hotels with hourly rates, hotels for pets, hotels for travelers and business people alike. So why not a hotel for kids?

No, this is not my personal idea nor a hair brained scheme - in So. Africa it is a reality. A single mom who wanted to simply get some time to do regular chores found that day care centers had hours that were inconvenient, or you needed to be a member. And baby-sitters that may not be available when needed, especially at the last minute. You wouldn't entrust YOUR baby to just ANYBODY - but how about a hotel where babies and kids are fed, bathed - even potty trained? From this idea grew the Baby Hotel.

The idea apparently became so popular that a SECOND Baby Hotel is in the works and it is my belief it will be an idea coming to America very soon. You can read the article by the New York Daily News above but don't be surprised to hear of such a hotel here in America and Europe soon. Of course, it won't be for everybody. The idea of leaving a 4 yr old with relative strangers does not appeal to me personally but to each their own. As a single parent (at one time) I can appreciate the plight of the harried parent who needs just a couple hours to take care of errands AFTER work -- just about the time you would be picking up the kids from day care by 6pm.

I am not promoting this idea (nor thinking of opening a Baby Hotel too), just suggesting YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST!

Cargo Ship Cruises

Many people already know that certain cargo ships not only take passengers but covet them. But many people also think the only way to take a sea cruise is on a cruise line, so this post may be news to them. It is at the least informational even if you were aware of freighter opportunities as a way of travel.

ABC News on line presented a fascinating in depth look into the world of cargo ship travel in an article called "Will Work for Travel:Cargo Ship Cruise Vacations". Though they state the obvious (there is NO on-board entertainment, gambling or varied dining areas), there is much to learn from this article. For instance, some ships can take up to 5 months to reach your port. So if time is of the essence or you pine for formal dining and drinking and dancing, you may want to think twice about a freighter.

My two cents worth is added here. A couple of drawbacks that should be strongly considered are possible language and food barriers. Though some ships are of American registry, most freighters are not and the crew (which you will be mingling with perhaps) can be from Taiwan, Lithuania, Japan, the Philippines, etc. Also, the food may be of a similar ethnicity that you are not prepared for. For the most part alcohol is not available, though I am not sure what the restrictions would be for taking your own on board. Lastly, with the recent downturn in the economy and with luxury cruises slashing prices, freighter travel is not all that much cheaper. The article suggests you should plan for $100 per day (generally) which in my opinion is quite prohibitive if you were planning a one or two month cruise. I suggest rates for longer trips should be vastly cheaper than $3,000 for a month cruise where entertainment and swimming and shows are not provided, so I suggest you shop around.

Money Saving Travel Tips and Advice

One of the problems with being a travel blogger is you tend to assume everyone knows the ropes about traveling. For the most part that is true but every once in a while it becomes evident to me that some people don't even know the BASICS. Not about booking - you can get a travel agent or relative to do that for you. I mean about actually TRAVELING - to and from the airport, the hotel, to your island, etc. Once some people arrive at a destination, it sometimes seems that all common sense departs and chaos ensues. Here are a few tips, straight from my Travel Tips book, that may help you navigate the world of travel a little easier.

In this era of franchise operations, it seems some people are not aware there are sometimes 4-5 hotels using the same franchise name at an airport or downtown location. The franchises themselves cleverly earmark their locations by using directional notations (Airport West, Downtown Center, Uptown, etc) or have clever identifiers (Hilton GARDENS, Holiday Inn EXPRESS, Comfort Suites (instead of Comfort Inns). Because most people now are using the internet to do their bookings, it is not indicated clearly (or at all) that there may be more than one Radisson or Hyatt in any given area. So my first tip is to make sure you know the FULL name of the hotel you are going to.

Next, print out your confirmation pages because not only may you need it when you check in, you may need to know the address or phone number for a shuttle or taxi driver. I have had many taxi drivers call me to ask where we are located so they could bring our guests to us. I also get about 3-4 parties a week that wanted the OTHER hotel with our same franchise name. They are astounded to learn they are not even in the right CITY and ALWAYS they say to me "I did not know there was more than one XXX Hotel at the airport!"

Last piece of advice. CALL for a shuttle. Just because a hotel HAS a shuttle doesn't mean it routinely goes to the airport just to troll for passengers. The Airport Commissions themselves frown upon shuttles roaming through the airport concourses so most hotels dispatch shuttles on demand. Which means you need to tell the hotel after you get your luggage and they can not only call for the shuttle but tell you what it says on the destination sign. Again, because there are so many cities near some aiports, your hotel shuttle may not even say Holiday Inn on the front - it may well say Rockport Industrial or Central City because it serves more than one hotel.

