Lost your room?

No rooms left even though you had a reservation?

You are being "walked"

So you show up at your choice of accommodation and you find that there are no rooms. You thought you had a reservation. Now your rights to a room come down to whether you had a guaranteed reservation and what time you arrived at the front desk.

It is always strongly recommended that you reserve your room with a credit card. The establishment agrees to hold your room and if you don't show or cancel by a certain time, your card is charged for the night's stay.

Without a guaranteed reservation, the establishment should still hold your room up until a certain time, usually between 4pm and 6pm. This time varies and you should keep the hour in mind if your travel plans are cutting it close.

Sometimes we meet all the requirements and still find ourselves being walked. The establishment putting you out into the elements should find you another room at a price-comparable nearby property and transport you there. If there is a price difference, they should pick it up for you. You may also ask for additional benefits since they have "walked" you, the customer who indeed has a choice in future travel arrangements.

Such as....

Such as a free phone call to your family or office; Having your calls forwarded at no charge; Future upgrades or discounts to give them another chance at your business.

Spring cleaning your garage?

What about your car? Is it ready for the stress of your summer trips?

Optimize your car for the summer road

We clean our garage, our driveways, prepare our lawns for summer but what about our cars? The cars that we rely upon to get us through the heat and stress of a summer road trip. Here are some things to check out and keep in mind.

Under the hood. Take a look at your hoses and belts. Inspect them for wear, cracks, chips or that just-plain-old look. Give a squeeze on the hoses as they should firm but with give. If they are too hard or too soft, replace them. Push on the belts. There should about a half inch movement on them. More or less and they may need to be replaced or adjusted.

Check your fluids. Both level and quality. Check the antifreeze-coolant level, oil and washer fluid. Most other fluids don't need to be refilled. If you see that any of those are low, it is a signal of other problems and should be seen by a mechanic. In fact, an oil change is recommended before any long trips. You may not need it now, but what about halfway through your trip in a strange city? Better to get it changed by the local service that you know and can go back to in the future.

It's a good idea to keep a small stock of fluids in your vehicle on the road. Antifreeze/coolant, oil, maybe even brake fluid and power steering fluid. The containers are small and the price is cheap if it keeps you from being stranded. If you have the room, a gas can is a good idea as well. You may need either the gas inside it or the container for that long walk to the service station you passed while trying to get to the next one down the road.

Check your air conditioning early in the summer. It's best to make sure that it cools your car quickly now rather than on the hottest day of the year when you're many miles from home.

Spare tires are not designed for highway driving, either the speed or more than 50 miles. They are meant to get you to the next service station. Therefore, we recommend you buying a regular tire for your spare. Preferably the same as your other four tires, but a decent used tire will suffice as well.

We want you to have a summer vacation, not a nightmare, and to arrive at your next hotel or stay ready to enjoy every minute of it.

Do you have long standing travel plans?

What to do with that vacation time?

To travel or stay home is a choice with new meaning

Did you have travel plans before September 11th, 2001? Did you alter your travel plans or follow through on them as planned?

This is a question that many in the world have faced recently. None of us wants to let terrorism win in this world. Yet when you alter your plans because of terrorism, some may say that terrorism wins.

Only you can make that decision. I travel often, as part of both my career responsibilities and my love of travel. I currently have plans for an extensive trip to Italy. Have I canceled them? No. Have I at least thought about it? Yes. Any person would these days. How long one thinks about it is the difference between us. The biggest difference in my travel plans is that I will now be saving hundreds of dollars and facing less crowded places.

The important thing to do is to take that vacation if that's what you wanted to do. It may very well be more enjoyable and cheaper than ever. You may wish to just spend time at a nearby spa or resort. Get out the maps or explore this site and see what towns are within driving distance. My best trips have often been at the last minute or over a weekend. Being spontaneous bears fun and adventure (and great deals!).

Last minute deals and bargains abound right now. Take advantage of the great specials around the world or even in your own backyard. If you do fly and want to make it easier, try to pick smaller airports. For the most part, air travel is smoother than ever. It's the larger airline hub airports that make it difficult and have the long lines you see on television. Those are also the default airports for most people's travels. Instead of LAX in Los Angeles, try for Ontario or Burbank. Instead of San Francisco, try for Oakland or San Jose or even Sacramento. And you may want to avoid Denver International altogether. Florida airports are running smoothly and crowds are down so your warm winter getaway will be better than ever.

Traveling abroad, you may want to avoid going to certain eastern countries at this present time, but most in the world are as safe as ever.

