Still Traveling

The 2010 Winter Olympics will begin in just a few days. A friend of mine is heading out to the Raincoast of Canada with her family for the first week in Vancouver, and I am seriously wishing I could stow away in their luggage. While they have family in British Columbia, perhaps most importantly, they have snagged tickets to a couple of choice events — one of them hockey.

Even without the coveted tickets, I would love to be Vancouver-bound right now. I have always preferred the events of the Winter Olympics to those of the Summer Games – probably because things like bobsledding, ski-jumping and curling are so out of reach to Georgia girls like me. (The host city itself isn’t too shabby either.) But for someone who has lived through many winters without ever needing to bundle up, the idea of all of that ice and snow seems exotic and fascinating.

Of course, not all winter sports are foreign to southerners.  Ice skating rinks aren’t abundant, but they can be found down here. …

Continue reading Go for winter gold on southern slopes »

Should you cancel a vacation to a country struck by disaster?

Few of us have the luxury to take a vacation whenever and wherever we want. For most people, vacations require lots of planning. We often have to clear multiple work or school schedules, and set aside substantial amounts of money for transportation, food and lodging. Then, we agonize over travel itineraries before finally booking our holiday (usually weeks or months off).

So what happens if tragedy strikes at or near your tropical isle, Alpine resort, or big city getaway just before your vacation is set to start?

Yes, there’s always travel insurance. We purchased it a couple of years ago, when we were headed to North Carolina’s Outer Banks in the middle of the summer hurricane season. The Atlantic was calm throughout our stay on Ocracoke Island, but we never questioned our mid-winter decision to get the insurance.

For travelers heading to hurricane-prone territories in season, trip insurance is often part of the …

Continue reading Travel to Haiti NOW? »

My adolescent daughter will eagerly tell you that I live in a pop culture vacuum. I blame it on the fact that I have never really gotten into reality television shows, from which so many pop culture references derive. While I have obviously heard of American Idol, I have never watched anything but the ads for it. (Check that – my daughter did show me the YouTube of that man singing “Pants on the Ground” the other day.)

However, even I have heard about “cougars”, the pop culture nickname for single women in their 40s and 50s who seek sexual encounters with young, 20-something men, called “cubs”.  (For the record, I have also heard of the Courtney Cox’s television program, Cougar Town.) So if they have been around long enough for me to know about them, I’m not surprised that there are enough self-described cougars out there that have begun traveling in packs – make that prides – on “cougar-themed” trips.

Last week, Carnival Cruise Lines said it would no longer book singles …

Continue reading Would you travel with a pride of cougars? »

While looking at the AJC’s photo gallery of hot travel events for 2010 earlier this week, I was particularly intrigued by one of the entries. The events included the sport-driven Vancouver Olympics and World Cup in South Africa; the exotic Pushkar Camel Fair in India; an out-of-this world experience aboard Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo; and treks to ancient Easter Island in the Pacific and Hadrian’s Wall along the English/Scottish border.

In many respects, those represent “once-in-a-lifetime” trips that would have any traveler packing their bags given the opportunity. The idea that I found most unusual, however, was one that was the least exotic. The rising trend of “haycations” made the list for top 2010 travel events.  

Haycations, or farm stays, offer city-dwelling travelers a taste of the country life. Guests stay overnight in bed-and-breakfast like settings, then spend their days exploring the ins and outs of the working farm. (It’s a bit like The Office episode where …

Continue reading Would you take a “haycation” down on the farm? »

As economic woes continue into the New Year and security measures tighten, a recent USA Today/Gallup poll reports that many Americans will continue to put travel on the backburner in 2010. As many as 30 percent of those polled expect to cut back the number of times they fly or stay in hotels this year, while only 16 percent anticipate an increase in their hotel stays and air trips over 2009.

Because so many people pared down their travels last year at the beginning of the recession, it is unlikely travel will return to normal levels any time soon – even as the economy slowly improves. For example, hotel occupancy rates generally average 62.8 percent in the U.S., but that rate had crashed to 55.2 in 2009. If the hotel industry sees some improvement this year, occupancy rates still aren’t expected to rise above 55.8 percent. 

