We did a trip to England and Scotland in 2006.  One of the highlights was renting a canal boat in Scotland for a week.    I chose the route from Falkirk to Edinburgh and back for two reasons.  One was to experience the Falkirk Wheel http://www.thefalkirkwheel.co.uk/about-the-wheel- and the other was because it is a contour canal, so there are virtually no locks between Falkirk and Edinburgh.  It was a wonderful week, just lazing along the canal.  You can’t travel at night because you have no lights, but you can tie up anywhere you like.   We rented the boat from Black Prince http://www.black-prince.com/.  The boat was our hotel in Edinburgh for two nights.  The modern marina is right in the middle of the city.  We both said it was the most relaxing week we have experienced.

Approaching the Falkirk Wheel.

Almost at the top of the Wheel. Then we will take a tunnel through a Roman fortification.

Moored for the night.

Passing under bridges.

Modern Edinburgh Marina

I wanted to add a follow up to my blog about packing.  I mentioned a quick dry tee shirt.  Well, let’s identify my favorite travel partner.  It is a Mountain Hardware Wicked Tee.  They come in a tank, short sleeve and long sleeve version.  I just bought 5 more of these little gems.  You can buy them at multiple sellers, just search on Google.  I have them in many colors and pair them with a dressy long sleeved shirt.  I always wear long sleeves because I burn easily and don’t like to slather myself with sun screen.  The Wicked Tee washes up great in a bathroom sink and dries in less time than it takes to go out to dinner (remember that I wring them out by wrapping them in a bath towel).  The tees absorb all the sweat, so my dress shirt can go another day without being washed.  Below is a picture in Costa Rica last April where it was hot hot hot and a photo from Athens in 2008.  Both are examples of my wicked tees.

My wicked tee in Greece 2008

How is it that I have never been to Hawaii?  Well, it never came up on my bucket list.  I’m not a sit on the beach kind of person, never have been.  I also don’t like crowds of people and so Honolulu just puts me off.  But here I was with two $400 flight vouchers from United.  We got the vouchers when we volunteered to be bumped off a flight in Washington, D. C.  So, I thought where shall I go on United that I haven’t been before?  I gave my husband several choices and he picked Hawaii. 

Then my quandary became which island.  I knew I did not want to go to Honolulu.  I found a quiz on line that you take and it recommends which islands you should visit based on what you want to do.  http://www.hawaii-guide.com/content/posts/which_hawaii_island_to_visit.  After answering the questions, the quiz came back saying that we should visit the Big Island of Hawaii, number one and Maui, number two. 

We are going to spend 17 days on the Big Island, the first and second weeks of April.  I have two vacation rentals for the time. A two bedroom home just south of Hilo http://www.vrbo.com/305329 and a smaller place near Hawi on the North end of the Island with views of Maui http://www.villa4vacation.com/vacation-rental/Hawi/446882.aspx#tab4.   

So stay tuned and see what adventures we have on the Big Island. 

We recently spent the weekend in San Francisco, safely ensconced in our two bedroom vacation rental, with its own “free” parking space.  (http://www.flipkey.com/frontdesk/view/6281/taya+katz/)   But that is not the subject of this latest entry, the subject is memberships.

We were in San Francisco primarily to attend the a special exhibit, “The Masters of Venice”, at the De Young Art Museum and to also see the Pisarro’s People Exhibit at the Legion of Honor.  The Legion and de Young Museums are both a part of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.  Since we planned to attend the exhibits on different days, we would be required to pay for two admission fees, but wait, there is another option, membership.

If your trip will include museums, zoos or aquariums, before you walk to the window and buy a ticket, check out the membership options.  It’s best to do this ahead of time, so you can see which membership will best meet your needs, but you can also inquire at the ticket window.  Also, most memberships are considered charitable donations and so they are tax deductible.  Tickets aren’t tax deductible.  Below are some membership options.

