Marsha’s post from yesterday got me to thinking about what others were planning for Valentine’s Day – I would love to say that I am hitting the road, pack on my back, to explore an exciting far-off destination. Turns out the best I can do is a date with my husband while my kids eat pizza with their favorite babysitter. Let’s see what my options might have been:

Erica at Blissful Travel pointed us over to Maybourne Hotel’s Truly Madly Deeply promotion. Luxury accommodations for Valentine’s Day, and looking at the deal, it goes through the end of February, so those of us slow on the uptake can book it as a post-holiday celebration. Valentine’s Day is amateur night* anyway, right?

Sheila from GoVisitHawaii tells us that we could have renewed our vows in Waikiki at the Outrigger Hotel. How romantic would that have been to renew our vows Hawaiian style? Maybe next year, sounds like sign ups begin in January.

Over at the Luxury Travel Blog, Paul highlights deals from One&Only, Sherman Travel, and Kimpton Hotels, including a romantic getaway to Venice. These would be the kind of gifts I like to give – the ones that benefit both the giver and receiver.

Sadly, I should have been reading Rick Seaney’s blog last month when he posted information about the Air France deals to Paris. What is more romantic than Paris?

Are you sensing a theme yet? All these would have been possible with a little planning! For those of you who are stuck for last minute ideas, Outdoorzy posted 5 gift ideas for the outdoorzy woman in your life, including a smashing pink bathrobe. And last (but not least) Viator has pulled together the ultimate list of gift ideas for the traveler. Its a beautiful post with very romantic suggestions for expressing your love for your partner, while traveling!

How are you celebrating tonight? If you are a planner, what’s on the agenda? If you prefer to fly by the seat of your pants, do you have an intended destination? Whatever you decide, we wish you a happy Valentine’s Day!

*Amateur Night – Valentine’s Night is the often the worst time to go out to dinner – the restaurants are packed, expectations are high, the food is sub-par (think warming tables) and they are eager to get you in and out, to make way for the next diners. Piece of advice, if you have not already made reservations, pick up a burrito (for two), grab your favorite movie (romantic or not) and a bottle of wine and spend the evening at home!

From guest blogger, Marsha Takeda-Morrison, of Sweatpantsmom.

My husband and I have never been known as ‘plan ahead’ kind of people. We’re usually the ones who breeze into town without hotel reservations and then try to explain to our kids that we’ll have to keep driving for another two hours because who knew there’d be a Tupperware convention hogging all the rooms?

So Valentine’s Day has always posed a problem – without reservations and some stealth planning skills you’re likely to be stuck spending the night in a truck stop off Highway 5. (I realize that may scream romance to some of you, but try and keep that to yourselves.)

Which is why we love the W Hotel. Reservations are recommended, but, its location in a residential area on the edge of Westwood Village means it isn’t as crowded as some other high-profile L.A. hotels. Still, it’s hip enough to attract the likes of Lindsay Lohan, Reese Witherspoon and Britney Spears, who, coincidentally was recently hospitalized at the UCLA Medical Center psych ward which is a short walk from the W. File that under ‘Fascinating Travel Trivia.’

Getting away for a romantic, kid-free weekend is rare, and I like the experience to be as adult as possible; no child-latches on the toilet and nothing resembling a chicken nugget on the room service menu. The W fits the bill – it’s sleek and modern, and the rooms definitely not kid-friendly; glass tables with sharp edges and even condoms for sale in the mini-bar. That’s right – I like my hotels begging for a visit from Child Protective Services.

The W has one of the most stylish bars in the city, Whiskey Blue which is owned by Rande Gerber (Mr. Cindy Crawford!) On our last visit my husband and I lounged here, sipping martinis and snacking on calamari in the late afternoon. When we returned from dinner the place was packed – it’s a big late-night hangout for the Hollywood scene. But we pushed right past the bouncers by flashing our room key – you don’t have to be Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie if you’ve got that little piece of plastic with the magnetic strip.

Although the W also boasts a first-class restaurant, there are three excellent establishments within walking distance: The Palamino, Napa Valley Grille and my favorite sushi bar, Tengu. Order the drink made with mint, cucumber and vodka and it’ll be your favorite place, too.

Breakfast at the W is served poolside and is incredible, but if you’re willing to drive for fifteen minutes you’ll arrive at one of the most popular breakfast spots in the city: Broadway Deli on the Third Street Promenade. I swear they have French Toast the size of a doormat. And excellent coffee, which for me is the perfect ending to a romantic weekend.

The best part? With Valentine’s Day only forty-eight hours away I still see plenty of rooms available on the W online site. But better hurry, before the Tupperware convention gets here.

