Scout’s Tips~ Airline Travel

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Scout

Good Morning my friends. Scout here and glad to be back. Last time we got together I shared some tips on finding the “perfect cruise” .Today I’d like to  share some of what I’ve been learning about booking airline flights. This seems to be changing from day-to-day. Between changing regulations and airlines looking for ways to keep fares down but make up the difference in very creative  fees there’s no end to the possible pitfalls.  For example baggage fees and allowances are always changing and vary airline to airline but I think I covered much of that in past posts. So today, let’s concentrate on the travel part.

 
 
 
 

Airline Travel

Whats’s the best seat on the plane? First class , of course but after that how do you choose your seat? You know, you’re booking online and there’s that seating chart and you get to pick an open seat..aisle or window; over the wing or in the back?

Well it depends on your priorities. He’s a couple of things to consider: If you are looking for comfort and a smooth ride, pick a seat over the wings. If you’re looking for quiet then you want to sit as far forward as possible while avoiding the galley and rest rooms. For more leg room try the first row or seats near the emergency exits.

When is the best time of day to look for flight to get the best deals? Airlines usually reload their computers at midnight. So as soon after that as you can may offer some major savings. Airlines often have flights that were reserved but not paid for that are added back in to the inventory so there may be more options.

Watch for Sales! Not just on your airline of choice. Often when one airline announces a sale other airlines will soon follow suit so it pays to keep your eyes and ears open and click around.

Fare Alerts: On some sites  like Kayak you can set a Fare Alert and be emailed when the price changes on the flight you asked to have watched.

Fly Small. By this I mean fly the smaller airlines which are subsidiaries of the “Big Boys” Two examples are Delta Express and Metro-Jet. Dusty has flown Delta Express a number of times without any problems.

Check surrounding airports. Most online travel sites give you the option to check  surrounding airports. Often there’s a less expensive option to a neighboring city. Depending on your particular trip you may find a connecting flight , a bus route or , if you were going to rent a car anyway, just driving to your destination city.  Dusty and her sister  did that on a trip to Hawaii. They flew out of Hartford instead of Albany.

Take advantage of Overbooking. If you have flexibility this is a great way to get upgrades or free flights. Dusty has used this trick several times when traveling alone since she isn’t inconveniencing anyone else. For this trick you need to be booked on a flight that is over-booked. This happens a lot around the holidays or Monday morning or Friday afternoon, but a lot of it is just by luck. When it does happen the ticket attendant will ask for volunteers to give up their seats in return for some compensation. Sometimes money, often a ticket voucher or a free upgrade to first class on the next flight to your destination. Dusty has witnessed “bidding wars” where the airline keeps sweetening the pot if they don’t get enough volunteers on their first try. Dusty loves those!  🙂

Neighboring Airports. We talked about this already but I thought I’d toss out some of the main airports where options might work for the everyday traveler.

For the BOSTON area…TF GReen in Providence, RI; Manchester NH; and even Hartford CT can give you lower cost flights in exchange for using alternate transportation for the last leg into Boston.

When traveling to Washington D. C. try the Baltimore airport. It’s close but not the D.C. Hub.

New York City, the Big Apple….don’t forget Newark , NJ is just across the river. Plenty of ways into the “City” from there.

LAX? Los Angeles. Be sure to check  nearby in Orange County, Burbank or Ontario (California) airports.

Websites. Keep in mind that some airlines only work through their own website so a site like Kayak or Priceline won’t have these offerings.

Social Networks. More and more airlines are offering special sales to their online community. To get in on these you have to be connected. Find their website on Facebook and Twitter and then be sure to click the “Like” button.

Well, I think it’s time to wrap up this post. I hope you find this helpful. Until next time..Happy Traveling!

 

 

Winslow Animal Sanctuary

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Before I get into today’s post I want to remind everyone that I really need your help deciding which photo to submit to the Cog Railway’s photo contest. I can only send in one and I couldn’t make up my mind. I’m hoping you can help with that. So after you read today’s post, please take a minute to go back to yesterday’s and vote. Thank you!

Winslow Animal Sanctuary

 Winslow Farm Animal Sanctuary is located at 37 Eddy St, Norton , Ma. The farm is a non-profit that cares for abused and neglected animals.

There are many cats, a couple of dogs, swans, geese , ducks, goats, horses, mules, alpacas, at least one peacock and a turkey that avoided the  Thanksgiving dinner table. We can’t forget the pigs and sheep and chickens either. Plus I saw a rabbit and doves too.

The farm is a forever home sanctuary. Animals that come here are guaranteed a home for the rest of their lives.

