Digital Photo Storage When Traveling

Protect your travel photos by backing up to a small portable storage device.

This issue has always been a dilemma for me. My compromise has been a large capacity compact flash card that will get me through the day, a laptop onto which I upload my photos and then a flash drive for back up. It works well but is a bit time consuming.

The flaws of my system are the bulk created by the laptop and the time spent transferring. The double back up is an absolute necessity for anyone that is really serious about their photos. It is really easy to lose a card or a flash drive. On a recent trip Windows Vista did us in by managing to complicate the process to the degree that a couple days photos were lost by my husband. It bolstered my case for the double back up. Some years ago before I was wise enough to know better, I had a power surge on a cruise ship fry my hard drive on my laptop and all the photos downloaded to that point were lost. Now I always carry a CyberPower small surge protector when I travel and back up my computer while traveling.

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Tags: digital photo storage, PSD  Posted in: Cruises and Cruising, Pam's Other Musings  No Comments

How to Fly Free Business Class

Fly in business class comfort for free

(And Other Perks of Mega Miles in Your Frequent Flyer Account)

My freebie travel guru, Frugal Travel Guy, gives me the ammo I need to rack up the miles for free trips, almost always business class. Those that amass a zillion miles on business flights and attain some kind of elite status are doing it the easy way and I have miles envy. Finding other methods to get my miles is like looking for the yellow brick road with no Google mapping. Scrounging for miles is a part time job. My friends think I am crazy. I think they are lazy. Miles in the bank for me are the same as a Ferrari in the garage to some. It is my ticket to my free business class travel habit. Who wants to fly for 8-15 hours in the back of the bus? I prefer a flat bed with a comforter to a 19� wide seat and 18 degree recline with a two year old kicking my back.

Here is what I have accomplished in the last 5 months:

• 25,000 Continental miles – Chase Bank checking account with debit card
• 25,000 Continental miles – Chase Bank business checking account with debit card
• 6,239 Continental miles – Chase Bank checking from spending and bonuses
• 100,000 British Airways miles – British Airways Chase Visa sign up and $2K spending
• 30,000 miles – United Business Visa sign up
• 14,479 United miles – United Business Visa spending and bonuses
• 17,000 American miles – Citibank Savings account
• 30,000 American miles – American Airlines Citibank card sign up
• 11,323 American miles – American Airlines Citibank spending and bonuses
• 15,000 Delta miles – SunTrust checking and debit card
• 15,000 Delta miles – SunTrust business checking and debit card
• TOTAL 289,041 miles

There are tricks to accomplishing all this. First and foremost you need to know how to find these mile accumulating opportunities. I highly suggest that you follow the Frugal Travel Guy. He is the guru and a terrifically nice guy to boot. He will lead you to all the deals. Take his word for it. He really knows his stuff and lives what he preaches.

Have a comfy trip in your flat bed, eat a meal with something other than plastic and choose a nice glass of (free) wine to go with your dinner. Don’t pay for checked bags, go through a short, fast check-in line, and get higher baggage weight allowances. And one of my favorite perks of flying international business class is the admission to the business class airport lounges. Telling you about the Frugal Travel Guy will be perhaps the best advice I ever give you.

Tags: free business class, free travel, Frugal Travel Guy  Posted in: Airplanes, Trains and Camels, Frequent Flyers, Travel Planning  No Comments

Traveling with Food Allergies or Intolerances

No Gluten for Me Please

No Dairy Products for Me Please

Sneaking up like an atomic bomb, my newly identified gluten and casein (milk protein) intolerance places me in the cautious traveler category. Eating in a restaurant has become a difficult proposition. Watching me eat a fast food hamburger without a bun brings up memories of a year old kid eating baby food. Oh yes, the ketchup, mustard and mayo are all over my face, hands and sometimes clothes.