Calling the hotel will accomplish several things. It will ensure you are going to the right hotel, it will tend to speed up your arrival as you likely won't be waiting 30 minutes because the hotel shuttle passed you by but you didn not know what was on the destination sign and at the least prevents you from going to the WRONG hotel with ther same franchise name!

For oodles of more travel and money saving tips, you can purchase my book here. I have cut my prices in half (thanks recession!) and for the FTP file it is only $8.50 now. If the people I just called a cab for in order to take them to their 'right hotel' had read my book and followed my advice, they would be $7.50 ahead already!

Booking for the Holidays

Every year it is the same story - people want to know whether they should book holiday travel early (and pay the higher than usual fares) or wait for last minute discounts. My answer has usually been that if you are flexible, you should always wait. But being flexible means you may miss Thanksgiving dinner because the cheapest flights are ON the holidays themselves. Another consideration is where you are going - like through or to the Eastern seaboard or MidWest (Chicago) and how many people are in your party and what ages they are. Families traveling with 3 small children will NOT like waiting 12 hours in an airport if delays occur or you are flying stand-by (on a Family Pass or as an airline employee or ex-employee).

The Wall Street Journal has a travel blog that I recently discovered and they answer the question "Holiday Tickets: Buy Now or Wait for Bigger Sales" very well. They take into consideration the economy and future seat capacity and offer a response with a healthy dose of common sense included. I think their advice is sound.

I would add the obvious caveats however. If you are flying on a tight timetable, you can't afford to dilly-dally around looking to book a flight for $20 cheaper. As they point out, if you find a price you can live with, grab it. The $20 savings (or even $100) is not worth it to miss Christmas with your family once every 5 years. And if you are flying through the notorious hot spots for weather or airport delays (New York, Denver, Chicago) in winter, you should consider travel insurance to cover any outlay you may incur, either from having to stay overnight if delays cause you to miss a connecting flight or to cover any added ticket expense if you lose your seat and have to re-book at the last minute at prices 4 times higher than what you originally paid. Lastly, think about flying ON the holiday. As I mentioned, this is the easiest day to travel because 95% of all others want to BE at their destination a day ahead of Christmas or Thanksgiving. If you can stand skidding in for dinner at 5pm, fly ON Thanksgiving or Christmas - the lines are not long and the delays are fewer.

Life as a Flight Attendant

In my years at my present airport hotel position, I have talked to MANY flight attendants about the attitudes they see from people they are trying to help. The responses are sometimes horrific and none of them come close to suggesting that flying in today's world is 'fun' anymore. Maybe it used to be and maybe everyone wanted to become a 'stew' in order to fly off on Pan Am to Tenerife, but nowadays, it is a job and often times a lousy one.

From a blog post I encountered, I discovered an article on CNN.com titled "How flight attendants deal with life on board." that I thought might interest you. Not only do those interviewed mirror what I hear weekly, but they even reveal more 'war stories' that would curdle your milk.

One thing they didn't mention is the fact that the airlines they work for PROHIBIT them from helping people load or unload luggage from compartments. Yes, they may take an extra carry-on from you and put it at near the head of the plane, but airlines will NOT pay for medical leave or treatment if an attendant hurts their back stowing away a large piece of luggage, even if it is an older person who can't lift it themselves. They lament they would LIKE to help, but could actually get reprimanded for helping. Many people who complain that the flight attendants were not helping them are certain to be unaware of what the attendant is allowed to do and in these trying times of full planes and delayed flights, it only makes it worse to complain.

I think you will find the article revealing. I suggest you also click on the side feature called "Flight Attendant's Pet Peeves". It may help set your expectations next time you fly.

Airline On Time Data

For those of you who love stats, I'm passing along the Dept. of Transportation's monthly list of statistics revealing everything from on-time performance to which FLIGHTS are canceled the most. They even list the airlines that have the LONGEST TARMAC waits. (Why? Any airline flying out of New York makes that list!)

As seemingly always, Hawaiian Air leads the list for best airlines. Topping out at number 1 for Highest on time arrivals, they also came in at #3 in least flights canceled. For anyone who ever walked up to the gate or check-in counter in plenty of time for their flight only to be told "that flight has been canceled" will understand why this is an important stat.

You can read the June 2009 DOT report here.

Getting Bumped Off an Airplane

Most passengers have an inkling of how to haggle if your airline wants to bump you from a flight. Experts suggest never accepting the first 'offer' for people to give up their seats, since the ante goes up if no one will. Other people think the airline owes you money and a hotel room if they bump you off a flight but that is rarely true. Most 'bumps' occur because the equipment (plane) malfunctioned or for 'God' events (weather mostly, catastrophes (think 9/11) etc. In these cases, the airlines owe you nothing but a re-book on another flight or day.