 The animals are lovingly cared for by a team of volunteers. Many of the animals come to the sanctuary after being abused by their former owners and need to learn to trust again.

It is a testament to the caring and hard work being done by the volunteers that all of the animals I encountered in my visit were friendly and even affectionate to me, a stranger.

It’s hard to believe that such trusting creatures could have been abused and still retain faith in humans.

Winslow Farm was established in 1996 as a home for abused animals.

 It opened it doors to the public in 1997 as an animal farm to give the public a chance to interact with the animals. The farm hopes to educate the public on the plight of abused and neglected  animals as well as teach about general animal care.

 It’s also a chance for the animals to learn that there are “good” humans too.

I really enjoyed my visit there and know for sure I’ll be going back often.

 I love all animals but the ones that seemed to seek me out were the cats. They were all so sweet and cuddly.

 Maybe they sensed I have  two cats of my own. I don’t know but they are wonderful.

  With over 200 animals to care for I am sure that my paltry admission fee of only $7.00 is much-needed.

 In addition, the farm offers a AAA discount taking a dollar off that minimal fee. I think my next visit I’ll keep the AAA card in my pocket. Let the farm have the extra  dollar.

The farm is available for parties and events.

 They also appreciate donations. With all the charities looking for support today it’s hard to figure out which ones are  deserving. Well, I think I’m going to throw some of my support here.

It’s a little operation that can easily fall through the cracks and they are doing good work.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then I should let the pictures tell the story.

The official website is  www.winslowfarm.com

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Cog Railway Photo Contest image

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Ok …I have one shot at this. All it says is “Email a photo of your family having fun at The Mount Washington Cog Railway with your caption, name , address, phone # and permission to use the photo.

Then they have the past winners. Not all of them have people in them so I’m not going to worry about  that as a “Family” of one. The “Family ” was behind the camera and not in the picture.

Now the next question is…Do I go with a distance shot showing the Cog Railroad and the wonderful scenery or do I use a close up. And…which engine..a smoke filled  Steam engine shot or an ecologically friendly biodiesel?

I’m posting some options here. Love to know which one/ones you like best. Any suggestions for the caption? I’ll collect you ideas for 1 week and then the winner will be submitted to the contest. 🙂

#1.

#2.

#3.

#4.

#5.

#6.

#7.

 #8

A Favorite Repeated~Hawaii

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Back when I was just trying out this blogging stuff I was using a different platform. I thought that it might be nice to share some of those old posts now and then. I’m dipping into that now as I just did not have time to put the finishing touches on my post for today. At lot of changes were made at work while I was away and as I try to wrap my little brain around them I’m finding that I am coming home to brain fog, no clear thoughts to write about. I have today off so hope I’ll get back on track but in the meantime, I hope you’ll enjoy a story from the trip to O’ahu that my sister and I took a couple of years ago.

O’ahu , Pali Lookout

I’m not sure where I heard it but it seems to me someone told us that one of Oahu’s nicknames is the Rainbow Island and it was easy to see why. Each morning there were rainbows and again each afternoon. Our recreation deck was on the 29th floor. The pool, hot tub and grills were located there. The first morning we were there I headed up bright and early and there it was…an almost perfect rainbow arching over the building.

 There was always a wonderful breeze thanks to the trade winds so even at 80 degrees at 8:00am, it didn’t feel hot. When you look from the 29thfloor toward the ocean and Waikiki beach, you can see the pink building that is the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. The Royal Hawaiian is an icon that has hosted such guests as Babe Ruth, President John F. Kennedy and numerous Hollywood Stars.

We started our first full day in Honolulu by doing a little exploring on foot. We walked down to Waikiki Beach first and then worked our way back to the condo by going through the International Market Place.

Every kind of souvenir and T shirt was available here. There were a couple of men with parrots outside and we spent some time with them taking pictures. There was also a gorgeous mosaic wall that we just had to take pictures of too.

Then back to the condo to pick up the car and drive around a bit. We followed the coastline taking time out and stopping at every Scenic Overlook. It was just so beautiful. One spot that was a must see was the Pali Overlook and it did not disappoint. The views from here are magnificent! The official name is Nu’uanu Pali Lookout.

 Pali means cliff in Hawaiian.

 It was here that Hawaiian Warriors fought for control of the island. The King of O’ahu who also ruled Maui, Moloka’i and Lana’i sought to defeat Kamehameha, the ruler of Hawai’i but that wasn’t how things worked out. Kamehameha’s warriors forced the defenders of O’ahu back to the Nu’uanu Valley until they reached the Pali where many warriors refused to surrender, instead jumping over the cliff. With this victory Kamehameha gained the momentum he needed to unite the islands. This unification was completed around 1810 when Kaua’i (which was never defeated in battle)  joined by treaty.