How to avoid getting sick because of your food allergies or intolerances? In the year of dealing with a serious issue, I have learned a few solutions. If you read my blog, you know I travel as much as my life allows. My recent 14 day transatlantic on the Celebrity Summit was a real eye opener to the apparent prevalence of gluten issues. In my earlier blog article http://www.zippyreviews.com/travel_blog/cruises-and-cruising/celebrity-cruises-handles-gluten-free-diet I reported that Celebrity did an outstanding job of accommodating my eating quirks. It still amazes me how well informed they were right down to the assistant waiter.

Because of an upcoming trip to Italy, my apprehension caused me to do some research to find some help in Italian. I need to communicate my concerns in any Italian restaurant. Would you believe there is a company www.selectwisely.com that prints small laminated cards in a multitude of languages detailing different food allergies or intolerances or will even custom print one if their standard offerings don’t cover the language or allergy needed? They are very responsive and plainly nice people to deal with. Read the rest of this post »

Tags: dairy free travel, food allergies, gluten free travel  Posted in: Cruises and Cruising, Pam's Other Musings  No Comments

Travel Insurance Coverage for Luggage

Oops - not what you want to see on the carousel. My bag wasn't quite this bad!

Lost or Damaged Luggage – Who Pays?

It was such a great purchase, an absolutely beautiful retro-designed suitcase covered in tweed fabric with a leather belt around it. There were 9 flights ahead of me and a lot of checking in and out over a month long trip. I was confident that this was the ultimate spinner. Four wheels meant no sore back or dragging that case behind me. It packed so well, or maybe I am the whiz packer, that I had almost ½ of it empty. I loved that suitcase. Note the past tense.

When it circled around on the baggage carousel after the first two flights, it was clear that my wonderful new suitcase had been abused. Badly. Not only was the fabric marred with black grease on all sides, the zipper was split in one place (thank goodness for that belt), and the fabric was torn on the edges. It turned out to be a complete waste of time to file a report. The second airline blamed the first airline and nothing was going anywhere. Luckily nothing inside the case was missing or damaged so the claim was limited to the brand new case itself.

Luggage damage, loss or theft of items within is not a slam dunk claim. Upon my return to the US, I debated how to claim the loss. I had several options. I could forge forth trying to claim it with the first airline since it was documented by its partner overseas. My travel insurance company would no doubt handle it.

Here is what you need to know. When traveling within the US, federal law sets the limit of recovery at $3300. Not bad but depending on your clothes spending habits that could be the cost of one outfit and that doesn’t include the Manolos. Here is the bad news: the Warsaw Convention limits, which most international airlines use as a guide, sets recovery at about $9.07 per pound. If you are allowed only 44 pounds per bag, as is typical, that comes in at about $400. That wouldn’t have even covered the cost of my new spinner. That is to say that the US airlines have a much higher limit for reimbursement than international airlines.

Here is the answer to protecting your investment in your suitcase and its contents. Excess baggage coverage is available for a relatively minimal cost at check-in, particularly inexpensive from foreign airlines. Who would have known? Has anyone at check in ever offered the coverage to you?

Another option is travel insurance. However, you will never receive enough from a regular policy without additional coverage. The norm seems to be $1000 – $2000 per policy. Your credit card Read the rest of this post »

Tags: damaged suitcase, luggage, travel insurance  Posted in: Airplanes, Trains and Camels, Travel Planning  2 Comments

The Nook as a Multi-Task Travel Companion

The Nook is only 12 ounces and 1/2 inch thick - perfect for travel.

Being able to consolidate some of my packing into smaller devices is incredibly helpful in dealing with weight limits and sheer bulk when traveling. It was one of the reasons that I was excited about my new Nook. It turns out there are many more reasons that the Nook is a great travel device.

While planning a trip, I establish many files including one for each hotel/car/air/cruise reservation. I also have a file for each destination that gives information on walking tours, restaurants, sights and anything else of interest. Now I can load all these documents on my Nook and carry it with me as my one source for everything. I foresee it being useful in cities as we take a walking tour or scope the territory for a restaurant. The Nook will easily fit in my backpack, my Scottevest or in a handbag. I will be able to leave my travel guides at home.

