It might be kind of obvious, why a person would love to travel. But I recently had a conversation with an acquaintance who said that he absolutely HATED to travel. The thought was so bizarre to me, and I automatically defended my own love of journeying to new places – seeing new landscapes and experiencing new cultures. He reminded me that practically ALL of the travel he does is business-related, whereas I have only taken a couple of business trips (and had a grand time, actually – though I could see how one could become sick of travel, being constantly on the road).

I thought I would try to articulate some of my reasons for loving to travel – other than the obvious, “Duh! I’m on vacation!”

1 – It puts my husband in a really great mood.   Almost all of my travel is with my husband, and it puts him in “vacation-husband” mode, which to me is one of the best sides of him. All the cares of day-to-day life just fall away. He’s affectionate, and relaxed, and in a great mood all of the time. Which isn’t to say that he isn’t those things, at home, but… well, you know, it’s different. Surely I’m not the only wife whose husband transforms while on vacation.

2 – It puts ME in a really great mood.  Cheery husband notwithstanding, I turn into an incredible optimist while I’m travelling. I appreciate all the good things about my life – not the least of which is the ability to take a great vacation once a year. And I can put the not-so-good things in my life into better perspective. I temporarily cast all of my typical worries and anxieties away and say to myself, “I’ll let tomorrow take care of itself.”

Read More »

Orbitz Worldwide hosted their first annual Blogger’s Day early this week at their headquarters in the beautiful city of Chicago.

Orbitz was an incredibly gracious host and really went out of their way to ensure the comfort and enjoyment of all their guests, which included some of the biggest travel blogs on the web today (yes, even us!).

There are a lot of big things on the horizon for Orbitz and they were kind enough to share them with us, unfortunately they made us pinky swear not to cover all of it.  Something about swimming and cement shoes.

What we can discuss is the excitement and passion that is Orbitz and how it runs throughout the entire company.  They are generally giddy over the news regarding their change in Orbitz fee policy.  They are obsessed with hotels and customer service.  Technology drives them.  Also, coffee. Read More »

A shot of our truck from the side of the road in Grand Teton National Park.

ONE:  Hotel patrons who arrive, unwashed and disheveled and barefoot and sometimes even in their PAJAMAS (grown-ups AND children), to partake of the hotel’s breakfast.  You’re not at home.  Groom yourself, or at least put some clothes on.

TWO: Long stretches of highway that contain nary a rest stop.  We don’t want to have to pull of at some random exit, guess at which direction to turn, and drive for an unknown distance, in order to find a restaurant or gas station or handy gully in which to do the necessary.

  Read More »

The luxurious Bellagio of Las Vegas

With hotels in Las Vegas slashing room rates to attract vacationers, there’s no better time to experience the luxury of Bellagio.

Photo by Jason Roth

The iPhone makes everything in life better.  Traveling is no exception.  The one thing I cannot travel without is my iPhone and an arsenal of (mostly free) apps that help me live it up like a local no matter where I go.

Well, that and clean underwear.

The right app can help you find a restaurant, catch the right train, score great tickets and even find your parking spot.  Of course the choices can be overwhelming, and the wrong app can leave you standing on a subway platform waiting for a train that doesn’t run on the weekends.  Doing your research ahead of time is crucial to a successful iPhone vacation.

The Top iPhone Apps for Travelers

7 iphone apps to download, sync, and play with before your next trip:

Flight Track Pro – $9.99

Before you even leave home, this travel app will tell you if your flight is on time, delayed or canceled.  It integrates with TripIt, allowing you to email your itinerary confirmation to a specific address and then automatically save your flight itineraries to the app.  The biggest downfall of this app is the price.  At $9.99, it’s definitely targeted to frequent travelers.

For a less expensive option, Flight Status is available for $4.99 (iTunes store link), but reviewers complain it isn’t nearly as reliable in announcing early arrivals as Flight Tracker Pro.  I suppose you get what you pay for here.

The Weather Channel – FREE

Whether you’re deciding what to pack or figuring out if you can leave your umbrella in your hotel room for the afternoon, the best travelers know to keep a close eye on the weather.  Yes, the iPhone comes with a built in weather app.  But adding locations can be cumbersome and you’re limited to current temperature and expected highs and lows.

