Iberian Airlines, Business Class

 That's hubby on Iberia Airlines flying business class. Thank you Pam Keystone at The Art of Vacationing, our fabulous travel agent.

That's me, as we begin our adventure flying from Chicago to Madrid.  First time we've flown business class, first time we've flown Iberia and the first time to fly over night anywhere.  What an exciting trip.  Look how space age this new design is.  You have a very private pod with all kinds of room.  It was super comfortable.  Notice the half wall to my right your left in the picture.  That way slides down if two people are traveling together and can be put in place for privacy if you're not 2 traveling together.  4 seats across with 2 aisles.  The center where we were has the double seats with singles on each of the sides.

 Those are our screens.  Everyone has one with controls, earphones, and choice of language.  You can watch movies, listen to music, or follow where the plane is in the air.  Hola...yes, you've guessed it, Iberia is a Spanish Airlines.

 Looking towards the front of the plane, you see how much head room there is, notice the 2 people standing, each in the aisle on either side of the two center seats.  The space just beyond is one of the galley's  and the bathroom.  Just 3 or 4 rows behind us was a 2nd galley and 2 more bathrooms.  Space is not an issue.

 Food was fabulous.  This was the beginning of our first meal.  We had an awesome salad, soup and cheese plate for starters, though you can just barely see the soup it was a cold gazpacho that was excellent.

 Wanting to show you how the seats turns into your bed for the night.  Here's the pamphlet photo.  This seat is one from the side.  The gentlemen is fully reclined and he would be on the aisle.  Notice the area between him and the side of the plane.  Seats are staggered, so the next person would be closer to the side of the plane.  The area by his head on the other side of the pod would be where the other person's foot area would be.  You're never leaning back into someone's space.

 Forget my knobby knees, I'm trying to show the space.  Even when sitting up you can have your legs and feet up...with the area beneath my feet as added storage.  You can see my blanket and pillow all nicely sealed in plastic...clean and neat!  Off to the left, you can see my gray sweater hanging, there's a little hook for each pod.

 Wine is served in a glass wine glass, poured from bottles!

 Newspapers in multiple languages are available.  Not the best picture both hubby and I were leaning back in order to get the picture.

 Several plugs for each pod so you can kept you ipad, kindles etc fully charged.

 A wine list!  They even did a bit of a wine tasting.  Hubby tried all 3 reds, while I hit pay dirt on the first wine and liked it so much I didn't switch.

 Snacks and beverages before dinner, water glasses constantly filled.

 Pretty snack plates and cloth napkins!

 This was lunch or snack on our return flight from Madrid to JFK.  Hubby was full and didn't take a try, but nibbled a bit on mine.  See the cute little bottle of olive oil?  That was served with each of our meals.  And look....real silverware!

 Hubby's fish meal on the flight over.  He said it was very good.

 This was cheese ravioli and was wonderful!  My main dish on the flight over.  I was sadly too full after all the other goodies to be able to eat all of it.

 The menu with 3 selections for the main dish.

Even a digestif after the meal.  Service, food, and comfort can't be beat.  We used Marriott Rewards points for this business class flight as the cost is $$$$.  Hubby says probably won't do that next time, I'm not so sure.  It take alot of points, but the flight was sure an experience.  I arrived without swollen legs and feet because they were dangling down the whole time.  I was able to move around so wasn't stiff, I did manage to sleep ........I've never been able to sleep on a plane.  He can sleep anywhere anytime.  If you have points, not just Marriott Rewards and need help using them for flights, please contact Pam Keystone at The Art of Vacating.  
  She can help you with ALL phases of your travels.

If you have the opportunity, I highly recommend Iberian Airlines!

Blogging a-z in May, my focus is Spain Click the drop down box to leave your name and url of your blog post, not profile page.

Planes, Fly the Friendly Skies

P for Plane.  ( or for a P destination, I've blogger 39 times about Park City...yes there really is that much to see and do there. Traveling by plane can be positive or negative.  Yes, it's sometimes faster then driving your car, yes there are places you can fly that you can't drive your car, yes it's more expensive then driving your car........with a few exceptions.

How do you determine whether or not to fly or drive when making a trip?