The world was affected by recent events and many countries are showing sympathy for Americans as well as all the countries that took a loss. However, these days require caution and common sense. We always recommend trying to blend in with locals in foreign countries and cities and this takes on new meaning these days. Americans can be proud of their country without being an obvious target. Leave the hats and coats bearing American based logos at home. Wear neutral colors and avoid the latest trendy fads. As we usually recommend, at least attempt to speak the native language and follow basic customs. Carry your phrase book, practice the basics like "hello" and make the best of it. Showing an effort to accommodate goes a long way to getting some great foreign hospitality in return.

I hope to see you away from home!

Do you have strategies for traveling?

Planning is more important than ever

The freedom to exercise or not, the freedom to travel

We travel and enjoy it personally and professionally. Your choice to travel is your choice alone. If you don't feel comfortable venturing away from home, don't do it. If you do choose to travel, go full steam and enjoy it to the max.

E-tickets or paper? Proceed with extra caution as you book airfare online these days. Take the time to read the fine print before you buy. Electronic tickets have always been a luxury. I've used them since day one and as a person who never checks luggage, it allowed me to go directly to the gate. Today, I recommend getting paper tickets ahead of time. With them in hand and only a carry on bad, you can still bypass the check in counter and proceed directly to the gate. You must have a receipt for your electronic ticket in hand to proceed past terminal security. In some places, this is not good enough. Puerto Rico for example, you must have a paper ticket or a printed receipt from the airline desk. So you may wind up standing in an extra long line instead of avoiding one! A paper ticket solves that issue.

If your flight is cancelled, a paper ticket can be easily transferred to another flight or another airline. An e-ticket puts you in an extra line. You must first stand in line to get a paper ticket and then another line to get it transferred. By that time, the seats may be gone and you may be looking for a hotel room.

Insurance deserves a second look. Previously, I wasn't too keen on insurance as long as I was certain I was going on the trip. Today, I recommend looking at more closely. For a cruise or any major tour package, I recommend it. The initial cost is minimal and but the risk and chance of problems is greater. Always fly in the day before a cruise or tour. With flights getting canceled, bumped and delayed on a regular basis, you can not afford to cut it so close. The price of one night in a hotel is less than the cost of an extra flight to catch up with your cruise ship in another country!

Pack light. Prepare to have your nicely packed travel bag dumped out onto a table in the airport. Using clear plastic bags to separate your items will help. They can segment your items for easy repacking. Buy your toiletries at your destination. Razors, scissors, clippers, aerosol cans may all be confiscated at airports. This only costs you more money in the end and delays fellow travelers. Do not gift wrap presents, as they will only be torn open at the airport. The best thing is to ship them separately or wrap them at your destination.

Charge your batteries. Any electronic device (laptops, cell phones, cd players, games, etc) will be inspected and you'll probably have to turn it on for security to show that it's a real working device.

Sports enthusiasts. Avoid wearing or carrying any clothing you may have used at the gun club or rifle range or anyplace where guns may be fired. Sensors may detect residue from firearms or explosive material. You'll then be enjoying the company of airport security for quite some time as your plane arrives at your destination.

Bring a good book and small change. This is the best advice for an enjoyable trip. No matter how long the wait, if you have a good book and maybe a soda or snack, it will be tolerable. Using the time wisely, enjoyably and productively will reduce the stress of travel this season or any time of the year.

Travel smart and your trip will be enjoyable.

Need more room? A kitchen in your room?

Extended stay hotels are more popular than ever.

You may not need to throw the leftovers away or sit in the lobby to find a comfortable couch and internet service. Extended stay hotels are more common and more affordable for everyone these days.

Are you a modern day road warrior or just the occasional traveler who wants a few comforts of home? Perhaps you want to save some money and stock your own food and drinks while attending that conference. Maybe you are part of a family who needs to stretch the vacation budget without signing charge receipts or leaving tips for every hunger pain.

One option while traveling would be to look into the growing variations of extended stay hotels. Brands such as Extended Stay America, Homestead and many others are offering higher value for travelers. Facilities that once were only found in suites at high end hotels and resorts are now offered at a bargain price.

Extended stay lodging is now more accessible in all-suite hotels, corporate serviced apartments and limited service hotels. They have built-in kitchen facilities and a residential atmosphere. They often include groceries by providing a small convenience store on property like Summerfield Suites by Wyndham has in most of their hotels. Some others even have social hours and barbeques to make some new friends or do a little extra networking.

