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Fun and Games: Travel Quizzes To Boost Your Travel Knowledge

Here's a topic I have never written about - travel quizzes. If you are like me, travel quizzes used to be guessing the capitals of states or keeping a tally of out of state license plates. (Obviously we did not have in-car movies, iPods or cellphones when I was a kid. Even more obvious: we were easily amused.)

Well, lets say you were about to embark upon a once in a lifetime trip to the Middle East or Orient. One quick way to bone up on local trivia is to take a travel IQ quiz. If you can ignore the final score and not be interested in how 'smart' you are, you can simply examine the answers and gain valuable local knowledge.

I came across a listing of travel quizzes you can take either before or during a trip. I caution you will have to cut and paste the URL's as this source did not imbed them in the blog post, titled "Online Games and Quizzes to Test Your Travel IQ". I have not checked them all out so I cannot give you any insider pointers of which quiz is better than another quiz but I suspect you can figure it out yourself without much trouble.

Ever Wonder Which Airline Flights Are the Most Canceled?

You probably should.

Veteran travelers know that flying out early in the morning is less likely to be affected by planes not showing up from other points, since they generally are on the ground overnight. Vice-verse, taking a Southwest 8pm flight is MUCH more likely to be delayed or canceled since your particular plane could have flown 4-5 short routes that day and could have gotten stuck in any number of cities before it arrives at your particular airport.

Well, here some advice on how to determine which flights are MORE LIKELY to be late or have historically been canceled. I found it in this great blog post titled "Travel Maze: Playing Airline Russian Roulette". If you click on the link it provides, you can access data from the Dept./Bureau of Transportation concerning any specific flight or airport. In the article itself, you will discover a certain flight out of La Guardia to Boston's Logan was canceled over 1/6th of the time. And that Delta cancels flights out of La Guardia almost one percent more often than all other airlines.

This kind of information can make the difference to you choosing an individual airline, certain flight or even an airport stopover point. What's the old axiom - Knowledge is Power?

Thinking About Europe This Year?

It seems that most travel writers make the case that currency strength dictates traveler's choices on where to go - at least when Europe is involved. When the dollar is weak and doesn't go too far in Europe, you hear horror stories of how expensive Paris and Rome are to begin with and much of the to-do centers on how much you lose in the currency conversion.

Yet another article has appeared with much the same opinion and I post it here for you for two reasons: one, it is an informative article and two, I haven't written about Europe lately. OK, just kidding on number 2. I think the article makes valid points and for those who have avoided Europe in the last few years due to either it being the most expensive place to visit or because of the worldwide recession, now may be a time to re-think going over the Pond.

Where I tend to truly differ is in assuming people choose to avoid a place like Europe solely based on how expensive it is. When I co-authored my honeymoon travel book, I gave numerous examples of how you could go to Latin America, Mexico, Hawaii, Europe, or the Caribbean and either spend LOTS of dollars or go to the same places and spend lots less. If you want (and can afford) to stay in) $400 a night hotels, you will spend three times what another will spend in the same relative city or country, but they will choose lesser accommodations and eat more frugally. I do not think one should avoid Europe based on a strong or weak dollar UNLESS you are planning a trip within 3-4 years and can afford to take advantage of a better exchange rate. THEN, you might want to investigate the probabilities of currency fluctuations and go in 2012 rather than 2010.

See for yourself whether this article makes sense to you and remember, the vast majority of the cost of visiting Europe is getting to the major cities. Knowledgeable locals know that flying into Amsterdam instead of London is far cheaper. Going into Germany is cheaper than Paris. Staying in downtown Paris or London is more expensive than staying 4 miles away from downtown. All in all, if you are spending $7,000 on a 2 week European trip, does it really matter that you could spend $300 more because the exchange rate for Euros has changed?

How to Bargain for a Hotel Room

My flagship book was written to advise travelers how to get the best rate for a hotel room. I understand that many people don't want to bother with having to read a book however even if it saves them money for the rest of their traveling years. And while I continue to debate even selling my books online, I do not veer away from my desire to give people the best ammunition I can so they can get a great rate for the hotel of their choice.

Therefore, even though the article I am suggesting here says about 99% of what I wrote in my book, I am passing it along (Bargain Your Way to Better Hotel Rates) for those who simply won't download a book (now about 66% off the original price) but will read a blog.

I found the article extremely on target and worth while to read, as well as bookmark in order to refer to again and again. Of course, you could save all that and simply buy my book and get tons more of valuable information but the choice as always should and does remain with the consumer!

Finally, A Hawaii Recovery?

Almost 2 years ago I seemed to be writing about how great the discounts were to fly to and stay in Hawaii almost monthly. The dire monthly occupancy reports got so bad that I simply stopped writing about the same bad news (for them) eventually.

But I keep my eye on that market, especially given we are a West Coast hotel with many departures to Hawaii and when Hawaii suffers, so does our business.