• San Diego Zoological Society:  If you plan to spend a day at the zoo and a second day at the Safari Park, a two park pass for two people will cost you $152.  On the other hand an annual dual membership for two people costs only $109 and includes two discount coupons for guests, free parking at the Safari Park and other discounts.  http://donate.sandiegozoo.org/site/PageNavigator/MembershipBeneifitsLightboxes/MembershipBenefits

• Bringing the kids or grand kids?  Buy them a Koala Pass.  The annual pass is only $7.00 or $11.00 more than a child’s one day admission ticket.

• Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco:  If you live outside California, an out of State membership is only $70 and includes free admission for the member and a guest.  There are other membership options if you are a California resident.  We purchase one Senior membership and that gets us both into the museums and exhibits and also gives us a discount on museum store purchases.   http://deyoung.famsf.org/membership-levels-and-benefits
• Monterey Bay Aquarium:   One day tickets for two adults and two teenage granddaughters would cost $125.80.  An unlimited membership for two adults, plus all children and grandchildren is $175.00.  It is pretty much impossible to see the Aquarium in a day, so we’ll buy the membership and get the other member benefits.  http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/md/join.aspx

I hope you can see the advantages from these few examples.  When our daughter and granddaughters lived in San Diego, we bought them zoo memberships each year as a gift, so they could go as often as they liked.   And don’t forget that the memberships are a donation and are tax deductible, while the tickets are simply an out of pocket expense.

I’d like to pass on a suggestion for travel, alone or with kids that we used extensively when our children were younger.  I once passed this tip on to a single mom.  A couple years later she thanked me and said she and her daughter have made a habit of travelling once a month.  Here is the tip.  Youth Hostels.  They are NOT only for youth, but the young at heart.   

I know that some of us have a bad image of hostels. I can tell you from experience that you can toss your bad thoughts out the window.  You can travel close to home and experience great things, or travel internationally on a tight budget.  For many years we had tent camped with the kids, because money was a concern.  Then we discovered hostelling and opted for that over tent camping.  We were members of American Youth Hostels http://hiusa.org/.  You get a price break if you are a member. 

Most of the places are in historic buildings.  Most have family rooms you can reserve ahead of time by calling.  You don’t have to be in a dorm room with other hostellers, you can reserve a room of your own. 

You can stay in two lighthouses on the California coast.   

Pigeon Point Lighthouse http://norcalhostels.org/pigeon/  They even have a hot tub you can reserve.  Stop by the little town of Pescadero for wonderful fresh artichoke bread.

Point Montero Lighthouse http://norcalhostels.org/montara/  Also has a hot tub and close to Pescadero.  We shared a Hanukah celebration with a family in the kitchen when we stayed here.   

My single Mom friend goes to one of the lighthouses every month. 

You can stay in the heart of the city.  How about Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco.  http://sfhostels.com/fishermans-wharf/

Santa Cruz has Historic Beach Bungalows.  It is a City Park during the day and is walking distance to the boardwalk.  We loved this one and met people from Holland.  http://hiusa.org/santacruz/  A small private room runs $55.00, with shared bath. 

In Monterey you can stay right on Cannery Row.  http://hiusa.org/monterey/.  Private rooms are $59 to $64.

We loved hostelling and the kids always had fun and we met lots of people (old and young) from around the world. 

Often the kitchen is a joint effort.  Someone makes a pot of spaghetti and invites others to partake.  Someone else offers a loaf of bread.   

You used to bring your own bedding, but they now provide all the bedding. 

Our daughter is a youth director and she rented the entire Sacramento Youth Hostel for the a youth conference this last year.  She then invited other groups and managed to fill the whole place.  Her kids were able to go for less money.  A group of volunteers made breakfast each morning in the HUGE hostel kitchen and packed sack lunches for the kids to eat at the conference.  It was a great choice and my daughter knew about it because we had stayed at this hostel several times.  It is a Victorian house with lots of stained glass and carved woodwork.  Beautiful building. 

OK I admit it, I own time shares.  I hear a lot of bad press about owning timeshares.  I have friends who have paid people to take over their timeshares.  I, on the other hand, love our timeshares.

First thing to remember is what timeshares are not.  Timeshares are NOT an investment.  Don’t let any salesman make you believe that you will make money on a timeshare.  That is simply not the nature of the beast.