The Nook isn’t compatible with Word docs so I convert them to PDF files easily and then load them on my Nook. Go to Microsoft.com and download “Microsoft Office Add-in: Microsoft Save as PDF.� After you download the add-in, open your file, click Save As and then click PDF. Follow the instructions on the Nook website for side loading the PDF file to your Nook and you will be ready to travel.

With the Nook’s capability to increase storage with a microSD card, I can use my Nook’s as my travel MP3 player. The Nook is a multi-tasker: you can read your books or use your files while listening to your music.

I am amazed at how little battery drain there is with the Nook. A very long flight – no problem. Often my Nook only needs recharging every couple of weeks. If you are traveling with a laptop, you can charge your Nook via the USB cable. If you want to plug it in, attach the wall plug to the USB cable and plug it in. Don’t forget if you are traveling internationally to take a converter and transformer.

Load your ebooks before you go, download your music on your microSD card and install it in your Nook and side load your documents on your Nook. Now you have a great travel device!

Tags: eReader, Nook, travel technology  Posted in: Airplanes, Trains and Camels, Cruises and Cruising, Hotels, Resorts, Bed and Breakfast, Travel Planning  No Comments

Norovirus Hits a Small Number of Celebrity Summit Passengers in mid-Atlantic

An announcement was made yesterday warning people of the existence of illness aboard. It was followed by a letter from the Captain in each cabin last night stating that there have been “an elevated number of people onboard who experienced a gastrointestinal illness commonly known as a norovirus.�

No telling how many onboard the Summit are affected since the crew is quite tight lipped about the matter. However, 3 days ago there was an obvious attempt to prevent people from entering any dining venue until they had received a squirt of anti-bacterial gel. Throughout the cruise the crew had been stationed at the entrances to the dining rooms, but were not very insistent about the gel.

All self serve beverage stations have been closed or now are manned by crew. Salt and pepper shakers have been removed in most dining areas. All buffet items are now served by crew. See my article below on swine flu, which addresses cruise health issues. It is known to be a tricky situation because of the close living/dining/entertainment quarters of hundreds or thousands of people. I have long been an advocate of buffets aboard ships that are manned by crew only.

The Summit is offering complimentary consultations and treatment if a passenger becomes ill with a gastrointestinal illness. From the obvious extraordinary efforts to disinfect everything onboard, one could assume that the medical facility is quite busy.

Personal efforts to stay well aboard a ship are important. Washing your hands each time you enter your cabin, use a bathroom, before and after you eat and after visiting a venue where you contact surfaces that have been touched by many people such as elevator buttons, door handles, casino machines, etc. A demonstration of effective hand washing is shown on one of the ship’s television channels.

Damian de Lorenzis today said that “1% of passengers have been ill from the norovirus.� He went on to say that the CDC in the US would be notified, as per standard operating procedure. A skeptic might wonder why the ship is going to such extremes if only 20 people have become ill.

Tags: Celebrity Cruises, cruise illnesses, Norovirus  Posted in: Cruises and Cruising  8 Comments

Agadir Morocco with a Berber Tour Guide

Our Berber guide in Morocco's Paradise Valley

It couldn’t have been scripted better. Our day guide in Agadir was booked through Originally Morocco along with a driver and van for 4 of us. Upon our disembarkation from the Summit we spotted our name on the windshield of a fairly new van with our guide standing next to it. Our guide was straight out of central casting. He is a Berber from a village in mid Morocco, a graduate of the University in Agadir, a licensed tour guide and was decked out in full Berber regalia complete with turban. Talking about picture opportunities throughout the day! Idris Ouarmassi, our guide, speaks perfect English right down to the idioms. He had never met or guided Americans before.

We headed off to Paradise Valley in the High Atlas Mountains, which is arid, rocky and scarcely populated. The dry river bed in the base of the valley is full of palm trees and a few clear to the bottom pools. Idris took us hiking in a few spots, one of which netted us a visit to a small mud and rock house where the owner treated us to mint tea and snacks. It would have never happened if we had been on our own or on a cruise excursion. It was one of those travel moments that causes me to pack again and again.