• How far are you traveling, how many tanks of gas would it take to get there, and how long in terms of hours?  Explore that fully.  Gas isn't cheap, and depending on the distance you're traveling you may need to factor in a hotel stay.  You also need to factor in how many times will you be stopping to eat, and how many mouths are you feeding.  Some trips can be cheaper to fly.  
• Will you need a car once you're there?  Most likely and so now you also need to add the cost of a car rental.  
• Time is important, you hate to lose valuable vacation time traveling; but even though plane's are considered to be quickier; you can still loose a whole day traveling.  Example:  If a car trip is around 6-8 hours, it's not much longer then a plane ride to the same location.  Arrive at the airport 1hour earlier then your flight, go through security, board, and actual flight time, wait for your luggage, wait again for your rental, drive to your location....that can come pretty close to how long it would take you to drive.  So here the determining factor might come down to how many people are traveling.

**After the close of April's A-Z, I plan to continue to write a post a day in the month of May using again the A-B-C's as my guide.  My focus for the month of May will be Spain.  I've been planning and almost have every letter thought out.  If others are interested in continuing to blog daily using our A-B-C's, please let me know.  We could start a linky and continue what we've begun during April.  I don't imagine it will be anywhere near the scope of the annual April Challenge.  But, if you're interested, please let me know in your comment.  And even if you're not up for another blog challenge, do stop back in, I have much to share from recent travels to Spain.**

If you're a new follower, please let me know so I can reciprocate.

Odors, Offensive Overbooked.......yikes

Several O words related to travel come to mind, looking for a O destination?  How bout a post I did previously on Olde Town.

Odor, Offensive, organization, overbooked, and oversized..........are words that popped into my head thinking about travel.

• ODOR, when you decide it's a good idea to take something smelly on the plane to eat later, you are not everyone's favorite traveler.  The entire plane, passengers and crew members have to smell your too garlicky, too spicy, fishy, too Mexican and really don't appreciate it.  Think about your fellow travelers, you're not flying a private plane.
• OFFENSIVE, your noisy game is offensive to those around you.  Turn it off, or plug in your ear phones.  Likewise your constant chatter about how important you are, is offensive to others.  Remember if you're really that important, rich...you would be aboard your personal plane.
• ORGANIZATION, think about what you need at hand, think about what you will be using in your carry on and pack accordingly.  Don't just throw everything in, stand up every 10 minutes to grab something from the over head bumping your neighbors as you go.  Don't stand in the aisle for 20 minutes while you route for something and hold up the rest of those trying to board.  We have a constant theme here folks, YOU are NOT the only passenger, be considerate of your fellow travelers.  The idea of being organized is even more important if you're traveling with some children.
• OVERBOOKED...some folks get irritable when planes are overbooked, some like it and volunteer to give up their flight for a free one later on.  Whichever camp you fall into, remember the ticket agent isn't the one who overbooked, don't take it out on them.  Be Polite.
• OVERSIZED, stop packing oversized bags as carry on.  Yes, you think you're being clever saving money by not checking your bag; but YOU are responsible for delaying the plane, irritating your fellow travelers and the crew, AND YOU are responsible for raising ticket prices and the charge on bags.  Why........because a heavy plane needs more fuel, so when you pack oversized bags you're making the problem you think you're avoided worse.  You know before hand it's not going to fit under your seat, that it doesn't even come close to fitting into the sizer at the gate.

I repeat, you are not the only traveler, you are not flying a personal plane.  

**After the close of April's A-Z, I plan to continue to write a post a day in the month of May using again the A-B-C's as my guide.  My focus for the month of May will be Spain.  I've been planning and almost have every letter thought out.  If others are interested in continuing to blog daily using our A-B-C's, please let me know.  We could start a linky and continue what we've begun during April.  I don't imagine it will be anywhere near the scope of the annual April Challenge.  But, if you're interested, please let me know in your comment.  And even if you're not up for another blog challenge, do stop back in, I have much to share from recent travels to Spain.**

If you're a new follower, please let me know so I can reciprocate.

Airports, A-Z Challenge

And we begin at the beginning, a very good place to start.  Some of you may be playing today with April Fools Jokes, but lots of us are starting our Blog Challenge because it's April 1.  