Nonetheless, you do have some rights as a passenger and about once or twice a year I post articles I find outlining those rights. In this case, USA Today posted an article titled: "Bumped from your flight? You've Got Rights!" In addition to their advice on your rights, they offer advice on how to handle the situation, including what I mentioned above - waiting for a better offer.

I found the article very good and would only add on or two other pieces of advice - since I present from a hotel's perspective.

Wanna Get A Bride?

In my neverending struggle to supply you with engaging (or actually informative) stories and tales, I sometimes have to veer off into uncharted waters. Once again, we set sail down a river with no paddle as I bring some hilarious goings-on in the travel biz. (Yes, this is a fluff piece for which I do NOT apologize)

Some of you know I have taken RyanAir to task for their unconventional tactics in the publicity arena but you have to admit they get people's attention. A competitor to Ryan Air in Europe (Easy Jet) is now trying to get permission from authorities for what some see as merely publicity seeking: Weddings in the Sky.

Yup, they are attempting to be allowed to have their captains MARRY couples onboard while in-flight! I am sure you will think I made this up so I pass along the story for your own eyes. It comes from a British blog on the Telegraph UK site and was titled: In-flight weddings; you cannot be serious.

Because the post is pretty well written as is, I won't reveal any more details here. Suffice to say I doubt ANY overseeing agency to the airline business would allow a captain to forget their duties to preside over nuptials but what do I know? Ship captains can do it and so can anyone with the mind to do so and $29 to get 'ordained' to become a valid marriage (or burial) official.

So for those of you looking to trim a buck or two off your wedding tab - look into the progress of the application on EasyJet and combine a European holiday with a wedding ceremony. Assuming there is an EasyJet in the future. Word I hear is they are on the brink of insolvency, so they may not be around long.

Yet Another Overseas Cell Phone Post

I usually post a couple of posts per year regarding cell phone usage when traveling and last May, I did a post warning you how to protect yourself from horrendous cellphone bills when you return from overseas. Less than 4 months later, here came Consumer Reports with just the article you need; "Getting Cell Service Abroad". (Leave it to me to be a day late and a dollar short).

Because Consumer Reports is the bible for most consumers, I am mentioning the issue again. What I like about the article is it links to almost all carriers rate plans, so you can easily see what plan may be best for you without having to search all over the web for the right information. That they give some overall advice is a plus. (Such as canceling your service IF you don't use your cell overseas! That should save a few bucks unless you are only traveling for 10 days or two weeks.) Make sure you read any companion articles too. They can sometimes be more helpful than what you read on the main link.

More Travel Scams

A couple times a year I post an article warning people about travel scams that surface unexpectedly. Usually it is the same type scam - go to a 90 minute presentation to get a free vacation but there is no freebie afterwards. Just a solicitation to join a "Travel Club" offering discount vacations.

I happened to be surfing Consumer Complaints on a well know blog site called Wallet Pop and in the course of reading about a 'rebate check scam', it occurred to me that because the scam involved 'entertainment' discounts, many travelers may fall for it. Hence, this warning for any or all who see the name "Great Fun" entertainment.

The scam goes something like this. You innocently order a product (online or off a TV advertisement) and the company you did business with sells your name AND credit card information to another party. In the case I was reading, it was a company called Great Fun which sends a 'rebate' check (usually for $8.25) from the purchase of products as varied as animal accessories to blankets. In the fine print on the back of the check will be wording that says you are signing up for some costly product or service - often a monthly rotating charge too. 

What is so insidious about this scam is that the check looks like it was sent by the company you did business with. So assuming you were/are happy with their products or services, you wouldn't think twice about receiving the 'rebate' and cashing it. But the rebate applies to the charge you are about to incur, not because of what you already purchased. And the charge will come from a company you never heard of either.

While all the companies involved insist it is not meant to mislead, I mean come on! How stupid do they think people are? If you can't simply send a solicitation with a rebate check offered (I get them occasionally too) under the company name that WANTS to charge you, then they are assuming you will cash the check becuase of your prior arrangements/business.

In our lobbyist filled world (remember when enacting the Do Not Call list was going to forever end the telemarketer business and it hasn't?) this is all perfectly legal.

So watch what you buy and from whom, and if you see a company called Great Fun offering (supposedly) hotel discounts or airfare discounts, I say think twice. It could be a costly mistake.