The turnaround point of our day was in Immouzer, a distant village with a nice hotel and a killer view overlooking the High Atlas Mountains. The farthest point visible was about 50 kilometers. Lunch was bistilla or a choice of other enticing entrees and fabulously delicious on the terrace with the view.

Photo opps of the day were remarkable. The mountain landscape, the picturesque valleys, the people along the way and our guide filled our compact flash cards with plenty of material for a slide show. We certainly were tantalized enough to wish for a more comprehensive tour of Morocco, which we would trust to the capable people at Originally Morroco and Idris Ouarmassi.

Tags: Agadir, Berber guide, High Atlas Mountains, Immouzer, Morocco, Paradise Valley  Posted in: Cruises and Cruising, Destinations  One Comment

Alhambra in Grenada Spain

Rarely is a cruise ship shore excursion a relative bargain. After doing way too much work to find an independent day trip from our port of call, Malaga, and finding them all to be at least $100 more than the 9 hour trip offered by Celebrity, we bit the bullet and booked it. There is something really distasteful to us about following a guide with a canned tour complete with corny jokes. However, sometimes it does make sense.

The brand new motorcoach hit the highway in Malaga and got us to Alhambra in less than 2 hours. The lunch for about 180 of us was a 5 course meal complete with wine, sherry and entertainment. The food was great local fare and the service was terrific.

Alhambra is pretty much jaw dropping, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Built by the Moors starting in the 1200s during their 800 year dominance in the area, it has an Arabic architectural style that is ornate and a marvel for the time. As an avid amateur travel photographer it is a challenge to capture the beauty of the complex.

Alhambra is the 2^nd most visited site in Spain. Only the Prado in Madrid eclipses it. If your travels take you to the coast of Spain, I would highly recommend that you detour whatever plans you have to include Alhambra. The historical significance is evident when seeing the structures. Once the Moors were banished from the area by the Catholic Monarchs in 1492, there was a distinct change in use and construction on the site.

If you are determined to visit as many UNESCO World Heritage sites as possible, Alhambra would be a great site to put near the top of your list.

Tags: Alhambra, Grenada Spain, UNESCO World Heritage Site  Posted in: Cruises and Cruising, Destinations  No Comments

Seasickness Remedies

Poor guy! Our web designer was being treated by his girlfriend to a cruise, which was sailing right into the path of a tropical storm. Not only that, but the storm was likely to be upgraded to a hurricane by the time the ship got near the Bahamas. The kicker is his tendency to get seasick. Oh no. Spending time with the porcelain throne on a cruise ship is simply miserable.

Do all the usual things: stock up on Bonine, try Seabands, buy some ginger tea, take along some candied ginger, stay in the middle of the ship at all times if you feel queasy and head for the onboard clinic for a shot as a last resort. He was lucky that they had an inside cabin meaning there would be a little less rolling motion to feel. I also advised him to have room service deliver food first thing in the morning and constantly keep some food in his stomach, which always helps me.

This is an issue that is old and never resolved for some travelers. Just remember to book your cabin on a middle deck in the middle of the ship forward to aft. It does help.

Our web designer came back with a great report of calm seas and no seasickness. Jeremy had a great time as a result!

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Celebrity Cruises Handles Gluten Free Diet

I am an avowed foodie. No question about it. Almost the first thing that comes to mind when I describe a vacation is the most memorable meal. Here is the problem: I am now on a gluten free, dairy free diet.

Upon boarding the Celebrity Summit this week in Barcelona, I approached one of the assistant maitre‘ds and asked about the lunch buffet. He offered to walk the buffet line with me to assure that I would know what was dairy and gluten free. It was my first inkling that Celebrity understands the nature of special diets and isn’t intimidated by them. At dinner our waiter made certain that everything that I ordered would be prepared according to my needs.

Here is the essence of the level of care and service that Celebrity provides: the dining room maitre’d brought me the menu for the next evening, told me to choose whatever I wanted and assured me my choices would be made to order – gluten and dairy free. Indeed they were and I have been accommodated in a royal fashion every evening. I am impressed.

Tags: gluten free travel  Posted in: Cruises and Cruising, Travel Planning  No Comments