Best Western's Travel Blog - You Must Be Trippin' - Odds and Ends From a Senior Wanderer's Notebook

Odds and Ends From a Senior Wanderer's Notebook

January 26 2010 by Sam Lowe

Among the mix of golf and health magazines that populate the waiting rooms in medical offices, there are usually some travel periodicals. You may have to sort through the stack to find one, and they're probably from the previous year, but the photography is usually pretty good and the travel tips are worth remembering, so I dig them out and make notes.

Here are some of the interesting items I've come across recently:

BUT IS IT OKAY IF THEY DON'T EXHALE? -- Smoking bans already instituted on airplanes, buses and trains are now being implemented by some rental car agencies. On Oct. 1, 2009, both Avis and Budget became the first major car-for-hire companies to outlaw smoking in their entire fleets. To make certain that the no-smoking orders are followed, the companies also impose a cleaning fee of up to $250 on customers who violate the ban. And they'll get you because the cars now undergo a new type of inspection when they're returned.

Requests for smoke-free cars ran quite high because a common complaint among renters was that the cars smell like smoke. Company employees who drive the cars are also banned from smoking in them. And there's also an economic reason for the ban: It costs the companies money because cars often have to be taken out of service while they're being cleaned.

PARKING IS ONLY TEMPORARY - Visitor centers across the nation are encountering a new problem: Illegal longterm parking.

Most visitor centers don't allow overnight parking in their lots, but many have had to crack down because people have been leaving their cars for multiple days while they take tour buses or shuttles to points of interest. Now, the centers have started calling the police and they issue tickets. So what you thought was free parking can turn out to be quite costly. So use common sense and ask first.

SOME GOOD NEWS - Despite all the fear that the economy is causing everybody to stay home, a recent Travel Leaders polls says they're not. At least, a lot of them aren't. According to the survey, more than 80 percent of those asked said they had been on, or were going to go on, a major trip in 2009.

Also, the average spending on vacation trips in 2009 was the same or more than in previous years, according to 75 percent of those surveyed. However, more than two-thirds indicated their trips were within the United States. The major reason given were the need for rest and relaxation, tradition and habit (like, "we take one every year and there's no reason to stop now"), and the increasing number of travel deals and discounts.

And 88.6 percent said they had already started planning for a leisure trip this year.

MESSING WITH MYTHS - Everett Potter, chief travel writer for the Sunday newspaper supplement USA Weekend, recently gunned down a couple of common travel myths in his regular column. One is that all expenses are included in the cost of a cruise. "Not by a long shot!" Potter warns. Alcohol, laundry, shore excursions, soft drinks, Internet access, spa treatments and tips can be (and usually are) extra. It pays to ask before sailing.

Potter also wrote that the fear of identity theft from hotel card keys because they contain your credit card information is likewise a myth, but one that won't die. Hotels and motels typically encode only the room number and activation, not personal information. So leave it in the room, toss it, or keep it as a souvenir.

CALLING IN SICK isn't always a good idea, especially when it comes to airline tickets. The Centers for Disease Control recommends that people do not travel if they're sick, particularly with flu-like symptoms, and also advises airlines that passengers or crew members who display such symptoms should not be allowed to board. Despite such urging, however, some airlines charge up to $150 to make changes on nonrefundable tickets prior to departure, even if you're sick. The policies differ from airline to airline, so it's best to check beforehand.

Some carriers, for example, will make exceptions if a passenger has proof of illness. Others have staff physicians they can consult with if there's a health question at the airport. And credit card companies offer travel-cancellation insurance for tickets purchased with their cards.

GIFTS THAT STOP GIVING - There have been several incidents recently in which travelers try to use gift cards at hotels only to find that the lodging places won't accept the cards because they're no longer valid. Frequently, it's the fault of the economy.

What happens in these cases is that the hotels have declared bankruptcy while it looks for a solution to its financial troubles. During the bankruptcy proceedings, which can last months and even years, a company has court protection from creditors, some of whom are those holding the gift cards. So the moral is, if you receive such a card, use it immediately. After checking with the hotel, of course.

But if you want to be absolutely certain that your gift card is always valid, remember that Best Western Travel Cards never expire. So go ahead, make your plans and feel safe.