The Weather Channel app lets you instantly get the weather forecast for your current location or add another location with a few taps on the keypad.  You can get an hour by hour forecast or a full ten day picture of what you can expect while traveling.  The Weather Channel app even alerts you to any severe weather alerts in the area – perfect for travelers who don’t spend their vacations glued to the hotel room TV.

SimulTravel GPS – $0.99

This app is made for the spontaneous traveler or the business person who never knows how long they’ll be on the road.  Brought to you by the people at Priceline, this iPhone app will show you the hotels available around you or in a destination of your choice for that night.  Get hotel locations, rates and reviews as well as tap-to-call contact information to make your reservations.  The app will not give pricing from 11pm-midnight EST while it performs daily maintenance.

UrbanSpoon – FREE

If you have an iPhone, you should have this free app no matter how much you travel.  It becomes an especially valuable tool when you’re looking for a place to eat in a new city.  Simply shake your iPhone and get a list of restaurants organized by nearby city, cuisine type and price point.

One word of caution before relying on this app for traveling – check the available cities.  Not all cities in the US are covered (although I have yet to find myself stranded and hungry).

Taxi Magic – FREE

Call a cab, track the cab, and pay for your cab ride, all from your iPhone.  This free iPhone app is perfect if you’re traveling in a big city.  Of course, the cab company on the other end has to be participating in the “magic booking” system, but you’ll find plenty of options for that in most major cities.  If the taxing companies don’t offer magic booking, you’ll still get a list of nearby companies and numbers to call.

Take Me To My Car – FREE

Never forget where you parked again.  When I’m parking in a large lot in my hometown, I just snap a picture with my iPhone of the “A6″ sign or some nearby landmark to remind myself later where I’m at.  But when I’m traveling in an unfamiliar city and leaving my car to walk around for hours, those pictures mean nothing to me.  I wish I would have known about this app before I spent 30 minutes wandering around Charleston looking for “that big cement parking garage that I swear was right around here somewhere.”

Why not just use Google Maps on your phone?  This app lets you drop a flag and save it for later and it gives you walking directions as opposed to driving directions.  Plus, the location markers are more detailed than the big blue circle (especially if you’re on a 3G iPhone).

A few reviewers have complained that there wasn’t a spot for marking down the “A6″ type notes – to which I would say it’s free and you can still take a picture to find the exact spot once you’ve tracked down the basic location.

I’m anticipating using this app a lot on my future trips to walking cities (like New York City and Chicago) to help me get back to my hotel and other Meet Back Here In One Hour locations.

iTrans NYC Subway – $4.99 (Or something like it!)

OK, so this app will only work if you happen to be traveling to New York City. Duh.  But, I included it anyway to illustrate that a) this is the best NYC Subway app available of the ones I tried b) you should get yourself a public transportation app before you travel to a major city.

I resisted buying this app on my first trip to New York City because it was $4.99.  I am an idiot.  This application saved me hundreds of dollars in cab fare and countless hours standing on a street corner asking “well, um, how should we get there?” Not only that, but I felt much safer navigating the subway system with the confidence that I actually knew where I was going.

I’m a big proponent of taking advantage of public transportation when you travel in order to cut down on your expenses and get a taste of city life as a local.  Of course, I’m a bigger advocate of this if it is not, say 4 am and you’ve been drinking.  Safety first and all that.

When searching the iTunes store for an app for the city of your choice, look for applications that will provide some functionality underground (without internet or cell coverage).  Also watch for easy to read maps and reviews discussing accuracy and crash frequency.

I’m always on the look out for iPhone apps that make traveling easier.  Do you know of any I missed?  How do you use your iPhone while you travel?

Seattle From West Seattle

 

A telephone ringing

Operator: Hello, Directory assistance

Santa Claus: Uh, yeah this is Santa Claus and I was wondering if you could help me with a potentially huge problem I have.

Operator: Santa Claus? Ok, buddy, I’m hanging up now.

Santa: No. Wait, wait.  I really am Santa Claus and I can prove it.

Operator: Ok, you have 5 seconds.  Impress me.

Santa: Uhh…ok, ok.  Remember how you asked me for The George Forman Grill last year? You wanted to lose a few pounds around the middle to impress that cute girl in the apartment next…

Operator: Ok, Ok. Enough said.  I’m starting that tomorrow.  So you are really Santa Claus huh?

