We’ve all been there. You’re at the airport with time to
waste and you start looking through the shops.
But, what you’re buying may not be a good deal.
Think about these…
Do you think duty free means a good deal? Probably not. It’s
best to know what things cost before you rush to spend your travel money on
duty free.
You forgot your neck pillow. So, you’ll just pick up a cheap
one at the airport. Right? Again…probably not the best use of your money.
You’re in a foreign country’s airport and you need a
magazine to read. Not a big ticket item…right? Maybe not. But, be sure to check
before you head to the counter to pay. It may cost a lot more than you thought.
And, it may be a few months older than you thought.
Wi-fi can be expensive in some airports. It’s best to head
to a coffee shop if you really need to use wi-fi while you wait.
How about that bottle of water you’d like to have while
waiting for your flight? I’ve seen a small bottle go for as much as $8.00. The
solution? Bring a refillable bottle or a collapsible bottle and fill it at a
refilling fountain. Some restaurants will even refill it for you.
I’ve mentioned this before. If you can help it…don’t exchange
currency at the airport. It will almost always be a higher exchange rate.
Last minute souvenirs can be expensive. Plan ahead and don’t
buy them at the airport.
Toothpaste…we all travel with it. Do you buy the little tubes to put in your carry on? If so, how long do they last and what do you do with the leftover tube?
If you are like me, you throw them away. I mean…what else
are you going to do with the worn-out tubes? Right?
Did you know that over 1 Billion tubes are thrown out every
year? That’s a lot of toothpaste tubes. But, we need the toothpaste.
How can we rethink our travel toothpaste? That’s what one
entrepreneur asked herself. Since she’s also concerned about unnecessary waste
in our landfills…she had two reasons to develop a solution.
So, she did something about it.
And, recently I discovered what her solution is. It’s a
different kind of toothpaste, delivered in a different kind of container. The
company is called Bite and the toothpaste is called Bits.
I ordered it…I tried it…I’m a believer and it will be the only toothpaste I travel with from now on.
When I interviewed Lindsay McCormick, the CEO and founder of
the company, I learned how she decided to do something about saving our planet
from the waste of the discarded tubes of toothpaste. Not only did she want to
do something about the tubes, but she was also concerned about the ingredients
in the toothpaste. She talked to dentists, she got feedback from travelers, she
experimented with tastes, and she wanted high quality ingredients and
materials.
Keeping with the sustainable mindset, the Bits come in a
glass bottle. They are shipped in recycled boxes and everything is compostable.
When you reorder, your Bits come in recycled envelopes and you add them to the
original bottle. They’re made in the US, with the lab in southern California.
Her company is working to get ADA accreditation for a
fluoride line sometime in 2019.
Like I said…this will be the toothpaste I travel going
forward. You’ll have to try it for yourself.
We’ve all made mistakes when traveling. Hopefully, yours didn’t ruin your trip.
As a reminder, when you start to think about traveling abroad, check out
these helpful tips.
Be sure to pack a travel power adapter. I put mine in my bag with my
phone charging cord. That way, I have my power sources together.
Check the voltage in the country you are traveling to. Typically, we run
on 110 volts in the US. The voltage is higher in Europe and you’ll blow up your
hair dryer if you aren’t aware of the voltage.
Check your passport. Make sure the expiration date is not within at least six months of your return date. You don’t want to get to the airport and not be able to leave on your trip because your passport expires a month after you return.
Pack the right clothes…and shoes. Think about what you will be doing and
pack accordingly. Having your favorite heels might not be the best use of space
in your luggage. I make a list and then trim in down. No need to take things I’m
not going to wear or use.
Don’t assume everyone speaks English. Learn some common phrase at the
minimum. If nothing else, when you attempt to say please or thank you, you come
across as being polite.
Don’t expect your phone to work in Europe. Your phone plan probably
won’t. Plan ahead and either talk to your carrier about their international
plan or buy a SIM card when you arrive.
Plan ahead for money as well. Exchanging money at the airport when you
land is probably not your best option. The exchange rate will not be your
friend. If you will need a lot of money when you land, consider getting some at
your bank before you go. Check the rate, however. Otherwise, know which ATM’s will
be best for you to use.
If something does go wrong…don’t let it ruin your trip. Treat it like an
adventure…one you just hadn’t planned on having.
Security at the airport. Changes have already started
at some airports.
How about this? You only need to look at a camera to be identified when traveling through an airport. Sound like a better idea than keeping your ID handy?
This facial-recognition technology, biometrics, is
being implemented at airports around the country. Delta rolled out a
facial-recognition option from curb to gate for international travelers leaving
from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport’s Terminal F. Other
airlines have begun limited use of biometrics.