AIRPORTS (or Adena Mounds, an A post)

Airports are a necessary evil of lots of travel, they can make or break you.  Think about your needs, your family needs don't just assume everything will happen the way you want or need it to.  Think BEFORE you go.  Airports are busy, loud, dirty and generally inconvenient places.  None of that makes for a pleasant day to start or end your travels.  

Food is generally expensive at airports, and typically not all that good.  What time are you traveling, can you...should you eat before?  Should you take snacks in your bag?  Often the place you might prefer to eat isn't where your gate is.  Look at the airport maps BEFORE you go, have a plan.  This is particularly important if you're traveling with small children and or a senior who walks with a cane or needs a wheel chair.  Airports are large and often not that easy to navigate.

I mentioned their dirty, do you really want to sit on the floor where thousands of people have walked with their shoes?  Parents this is particularly directed to you.  DON'T allow your children to wallow on the floor.  

Yes, airports are dirty and people who leave their trash behind them only make matters worse.  Don't be a slob and leave you chip bag on the floor along with your half finished big Slurpee.  It's guaranteed to get knocked over and cause a mess.  

Airports are loud, people are talking, there are announcements, radio's and games on.  Hello...you're not here along, turn down the volume or better yet plug in your ear phones.  There's no reason why the other 300 travelers crammed into that one gate need to hear your head banging garbage you call music...or the beep beep beep of the kids game.

Pillows, why do people drag their pillows with them?  I do mean drag.  They flop them on the suitcases, on the floor, on the seats both in the airports and planes where thousands have been before them, then they sleep on them with all those germs and wonder why they always get sick when they travel...hum!  If you must tote your pillow like it's your safety blanket but it in a plastic bag to keep it clean

Cell phones, wonderful tools.  Can't travel without them; but...........hold it to your ear and talk, like we all did back in the dark ages with a real phone.  Don't put the speaker on.  We really don't need or want to listen to several hundred conversations about who ate what for dinner the night before and like he said she said, know what I mean.

Pop in Often, remember Menu Mondays for dining tips, Traveling Tips on Thursday, and any day for vacation destinations.

Braves All Star Grill in The Atlanta Airport

 When you get up around 3 am to catch an early morning flight, having a Bloody Mary with your breakfast seems totally in line.........by this time we'd been up about 5 hours already.  Braves All Star Grill in the Atlanta airport is a must.  Good food, good Bloody Mary's and a really fun atmosphere.  Everyone was upbeat and fun........and they were far more awake then we were.  Hubby and I both had an omelet, toast, and fried potatoes with our coffee and Bloody Mary's.  Somehow a Bloody Mary for breakfast always signifies the beginning of vacation from our perspective.

 Braves All Star Grill is located in concourse D.  If you're tight on time, not to worry Carolyn and the other wait staff will get you in quickly.  Things were hoping with people coming and going.  We had some time to kill before our next flight so we got to relax and enjoyed the friendliness and efficiency afforded to all.

This was our wonderful, fun, and super waitress...Carolyn.  Please look her up she'll make your day.  Generally, you make do in most airports grabbing whatever you can; this was not such an occasion.  We enjoyed our breakfast, and we will return on our next flight through Atlanta's airport.  Have your phones powered up when you get there, they have a deal for you using your phones which results in your getting a discount.

Thank you Carolyn and Braves All Star Grill for a great start to our vacation!

Pop in Often, remember Menu Mondays for dining tips, Traveling Tips on Thursday, and any day for vacation destinations.

Sunrise on Board Air Tran

 It's time for Travel Tip Thursday.  When you take an early morning flight...don't go sleep as soon as you get on the plane.  If you do.........you'll miss this.

 Don't pack your camera where you can't get to it.  I keep my small point and shoot nothing fancy camera in my purse, in my purse under the seat so I knab it quickly.

Not pictures you could put in a contest, but was happy not much of a reflection.  Held the camera close to the window, took the first picture with the flash, the other 2 without the flash.    This sunrise was taken out the window of my Air Tran flight heading from Columbus to Atlanta on my way to Aruba.  Do pop back in for photo's and information about Aruba, one of my favorite places to travel.

