Travel Thoughts and Tips

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I’ve been thinking about things that happen when you travel. My conclusions are geared more to vacation travel than business travel but maybe not. You decide.

 Handout shows a Southwest Airlines plane sitting on the tarmac, after landing without its nose gear, at LaGuardia airport in New York

#1. Don’t Sweat it!

Be mentally prepared for Murphy’s Law. Whatever can go wrong will, and at the worst possible time. If you travel much it will happen to you. Your flight will be delayed, you’ll miss a connection or maybe your flight will be canceled altogether. (Bad weather or other unforeseen problem).

If you are traveling for vacation that can be annoying but it’s not the end of the world. Sit back and relax and go with the flow. Your gate attendant or other representative will be working as fast as possible to reroute you or assist you. (Business travelers may have a bit more of a problem but a few phone calls should set the record straight so you can take the delay in stride.)

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#2. Your flight is grounded /delayed due to mechanical problems.

Yay! Be happy they found the problem on the ground and not at 30,000 ft. Rest assured they have mechanics crawling all over that plane to solve the problem. The crew isn’t any more anxious to fly on a broken plane than you are.

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#3. Your flight is over booked.

This can be a great opportunity. Are the gate attendants begging for someone to give up their seat? If you are flexible and don’t mind the delay, talk to them. I’ve seen vouchers for future travel that came close to $1000. I’ve personally received overnight accommodations and an upgrade to a direct flight for giving up my seat. I just had to be willing to travel the next day. I’ve also received an upgrade to first class just by giving up the seat in economy on that flight and taking a later flight that the attendant booked for me.

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#4 Don’t Sleep in

This may be counter intuitive but I strongly suggest rising early. I know you are on vacation. Time to kick back and relax, right. Well, yes and no. Wherever you’ve gone you’ve traveled a long way to get there. Do you really want to waste time in bed? By getting out and about early you’ll avoid the crowds and have the best attractions to yourself. As any photographer will tell you, the light in the morning is fantastic for photos so even if you are just taking selfie’s they will be better. Your friends will be so envious!

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#5 Keep your sense of humor in your carry on!

In other words don’t get embarrassed and flustered. You’re traveling and probably in a new place. You will make mistakes. So laugh at yourself. You’ll feel better and diffuse any tense moments that way.

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#6. Cash is King

I know. Everyone says to leave cash home because it can be stolen but I always travel with a few hundred dollars tucked away. I don’t mean in my purse either. If your bag is stolen you won’t have credit cards or ATM cards, at least not right away. If you lose your wallet or  your card stops working (it’s happened to me) or ATMs run out of money you’ll be glad you did. Some spots I use to hide cash: in a makeup bag, in my carry on in the pages of a book, tucked in a pocket of my backpack. A side benefit, I sometimes forget I’ve stashed the money and find it days or weeks later. What a nice surprise!

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#7. Take Lots of Photos

Yes, I am a photo nut but even if you are not as obsessive as I am, take pictures. Since I started taking lots of photos I have saved myself a ton of money on souvenirs. Photos are the ultimate souvenir! You may only visit this place once in your lifetime and even if you make multiple trips  each experience will be unique. Capture them on film so you always have the memories. Once you have the shot, relax and look around. Be sure to enjoy the view without the viewfinder too.

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#8. Don’t Give up.

Is there something you want to see or do but you are having trouble arranging it? Nothing is impossible. Talk to the locals. Go on about your other business but mention what you want whenever you have a chance.  You never know when someone will know someone else who can connect you to the one you need. It happens to me all the time.

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#9. Get Lost

I learned this early in my travel experience while exploring with my sister. I’d get very nervous because I had no idea where we were or how to get back to our hotel. My sister was calm and relaxed. Her attitude was, “we’re not lost, we’re sightseeing.” Easy for her to say, she wasn’t driving but that attitude as done wonders to help me enjoy those times when I was all turned around. With that in mind I sometimes just start driving in the direction I know I want to go instead of hopping on the nearest highway. We’ve seen some great sights that we would never have known about if we’d taken the most direct route.

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#10. Keep Good Notes

Even with a camera full of photos, you will forget details so take notes, keep a journal. Maybe you like to blog or keep a scrapbook you’ll be happy you have your notes once you get back home. The few times I haven’t jotted down my impressions I have kicked myself later. I like to get my thoughts on paper (or the computer) every day while I’m away. It’s a nice way to relive the experiences right before I go to bed.

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One last tip before I wrap up this list (there are plenty more tips but I’ll save them for another day)

Remember I said my card stopped working? Many banks and credit cards monitor your usage for fraud. If you do not let them know you are traveling they may shut off your card when a charge form a strange place comes in. That’s how I found myself stuck in Florida and not able to pay my hotel bill! (Yes it got straightened out but not without a lot of time on hold and numerous calls) Both my bank and my credit cards want to be notified of my travel plans. Be sure you check with yours too so you don’t find yourself stranded with no financial resources.

Happy Travels!

Jackson Hole Wyoming

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I thought I’d give Hawaii a rest for a bit.

One of the places I have been trying to get to is Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It is the only location in Wyoming where I have a time share option but it is always booked. I’ve been wondering if it’s because of the time of year I try to get a reservation. I think Jackson Hole is a big ski area and I’ve been looking in the winter.

 I heard that the Elk herd winters in an Elk Sanctuary just outside of Jackson hole and they have horse drawn sleigh rides through the winter herd.

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 I’ve also heard that the animals in Yellowstone are easier to see in winter because they congregate around the hot springs to get relief from the cold. The exception is the bears because they are hibernating but wolves are more visible.