Instead of being confined to a month's lease or a weekly rental in a rundown motel, you can find these extended stay hotels across the country in mostly new and convenient locations. Marriott is a leader with Residence Inn, Towneplace Suites, SpringHill Suites and ExecuStay brands. They appeal to a variety of levels and price classes.

"We are seeing more and more business travelers use these types of lodging. We have built out a separate directory for extended stay hotels to make it easier to pick them out of the listings as well," says Adam Longfellow of AllStays.com. (/Extended-Stays/extendedstays.htm) "They are great for smaller companies or business owners who are more concerned with their bottom line these days. Or anyone who just doesn't want to eat out repeatedly during a week. They can buy their own food and drinks at a grocery store or throw the restaurant leftovers in the fridge in the kitchen. Plus many of the extended stay hotels have free high speed internet with a workspace. All at a much lower price than a nice hotel."

The upper level extended stay hotels may even do the grocery shopping for you. Homewood Suites by Hilton offers this service. Other upper level extended stay hotels include Residence Inns and the Summerfield Suites by Wyndham. Midrange brands include Mainstay Suites, Candlewood, Sierra Suites, Staybridge Suites and TownePlace Suites. The economy tier and probably most widespread has Extended Stay America, Homestead Village and Suburban Lodge.

You can stay more comfortably for a longer time at almost any price range you'd like. Even Ritz-Carlton is adding more extended stay hotel suites. You don't have to be a business person or frequent traveler. You just may want to be more comfortable in a room while you are there.

AllStays.com, online since 2000 and based in Arizona (US), lists all kinds of lodging, from primitive campgrounds and RV Parks to luxury and haunted hotels and spa resorts. AllStays also links directly to official websites to make sure you have the real scoop on the latest and most accurate information.

Traveling this season?

Here are a few tips and things to look out for while away from home.

Traveling for the holidays can be easier. Here are a few tips to help avoid a few of the headaches and roadblocks along the way to see friends and family.

Heading to the Airport

Hopefully you booked early, got a good rate and are traveling with some flexibility. If not, you'll be like most of us. You may have already checked in and printed out your boarding passes. Many airline websites let you do this at home. If not, try to find a kiosk at the airport to check in and avoid the lines. If you don't need to speak with airline personnel, don't sweat the lines. Try to use public transportation or get a ride to the airport. Parking lots tend to fill up quickly around the holiday travel season. To reduce the airport shuttle fare, see if you can leave your car closer to the airport, with a friend or even at your workplace.

The Transportation Security Administration provides expected wait times (http://waittime.tsa.dhs.gov) for the security checkpoints at various airports. This does not include time for parking and airline check-in. The TSA also has an accepted lock list for your luggage. If you do not use one of these locks, you run the risk of your bag or lock being cut open by screeners. This is also the place where a sense of humor or temper has to be kept buried inside you. Any inappropriate jokes or statements are taken seriously and subject to both civil and criminal penalties, and could cause you to miss your flight.

Every morning, airports around the country start fresh with planes on the ground. The earlier your flight, the more likely it will be on time. Other airports and storms haven't had a chance to create havoc with your holiday. And if you are on the west coast, try to go even earlier. Remember that eastern airports have a head start on messing up your schedule.

Carrying with You

Plastic compression or space bags really do work. They compress your clothes down and let you carry more (and maybe unnecessary) items with you, as long as you don't leave a stray piece of metal or zipper hanging out to puncture it. Try to wear several layers of clothes once in the airport so you can take off or add something to be comfortable. Jonathan Stocker of AllStays (/) recommends carrying a calling card to avoid high priced pay phone and hotel charges. "Hotel and airport phone rates vary wildly so a calling card is the best bet. Cell phones don't always work when you want them to on the road. If crossing country borders, we recommend carrying a color photocopy of your passport and credit card phone numbers in your money belt or tucked away in your luggage, somewhere apart from your original. It helps during troubles or if yours is lost. It's also good to print out any emails and confirmations of reservations of both flights and hotels. If over the phone, with us or any travel service, write down the date, time and name of the customer service person."

Screening

To make the screening process a bit smoother this holiday travel season, you may want to empty your pockets, take off your jewelry, your belt and your shoes and put everything into your carry-on as you head into or stand in line. You may also carry a ziplock bag that you can fill ahead of time and drop into the smaller basket at the metal detector. This is handy for keys, change, or anything you want to have immediate access to on the other side of security. Laptops and video cameras have to be removed from cases and placed in plastic bins as well. If you are selected for further screening or pat-downs, you have the right to request a private area. This may not please the screener personnel but it is your right.