Pop in Often, remember Menu Mondays for dining tips, Traveling Tips on Thursday, and any day for vacation destinations.

Lugguage Carousels

 You've safely made it to your destination, you're waiting in a mass of people much like a heard of cattle and the luggage carousel goes round and round and round.  Lots of black luggage that all looks alike.  How can you tell which one is yours?  Well aside from obvious, don't buy black luggage, some of those animal print ones, or bright orange...well they show up; but then most of us do have black.  Black is popular, it doesn't look like it's meant for a 10 year old girl, and it doesn't show the dirt as much.

Though this purple yarn do dad is in need of being removed...seen it's better days.  Tie things on your luggage.  Put something on several sides; because you know whatever you put on the front is hard to see.......they always seem to throw your suitcase on upside down with the handle part as far away from the edge of the carousel as possible.  Why, I've wonder time and time again can't they put the luggage on when the handle on the side or on outside edge?  It would sure save everyone hitting each other as they lunge across trying to reach it as it gets further away from you.  

Back to being able to tell it's your luggage.  Use bright colored luggage tags, ribbon, yarn that you can easily see from a distance.  I've seen people decals also on their luggage...but I think that might only work well if you have hard sided luggage.  AND....TAKE THE TIME TO LOOK AT THE LUGGAGE TAG AFTER YOU LUGGED IT FROM THE CAROUSEL........MAKE SURE IT'S YOUR LUGGAGE, DON'T ASSUME IT IS.  Though I've not gone home with someone else's luggage I know too many people who's luggage went home with someone else.  People are hurried, tired, and generally pretty agitated by the time they elbow their way through the crowd to crab the suitcase that "looks like" theirs.

If you're not traveling alone, send 1 person up to the carousel and have the others further back.  When the person up front see's an appropriate piece of luggage and starts to grab it, the other person can come forward to get it and remove it out of the way.  Nothing worse then 6 people standing there to pick up 1 or 2 pieces of luggage, keeping others from seeing what they need to see.  It's also a bit dangerous...kids that can easily get hit or tramped with luggage being yanked off the carousel.  

Stand a foot or two away from the carousel, that way everyone can see better.  Step forward when you see yours, and again back up.  When everyone pushes forward, not only can fewer people see the luggage, but there's no where to grab and put it...with people elbow to elbow.  And as luck would have it, the people up front elbow to elbow are waiting while the carousel goes round a 2nd or 3rd time........why?  The luggage on their belongs to people behind them who can't see their luggage.  And, until you let them get their luggage there won't be room for yours to be put on their.  This happens often when multiple planes are using the same carousel, and plane 1 people were there waiting........then plane 2 people get there and rush the carousel.  Plane 1's luggage is coming out first.  

Sadly, it's rare to see people being polite when retrieving their luggage.  It's a scene that seems to bring out the worst in people.  Breathe, step back, wait your turn.  YOU ARE NOT, the only person who's anxious, tired, hungry or needs to go to the bathroom.  By being able to identify you luggage and being polite and patient you can start and end your trip in a much more stress free way.

Pop in Often, remember Menu Mondays for dining tips, Traveling Tips on Thursday, and any day for vacation destinations.

Weighing Your Luggage

 This is an absolute must when you travel by plane.  How much does your luggage weigh?  And if it weighs too much...how much extra is it going to cost you?  Why worry about that.  How many times have you seen people scrambling at the ticket counter....holding up the line while they pull stuff out of their suitcases to get beneath the 50 pounds.

This portable, light weight scale has a handle you hold, a hook you put through the handle of your suitcase so it's easy to see how much your luggage weighs.  Take it with you, pack it.  Why?  I know everyone thinks well if it was ok at home...it will be ok on the return.............not so.  Why?  Dirty close weigh more then clean close and you bought souvenirs, and you don't know how much your little gifts for the neighbor watching your house or pets weighs.

People can use the home scale to weigh themselves, then get back on with their suitcase and weigh again, subtract their weight to determine how much the luggage weighs; but........that's not always accurate and it's not all that easy.  I've seen people tell the folks at the ticket counter, I weigh it at home...blah blah blah.  Plus, you can't do that for the return trip.  Well, maybe where you're staying has a work out room and you can pack your suitcase, take it to the gym area and repeat the process there.........but really, talk about a nuisance.