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Speaking of the cold, most of the roads in Yellowstone are closed once the snow flies. The only way around the park is by snowcoach, snow mobile, snow shoes, or skis. I wouldn’t be up for the show shoes or skis but maybe the snowmobile although with camera gear for pictures the snow coach might be the best bet. Sadly that takes personal exploration out of the equation.

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 I recently bought a photography book for the Tetons and Yellowstone and after wading through tons of technical photo speak I’m beginning to think a spring or fall visit might be better than winter. Spring would  mean baby animals like elk and bison and maybe a grizzly cub if I got lucky and fall would mean the elk  and moose rut. Bears might still be active as they try to fatten up for the hibernation.

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 They talked a lot about the foliage of golden aspens but being from New England that seems a bit dull. I’m used to the vibrant reds of the sugar maples and every color of orange you can think of. All the photographers spoke of sun rise and dawn or sunset for most of the locations. Jackson Hole is a good 45  minutes away from the south entrance to Yellowstone. That is making me wonder if a decent photography trip can be had for both Yellowstone and the Tetons  if I stay in Jackson Hole.

 So much to figure out. Any suggestions?

MAUI FAQ

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I don’t mean to be going on and on about Maui but it was the last trip I took and I will be going back again in February so it’s on my mind.

In fact it is so much on my mind that it is distracting me from some other things that I should be focusing on.

Like the sleigh ride photos, wolves, a winter harbor cruise. I’ll update you on all that stuff once my mind is back here on the mainland.
Besides, I have all these neat pictures to share.

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 So today I thought I’s make a FAQ list and see if I can share some of the basic of Maui with you.

 What is the time difference from the continental US?

Hawaii has its own time zone, Hawaii Standard time. This is 5 hours behind EST and 2 hours behind Pacific Standard time. Hawaii does not observe Daylight Savings Time so add one extra hour to the time difference between March and November. (Quick tip…if you use your phone  in place of a watch it should automatically update. If it doesn’t turn it off and back on and that should get it to Island Time.)

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Where is the main airport on Maui?

The main airport is Kahului Airport (OGG). There are smaller commuter airports in Kapalua (West Maui and Hana (East Maui). It’s about a 45 minute drive from Kahului Airport to Lahaina.

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Do I need a car to get around on Maui?

Maui dose have public transportation, shuttles, tour buses and taxis but I found that to have the most freedom to explore a car really came  in handy.  There are car rentals at both the Kahului and Kapalua airports.

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Do I need my passport to get to Maui?

Hawaii is the 50th state so no, you don’t need a passport as long as you are traveling from the US. If you are coming from another country then you will need one. With all the security restrictions these days, I use my passport anyway for my ID. Something to think about.

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When can I see whales?

Whale watching season begins in December and runs to May. The whales begin arriving in late October and November but things don’t really get “hopping” until December when the ocean starts to get a large number of humpbacks.

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Well I think that sums up the most frequently asked questions for now. If I think of more, I’ll let you know. Feel free to jump in with your own questions. If I can’t answer  them now I’ll be sure to get answers when I visit Maui in February.

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Rocky Update

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If you have been following this blog for long you know that I am a Cat Lady. At one point I had 3 cats but old age, cancer and illness have been picking off my furry family. Rocky is 16 this year and he is the only one left.

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Since I’ve been Rocky’s pet parent I’ve lost Little Joe, a Black and White Persian tuxedo kitty.

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Then there was Smokey; a fluffy, sweet natured gray kitty. He passed away from a fast moving cancer in his mouth.

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Before Smokey passed away our family grew again to include Buddy, another Black & White kitty. He was huge, tipping the scale at 17 lbs he was a gentle giant. Then as suddenly as he joined us he was gone, just a couple of years after we lost Smokey. Again it was cancer although tests didn’t find the actual tumor the abnormal cells seemed to be everywhere and my poor boy couldn’t breathe.

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That leaves only Rocky. My concern was that Rocky had never been an only kitty. He has always been surrounded by a fur family. But here we are 6+ months since Buddy passed and all seems well. Rocky has become a cuddly lap kitty, something he never did before. He seems happy. Of course he has the run of the house now.

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For years I worked a sort of 2nd shift, I left for work between 10-12 and got home between 7 – 9 pm. Now that I’m working a normal 9-5 shift I have difficulty getting “Lazy Bones” to get up for breakfast. On the weekends if I let him sleep in he doesn’t come around to eat until 10 am or so.

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As you can tell, he gets grumpy if you wake him up!

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I guess if that’s the worse problem we have then I’m very lucky.

Across the Gorge

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As you have probably figured out from my recent posts, things are a bit slow around here. I think even the new stations are having a tough time. Today the lead story was a fire in Seattle, 3000 miles away!

Around here the weather is unseasonably warm and any precipitation has been rain. In fact our f00t & 1/2 snow storm has all melted away. The landscape now is brown and drab. Not very inspiring for photos.

With no new photos to edit I took the time to start working through more of the pictures from Hawaii. Although I took a lot (according to the picture count on the camera over 600), not all are anything I want to share. When we took the trip on the Road to Hana many of the pictures had to be taken while our tour bus was moving and often someone from the other side of the bus would pop up and get in the frame so they could get a picture with their cell phones. There wasn’t much consideration.

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Sometimes the only shots were directly into the sun so exposure was a problem, not to mention that they were taken through the bus windows. I know it sounds like excuses and I still value those shots for the memories but they are not what I would share if I want to “Show off”.

But I did run across one that I really like even if it has some issues. So here it is.

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I like this one because you can see a tour bus pulled over near the bridge. That’s a one lane bridge. We had just crossed the bridge and the road made a hairpin turn setting us up to be able to look back at where we had just come from. Without that bus to give a sense of  scale, this would just be another roadside waterfall.