A large portion of those figures reflect the drastic drop in business and convention travel that corporations imposed in 2009. But economic and security …

Continue reading Can southern destinations quench your thirst for exotic travel? »

Do you ever feel like you’re just a pawn in some surreal game of chess when you travel? After a passenger and crew heroically thwarted a terrorist attack on a jetliner minutes outside of Detroit on Christmas Day, everyone has been scrambling to adjust to a new (and changing) set of rules designed to keep travelers safe - and well, traveling.  

While we all want our domestic and international flights as safe as possible, it may take a while to figure out how best to do that without making air travel any more insufferable than it often is.  In addition to the typical holiday delays, air travelers in the past few days have been told to keep their hands visible; abstain from any bathroom visits during the last hour of flight; and put up their iPods, blankets, pillows and any reading material. Babies have been frisked at security. In-flight screens showing the plane’s location or flight path have been turned off. Bags have been checked by hand multiple times, causing hours-long …

Continue reading Will new security rules change your mind about air travel? »

With school out for winter break and offices (at least unofficially) closed down, Atlantans visiting family, friends, their favorite ski slope or Caribbean beach over the holidays are beginning to pack the airports and the highways.  

The old phrase “getting there is half the fun” rarely holds true when you’re talking about holiday traveling.  Even for the best-prepared traveler, trips at this time of year can be stressful and unpredictable. You are never immune from frustrating traffic or flight delays, but your chances increase exponentially when everyone in the city is traveling at the same time– and huge swaths of the country are sitting under several feet of snow. (If your flight is delayed, at least you can be comforted by the new rule that should limit those dreaded tarmac strandings to only three hours – when they take effect, that is, 120 days from now.)

Unlike the madness of domestic travel over Thanksgiving, you can’t seek refuge from travel miseries by fleeing the …

Continue reading How do you handle holiday weather (and other travel) delays? »

Every October, I promise myself that I will take care of all the shopping and holiday preparations before Thanksgiving so that I may relax and enjoy this season. And every year I end up scrambling round in mid-December trying desperately to check off boxes on my shopping and to-do lists.

This year, I am even more behind than usual. It’s nine days to Christmas, and all I want this year is to make it to December 26th.  As I have no time to spare between now and next Friday, I can’t afford to daydream of relaxing getaways to tropical islands or snow-packed resorts in the Rockies.

But when Boxing Day arrives next Saturday, I will be ready to get out of Dodge. I may not be spending Christmas out of town, but I would like very much to find a Christmas-y destination nearby to reflect on a season (and year) that has zoomed by at warp speed.

If you are more together than I am, you may want to check out Travel and Leisure’s list of the ten best places to spend Christmas. Their far-away …

Continue reading Will you need a holiday after your holiday? Try these Southern spots »

If you have a traveler on your list this year, you know a gift that makes their passion (or occupation) easier or more comfortable would be a big hit. In years past, that might have meant buying the latest high-tech gizmo or newfangled luggage. In superbly-good years, it might have included booking an open-ended getaway for loved ones who love to get out and go.  

The past twelve months have not been kind to our nation’s economy, however, and avid travelers are feeling the pinch like everyone else. Some have had to cut back on the number of trips they are taking or have adjusted the length of their getaways. Others have opted to drive to destinations closer to home in lieu of flying off to far-flung places.  Many others are simply staying home, exploring new places vicariously through Travel Channel programs or books.  

It remains to be seen whether 2010 will force Atlantans to get even more creative with our travel options. Until brighter days return, here are a few …

Continue reading Nifty and thrifty gifts for travelers »

With barely any time to digest Thanksgiving leftovers, many of us have already moved on in search of the next holiday season. It’s out with the turkeys and pumpkins and in with the holly and mistletoe this week, as towns throughout the South begin ushering in Christmas merriment and winter cheer for travelers seeking tidings of comfort and joy. 

I have always thought December is a great time to explore new places. Most towns are decked out in their seasonal finery, and community spirit is often at a peak. It may not be the most accurate glimpse into a city’s day-to-day reality, but it’s awfully pretty to see. Plus, many places artfully weave their town’s history into their holiday celebrations.

So if you’re like me and you like to combine the traditions of the season with the excitement of a new adventure, these destinations might be worth putting on your travel agenda. Most are a short drive from Atlanta, but you may want to look into making it an overnight trip to get the …

Continue reading Let travels lift your holiday spirit »