Phil Tripp is a former rock ‘n’ roll tour manager and music executive who has travelled the world babysitting major artists and attending music conferences and festivals in the US, Canada, New Zealand, Asia, the UK and Europe. He is now a travel writer, having converted a hobby of over a decade ago to a revenue stream. He shares his tips for finding the best deals, getting around problems and travel techniques of the not so rich and famous.
GREAT TRAVEL ADVICE
Travel Agent vs Internet Booking For Flights
Get Extra Gear Onto The Plane Over Your Limits
Find The Best Seat
Overseas Flight Connections
Travel Agent vs Internet For Hotels
Luggage Essentials
Passports, Visas And Travel Documents
About Medications
Bring Your Own Pillow!
Lighten Up Your Load When You Get Into The US
411 For Directory Assistance, 911 For Emergencies By 3-1-1 For Carry On
Adapt Or Convert – The Power Choice Is Crucial
Don’t Blow It Or Leak It-Zip It!
Pack A Portable Gym In A Pocket
Five Things To Always Do When Checking Luggage
HOT TIPS!!
Get Onto Another Flight Quicker Than Waiting In Line
Getting Bumped For Fun & Profit
Write A Letter When You Get Special Service Or Find An Angel
Use Curbside Check In To Glide To Your Flight
Why Rent When You Can Go Greener?
Footloose And Fancy Free-Pain Free Too!
Break Your Fast With Breakfast On The Go
Wi-Fi Net Secrets
Cell Phones In The US
Cellular Data for your Tablet
Calling Back to Australia—Phone Cards
Travel Agent vs Internet Booking For Flights
Though you can easily book fares through the Internet, we always use a travel agent to finalise our ticketing because he knows the various tricks and techniques to get maximum savings with minimum hassles.
A travel agent has access to all airlines and fare types where websites often don’t or favour their clients. Travel agents know which airlines are reliable, where train might be better and faster (UK and Europe as examples) and knows how to stagger flights so that you don’t get caught out with a minor delay that make you miss connections. My travel agent (Brad Thomas of Entertainment Travel Partners bradt@travelpartners.com.au) is a 24/7 available fella and doesn’t charge fees.
If you want to book without an agent, realize that you may get stuck with cancelled flights, bogus hotels or other dramas that an agent can handle with grace and expertise. Plus he can get you upgrades and secret deals.
However, you can do some excellent advance research through the following sites and give your preferences to your agent to check out and compare for better deals that they may be privy to.
Itasoftware.com compares airlines and flights on any given days so that you can choose the cheapest option between cities as well as see flight times, stopovers and other information. When you want to know which carrier offers the best combination of low fare and convenient routing, use www.itasoftware.com, a search engine created by scientists at MIT. Unlike online travel agencies such as Expedia and Travelocity, it is not biased toward certain airlines and provides the most complete list of flight options for a given itinerary. You can’t purchase tickets through it, but you can find out which carrier best suits your needs, and then go to that airline’s Web site and book your flights. Another plus: Itasoftware clearly warns you about drawbacks—for example, long layovers and whether you’ll be flying in a prop plane.
For example, checking Sydney to Los Angeles for February 12 returning March 20, there were 18 airline choices comprising roundtripfares from $1885 (Jetstar to Honolulu then American to LAX) to over $6600 for an economy fare.
Kayak.com searches airline and travel supplier sites for the broad range of flight options by price. Here the prices ranged from $1844 to over $10,000 on Qantas.
Farecompare.com does much the same as the previous two but can also track Y-Up and Q-Up first class fares that are purchased at about the same price as 7 day apex or last minute economy fares. FareCompare’s trip alerts notify you when fares drop on the routes you’re interested in. Because these alerts go out by e-mail several hours before the reduced fares are loaded into the airlines’ reservations systems, you can nab the discounted seats before others do. You can request alerts for cities, countries, continents, carriers, classes of service, and specific dates.
Farecast.com can give you graphs of when the cheapest times to travel are within a month based on actual ticket prices and also how full domestic US flights are with its airfare-predictive technology.
Whichbudget.com and wegolo.com cover the cheapest fares on budget airlines often not covered by major travel sites.
