Travel plans

  Years ago I worked for an airline, I miss it dearly (the pay & stress were awful, but the perks were great!).  So, because of my experience, some of our friends use me as their "personal travel agent".  I don't mind helping them at all, in fact I enjoy finding great deals on airfare, car rental or hotel for them.  I haven't done it in awhile, so a few weeks ago when I was asked to help our friends with their vacation plans I said "be glad to".
  As I said, it's been awhile, so I forgot just what an undertaking it could be at times.  We  own a timeshare condo so we let them use a week of it "no problem" I thought.  The problem was when I tried to book the week they wanted at the location they wanted, it was full.  I spent at least a whole day going back and forth between our friends and the condo reservation center, then to add another wrinkle, they were using an airline flight voucher for their tickets.   Using a voucher for their tickets of course meant that they were limited to one airline's destinations (the airline has limited destinations also), so the timeshare condo options were very limited for availibility.  Also they needed a rental car booked, and the company that they had a discount for was not available some of the airline's destinations.
  The other thing was, that any place they were going had to have a major league baseball team playing during that week, because they want to see a game at a stadium they've never been to before.  Again, less options!  Even with all of these things, I still didn't mind doing this for them, in fact I saw it as a challenge that I would win!  Oh and by the way, also couldn't book anything online because they didn't want their credit card information "out there in cyberspace".  Had to look online then book the old fashioned way, by phone.
  Sometimes travel planning can be a nightmare, but when all was said and done, did what I set out to do.  I got their vacation booking done with all their requests included, and I'm happy I could help.
  I really do enjoy helping others.  I do believe "What goes around, comes around".

Where I'm going/ Where I've been

Where am I going? I don't know. My husband and I are in the process of figuring out where we want to go on our next vacation. We always want to go somewhere new and explore what that destination has to offer. Anytime we talk about new places to go, I think about where I've been. I find myself looking through my photo albums, taking mini vacations down memory lane. I posted some of my favorite pictures here.

Hello Again!

Hello again to everyone out there! I've been gone for way too long! After taking a break during the holidays and spending time with my family out in sunny California, I am back! My husband and I had a wonderful Christmas with just the two of us in a cabin tucked away in a snowy forest, about 50 feet from a beautiful lake! We had quite a few welcomed daily visitors of the four legged kind that greeted us each morning, and returned each late afternoon. Our "company" was so cute, I couldn't resist taking their pictures! We also traveled to New York city and did the typical "touristy" things such as walking in Times Square, seeing the beautiful tree at Rockefeller Center, walking past Radio City Music Hall, and viewing the Staue of Liberty from Battery Park!
Along with travelling, I've been once again exploring the "artist in me", doing some painting, drawing, photography etc... I've even sold a few of my creations! It surprises me what the combination of "winter doldrums", family, and everday life can sometimes bring out in me artistically.

Vacation/Travel tips

It's summertime and I know lot of people out there are going to hit the road or take to the skies to start their vacations! I'm a former airline agent and I thought I would offer a few airline passenger travel tips from an "insider's point of view". These tips can help you get your trip off to a less "stressful" start.

Before you get to the airport, make sure you have a address tag on both the outside and inside of your luggage and your carry on bag. I always suggest an address tag on the inside just in case the one on the outside breaks off, this is helpful to the baggage service office to look your name up in their system should something happen to your luggage. Another thing I suggest is to make a note of a couple of specific items packed in check in luggage, for example: blue hair dryer, red shorts etc...This helps any baggage service office locate your lost bag faster, in case the flight bag tag or your address tag has been broken off.

Remember airlines are NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR HANDLES, WHEELS, ZIPPERS, TAGS being broken off bags.

Please DO NOT PACK VALUABLES, MEDICINES, MONEY, KEYS etc... in your checked luggage.

When you arrive at the check in counter, have your I.D. and reservation confirmation # in hand, this will make check in quicker for you and the airline agent checking you in. Also, have your check in luggage loaded onto the scale, this makes it much easier for the agent to tag your bags.

While you are in line at the security check point, have your boarding pass and I.D. in hand. Since they are scanning shoes, take off your shoes while you are waiting in line, this way you are ready to put your shoes through the scanner when you get to the check point. Another good thing to do is to have your carry on, any jacket you may have on in hand and ready to put through the scanner when you get to the check point. These simple tips will make going through security quicker for everyone!

When you are in the gate area, pay close attention to your departure time and to all gate announcements. Most airlines END BOARDING TIME ten minutes before departure, to help ensure an on time departure. Once the aircraft doors are closed, they cannot be reopened until the flight reaches it's destination. Airlines are not liable for anyone missing their flight if they are not in the gate area and missed announcements! They will rebook you on the next available flight but are NOT REQUIRED TO GIVE COMPENSATION for anyone missing their flight because they were not paying attention.

When boarding your flight, decide where you are going to stow your carry on ahead of time( either overhead or under the seat in front of you). Also, take off anything like backpacks, jackets before you board the flight and have them in hand so you can stow them quickly before you sit in your seat. Following these little tips will help keep the airplane aisle clearer and make boarding quicker.

If your flight is cancelled, please do not get angry with the airline agents, they are not responsible for your flight being cancelled! They are there to assist you! Be patient, airlines are not responsible for weather delays or cancellations THERE ARE NO AMMENITIES DUE TO WEATHER OR "ACTS OF GOD"! Airlines are not required to provide hotel accomodations or any kind of compensation unless you are delayed over 4 hours due to a mechanical problem or air traffic control delay!

I hope some of these tips are helpful, I will have some more in a later post. Bye for now, and happy travels!