‘At the check-in desk or self-service kiosk, you can
choose the biometric option and have your photo taken. The photo will then bematched
with others in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) database, such as
those for passports or visas. If there are no red flags, a green check mark
will flash on the screen and you will be able to go directly to the TSA
security checkpoint (where your face will be scanned again),
then to the gate (scanned again) and finally to yourseat on the
airplane.’
Of course, you still need your passport. But, this may
offer you one less thing to keep in your hand and help speed your check-in
process.
Other airports testing this include Miami, Orlando,
Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Chicago. They are using this at check in.
One goal is to catch imposters, which apparently has
already begun.
The next time you head to the airport, you might want
to comb your hair. Just sayin…
AARP conducted a national, online survey about travel last September. There were 1,724 people answering, both male and female. All were over 21, but not necessarily retired. They had taken at least one trip of 50 or more miles with a two-night stay away from home in the past two years. All had indicated intentions of taking a trip in 2019.
Reading some of their results,
many echo trips I’m planning.
Check out these results and see
if they match your plans for travel in 2019.
Baby Boomers expect to take at least 4 leisure trips this year, with half of those abroad. Many have already selected their destinations…and it’s only January.
The survey found many people book
their trips abroad at least nine months in advance. Is that true for you?
Domestic trips for 2019 revolve
around weekend getaways, summer vacation trips with the grandkids, and bucket
list destinations.
How about technology? We all know
it plays a role in vacation planning. What about once you’re on vacation? Apparently,
92% of travelers bring a smart phone with them on domestic vacations. Photos
and email seem to be the main reasons why. For international travel, 54% bring
one.
What about you? Do you bring your phone and use it as a phone or just check your email?
For me, I do book nine months in
advance if I’m looking for a particular destination. I also take my smartphone
and use it for more than email. Traveling internationally doesn’t mean I can’t
use my phone. It also doesn’t mean I have to pay high fees. There are many
options for using your phone while abroad.
Every magazine and travel site have their lists of places to visit in a new year. It’s interesting to see how many places appear on more than one site.
Does that mean everyone will be going to the same sites or take the same trips in 2019? I doubt it.
Are these budget destinations? Some are, but not all can be
considered budget.
Here are some listed by Hopper, a company using big data to help
consumers predict and analyze their airfare costs. According to them, these
destinations have flights where the cost dropped the most from the first part
of 2018 to now.
Iceland…the Icelandic krona to the US dollar is better for you by
18% this year.
Buenos Aires…the Argentine peso lost 54% of its value against the US
dollar last year.
France…flights are an average of 30% cheaper than this time last
year and the Euro is down 4% now. This might be a good time to head to the
celebrations surrounding D-Day. June 6 is the 75th anniversary.
Columbia…flights are down in price, so it could be a great time to
take in the annual flower festival.
Dominica…after the major hurricane, the government and volunteers
have brought back the island’s top attractions.
Finland and Lithuania…apparently Finland has seen a 35% drop in the
average price of flights from the US and Lithuania is a cheap 75-minute flight
from Helsinki.
Are any of these on your list for 2019?
Or, do you have other places you can’t wait to visit?
If you think you’re too old to travel…think again. I mean, you have more time now. Right?
If you’re worried about health care, do a little extra planning. Research
where you’re going, where the hospitals are in relation to where you’re
staying, get copies of all your prescriptions, check your travel insurance, and
bring some extra medications with you. If you’re at a hotel, ask the concierge
where the closest pharmacy is or how to get to the hospital in case of an
emergency.
If you’re worried about getting around, again some extra planning goes a long ways. Don’t think you need to climb to the top of every bell tower in every hill town in Tuscany.
Worried about driving in an unfamiliar country? Hire a driver or sign up
for a small tour.
Wondering about that long flight? Check out business class. Your credit
card miles may be able to help with the cost.
Thinking about costs? Don’t forget to research senior discounts. You may be pleasantly surprised. Check out train passes if you’re planning on traveling by train.
Bottom line…if you want to travel, there’s a way to travel at any age.
Have you really looked at your boarding pass? All of it? Have you seen a code you weren’t familiar with?
One code you really don’t want to see are the letters
SSSS. For one thing, your security process will no doubt take a lot longer.
Why?
Those four letters mean Secondary Security Screening Selection.
That means you are one who has been selected for a security screening different
than everyone else. It most likely means a full pat down, additional portable
metal detectors, your carry-on luggage examined fully, and additional scrutiny.
According to a TSA spokesperson, passengers who have the
code on their boarding passes are selected through the TSA’s Security Flight
System, a prescreening program that identifies both low and high-risk
passengers before they get to the airport.
This system matches names against trusted traveler lists
and the TSA’s watchlist. They also said it could just be a random selection and
nothing you’ve ever done.
Chances are if you have SSSS, you won’t be able to print
your boarding pass online at home or at a hotel. If that happens, make sure you
get to the airport early and allow enough extra time for the screening process.
