Dire Travel Warnings? Nah! Don’t Believe It!

I’ve noticed a theme lately. Seems the media would have you believe that we’re quickly in a downward spiral with regards to the world of travel.

Sure, the news has not been great. Airlines are charging for checked baggage, air ticket prices are increasing and fuel costs are through the (sun)roof. Here are some of the things I’ve read and heard in the last few weeks:

* Use your frequent flier miles NOW or they are going to disappear (while this may be true, I’ve been hearing this for 8 years).

* Long-haul flights will suffer as people will not want to pay exorbitant fees to fly overseas.

* Long-haul flights will fare better than short-haul flights because it will be easier for a person to absorb the additional cost for extended trips that are farther away (compared to a one-week domestic trip, for example).

* Southwest Airlines has kept the cost of flights down for the whole industry because they pre-purchased fuel years ago at a low-cost. What happens when (next year?) their cost of fuel rises? Will we see a huge jump in fares across the board?

* Airlines are cutting back on their fleets. This will decrease availability and increase demand of flights - ultimately driving up the costs of a seat.

These all seems quite dire.

Even if there is a grain of truth in these statements, why allow these minor inconveniences to curb your enthusiasm for travel?

Do you regularly take one trip a year? Why not extend your time away and incorporate two destinations into one trip over the next 2 years? In April, I’m leading a tour to Bhutan. The tour departs from Bangkok (destination #2) and I’m considering adding on additional time to travel around southeast Asia (Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos?). Hey, I figure I’m in the neighborhood, so why not?

By couchsurfing through Couchsurfing, GlobalFreeloaders or Servas, you can cut WAY back on your hotel stays.

Next time you consider taking a break from work and heading over to Starbucks (which released its own dire news yesterday), why not pop into your company’s break room and pour a cuppa and then take a little walk. Save your latte money for your travels.

My point here is that things are NOT all that bad - it just depends on how you choose to look at it. I always advocate spending money on travel before you spend it on anything else that you THINK you can’t live without. Chances are you can.

What are you doing to ensure your travels don’t get sidetracked by all this news?

Travel Well!

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The Tourism Council of Bhutan announced last week that it’s raising the daily tariff required for all visitors from $200/day to $250/day during peak season. This increase will take effect in 2009. (Please note that my April tour is not affected by this increase - yeah!)

While there is officially no limit to the number of people who can enter Bhutan in a given year, the government there has controlled the number of tourists by implementing a daily tariff - this is a not a country where you’ll find hordes of backpackers.

Self-limiting through this tariff has allowed the country to maintain it’s culture and control the impact of tourism on the environment. Compared to other countries in the region, Bhutan has limited tourist facilities - few independent restaurants, cafes and hotels. Therefore, you can only travel there as part of a tour with a guide and driver who make all arrangements on your behalf.

The daily tariff includes all expenses other than drinks and souvenirs. In other words, your hotel, food and in-country transportation are incorporated into the $250/day.

See more info on my April ‘09 tour for women Wanderlusters. (Note that my trip in April ‘08 filled up quickly and I already have several participants for the upcoming trip.)

Travel Well!

Read my travel blog on at the Seattle Post Intelligencer.

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Church Brew Works - one of Pittsburgh’s many interesting sights

I admit it. I had a preconceived notion about Pittsburgh. My only experience, however, was driving through it during a 3-month round-the-country trip 20 years ago. I remember pollution and a not-so-pretty skyline.

I received an invitation earlier this year to participate in a panel as part of the Public Relations Society of America and the Society of American Travel Writers conference. Not one to turn down an opportunity to speak, network and travel to a new destination, I jumped on the opportunity. Oh, and I have a grade-school friend who lives there, Stacey. I hadn’t met her girls, fast approaching their teens, and hadn’t seen her husband in ages.

I giggled, however, each time I told someone where I was going. Pittsburgh!

I was in for a really pleasant surprise.

The conference was held at the downtown Westin. Though it was a good location, I did notice that in the evening, not unlike Seattle, all the shops and restaurants closed around 7 p.m., making it difficult to find dinner. Luckily, I happened to be there during an arts and music festival, so just blocks from the hotel there were live bands and food vendors serving up, among other things, funnel cakes, pizza and perogies (my absolute favorite and non-existent on the west coast).

Though the conference itself was awesome, my fun began when Stacey picked me up on Friday morning. We then spent the next 24 hours touring Pittsburgh, walking her neighborhood, attending her daughter’s softball game and reconnecting.

India room at Cathedral of Learning

After enjoying views from a lookout point, we started our tour at the Cathedral of Learning. This former house of worship is part of the University of Pittsburgh and is second tallest place of learning in the world (second only to a building at Moscow State University in Russia). On two of its floors, there is a series of rooms decorated with period furnishings from around the world. There are 26 rooms in all that include: Italy, Scotland, Czechoslovakia, Sweden, China, Greece and India.