Prices vary for portable luggage scales, this one was under $15.00, though some digital ones may be closer to $20.00, still it's money well spent.  I've seen a price tag of $25.00-$125.00 for luggage weighing over 50 pounds depending on the airlines and whether it's the first or 2nd bag or domestic or international travel.........so go buy the portable scale and use it.  You'll be glad you did.  I like to have at least 5-8 pounds of wiggle room so I know I won't have trouble.

Pop in Often, remember Menu Mondays for dining tips, Traveling Tips on Thursday, and any day for vacation destinations.

Kicking off our travels to Mexico

Kicking off our recent trip to Mexico this OSU Guy at the airport. Several in our group were having a Bloody Mary here in the bar prior to departure for a week in Mexico. This was an away Sat Game Day, when Ohio State played Minnesota in Minnesota. I assume this guy was traveling to the game. I asked if I could a picture and he was gracious enough to wait while I did so.

Follow along each day for information, pictures and participate in the fun from my travels to Mexico. This kicks off the series which will start tomorrow, Monday the 15th

Packing Thursday Traveling Tip

Packing, it's been my experience that regardless of where you go, most people over pack. Ask yourself several questions.

1. ..What am I going to be doing (what type of clothes are needed to accomplish this)
2. ..How long am I going to be there
3. ..What's the weather like
4. ..Are there laundry facilities there?

Answering those questions will truly help you.
Example...what am I going to be doing? Going to the beach, you're going to be walking and laying on the beach. What do you need? Sunscreen and bathing suit, and not much more. So, if you're in a hotel where you will eat out every meal, you need clothes for that. Is it fancy? Probably not, most beach places are pretty casual. Shorts, or summer skirts and tops are probably all that's needed. If you're in a condo and will be doing you own cooking, are you going to "dress for dinner"?
How long am I going to be there? Going for a week, you need maybe 2 skirts for evening with different tops, and maybe 2 pair of shorts for variety. A couple of suits so one can be drying while you've got the other one on. What's the weather like? Probably a beach trip is hot (though I took one that wasn't) Sweater sets are great, sleeveless for when it's hot, and a matching sweater if it cools down at night or you get cold in A.C. while dining out. Are there laundry facilities? If so, you can pack lighter and do a laundry mid week.

My suggestion is to lay out what you think you need on the bed, look it over; match sure colors blend so you can mix and match. If not make changes. Then when you satisfied, remove 1 full outfit and hang it back up in your closest. Think back, how many times have you come home and said I didn't need this or that while unpacking?

Pack a slightly larger suitcase then you need for your clothes, you'll have room them for purchases you make while gone. Be they gifts for friends and family or your personal souvenirs. Toss in a bag or two like these. These happen to be what I use grocery shopping, but one or two of these gives you a bag to separate things in your suitcase for the return trip, something to put your beach towel, sunscreen etc. if you're going to the beach or spending time at the hotel pool.

If you're flying, be sure and weigh your suitcase at home. Give yourself room to grow heavier so you're not charged for a heavy bag. Another good purpose of those bags above. You could use one for your carry on if you're over weight. How will you know if you're overweight at the hotel? Does your hotel have a workout room? Most do, so do condo's at resorts. There are scales in a work out room. Weight your bag the night before departure. Don't be caught off guard.

**Still having issues with formatting. Can anyone figure out why the numbers and or dots don't work here when I post on blogger? I see both when I type in draft form, I see both in preview form, I see neither when post is published. The same situation with the few times I've tried to use a linky. No numbers appear???

Traveling on Southwest Airlines, Flying with Pets

Continuation of Award, click here
Southwest Airlines is always my first choice for flying, and luckily it goes to most of the locations I've traveled. There are many pluses to choose Southwest over other airlines, in my opinion. Southwest has good rates, excellent customer service, is the only airlines not charging for luggage, you can earn free tickets, you can if necessary change your plans and not be penalized for changing your ticket, your flight if not used is good for one full year, they donate to Ronald McDonald Charities, they have an earlybird check in program for only $10.00 on line, AND they have the P.A.W.S. program where you can bring your pet with you.