Here are the reasons you should consider when buying timeshares.

1.  You love one particular destination and go there every chance you get.
2. You want to save money when you travel and love experiencing new destinations.
3. You understand the benefits of having a kitchen and laundry when you travel.

I will admit that I don’t want to travel to the same place time and time again.  I find that boring, but some people just love the consistency of going to a familiar place.  Staying in one place time and time again may appeal to people who travel in order to participate in an activity such as golf or skiing.

I own timeshares in order to see new places and meet new people.  I also like having a kitchen and laundry (See my January 1, 2012 blog post on Vacation Rentals vs. Hotel Rooms).  Since these are my goals in travel, the byword for timeshare usage is “be flexible”.

Since I don’t own my timeshares in order to go to that location, my first step, generally is to “bank” my timeshares with an exchange company or to book within my timeshare “group”.  Let’s talk first about booking within my timeshare group.

Booking within my Timeshare Group

I own two weeks of timeshare with Hyatt Vacation Club, which is a point’s based group of timeshares.  (Please note this section is talking about Hyatt, only, since other timeshare points may operate differently.)

My timeshare points become available one year prior to my fixed week.  One of the Hyatt vacation properties is the Hyatt Carmel Highlands Inn http://highlandsinn.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/.  The Inn is a hotel that includes some timeshare units.  We live in the HOT central valley of California, so a getaway to the cooler coast in the summer is a refreshing change.  Room rates at the Hyatt Carmel Highlands Inn in July are in excess of $400 per night, plus tax and a resort fee of $25 per night.  I recently booked four nights mid-week Tuesday to Saturday with my Hyatt points for July 2012.  The hotel charge for these same four nights in a Garden View room is $2,031.  Because I booked a mid-week getaway, I used fewer points and still had enough points to bank with Interval International and book a week this fall at the Marriott Summit Watch in Park City, UT.  If I had book that same week in the fall of 2012 online, I would have paid $1,483.  So these eleven night’s accommodations would have cost me $3.514, had I not owned a timeshare.  I booked these nights with the points I received for the week I own at Hyatt Pinon Pointe Resort in Sedona, AZ.  My purchase cost for that week was $10,000 and my annual maintenance fee is $864.00.

How to Exchange Timeshares

All my timeshares are with Interval International (II), but RCI is another viable exchange network.  I own a three bedroom cottage at Kings Creek Plantation in Williamsburg, VA.  This unit can be split into a week in a one bedroom and a week in a two bedroom.  I ALWAYS split my unit, which then gives me two weeks to exchange each year, instead of one.  My other timeshares are point based and I’ve talked about that above.

I have friends who own timeshares and they called me and asked me to come and help them book a trip on line.  The husband was sitting in a recliner with the exchange company catalogue in his hands.  He proceeded to tell me which property he wanted to stay at and what week he wanted to stay there.  I looked at him and said, “First lesson of timeshares.  Throw the book away.”  He looked at me incredulous.  I said, “You will go where and when they have something available, that’s the way it works.”

There are basically two ways to approach a time share exchange.

1.  See where you can go during a specific time.
2. See a specific location for a wide range of dates.

Remember the timeshare by word is “be flexible”.

Here are a few examples from my personal experience.

1.  We have three granddaughters who live in North Carolina (we live in California)
   1. I go to II’s website and enter a block of dates when the girls will be out of school.
   2. I search for units that can accommodate six people, and use the two bedroom unit I own in Williamsburg as my exchange unit.
   3. I limit my search to the South East, so we are within a day’s drive of where the girls live.
   4. I have booked two bedroom units at the following locations:
      1. Orlando, FL
      2. Myrtle Beach, NC
      3. Williamsburg, VA
      4. Hilton Head, SC
2. If I’m looking for just my husband and I, then I exchange the one bedroom unit I own in Williamsburg, VA.
   1. We like to travel in the Spring and Fall, when resorts are not as busy.  Since we don’t ski or golf, this is a viable strategy for us.
   2. I simply enter a wide range of dates (e.g. Sept to Nov) in the II search engine.
   3. The search engine will give me a list of anywhere in the world that has availability.
   4. I then looked at a location that is new to us and see what types of units and where the resort is located.
   5. Using this strategy we have gone to the following locations:
      1. The Lake District in England.
      2. Sanbornton, New Hampshire for fall colors.
      3. Branson, MO.
      4. Gatlinburg, TN.

