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.
The following information is from Medicare. It would be good idea to check your policy before you travel.
Travel
Medicare usually doesn’t cover health care while you’re traveling outside the United States. There are some exceptions, including some cases where Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) may pay for services that you get on board a ship within the territorial waters adjoining the land areas of the U.S.
Medicare may pay for inpatient hospital, doctor, ambulance services, or dialysis you get in a foreign country in these rare cases:
You’re in the U.S. when a medical emergency occurs, and the foreign hospital is closer than the nearest U.S. hospital that can treat your medical condition.
You’re traveling through Canada without unreasonable delay by the most direct route between Alaska and another state when a medical emergency occurs, and the Canadian hospital is closer than the nearest U.S. hospital that can treat the emergency.
You live in the U.S. and the foreign hospital is closer to your home than the nearest U.S. hospital that can treat your medical condition, regardless of whether an emergency exists.
In some cases, Medicare may cover medically necessary health care services you get on board a ship within the territorial waters adjoining the land areas of the U.S. Medicare won’t pay for health care services you get when a ship is more than 6 hours away from a U.S. port.
Medicare drug plans don’t cover
prescription drugs you buy outside the U.S.
Your
costs in Original Medicare
You pay 100% of the costs, in most cases. In the situations described above, you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount, and the Part B deductible applies.
In the situations above, Medicare pays only for services covered under Original Medicare:
Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) covers hospital care (care you get when you’ve been formally admitted with a doctor’s order to the foreign hospital as an inpatient).
Part B covers emergency and non-emergency ambulance and doctor services you get immediately before and during your covered foreign inpatient hospital stay. Medicare generally won’t pay for services (like return ambulance trips home) in either of these cases:
Medicare didn’t cover your hospital stay.
You got ambulance and doctor services outside the hospital after your covered hospital stay ended.
You pay the part of the charge you would normally pay for covered services. This includes any medically necessary doctor and ambulance services you get in a foreign country as part of a covered inpatient hospital stay. You also pay the coinsurance, co-payments, and deductibles you’d normally pay if you got these same services or supplies inside the U.S.
Note
Foreign hospitals aren’t required to file Medicare claims. You need to submit an itemized bill to Medicare for your doctor, inpatient, and ambulance services if both of these apply:
You’re admitted to a foreign hospital under one of the situations
above
The foreign hospital doesn’t submit Medicare claims for you
Note
To find out how much your test,
item, or service will cost, talk to your doctor or health care provider. The
specific amount you’ll owe may depend on several things, like:
Other insurance you may have
How much your doctor charges
Whether your doctor accepts assignment
The type of facility
Where you get your test, item, or service
Things
to know
The 50 states, the District of
Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana
Islands, and American Samoa are considered part of the U.S.
Medicare drug plans don’t cover
prescription drugs you buy outside the U.S.
Because Medicare has limited
coverage of health care services outside the U.S., you may choose to buy a
travel insurance policy to get more coverage. An insurance agent or travel
agent can give you more information about buying travel insurance. Travel
insurance doesn’t necessarily include health insurance, so it’s important to
read the conditions or restrictions carefully.
Sometimes it’s hard to decide what souvenir to buy for yourself or for a friend, house sitter, or kitty sitter. Sometimes it’s finding the right gift for a birthday gift. Maybe it’s bringing back something from your travels that reminds you of your great trip.
Most of the time I like a souvenir that reminds me of the place I
visited. It could be a piece connected to the culture of that place. Or, it may
mean I found it at a favorite street market.
Sometimes, the best souvenirs connect to a passion. I bought a hand
painted scarf from Paris to give to an art lover and some olive wood spoons at
a street market in Provence for a friend who loves to cook.
What about bringing a souvenir you can eat? Giving fleur du sel from a market in Burgundy is the perfect gift or as a great souvenir for me!
You might not think of your pictures as souvenirs, but travel photos are
a fantastic reminder of the great times you had. I make small books, with 15 to
20 photos and give to our travel companions.
Typically, I don’t buy heavy or bulky items. Unless, of course, it’s the
perfect thing I’ve been looking for. I will pay to have it shipped…but keep in
mind there are fees and regulations you might have to deal with.
Whatever you buy, make sure it’s legal to bring home. TSA has
regulations. Customs has regulations. And the airlines have regulations. No
sense picking up some salami to bring home and watch as it’s dumped into the
trash when you go through security. Double check the regulations before you
purchase and save yourself the nightmare.
Maybe you’re getting
ready to fly somewhere this holiday season and have gifts. Or, maybe you’ve
been somewhere and want to bring home some souvenirs.
Do you know the TSA rules and guidelines?
Avoid
anything that appears to be a weapon. Even a toy weapon. This might be common
sense…but TSA says those toys look like the real thing in a scanner.
Instead of
putting them in your carry-on…place them in checked baggage.
Also, avoid
strong liquors over 140 proof. This means absinthe, rum, or anything with more
than 70% alcohol. It doesn’t matter if it’s in your carry-on. TSA will take it.
Speaking of
three ounce liquids in your carry-on, this applies to ALL liquids, even bottles
of liquor or wine.
I know it
seems odd, but don’t gift wrap your gifts. They probably will be unwrapped.
Instead, use gift bags, or wait until you arrive to wrap them.
Keep in mind
if you are traveling from overseas…international food souvenirs like meats and
cheeses will probably be tossed. This isn’t a TSA rule, but a customs and
agriculture regulation.
Last…don’t
bring home or take as a gift a snow globe. Yep…a snow globe. Especially if it
is bigger than a tennis ball. Why? The liquid in them is most likely more than
three ounces. Who would have thought?