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Get Extra Gear Onto The Plane Over Your Limits
Internet booking of airfares is handy and sometimes appears to be economical but if you need to have an extra bag, extra weight or a bulky item (like a bike, surfboard or display material), having a travel agent handle your flights is blessing when you need a waiver or a favour. Depending on their status with the airline, connections with staff or persuasive nature, your agent can likely get a waiver put into your record which, depending on the day, should be able to get your reasonable excess through without penalty.
While airlines charge by the kilo if you are overweight or carrying extra baggage, they often have programs to advance book extra pieces at a reasonable low price (Qantas at $100 on a recent LAX-SYD flight, but it must be done online at least a few days before the flight.)
I go to Hawaii a lot and choose Hawaiian Airlines for one major reason—they allow two pieces at a maximum of 32 kilos each per person, both ways at no extra charge. I’ve called in advance and arranged a third bag free through my agent and only once had to pay for an extra.
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Find The Best Seat
Want to know how your airplane is laid out so that you can get that bulkhead seat with the bassinette, exit row seats with extra legroom or avoid those rows that have fixed seat dividers instead of flip up armrests? The seat surprise I hate are the ones with video control boxes under the seat in front that limits your ability to stretch your legs or seat just in front of bulkheads that don’t recline.
Seatguru.com is the ultimate source for airplane seating, in-flight amenities and airline info. It can tell you the location of good fair and poor seats, powerports and other info to let you pick the best seat for the trip or best plane for the sector. It has seat maps by aircraft type so you can be aware of 2 seats by themselves which are gold locations or five seat row horror spots.
If you are going Qantas on many flights for example, generally the last four rows on either side of the plane (depending on plane type) are window/aisle two seat combos with extra room. Don’t get stuck in the middle row middle seat with two people to climb over every time you need to get out–book your seats in advance and try for these back of plane seats, preferably the aisle one. You should be able to pre-book your seats at time of reservation, or, if you are going through the Net, you can book your ticket and then call the airline direct to choose your seat. Always check a week ahead of your flight to reconfirm your seat as they may have changed aircraft.
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Overseas Flight Connections
When you need to make flight connections at foreign airports or estimate the time needed to get through security between gates, you almost need a concierge to tip you. If you want to check on the real time status of present flights or the historic past performance of specific flights as well as airport security delays, go to Flightstats.com.
It will even give you a ‘time period’ feature which shows you within a three hour window how the arrival and take off averages are for any airport. It has information on most airports, parking, delay reports and security wait times with a graph to show best and worst times as well as average number of minutes to go through security–especially valuable in the intense US airport security. There are also travel advisories on destinations and even monthly carrier on time performance reports.
It’s tempting travelling overseas to try and cut it close between connecting flights but due to increasing flight delays and extended security checks, it’s far too easy to miss a flight if you cut it too close. In major hub cities like Dallas-Ft. Worth, Denver, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Chicago in the US for examples, there are multiple terminals and you may have to go through security checks between them with long lines. Allow yourself 90 minutes between connecting flights, find out when you’re boarding your first flight where the connecting flight’s gate and terminal is and relax. You may have time for shoe shine, a chance to stretch your legs or have a cold drink between flight and even check your email in the airport.
TripIt.com TripIt organizes your electronic travel reservations into one master itinerary. When you receive a confirmation e-mail—for a flight, hotel, rental car, dinner reservation, show, or event—forward it to TripIt and the site will consolidate all of your plans into an itinerary that fills in many blanks, adding links to online check-in, flight status updates, seat advice, maps, directions, and more.
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Travel Agent vs Internet For Hotels
We rely heavily on our trusty travel agent to handle hotel bookings as they know much more about properties that suit our preferences. Plus, booking through websites can be problematic-we’ve found some of our bookings don’t go through properly or the paperwork can’t be found. We have never failed with our agent, but you can do a lot of research in advance on properties and prices using the following sites to check on deals and prices as well as availabilities in destinations.
Wotif.com is a favourite for hotels a few months in advance so that you or your agent may be able to negotiate a better deal or perks.
Quikbook.com has great deals on boutique and off the path hotels around the world.
Venere.com is good for hotels apartments and B&Bs worldwide.
Lastminute.com can be fabulous for filling those few rooms in stock for hotels and the saving can be great too. Use up to a month ahead.
Hotwire.com has prices without identifying the hotel but gives location and facilities. Can be great for last minute deals.
Priceline.com lets you shop for hotel and other deals by naming your own price and upping it until you are accepted. With Priceline, you can also bid on rooms or try their ‘mystery hotel’ on which I got a $700 a night room for $125 by knowing there was only one four star hotel in the suburb they named.