Gifts

You may want to check into shipping your packages ahead of time. It's often easier and safer to mail them ahead of time than it is to carry them on or risk loss and damage in cargo. You may also want to look at large merchant websites that have branches in other countries. You could order gifts direct from an international version of Amazon.com within your destination country and save on some shipping charges. If you do carry them, bring all gifts unwrapped to an airport. It is rather sad seeing a beautifully wrapped package opened at the airport, unless you intended to give it to the screener inspecting it. You may wish to use holiday bags or boxes to help hide a gift but still have it be accessible.

Before and during a flight

Drink water early in the day of your holiday travel flight. This gets you well hydrated ahead of time. Keep drinking fluids throughout your travels or as much as convenient. This helps to keep your mucous membranes from cracking which opens you up to more germs. Turn off the air vents or direct them away from you. This is recycled air and you don't need it and it’s germs blowing directly on you. Most airlines have cut back or eliminated pillows and blankets. This is just as well since you don't know where they've been before you got them. Use your own travel pillow and clothes. Carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer with you and use it often. Ideally, use it after touching any public surface or money and before touching your food, your face or rubbing your eyes.

Rental Cars

Rental companies assume about 20% in no-shows. So they overbook. Try to get to the counter as soon as possible. Have a family member get your luggage while you go to the counter. Get there ahead of other travelers or you may wind up without a car on a holiday's eve.

Hotels

Book early and bring your printed confirmation with you. Just in case. "Hotels should always honor reservations, but if a mistake occurs, it could affect an entire holiday. Bring your proof of reservation or pre-payment with you," say Jonathan (/). Whatever travel website you used, mark down their service phone number along with the number of the hotel so you can call them to help sort it out. Being prepared for anything helps for a smooth holiday." Look for bargains at hotels in business areas, suite hotels and extended stays. Holiday travelers often overlook these classes of hotels and they may offer a great deal with business clients staying home this time of year.

AllStays.com, online since 2000 and based in Arizona (US), lists all kinds of lodging, from primitive campgrounds and RV Parks to luxury and haunted hotels and spa resorts. AllStays also links directly to official websites to make sure you have the real scoop on the latest and most accurate information.

Why are hotels still charging for wi-fi access? In this day and age of internet becoming a tv alternative, access should just be just as available as color television in your room.

Reception is poor in most hotel buildings and some even run jamming equipment on cell phones and electronic equipment. So even if you have cell data service, you may not be able to use it in your hotel room. And you won't know if it works until you've checked in.

The other gripe is that many hotels will advertise internet access but not say if it's for a fee or how much that fee may cost. You see internet access as an amenity, listed the same as pool, cofee, etc. So you book it, check in and then find a fee card in the room.

We recently had a case where a chain advertises free high-speed internet access with their brand name in magazine, tv and web ads. So we made this change on the site accordingly. Then we are contacted by an individual location saying that they charge $10 per 24 hour period. What is a customer to do when the chains can't be straight with themselves?

I would like to say that you should boycott these hotels but it is difficult if you are already there or have a meeting at that hotel. Hotels around conventions are often the worst offenders. They have business travelers where they want them and charge accordingly. What choice do you have at that point?

Complain and complain loudly. Let them know on comment cards and at the front desk that you won't be back. That no one in your business will be back. That you will mention this on the convention survey so the whole event could possibly relocate to another hotel. Hotels are lowering rates to be competitive on internet websites like ours and then charging little fees for everything else, including things that used to be free.

Another aspect is that even if you know the cost of internet access, is it working when you are there? We hear many stories of the internet network being down or being upgraded in a hotel. You are out of luck without apologies. They may not accept the complaint as if you were saying there is no electricity. It may be critical for your visit but it's not an important utility to the hotels.

What do you think?

Earth Day 2007 is this Sunday April 22. It's a day to think about and take action in saving the place we all live and raise our children. Plant trees, change your recycling habits, book a room at a green hotel, eat organic or all natural. And then do the same thing on the day after Earth Day and the day after and the day after....

For more information:
Earthday Network
Earth Day International
Earth Day Wikipedia
Earth Day US Gov

Gary Indiana is quite a miserable place to drive through. After many years at the top of the list, Gary was rated the tenth most dangerous city in the United States. That may be an improvement but it's still a very scary place. We recently tried to bypass Chicago on a road trip and wound up in part of Gary, Indiana. We avoided the supposed bad part of Gary, Indiana. But this good part was much worse than any nightmare you'd care to be in.