A century later when the first paved road was built through the mountains workers uncovered an estimated 800 skulls at the foot of the cliffs, the remains of those Hawaiian warriors lost in that fateful battle so many years before.

There are story boards at the lookout that commemorate this event in Hawaiian history.
I took many pictures here because of the spectacular views and was pleasantly surprised when I was given a calendar with Hawaiian photographs to see that I had taken an almost identical picture of the Pali to the one in the calendar! Nice to know the pros liked that shot too .

After the drive we stopped at Hilo Hattie’s and that turned into a real shopping spree.
Hilo Hattie’s is the flagship store for Hawaiian apparel. I still visit their web site regularly.
Back at the condo we spend some time in the pool and hot tub before we headed down to dinner. There’s a buffet on the corner near us called Smorgy’s so that was our stop for dinner. Very convenient. There was a brook running through the restaurant and it was only partially roofed. The windows were open so birds flew in and out even joining us at the table. Might not be the most sanitary way to have dinner but no different than having a picnic and it was fun.

It doesn’t sound like we did all that much but in fact it was a very full day.

Check out pictures on my Flickr Photostream!

If anyone’s interested Hilo Hattie’s website is www.hilohattie.com

Squam Lakes Natural Science Center

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Meanwhile back on shore I watched a couple more loons right near the docks as they fished and enjoyed lunch. I was wishing I had more time to watch and try to photograph them but the clock was ticking and I wanted to check out the actual Science Center before I finished my trek south.

The Center is only a couple of blocks from the lakefront so it was just a few minutes and I was back in their parking lot. I was able to head right in as I had a little sticker they had given me earlier. I was afraid it would be crowded as there were quite a few cars and several buses in the parking lot but it wasn’t too bad at all!

As you enter the grounds there’s an exhibit hall,  gift shop and restrooms and then the trail splits one side to the right and the nature trail and the other to the left to the animal exhibits.

I enjoyed the exhibits in the hall. The were set up to show local animals in their natural surroundings yet there was something very whimsical about the displays.

From there I took the right fork to the walking trails.

The trail led through a meadow, over a floating bridge that crossed a marsh and up to a little pond.

Along the way were signs and exhibits to explain what you were seeing and the importance of each type of habitat.

While I was wandering along the pond it started to sprinkle so I turned my steps back to the center. I really wanted to see the animals before the sky opened up.

The Squam Lakes Natural Science Center is not a zoo although is does enjoy  national accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The mission of the center is “to advance understanding of ecology by exploring New Hampshire’s natural world. ” If that mission leads to the rescue and rehabilitation of the native wildlife, then that’s what they do.

The nature center has captive animals that are native to New Hampshire and are considered “animal ambassadors”.

There are strict guidelines in place to govern what animals are taken into the center. For example, the Science center has to first determine if they have a need. They also have to consider the cost of the care of the animal in question. Most of the animals at the center are rescues. For any number of reasons they cannot be released back into the wild as they would not survive. Any animal accepted must be an animal that does well in captivity. These are just a few of the  considerations that go into any decision to take in an animal. If there is more than one animal in an enclosure care is taken to neuter the male so there won’t be any “little” critters coming along. The Science Center is not equipped to run a breeding program.

Back where I began I turned down the left trail and ran into one of the volunteers. She had a little screech-owl on her arm.

 She was doing a casual presentation to anyone who wanted to stop. It appeared to be  pretty much unscripted with her fielding questions and just chatting with the visitors.

As I headed off I came to a bridge over a little brook. On the far side was another stage where a more formal presentation about various raptors was taking place. The little hawk the presenter was showing off was doing a great job of holding everyone’s attention.

The next exhibit along the trail was a moose exhibit. The  inhabitant was a beautiful bull moose facsimile…a statue but a very handsome statue. The exhibit was to show the type of habitat a moose would live in.

But now I was approaching the real animal exhibits. There were lynx and bobcat, foxes, bears, otters, mountain lions, deer and raptors.

The bird exhibit held the hawks and there was a bald eagle!

 Actually two of them, an adult with the white head and an adolescent with the splotchy brown and white coloring.

In the enclosure next to the eagles a small hawk has having lunch. The kids watching were both “grossed out” and fascinated as the little bird tore a mouse apart right in front of them. Nothing like a ringside seat to nature in action!

My time was running short so I made a quick swing through the gift shop and then out to the car to resume my homeward journey.

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 It would have been nice to stay longer and explore a little more in-depth but my little zoo was waiting at home. I knew my two cats would be ready for my return no matter how much the pet sitter spoiled them!