But before you press the ‘Buy’ button, call the hotel and speak to the front desk manager, asking if they can match or beat the deal offered and perhaps throw in an upgrade or perk. Hotels love frequent travellers and give them the best rooms if they know who they are dealing with. Having the manager’s name will help.
Biddingfortravel.com is a site that is a forum of users of priceline.com US only hotel bidding service and tells recent accepted prices and how to manipulate the system.
Vrbo.com (Vacation Rentals By Owner) is a way to get an apartment, condo or house in the US and many countries.
Tripadvisor.com is an interesting site that has viewers rate hotels and restaurants within locations and can, on average, let you know of great locations and terrible spots, fantastic hotels or dives as well as the changing lot of restaurants in any given location. But be warned that often by using different identities and email addresses, the marketing people or owners of properties make up their own ‘dream’ stories to make their hotels, motels or B&Bs appear to be nirvana instead of a nightmare. You can spot these because the 10 rating descriptions are often the only review the writer has done.
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Luggage Essentials
First, make a list of things you need to take with you-it’s organised and once done, can also serve as a way to make an insurance claim if you lose it all! Add to the list as you go. You will probably need to halve it and then halve it again to keep the weight down. The list can also serve as a record of contents if you have to file an insurance report for lost or damaged property.
To prevent leaks and damage, use a variety of Ziplock bags to encase any items that can leak like shampoo, toothpaste, liquids, cremes, deodorant or cosmetics. Wrap smaller items in individual bags and seal them inside larger ones for extra protection. We use small leftover bags for foreign coins too as well as leftover bills for the next trip.
Our advice is never to have cash, jewelry, expensive electronics, cameras, fragile items, vital medicines or irreplaceable relics in luggage as airlines do not cover loss or damage without a massive amount of paperwork or denial. Carry them on board if possible. One other hot tip is if you are travelling with someone else, have a change of clothes in each other’s suitcase in case one gets lost.
Travelling as a couple? If you are taking two bags, pack one with clothes for both of you for the first half of the trip and the other for the rest of the trip. That way if a bag is lost, you both have fresh clothes and you only ever repack one bag at any time. Carry your essential toiletries on board and liquids in the suitcases.
Make sure your luggage is not locked when checking it as the US as TSA security people will break locks to inspect bags on connecting flights. You can get TSA approved locks if you need to.
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Passports, Visas And Travel Documents
Make sure your passport has at least six months validity from the END of your trip. Be aware that depending on the country, you may need a visa to enter and rules change all the time. Going to the US for a holiday or to attend business meetings or conventions, you do not need a visa. But if you are there to work, earn money or as a band to play in front of public audiences, you absolutely must apply for the relevant US visas which are expensive, take time and lots of paperwork.
If you are flying into the US from Australia and don’t require a visa, you must apply online for an ESTA (https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov) waiver form. Be aware that if you admit to having been arrested or convicted, or if it is found out that you have been without declaring it, you can be refused entry and deported. I know. I had a 37 year old arrest which popped up on the computer and it was a helluva challenge to straighten it out the week before I left.
Before leaving, make a copy of your ESTA document. Then take your passport and scan the cover page with your photo and info, any visas that are contained within and save the scans as PDFs or jpegs. This is so that if you lose it, you can get a replacement faster and I’ve used it to pass through domestic US airport security on a couple of occasions.
Next, scan both sides of your driver’s license, any credit cards (front and back), a copy of your itinerary and plane tickets, travel insurance documents, vouchers and any other documents you might need. Load them up to an email box that you can easily access as attachments and also place them on your tablet as passworded files and even on your iPod or smartphone. This can be a lifesaver if your documents are stolen or lost. You can also scan a doctor’s note as to what medicines you are prescribed and any other medical information. Carry a typed copy of this in your carry on in case of emergency.
You should also have your itinerary with flight info, confirmation numbers, hotel dates, addresses and phone numbers as well as any other vital phone numbers in a file that is also printed out and emailed to yourself. I also convert that information to text and email the file to my mobile phone to store in it and load into my iPod as Notes for handy retrieval.