Why rent a hotel room when you can have a whole house or apartment?  I have been using vacation rentals for over ten years.  They are usually cheaper than a hotel and provide things that hotels don’t offer or offer at a higher price.  A vacation rental gives you room to spread out and feel at home.  You have a kitchen to cook in, if you like, and save the cost of eating out.  If you travel with kids, they can have their own room and TV.  Most vacation rentals also provide free internet service and use of a washer and dryer, so you can travel home with clean clothes, or extend your vacation for a longer period of time.

The downside of vacation rentals is that it is more time consuming than booking a hotel room.  You must search through various housing options and then contact the owner to make arrangements.  You also don’t have daily maid service.

If you try vacation rentals you open a world of possibilities.  Below are examples of places I have rented:

1.  A two bedroom apartment in San Francisco, near Golden Gate Park, with free parking garage:  http://www.vrbo.com/276394

Cost of three nights in September 2012:  $692 vs. Handlery Union Square Hotel (one hotel room) $632 plus parking of $20 to $34 per day with no in and out privileges.

2.  A two bedroom apartment on the Thames in London: http://www.vrbo.com/78620

Cost of three nights in September 2012:  $1,013 vs. Holiday Inn (one hotel room) $1,226

3.  A one bedroom apartment in the Irish countryside:  http://www.croneybyrneholidays.com/lugala.html

Cost for a week in September 2012:  $455 vs. Tudor Inn (one hotel room) $738

 4.  An Alaska house for two couples with a killer view:  http://www.vrbo.com/108588

Cost of three nights in September 2012: $1,025 vs. Best Western (2 hotel rooms) $912

So, how do you book a vacation rental?  You can start with a worldwide vacation rental web site such as www.vrbo.com, www.homeaway.com, or www.holidaylettings.co.uk.   You can also search for a country specific web site.  (Note that in Europe you need to search for “self catering”, while in Australia you search for “self contained”.)  You can generally find links to apartments or vacation rentals on specific location web sites.   Below are a few examples:

Australia:  http://www.holidayrentals.com.au/

Ireland:  http://www.imagineireland.com

France:  http://www.rentalsfrance.com/

There are different types of vacation rentals:

 1.  Individually owned and operated:  In this case you deal directly with the owner, usually via email.  The owner may or may not accept credit cards.  Most owners accept PayPal, so you may need to create a PayPal account.  Be aware of cancellation policies.

a.       You may or may not be asked to sign a rental agreement.

b.      These units are sometimes the owners second home, in which case the property may contain the owner’s personal property.

c.       Some units are simply rental income properties.

d.      In a few instances you are renting the owners actual home and they move elsewhere during your stay.

 2.  Individually owned, but managed by a property manager:  In this case you deal with a property management company.

 3.  Condominiums and timeshares, offered by the owner:  These are specific units in a larger complex that are owned by an individual.  These may be managed by the individual or a property manager.

 4.  Condominiums and timeshares, managed by a property manager:  In some instances you will find a timeshare or a corporate rental property.  In this case there may be multiple units available.

Length of rental varies.  You need to review the information for each rental.  Some rentals require a minimum number of days, but some will allow one night rentals.  Before you send the inquiry check the availability calendar (if one is posted) to ensure your dates are open.  Many of the web sites allow you to search based on your selected dates.

I generally submit inquiries, via email, on five to ten properties and then whittle the list down based on amenities, proximity to local activities and the owner’s terms and conditions. I sometimes ask for additional photos of the unit and sometimes make inquires about access to public transit.  Each destination has it’s own little quirks.  As example, I just rented a house on the Big Island of Hawaii and wanted to know if the house had a view of Maui, so I asked for additional photos.  When I rented a three bedroom condo in Washington, DC for ourselves and our two granddaughters, I asked about access to the Metro line.