At long last, the inklings of a recovery in Hawaii are becoming evident, as seen from the eyes of this article:Hotel, Arrivals Show Signs of Recovery. Coming from a Hawaiian New blog, it reports that hotels are now beginning to be 80% full and that is quite a jump from the mid 60 %'s they were reporting last summer. And while that is good for them, it means no more bargains for us.

Airlines (which were previously cutting capacity to Hawaii) are now adding planes and routes for 2010. Early bookings seem to show a strong season ahead for the Islands. Which means a change in strategy for those who cannot be flexible on dates and can look for last minute sales. In fact, I spoke with a couple who extended their recent stay in Hawaii by a few days (they were having too much fun to leave) and the gentleman told me it cost somewhere around $400 to change his tickets at the last minute, And thi sis in February (though it was near Presidents Day). I can only guess that by summer, we could easily see a rate of $800 per person again to fly to Hawaii.

So you may not want to wait for a sale and you may want to lock in your dates early. In combination if the fact that the economy is slowly recovering, the tourism indistry in Hawaii may be soon rejoicing - and at OUR expense.

Alaska Fares to Drop?

It seems hard to believe that ANY segment of the airline business has not already slashed fares so low only a snail could look up for them but it appears to have been the case for years. Apparently, that last frontier ALASKA has been so underserved that airfares help up relatively well for the airlines. Of course, that in turn will spur competition and that is precisely what appears to have happened.

A brief mention out of Canada suggests airfares to Alaska may DROP this summer after Continental, Ual and Us Air add daily flights from at least 6-8 cities. While the cities have been identified (Portland, LA, SF, Chicago, Philadelphia, S.L City, Denver) the fares have not. But the mere appearance of a price war may spur discounts once the routes and flights are set in stone.

A Canadian Press release issued in early February suggests the addition of seats from 4 different airlines and from at least as many cities most likely will reduce fares to Alaska this summer. They noted the routes and flights may not be set UNTIL May or so therefore don't be surprised if you see fares that don't seem any cheaper until then. You can access the article here. We'll maybe see you in Anchorage this summer!

Traveling with Children Abroad

Though the summer family travel season is months away, parents taking children (or THINKING about taking) with them for the first time to Europe or any destination overseas may appreciate this insight and valuable suggestions from an Italian website called Ciao Bambino.

Tips include common sense ideas (most kids DON'T like all day tours) as well as suggestions for keeping them occupied on long trips. The site includes guidelines for documents needed and advice on what travel in Europe is like. Such as the fact that many restaurants open late and kids may not appreciate waiting until 8-9 pm to eat!

Though not long in detail, this site has some very good ideas and I think for those planning to travel with children, especially for the first time, will appreciate the advice.

Eurail Passes: Good for More than Trains!

I have written several times about the ins and outs regarding Eurail passes (click on my archive under RAIL for other posts) but I now pass along an article I found from Suite 101. In the article/post, the author points out not only the direct benefits of Regional and Select passes (as well as some difference) but suggests other benefits as well.

For instance, you can get a free ride from De Gaulle airport in Paris (one way) if you hold a Eurail Pass and you can use many passes for local and urban travel. You can even use them for ferries in some countries.

Titled Maximizing Eurail Pass Value this post may give you food for thought if planning a whirlwind trip through Europe where a Eurail Pass would be beneficial or for a long summer vacation that combines air, train and sea travel.

Travel Info for One and All

I write about travel and various destinations myself but I am not above passing along a good resource when I come across one. I am doing just that now, as I came across a Travel Guide from the L A Times that I think many people may enjoy.

Titled Travel Guide 2010, it is not only a site with information about places like San Francisco, Hollywood, Brazil, Thailand and Europe but there are numerous articles about cruising, contact information for hotel,s airline, car rentals, etc AND guide books for Mexico, Las Vegas, Hawaii and California to persue through.

You can find the site above and I would bookmark it for future use, since you never know if you will need a weekend getaway idea down the road.

Travel Insurance - Vacation

Periodically, I write a post about insurance. Whether it be travel insurance, vacation insurance or car insurance for rentals, I try to stay current. Since we are now in the heart of winter and storms across the U.S> are fouling up people's travel plans, I think it my civic duty to provide another article regarding the need for certain types of travel insurance.

As one who has to tell several guests per month that we cannot cancel their same day reservation simply because they are delayed in Chicago or New York, I write as an advocate for the consumer. Hotels do NOT want to tell guests they have to pay to NOT stay, especially when it is it he fault of an airline which cancels a flight or Mother Nature that brews up a big snowstorm overnight and the best laid plans of mice and travelers are run asunder.

So here is a great article of exactly what kind of travel insurance policy you should ask about. I found it out of the U.K. on 'Wallet Pop' - an online website with a bit of everything for everyone. Their article "Travel Insurance: Cover to Protect You From Extreme Weather" hits the nail right on the head for identifying not only the need for travel insurance but what you can expect to buy and what coverage you should look for.