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About Medications
Since I travel with ten prescription drugs and have to carry about two months worth for a 30 day trip just in case I get stuck overseas as happened with 9/11, stranded on a Hawaiian island. I carry a note from my doctor listing what medications I am on to show Customs when I come in. I generally carry them onboard or split them between luggage and carry on since they can’t be replaced overseas without a prescription from a doctor over there.
A month’s worth of the 10 drugs I take costs less than $150 but in the US, it would take a $100 doctor visit and $2600 for the same amount. Be aware that many of our prescription drugs are not approved nor sold in other countries. This applies to non-script over the counter compounds like Berocca (considered a megavitamin) and opiates Panadeine Forte or Mersyndol which you can take into the US but not in any large quantity. But enter Turkey with any codeine drug and it’s the Midnight Express straight to jail.
They need to be in original packages, not in pill packs or little divider multi-pill devices. I put mine inside of a Tupperware or plastic container to keep them organised and dry or protected.
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Bring Your Own Pillow!
You’ll sleep better–especially on the plane–as hotel rooms tend to have rubber pillows. I have two goose down pillows which compress to nothing-one for the plane and one for the suitcase-the latter handy for protecting bottles of wine or duty free. Plus it smells like home, the wife, the dogs… whatever. Remember to put on loud coloured pillowcases so you won’t forget them when you’re rushing out of your hotel room. And perhaps use a permanent texta to put your name and address or contact number on the pillow itself.
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Lighten Up Your Load When You Get Into The US
If you are flying into Los Angeles or New York let’s say, or any other city, and plan to spend some time travelling but would prefer to offload some luggage and have it shipped to another destination, us Fed Ex Ground for this. I routinely fly to LAX and allow myself a couple of weeks before I have to be at a convention in Austin each year, so the material that need to go there I simply have in one suitcase which I carry to the nearby Fed Ex Ground facility to be weighed, taped and shipped to my destination hotel. It usually takes three or four days anywhere in the US and is surprisingly cheap. If you make arrangements with your hotel to store it for your arrival, you can track the shipment online to determine its progress.
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411 For Directory Assistance, 911 For Emergencies By 3-1-1 For Carry On
There is still confusion as rules change over what sort of liquids, cosmetics, lipsticks or other items are allowed in hand luggage. The 3-1-1 formula is the TSA security rule in the US and many other countries. You are only allowed liquids in 3 oz containers (just under 100 ml) that can fit in quart (about a liter) clear plastic zip lock bag with one bag per flier) This means that larger containers of fluids such as moisturisers, perfumes, wine, alcohol or other beverages, toothpaste and other liquids or pastes will have to be dumped, delaying the traveller and those behind them. This also means that they must be zip lock bags, not dark or coloured and only the size approved-i.e. not half gallon or two litre bags. If you’re in doubt, put any other liquids into your suitcase and carry only what is necessary for your flight.
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Adapt Or Convert – The Power Choice Is Crucial
It’s usually Yanks that suffer burnout when their 110 volt appliances fry simply using an adapter to plug them into 220-240 volt power supplies when they travel overseas. They should have used a converter or a transformer that steps down power to a level that protects their appliances instead of an adapter that simply changes prongs. But what’s the difference between plug adapters, plug in converters and power transformers.
Converters should only be used with ‘electric’ appliances such as simple motor driven, mechanical heating or other devices such as hair driers, electric toothbrushes, lamps, small fans and water boilers. Converters should only be used for three hours maximum. They are light and transistorised.
Transformers are heavier, using wound wire to step up or down voltages and are used with ‘electronic’ appliances that have a chip or circuit. These include CD players, shavers, battery rechargers, printers and other electronic devices. They can also be used for electrical equipment but weigh more and cost more.
Adapters do not convert electricity and can be used for dual voltage (110/220-240 Volt) laptops and chargers and there are ten different configurations available. But in some cases if your hair dryer or other motor driven appliance doesn’t work well on North American, Japanese, many island nations or other countries’ 110 volt current, you can get a small step-up transformer to increase voltage to 220.
Anyone who has bought a 110 volt appliance overseas and blown it out when getting it back home or finding it doesn’t work right due to the difference between 50 and 60 hertz supplies, knows why it pays to understand power adapters and converters. A handy site for seeing plug configurations and power variances by country is http://www.travelproducts.com/electricity_guide.htm and you may also want to consider taking a surge protector with you from home.