What can you do in addition? TSA says you can apply for a
Redress Number. If you have had the SSSS show up more than once, this would be
a good thing to look into. Basically, it’s a case number specifically for you.
This would clear up any confusion if your name matches or is similar to someone
who really is on a Homeland Security watch list or has given TSA a reason to
perform extra screening.
When visiting the village of Les Baux-de-Provence, we were told to visit the old quarry. “Go to the light show. It is in the old quarry. You’ll see Picassos there. It is amazing.”
A light show in an old quarry? With Picassos? Sure. It’s
probably worth seeing what it is.
Expecting some drawings on the quarry walls, lit with spotlights,
we made our way out of the village, down the road, to the old quarry. I’m sure
we were thinking this would be underwhelming…at best.
Well…first of all, it was not what we were expecting.
Yes. It was an old quarry. Old being the operative word.
The quarry was where the Les Baux stone was extracted. This
stone from the south of France is slightly calcareous limestone, fine-grained,
whiteish in color. It results from the compaction of calcium carbonate on
calcareous sand. Marine fossils have been found in the rock.
The quarry was dampish and coolish. And, huge.
Back in the 19th century, this stone was in demand for building. Hence, the enlarging of the quarry to meet those demands. At the time the quarry was referred to as Les Grands Fonds. Today it is called Les Carrieres de Lumieres.
Following WWI, the demands lessened so much that the quarry
was closed until about 1959. A visionary genius, Jean Cocteau, loved the beauty
and simplicity of the old quarry. He filmed The Testament of Orpheus here.
In 1977 Joseph Svoboda, a scenographer, decided the walls
would make a great backdrop for a light and sound show. Since then, the
management developed a unique concept for the site. AMIEX is a registered name,
Art & Music Immersive Experience.
Now, music and art come together on the walls of this
massive place. Monet, Renoir, Chagall, Klimt, Vienna, Michelangelo, de Vinci,
Raphael, Bosch, Brueghel, Arcimboldo have all been showcased.
A light show? Oh my. That doesn’t even begin to describe it.
We stepped inside a basically dark cavernous space and were
met with the Flower Power movement, Sixties Music, Hippies, Peace and Love,
Sgt. Pepper, Hendrix, the Stones, the Beach Boys. Each song accompanied by
swirling lights, flashing colors, and dancing people. All displayed on the
walls and floor of the quarry. Talk about a party.
If you’re prone to motion sickness, don’t look down at the floor. It’s moving. I think.
When this journey ended, the lights softly came on. We could
see how huge this place is and the white quarry walls with their marks where
immense blocks of limestone had been cut out years ago. As the lights once
again dimmed, we were taken through a journey of the Spanish masters’
paintings. All projected on the walls. Some were shown straight ahead. Some moved
around the walls and corners, from one wall to the next. Music played. Goya was
there. So were Rusinol, Zuloaga, Sorolla.
Then followed Picasso. The entire experience was an intense
lesson in discovering a century of Spanish painting. All up close and personal.
All bigger than big. Portraits, beach scenes, rustic, gardens…all brought to
life right in front of us.
Once the lights came back up, we wandered around the monumental
space of the quarry. It was impressive, even without the light show.
How did they do it? The digital and immersive exhibitions are
presented with thousands of moving images of digitized works. They are brought
to life by the cutting edge of AMIEX technical equipment.
Those white limestone walls are the perfect background for
the hundred projectors to transform the masterpieces. Or the Sixties.
Again…not just some light show. Not just a few paintings.
You have to go…trust me.
If You Go: Carrieres de Lumieres is located at Route de
Maillane 13520 Les Baux-de-Provence. It is 800 m from the Chateau des
Baux-de-Provence.
It seems many people make New Year’s Resolutions. Usually, they revolve around fitness and eating.
Mine almost always have something to do with travel. How about you?
If you are thinking about traveling in 2019…think about incorporating
some of these into your travel resolutions.
Visit somewhere new…somewhere you’ve never been before. It could be a local attraction, or it could be a new country.
Stay longer than a couple of days in one place. Get to know the area,
where the locals eat and shop, and what the area is really like outside of your
hotel.
Take notes. You don’t have to write a novel. Just jot down your favorite
places and why.
Stay somewhere different than where you normally would stay. If you
always stay in a five-star hotel, try a vacation rental. If you gravitate to
big cities…stay in a small town. Or, if you never set foot outside the airport
in a large city…try heading into the city for a few days.
Look at your travel gadgets and make an upgrade. Maybe you could try a new lens for your camera or phone. How about a pocket-size wireless router?
Travel somewhere to see an endangered animal, visit a world heritage
site, or take a trip to a place you’ve always been meaning to visit.
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