What is your favorite last-minute Valentine’s plan? We promise if you share we won’t all try to make reservations!

From guest blogger Glenda Watson Hyatt, The Left Thumb Blogger

With both my husband and I having significant physical disabilities and relying on electric wheelchairs for mobility, traveling can be challenging but, with some planning and research, definitely possible. Most recently, we have enjoyed cruising from Vancouver to Los Angeles, playing at Disneyland, and spending four nights in Las Vegas. I have also done some traveling within British Columbia. All with only minor glitches and some important lessons learned.

Hotels

When traveling in North America, keep in mind that Canada and Mexico do not have legislation similar to the American with Disabilities Act, which specifies requirements for physical access. However, this does not mean these two countries are not accessible; quite the contrary. But, it does mean not all hotels and resort destinations will meet your accessibility needs.

• When booking hotel rooms, keep in mind that “accessible” (or “ADA compliant” in the United States”) means different things to different people.

A couple of years ago, I traveled overnight to Victoria for a board meeting. The organizer booked an accessible motel room for me. If accessible room meant only a wide door, then, yes, the room was accessible. If an accessible room meant being able to park my scooter beside the bed or to get into the bathroom to even get close to the tub, the room was not accessible. The room was doable for one night. Had I wanted to take a shower or bath, the room was definitely not accessible.

Be specific about your needs. Do you need a roll-in shower? A bath bench? A flashing fire alarm?

Candy Harrington, editor of accessible travel magazine Emerging Horizons and author of 101 Accessible Vacations: Travel Ideas for Wheelers and Slow Walkers, recommends asking, “Can you block that accessible room for me?” In hotel terminology, “block” means to reserve a specific room for a specific guest. Asking the clerk to “guarantee the room” is the wrong terminology as that means “to secure with a credit card’. Harrington says if the clerk is unwilling or unable to block a room, then make your reservation elsewhere. If you can’t be sure that accessible room will be available when you arrive, then what good is your reservation.

• If there is a problem with your room upon arrival, politely bring it to the staff’s attention.Frequent business traveler Eric Lipp, Director of Chicago-based non-profit Open Doors Organization that teaches businesses how to succeed in the disability market, advises people with disabilities to speak up when they encounter an obstacle at a hotel. Ask to see the General Manager or the Manager on Duty and calmly explain your problem. Tipp who uses a scooter for mobility points out, “…you are probably the first person to bring it up. A hostile stand off doesn’t work. My experience has been that most managers are willing to come to a reasonable solution.”

• If you use an electric wheelchair or scooter, pack a power extension cord. There may not be an electrical outlet where you need to charge.

Cruises

Cruises are a great way to travel, particularly for those with mobility impairments, because everything is right there: accommodation, dining, recreation facilities and entertainment. The newer ships are quite accessible. However, the main issue is the number of accessible cabins and which passengers get them.

According to Lisa Burbank, contributing editor for National Geographic Traveler, “Cruise-line policies vary on booking such rooms in advance. The policy often depends on how quickly a ship is filling up.”

• Complete documentation. Cruise lines typically require a medical form, which will indicate an accessible cabin is necessary, so assignments shouldn’t be arbitrarily switched.

The special-needs department can also help with requirements such as flashing fire alarms for guests who are hearing impaired or Deaf and special menus for cruisers with severe allergies.

• Have your travel agent flag your reservation with a note “do not upgrade” in your record so you will not be bumped up to a non-accessible space. If you’re traveling with a group, Burbank suggests linking reservations together so one person’s cabin or dining assignment will not be changed.

I wish we had known this before our first cruise. During the registration on the day we left, we were told we had been upgraded at no additional cost. We boarded and eventually found our cabin. My husband unlocked the door and realized his power chair would not fit through the doorway. No way, no how. Things didn’t look promising when we could not even get into our cabin.

We found our way to the Purser’s Desk, where we were told the ship was fully booked and, thus, we couldn’t simply change cabins. Once they realized we were unable to park our chairs in the hallway and walk into our cabin, they told us to go have lunch while they tried locating the passengers in our original cabin to see if they could switch to a non-accessible room.

Dishearteningly we ate our first meal onboard, thinking that may be a mighty expensive lunch if we needed to disembark before the ship sailed. Eventually, we were reassigned to our cabin, which turned out to be ultra accessible. It was smooth sailing from there – until the seasickness struck.

Do you have any accessible tips to share? Please pass them on!

Additional Resources:

Disability Travel: Part I: Plan Accessible Trips
Disability Travel: Part II: Getting to the Destination
Disability Travel: Part III: At the Destination