If you need an adapter only for foreign country to Aussie three prong, best to buy it here, at an electrical supplier or hobby store instead of overseas and it’s also generally cheaper than at the airport where the adapters are always available but at a much higher price. If you need the step up transformer, you can get these at travel stores and electrical suppliers.
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Don’t Blow It Or Leak It-Zip It!
Taking along a variety of ziplock bags can be a lifesaver. If you are packing liquid toiletries such as shampoos, bath gels, moisturisers, etc; putting each item in it’s own smaller ziplock and putting them all in a larger one gives double protection from the contents expanding and leaking over clothers or other valuables. It’s a good idea to squeeze some of the air from bottles of liquids before packing to give them room to expand when the air pressure is reduced in the baggage hold at high altitudes-the same with trains or cars going through mountain areas. You can use the snack size to collect loose change from countries into one place to use on return or to keep those Euros and US shrapnel organised.
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Pack A Portable Gym In A Pocket
You know you’ll never go to a gym while on holiday and exercising can be a challenge. But to keep those kilos from packing on and to get your body charged, consider getting jump rope a few weeks before your trip. Get used to using it and pick up speed and endurance on it so when you are in a foreign city, you can easily have some skipping time in your room, on a hotel roof overlooking the city or a private spot in a park. Not only is it cheap, it’s light, packs easily and can be used to tie up your suitcase if the lock breaks or hinges fall apart.
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Five Things To Always Do When Checking Luggage
1. Tape a copy of your itinerary, flights, hotel contacts, mobile phone, email and home contact info on the inside top lid of each suitcase or attached in a ziplock bag to the inside main opening flap in soft cases. That way if the bag goes astray, or the baggage tag and address tag are torn off the bag, it makes it easier to track you in real time.
Of course you’ve checked your exterior baggage tags that they have current address and phone/email contacts? And that they are not just hanging by a thread?
2. Know your luggage weight limits for your first and subsequent flights (check the airlines’ websites) and weigh your bag before you leave for the airport. I also carry a Salter portable digital scale that I use on the road to hit the limits. You’ll avoid having to repack at the check in counter and avoid horrendous excess baggage kilo fees, often $40 a kilo. Requirements vary between international and domestic sectors and even between different countries on the same airline. And they change.
3. With your camera or phone cam, take photos of the exterior of bag and also the contents. Two reasons; if it’s lost, you have an easy identifying way to describe your suitcase when filing the incident report; and if it’s damaged outside or contents are damaged or missing, you have proof of what you were carrying for insurance purposes or airline compensation.
4. Get a luggage strap for hard side cases that fit around your suitcase to keep it from opening and spilling contents in flight or after inspections. For soft sided bags, you can buy bungee cord at the hardware store and tie it around the case. Both make the bags look distinctive from others of the same type on the carousel and I also have a little yellow bungee ring around the handles for easy ID or use a ribbon.
5. Whether at the counter or the curbside check in, always check the routing tag that goes on your bag. The three letter airport code dictates where it’s headed. For example LGA is New York’s LaGuardia Airport, LGB is Long Beach Municipal in California, LGK is Langkawi in Malaysia and LGW is London’s Gatwick.
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HOT TIPS!!
Engrave them–Take your computer, iPad, smartphone, laptop, iPod or other portable (and losable) components to an engraver and have them embed your name, address, phone, email and the words GENEROUS REWARD on them. I’ve had two iPhones, a Nokia and two iPods returned to me almost instantly or in one case, a year later from a hotel.
Label them– I’ve also used labels printed by Vistaprint.com in larger and smaller sizes that I’ve adhered to eyeglass cases, Bluetooth keyboards, trackpads, covers and cases, Bose headphones, remote controls or other devices that I carry and new gadgets I buy. It makes it easy for a finder, airline or hotel staffer to catch me in town or send back something to my home. And it’s happened.
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Get Onto Another Flight Quicker Than Waiting In Line
If your flight has been cancelled or will have a long delay, rather than wait in a lengthy queue at the customer service desk or gate agent, use your cellphone to reschedule a fight or get waitlisted. If you don’t have a cell, use the freecall number for the airline’s reservation service from a payphone.
If you want to try to take an earlier flight than the one you booked, calling and rebooking yourself may cop a fee of $50-$100. Instead, call and see if there are seats available on the earlier flight and then go to the airport and try to get on that flight. Know what your options are when you book your original ticket and what flights take off before your intended journey to see if you can change without penalty.