Gary's decline was brought on by drugs, crime, and layoffs at the steel plants where although it continues to be a major steel producer, it is only at a very low level compared to past days.

We survived but it's a town worth avoiding at the expense of a few extra miles on your trip.

As time goes by, we have begun to suspect something. Do some RV Parks charge you higher rates when you arrive and are only staying one night? We always try to find parks with posted rates but many do not have this. You have to ask, what are the rates? Usually this is around the time that we also get a question to us about how many nights we are staying.

Sometimes it's even when we say, we have full tanks and batteries and don't need any hookups at all. At that time, you wish they offered a $7-12 rate for primitive spots. Instead you get the full charge even though you are not using any services but a piece of land. That's when other options look better and you will probably never come back to that rv park again. You may even criticize them on a travel website.

Of course seasonals and park residents get a huge break on the rate per night but we sometimes wonder if charging a higher rate for one night is good for business. Does it drive more of us to look for BLM land and Wal-Mart parking lots?

Have you ever pulled into a place well into the evening, said you were stopping for one night, knowing there isn't any other option for many miles, and been surprised by the rate. We have and would like to hear about your experiences as well.

As we planned a trip through the Rocky Mountains on the Amtrak California Zephyr route from San Francisco to Chicago, we noticed that they changed the route this summer. From July 8 to August 10, on Sunday through Wednesday (as of this writing on June 20, it has changed at least once already) they are going up to Wyoming and across plains and wide open spaces. This is quite a bit different than the Rocky Mountains and the Moffat Tunnel.

We only found this notice on their California Zephyr schedule PDF file and we thought it should be more noted on their route pages. If you were booking this trip based on the great scenery, you would be highly disappointed. So we have to hold off on our trip for now.

I just made plans to travel to Seattle for a business conference and have to ask who is paying all these high hotel rates? It was hard to find a room in downtown Seattle for less than $300 a night. That seems pretty crazy in today's world of lower wages and business cut backs. I've already avoided the city several times due to this fact. I just don't like to foster this kind of trend. It is one thing to be a luxury hotel and guests go there for a certain kind of treatment or experience, but a normal downtown chain like Marriott or Hilton? Business travelers are gouged because of expense accounts. Cruise travelers are gouged because they are there and it's the season for Alaska cruises and so on.

Even paying close to $300 a night, I'll probably be back on here complaining about some kind of add-on fees to that rate. Resort fee? Parking fee?

Adam

I help run this travel website and even I dread air travel these days. Once was a time when I was excited about flying. I loved going to the airport knowing I was going to see new places and people. I used to even like to go early and watch other people get on flights to other fantastic destinations that I could only dream about. People were happy.

Now I think about taking off shoes, standing in lines and obeying stupid rules that make no sense at all. A person can't try to be funny or frank with anyone because they may label you a troublemaker. We all have to be serious and grim. We have to act like scared children going into the principals office. We need to behave like a politician and show no personality at all. You can however, pay for lots of alcohol on a plane and make the flight miserable for everyone else. The airline is making money so it's okay.

No peanuts! The rights of the many succumb to the rights of the few. If you have an allergy, it is not your responsibility to avoid it or carry your medicine. Just make everyone else responsible for your safety and become outraged if someone else wants to eat something that may have once been close to a peanut.

Years after 9/11, we are not any more safe. we just have less freedom and more annoyances. Now the airlines have an excuse not to let you sell your ticket or give it to someone else. The airports have an excuse to make you throw something out of your luggage even though they'll sell you a replacement on the other side of security.

No profiling allowed. If you look like a bad guy, you'll get waved on through without question. If you look like a school teacher, an 80 year old lady or a cute young girl, you'll get examined like an apple in a strawberry patch. I've seen more young girls in bikini tops and short shorts get patted down than Arab looking guys in overcoats. The girl couldn't hide a safety pin in her clothes while the guy could be carrying a injection molded bazooka. Make your skin darker and wear a trench coat to get right through.

Cargo is still not screened and crooked baggage handlers outnumber the bad guys. I've said for years, if you have an elaborate plan to breach security, you just go get a job at an airport and bring your stuff right in the back door. Just like a spy, one can be a good employee for many months, even years before doing what they think has to be done. Giving up freedom for fake security is shameful and we're becoming veterans at it.