Santa: I love doing that.  Yeah, the one and only real Santa.  That’s me.

Operator: Wow! How exactly can I help you Santa? Or should I call you Mr. Kringle?

Santa: Season’s over, so call me Nicki.  My problem is this.  Valentine’s Day is this weekend and I haven’t done anything at all for Mrs. Claus. I’m desperate!  I’m already in the doghouse for spending too many weekend nights hanging out at the pool hall with Dasher and Dancer.  Those guys are real hustlers.  Have you seen The Color of Money? Anyway, they nearly cleaned me out of all my spending money for the month. I need to find a place to take the Mrs. at the last minute, which will also be easy on the pocketbook.

Operator: Hmmmm….Well, I am based out of the Seattle area, which is a short flight down from the pole. I’m assuming you won’t get any reindeer this time of year.  And with Airfare deals at Alaska Airlines being some of the best in quite some time, you could bring her down here for the weekend.  There are loads of great romantic places you could potentially book at the last minute.

Santa: Ooooh, that’s a great idea.  I like it a lot.  Any specific places you had in mind?

W Hotel Room: Seattle

Operator: Well, if you are looking for a romantic evening in the city, I might be able to help you out.  I have a copy of ‘The Best Places to Kiss in the Northwest’  here on my shelf.  Let’s see, if you are looking for a downtown hotel for the evening you could try Alexis Hotel, which has an Aveda Spa and wine tastings, or the W Hotel with its “chocolate colored velvet drapes on soaring windows.”  There are also the Hotels Monaco, Andra, and Vintage Park which all get great reviews from the book…but all will most likely be out of your price range if you are really on a budget.

My Personal recommendation would be to stay just outside of downtown proper at the Villa Heidelberg, a quaint Victorian Bed and Breakfast in the western part of the city with rooms starting at $100 a night double occupancy.  It is romantic and best of all affordable.  It doesn’t take kids, but I’m guessing you and the Mrs. won’t be bringing any along.

Santa: No, we are a bit old for that.  That actually sounds real nice.  What about dinner options?

Icon Grill Seattle

Operator: If you stay at Villa Heidelberg, you are just up the hill from one of the most romantic Italian restaurants in Seattle La Rustica.  Or you could travel to downtown for dinner at The Icon Grill with all of its beautiful blown glass, which I can attest exudes romance. For other romantic options, there’s the Dahlia Lounge, Café Campagne, Chez Shea, or Andaluca.

Santa:  Wow, you are giving me some terrific ideas. Thanks.  How can I top it all off?

Operator: Well, I would suggest that before dinner you take Mrs. Claus over to Charles Richey Sr Viewpoint, otherwise known as Constellation Park to gaze over the Puget Sound and watch the sun set over the Majestic Olympic Mountains.  It’s simply magical.  The Park is along Beach Drive in West Seattle and just down the road from La Rustica.  It will be the perfect start to an amazing evening.

Santa:  I’m sold!  I am going to go book something right now.  I can’t thank you enough.  Man, tell me what can I do for you??  You name it.

Operator:  Awesome. Well, it would be nice to get a new iphone as a late Christmas gift.  Can you do that?

Santa:  Sure!  Consider it done.  I’ll send it special delivery with Rudolf tonight!

Operator:  Thanks Santa!! You are the Best.  Maybe I’ll see you in Seattle.

 Seattle photo by: joiseyshowaa (licensed under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.0); W Hotel photo from starwoodhotels.com; Icon Grill photo from Icongrill.com

Since hardly anybody gets the paper anymore (and obviously the LA Times is feelin’ it, because it’s laying off many of the humans who work there and, like, write stuff) I feel an obligation to tell you about a wonderful feature that the Times ran last Sunday.  Hopefully they won’t be getting rid of Christopher Reynolds anytime soon, considering that he is a one-man travel section for the paper.

In one issue alone, Reynolds provided the following:

-a travelogue of his road trip along the California coast, south end to north end.

-a list and review of hotels along the coast that offer good deals.

-a guide to the restaurants he visited.

And his picks for the top five coastal CA campgrounds, which includes my favorite, Leo Carillo beach.  And I know my SoCal beaches (see photos below).