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Getting Bumped For Fun & Profit
When flights are overbooked, the gate agent often asks for volunteers to be bumped with the reward of a free flight later, upgrade on a later flight or other inducement. Don’t take the first offer and make sure you get the offer in writing if you do accept. Ask if the airline will pay for your meals and beverages while you wait. Can they get you into their lounge to wait out the time in comfort? Will they pay for a hotel room, meals and ground transportation if you have to stay overnight? Beware of free flight vouchers which may have restrictions that prevent you from using them within a time frame or flight times that are useful to you.
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Write A Letter When You Get Special Service Or Find An Angel
We are all quick to write letters of complaint when something goes wrong but never remember to let the airline, hotel or other travel supplier know when a staff member makes the extra effort to smooth your trip. Whenever I get a favour or an employee makes sure I get extra service, an upgrade or other fix to a problem, I always get their name and if an airline employee, their home base city. Then I write a letter on company stationery pointing out the date, person and situation noting that it’s easy to complain but this sort of employee is exemplary for the reason stated. In the case of airlines, I send it to the Human Resources Department and the Marketing Department as well as to the staffer themselves through the airline.
Not only do they get the praise from their employer and have it noted in their records, they feel special too that someone has taken the time to do more than just say thanks and forget it. You would be amazed at the number of times I’ve encountered the same person months or years later and they not only remember me, they may be able to upgrade me-which has happened several times due to this-or surprise me with the leftover bottle of French champagne from First Class as I am getting off the plane.
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Use Curbside Check In To Glide To Your Flight
Following the security problems at US airports, curbside check in for many airlines is back in force. Even if you’re not driving up in your rental vehicle, you can still check in with the porter service and have your bags put onto the conveyor, seat assigned and checked through to your final destination. You have to tip for this service ($3-5 per bag assure great treatment) but it’s worth it to avoid the check in lines inside the terminal and go directly to security. It pays to check your baggage claim tickets to make sure they are routed correctly and to be jokingly pleasant to the baggage handlers. You may encounter them again and be remembered for your humour and generosity or your bad attitude and stinginess.
Also using curbside check in means your bags are put into the system long before you would have gotten them to a ticket counter if you had to queue with them.
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Why Rent When You Can Go Greener?
Car rental can be a minefield and as a travel writer, I’ve used all of the major brands. I’ve settled on Alamo for the US (rented through their Australian agent APTMS) for the simple reason that they have a Silver Inclusive plan that includes all fees, taxes and most importantly insurance that has proven way cheaper than renting online through their website or direct with depots. Asia Pacific Travel Marketing Service is the connection and Jacey is the best contact (email Jacey at jacey.fleming@aptms.com.au or call 1300 329 912)
The first notion may be to rent a car, but why not discover your destination on public transport or by bike around town? Most cities have easy to research public train, tram, bus and other public transport routes, schedules and prices online for easy reference. European cities’ underground rail systems (U-bahn) are clean and efficient while the street trams (S-bahn) or bus systems can be a great tour advantage, especially on cloudy or drizzly days or when it’s cold outside. I often buy multiple day or system passes and use them to hop cross town buses with huge windows for maximum views and plan my stops and starts to tour areas, have meals or snacks or simply discover new attractions. Never a parking problem either.
Bikes can often be rented from hotels or your concierge can point you to a nearby vendor and there’s no parking or valet charges overnight. For coastal cities and towns, flat areas and level cities with superb bike access such as Amsterdam, biking is a breeze and a great way to discover the locale as well as blend in with the locals. It’s not as daunting as driving a car on the other side of the road from the other side’s seat either and far less expensive. I always carry a locking bike cable in my luggage anyway to lock bags together at airports or hotels while waiting, and I always know the combination rather than using keyed options.
But if you want to be picked up and carried away in style and speed, try the new Uber car service in the US. With a iPhone or Android app, you can request a car and watch it come to you onscreen within minutes. You do not pay the driver, all transactions are handled online with Uber and it’s safe, effective and far better than regular cabs though sometimes a bit more expensive. But the cars are clean, the drivers vetted and it’s a cool way to ride in a fine black vehicle.
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Footloose And Fancy Free-Pain Free Too!