Germany room at the Cathedral of Learning

We then headed over to the Church Brew Works for lunch. Another former-place-of-worship, this brewery is a must-see destination in P-burgh. As a vegetarian, I found the food options to be limited, but it was well worth the visit.

I was fortunate to get an insider’s perspective on the city because the thing that impressed me most about my visit was the close-knit community people in Stacey’s ‘hood. Though it isn’t a planned community, it definitely has a private neighborhood feel because there are so many dead-ends around the area. Both Stacey and hubby Hal gave me a rundown on the types of events the neighbors do to get together regularly. Though I know all my neighbors and we do get together for a yearly party, I’d love to incorporate some of these great ideas into my own life:

* Progressive dinners in which one home hosts appetizers, another dessert and coffee and (because there are so many people who participate) about 4-6 homes host dinner.

* Pink flamingo parties on Friday nights. I LOVE this and was disappointed that there wasn’t one when I was there. On Friday morning, someone spontaneously puts out a pink flamingo (lawn ornament) at the entrance to the neighborhood which announces that someone is hosting an informal pot luck that night. When everyone comes home from work that evening, they have to search the neighborhood to figure out who is actually having the party (by that time, the flamingo has been moved to the host’s home).

* A yearly dinner out at a nice restaurant.

(Side note - Jon and I were recently in Victoria, B.C. On our way to go hiking, we discovered a little farmer’s market at a woman’s home who was hosting her neighbors for coffee/tea/muffins. It’s a weekly event for her and I’m determined to do this for my neighbors - not weekly, but at least semi-regularly.)

I left Pittsburgh with a warm feeling for the city. I will no longer snicker when someone brings it up and will defend this funky place as a destination that deserves respect. If you find yourself there, watch out for the pink flamingos!

Travel Well!

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View of downtown P-burgh

I was invited to speak on a panel last week at a conference for the Public Relations Association of America and the Society of American Travel Writers. The topic was How to Make Money Online.

The event far exceeded my expectations as I had an opportunity to meet a number of other adventures, travel bloggers and website publishers. I would have liked to see more women involved in the programs but appreciated what each of these guys brought to the event.

Richard Bangs - The father of modern day adventure travel, Richard spoke about eco-friendly travel and showed a couple of short videos. One was a preview of a PBS series (now showing) called New Zealand: Quest for Kaitiakitanga and one about Switzerland. Richard has a long history in the adventure travel world, including being a co-founder of Mountain Travel Sobek and a founding executive at Expedia. He will also be speaking (as will I) at the Adventures in Travel Expo in Seattle on September 13th and 14th.

Craig Kennedy - I met Craig and his wife, Andrea, only briefly in a short elevator ride on the day I was leaving the conference. Craig is wheelchair-bound but, as his website and book promote, he can Access Anything! Craig travels around the world, maneuvers stairs and he even skis - yes skis! Craig spreads his message in order to encourage the millions of disabled people around the world that they, too, can do anything their heart desires. I’ve only started learning about how much he is capable of but I look forward to learning more as this is a guy to watch.

Max Hartshorne - Max is the editor of GoNomad, an information-filled travel website that launched in 2000. Max is one of the most energetic people I’ve met in the online travel business and he is always open to sharing information and helping others. I met Max earlier this year at the New York Times Travel Show but we had more of a chance to chat at the PRSA conference. Max and I joined Roger Cox for the panel on making money online.

Roger Cox - Roger publishes Tennis Resorts Online. Packed with information and ratings on tennis resorts, this is the site to check out if you’re thinking about a tennis vacation. Roger was an early adopter of technology and he’s figured out to create a business out of his niche interest.

Johnny Jet - Johnny popped up on my radar a few months ago when I discovered his site and started receiving his newsletters. Johnny IS a jet-setter indeed. He blogs about his travels and includes tons of tips and recommendations in his newsletters.

Charles Velay - Charles is the Most Traveled Person in the world. He’s been to 94% of the world’s countries, territories, autonomous regions, enclaves, island groups, provinces and major states. He only has 43 places remaining. He gave a keynote address at breakfast and showed photos of some extremely remote areas in the world. Go Charles!

I feel fortunate to have been included in such an esteemed group of folks in the travel industry!

Travel Well!

Read my travel blog on at the Seattle Post Intelligencer.

Join other Wanderlusters and help make this the most popular women’s travel blog by subscribing via email or RSS feed.

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Don’t forget to send me your eco-friendly travel tip so that you can be entered to win a SteriPEN traveler! I’ll announce the winner in my July newsletter (sign up here if you don’t already receive it).

To enter the contest, simply let me know how you travel lightly when you’re on the road. Send me your unique tips. The more interesting the better as I’ll be the sole judge on this one and will choose the tip that strikes me best :-).

The SteriPEN Traveler is a UV water purifier that is a must for any green-leaning traveler (who ISN’T?). It’s value is about $100 and could be yours.

Send me your tips (there’s no limit), via this contact form, by July 4th.

Travel Well!