I feel this need to tell you about it because I, unlike many other travelers, still actually read the physical newspaper.  While I get fantastic travel ideas from Uptake, nothing grabs my attention like a well-written travelogue that smells of newsprint that I can enjoy while I’m drinking my lazy Sunday morning coffee.  That is, until my toddler comes along to shred it out of my hands.

Oh, they still have other writers on staff, who provided more gems in this very same issue, including this item about luxury hotel renovations, a gold mine of info about California’s national parks , monuments, and historical sites.  If you do read the newspaper and you fear the day it starts arriving as one long sheaf of advertising and no information whatsoever, Uptake will be here to make you feel better.  Might as well start using us more regularly now (and subscribe, even!) to soften the blow.

If only Uptake smelled like newsprint.  But maybe they’ll come up with smell-o-vision for computers.

All photos by Kim Tracy Prince

With its upscale restaurants, landmark buildings, beautiful bridges and breathtaking views, San Francisco always tops the lists of favorite US cities and tourist destinations.  Many people come to visit during the summer months and get disappointed by the cold fog and damp weather. However you would be pleasantly surprised if you made a trip to the city during this time of year.  The winter months often bring cold temperatures but very blue skies during the day and nights full of stars.

San Francisco is almost more beautiful at night during the holidays than any other time of year – and that is saying something.

During the holidays living in the City is such a gift: the bright lights on the Embarcadero Center row of buildings, outlined to look like giant present boxes; the beautiful window displays in high-end stores like Gump’s and multi-colored lights adorning neighborhood parks and homes. Walk through any of these areas of the city and you can’t help but smile and get a little more into the holiday spirit.

If you are visiting the City or planning to in the future and want to experience a uniquely San Francisco evening, I have the perfect recipe for you. The itinerary will need a little planning but should only require one phone call for the dinner reservation.  This evening is a local favorite for a romantic date but it can be adjusted for just a great night out with friends or family.

First thing you want to do is plan on wearing some warm layers of clothing, especially a scarf and gloves.  San Francisco at night, during this time of year, can be very cold. Wear some nice holiday clothes and comfortable shoes and you will be set for the evening.

Begin the evening with a drink at the beautiful Big Four Restaurant on Nob Hill. Located inside the Huntington Hotel, this secret spot doesn’t have the view that you can get from the Top of the Mark, but this is the place locals go. Filled with beautiful dark wood, the bar area is rich and a historic reminder of the robber barons that built San Francisco.

After a glass of wine or cold cocktail, walk slowly across California Street, watching out for the cable cars and taxi drivers heading across town. Criss-cross the street and stroll through Huntington Park, a wonderful small city park situated between Grace Cathedral and The Fairmont Hotel.  It is one of my favorite parks to visit at night during the holidays because the neighborhood association installs beautiful old-fashion lights in the trees.

Walk through the park towards your dinner reservations, at Venticello Ristorante on Taylor Street. This wonderful Italian restaurant has a warm intimate setting that reminds you of San Francisco society pages from the 1920s. I have had dinners where I have watched patrons walk in that could have been related to Grace Kelly or Kim Novak, in their style of dress and manner. The food is classic Italian with homemade pastas, risotto and roasted meats. The fireplace and wood oven add warmth to your dinner setting along with a backdrop of cable cars going up and down California Street.

After your dinner walk down Taylor Street to Jackson Street and catch the Powell-Hyde Cable Car, with its maroon colored sign, to head towards the waterfront and Hyde Street Pier.  The cable car ride will be very chilly but you can cuddle up inside the center of the car or wrap your scarf tighter and hang onto the outer poles like a local.

Your ride will take you up past Nob Hill and across Russian Hill until you head down Hyde Street to the end of the line. Hop off and turning your back to the bay, walk into The Buena Vista Cafe – home of the perfect Irish Coffee!

Irish Coffee

The recipe of this famous drink was created in 1952 when the restaurant owner and a well known travel writer worked to re-create a highly touted “Irish Coffee” served at Shannon Airport in Ireland.

The Irish Coffee served here at the Buena Vista is the perfect night cap any night of the year, but especially in winter.  How and when you decide to end your evening is up to you, but after all the lights, rich foods, fresh air and drinks – I recommend taking a cab home. Enjoy!

If you’re planning a trip, check out flights to San Francisco.

Photo credits to bill lim, tinou, shayne kaye and rick