I ALWAYS purchase travel insurance, since cancellations generally require forfeiting some or all of the amount s paid to date.  You can shop and compare travel insurance at www.insuremytrip.com.

I hope you will check out a vacation rental for your next stay out of town, or the next time friends or relatives come to visit.

 

Doing laundry in hotel rooms?  Picture Lucy stomping grapes.

Got the picture?

I do my laundry in the bathtub, barefoot, hence the picture of I Love Lucy.  I pack powdered laundry soap in ziplock sandwich bags, then put several of these into a quart ziplock bag.  Note:  I have also used the hotels shampoo on occasion, thinking soap is soap.  I run a small amount of hot water into the tub (or sink) to dissolve the powdered soap, then cold water for the rest.

Once the clothes are washed and rinsed, then you lay them in clean towels and roll them up.  The towels soak up most of the water and help the clothes, socks, underwear, whatever, dry faster.  I shower first and then do laundry so I can use all the towels for this purpose.  You do the laundry at night, as soon as you get to the room.  It must be a place you will be for two nights.

I take a dozen drip dry hangers in my suitcase.  They fit in one of the outside pockets. You can buy a dozen for less than $5.00.

That gets us to what kind of clothes do I wear.  I have a “travel uniform” that has worked great.  Dressy slacks with pockets (one zipped pocket minimum) made from high tech fabric, a quick dry short sleeve T-shirt and a dressy long sleeved blouse that is NO-IRON.   Absolutely NO JEANS.  They are heavy and take FOREVER to dry.

Travel clothes can be bought on line at www.travelsmith.com and www.magellans.com.  I prefer to shop their sale or outlets.  Travelsmith will frequently have “sale colors” and I go with those.  Once I find what I like I buy several.

My favorite TShirt’s are Mountain Hardware Wicked Lite Tee.  I have them in several colors.  They dry in less than half an hour.  They also are great for soaking up any sweat, leaving my dress shirt fresh for several days.   They take up no room so I take five or six with me.

For the dress shirt, good brands are Foxcroft and Eddie Bauer.  Both are pricey, but I wait for sales.  I wear the shirt open, kind of like a jacket over the Tshirt.   I keep the long sleeves on outside to keep the sun off my arms, and can easily slip it off, if inside gets too warm.

The big thing to remember is fabric should be high tech, quick drying and moisture wicking.    I no longer buy anything that can’t travel well.  I just wear these same clothes at home to work and church.  In the evening I wear the same thing except maybe add a scarf or simple jewelry to the ensemble.  I also take a dressy jacket that goes with one or more of my blouses.

I always take four changes of clothes, with maybe some extra Tshirt layers.  So 4 slacks, 6 Tshirts, 4 blouses.  Then I take 7 pairs of underwear and 3 bras.  I wear one set of clothes, one set in my carry on and two in checked baggage.

Luggage.  Start with ebags at http://www.ebags.com/index.cfm?sourceid=AAANATIO&CB_SID=203.  You get a discount for being a AAA member.  Think LIGHT.  You can compare bags and ebags lists the bags weight for comparison.

My husband and I each have a Rick Steves Civita backpack.  We have had them for eight years and they are still going strong.  You can buy them various places on line.  I don’t carry a purse.  I also have a Pacsafe backpack I used in Istanbul and Athens to thwart the slash robbers.  The Rick Steves bag is lighter and folds into nothing so I took that also.

We both use packing cubes and LOVE THEM.  I think we have twelve of them.  I use small ones in my back pack and for medicine and makeup in my bag and medium size to pack clothes.  They unpack easy, you just take them out and put them in the drawers, or leave them in your suitcase.  The best deal price wise are Ebags packing cubes.  I would not recommend the large ones.  I think they are too big.

 http://www.ebags.com/product/ebags/medium-packing-cubes-3pc-set/48439?productid=1234135

Packing cubes are priceless if security opens your bag.  They don’t have to paw through all your stuff.  They just look through one cube at a time.

I hope you find these tips helpful.  Travel On!