Exploring destinations on foot is the greatest way to discover them and work up a healthy appetite for great cuisine. But you have the right shoes and foot protection. Those new Italian shoes from the market may be a temptation to wear and break in, but it’s best to always have shoes your feet are comfortable in for long walks. So hauling over those sneakers and walking shoes as primary soles are vital and if you’re smart, you’ll have a pair of orthotic implants fitted.
These are foam inserts modelled to your feet’s needs in terms of arch support, gait, foot shape and stance and can make the difference between painful trips or delightful journeys. If you are not used to long walks and may be prone to blisters, use two pairs of socks, light ones next to your feet and heavier ones next to the shoe itself to cushion and prevent chafing. A little dash of powder also helps keep things fresh and dry. And make sure to air your shoes out nightly, maybe leaving them on the suitcase and alternate shoes during your tip.
My hot tip for great shoes are the Israeli brand Naot which are the healthiest and most comfortable ones I’ve ever used. Instead of paying $250 for a pair in Australia, I’ve ordered them in the US from zappos.com with free shipping to US addresses. Check them out at www.naot.com and compare to www.naot.com.au/
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Break Your Fast With Breakfast On The Go
It pays to start the day with a solid breakfast but hotel options can be expensive when you start your day. I always pack a small plastic jar of crunchy peanut butter and a resealable plastic container with a variety of crackers, biscuits or flatbreads for the early morning startup before heading out for a local restaurant or market to have a cheaper meal option. I also carry cereals, nuts, dried fruits and other delights in ziplock bags which can be packed into a resealable plastic container that easily serves as a breakfast bowl my own spoon, knife and fork rubber banded to it. We also carry a small electric travel jug with two cups as part of it and a coffee filter in built so we can have fresh brewed coffee in the morning or boil water for noodles mid day, especially handy when hotels don’t have jugs or open their restaurant later than you leave in early mornings.
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Wi-Fi Net Secrets
Using wireless Internet connections can be expensive at airports, hotels or in other public places. Instead of spending $10 an hour or more for temporary access to Telstra or Optus (or other services overseas, you can check for national and international Wi-Fi free hot spots.
If you’re at an airport and want to access free wi-fi, stand outside most any airline membership lounge and you’ll find that the free wi-fi signal used by members within can be accessed through the walls by turning on your computer and tuning in. You can suck up bandwidth without paying or being inside.
With hotels, you’ll find that many of the chain hotels may charge for wi-fi or cable internet access in the rooms but have free wi-fi in the lobby. I’ve often pulled up outside the front foyer of a Ramada or Radisson hotel and tapped into their wi-fi to check emails without leaving the car!
No need to use those smelly Internet cafes to log on. You’ll find coffee shops galore and bars that offer free wi-fi if you order a beverage. Of course all Apple stores offer fast free wi-fi. Same with McDonalds and most Starbucks, but you’d be better off at a public library without the smells.
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Cell Phones In The US
Probably the best way to deal with using your own cell phone in the US is to get a prepaid SIM card for your phone and my recommendation is T-Mobile, though you can also use Verizon, AT&T, Virgin, Alltel and Tracfone. Using your Australian service and roaming in the US is horrifically expensive.
The reason I use T-Mobile is that for $50 you get a SIM card and your own phone number and some phone time, but for an extra $100 you get 1000 minutes (10 cents a minute) and the phone number valid for a year. If you spend a lot of time in Los Angeles for example, get the number set for that area code so anyone calling you from there is a local call. You can change your area code after leaving. You get free roaming, voice mail, caller ID, call waiting and three way calling. So it can easily be yiur virtual office in the US. I’ve had the same Austin number for over 10 years.
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Cellular Data for your Tablet
Some of the phone data plans include add ons for tablets and laptops access to their national wi-fi networks. I use AT&T for my iPad because there are a few monthly plans that you can turn on for 30 day increments with no contract. T-Mobile has one as well but the state of flux in cell carriers being acquired means the rules change constantly.
Boingo is another service that I have used prior to the US AT&T SIM which has access to 700,000 hotspots in many countries and has a base plan for $11.95 per month with add ons. It automatically checks for free wifi wherever you are as well as its own nodes.
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Calling Back to Australia—Phone Cards
I use a Verizon International Calling Card that has a 7 cent per minute rate with no connection charge, monthly fee or other ripoff hidden costs. I’ve used Sprint and AT&T too but make sure to check the set of charges. For example, it’s 29 cents a minute if calling to a mobile US-AU rather than fixed line.
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