Things you need to know about flying with your pets:

You do need to reserve a spot for your pet, by calling 1-800-1-FLY-SWA. You can NOT make your pet reservation on line. The cost is $75.00, and once made needs to be picked up in person at the ticket counter.
Your pets does not earn reward points
You do not get a refund if you decide not to travel with your pet
There's generally a limit of 5 pets per flight (there are sometimes alterations to this)
Only 1 pet may travel with you
Your pet must be a small (cat or dog) that fits into a small carrier. The pet must be able to stand up and turn around in the carrier.
The carrier must fit under the seat
Pets can not travel in the cargo area, they can only travel with you in the carrier under the seat
No minors may travel with a pet solo
Pet carriers do count as a carry on bag
Carriers can be hard or soft sided, must be well ventilated, and leak proof
At no time during the flight may the pet be removed from the carrier, not before, or during. Not while in line at the gate. The ONLY brief time the pet may be held is when you go through the security
ASSISTANCE DOGS do not count as a carry on bag
Airports do one at least 1 area where your pet can go potty; but no flight or seat will be held while this takes place. The program P.A.W.S. stands for Pets Are Welcome on Southwest.

I've earned a free ticket, though I've not used it; so has hubby. Our daughter's earned several.

I'd also like to add the only airlines where the staff seems to enjoy their jobs is Southwest. They always dress for the holidays, decorate the gate area and or counter. So, whenever possible I fly Southwest.
(Above dogs are Maddie and Annabelle, they belong to my SIL. I think they would be too large to fly from the carriers I've seen). I checked with Jan and they each weight 17 pounds. She and I discussed whether they would fit in a carrier be able to stand up and turn around etc. It would be iffy, we think.

Jan update as of 8:30 ish Tues 24th, she tried to go a day without pain med; except for taking it before bed. She was in pain and wonders if that wasn't such a good idea after all. She had trouble trying to get comfortable last night and didn't sleep well. Sounds like she might have done too much yesterday; so hopefully will take it a bit easier today. Her follow up with the Doctor is Sept 1. Her computer is fixed; though she may not still be using it. Sitting is painful, so she moves around a bit and lays back down/or sorta in a recliner. She appreciates the good wishes, and the prayers.

Potty Stops when you Travel

Potty stops when you travel are a huge consideration. You might be traveling solo, or with family, or with pets. You might be traveling for fun, you might be traveling for business. It doesn't matter; you still need a potty stop. When and where can alter your time table, so as silly as it sounds; think about your potty stops.

Here's some basic potty stop rules:

1. You're not in your personal bathroom at home, wherever you are you are NOT alone. So, be quick, do your business, wash your hands and move on. Don't sit and chat on your cell phone, don't pull out a magazine or book.
2. 
   
3. Don't pass up a bathroom because you don't have to go right then. Use it when it exists, you may not have one at hand when you need it.
4. 
   
5. If you're traveling with children and or pets, don't ask them if they have to go. A potty stop means everyone goes potty, so you don't have to stop multiple times. (particularly important when in a car and the next rest stop isn't for 100 miles, or when you've just boarded an airplane and people are trying to get settled and someone who passed by the opportunity earlier now wants to go potty.
6. 
   
7. If traveling by car do you space your potty stops to coincide with eating breaks or getting gas? If you do, that's far more time efficient then stopping separately for everything.
8. 
   
9. When you go potty, ladies take your purses for security reasons. Men make sure you have your cell phone on you.

**note the numbers aren't working still, err, added spaces folks, sorry for the lousy format business
The potty featured here was one I spotted at the airport in Omaha where I did a quick stop, go potty, and change planes. First time I'd seen such a clean public potty and wanted to share with you all. My daughter tells me she's seen these design in a couple of airports. You wave your hand and the plastic bag covering moves, giving you a clean surface. How cool is that! Some facilities have those paper covers; which are typically empty and very annoying.

The most important potty stop rule (more for ladies then men), when you walk into the stall look to see if the toilet paper is empty BEFORE you get undone and sit/squat. Sometimes you have other stall choices, sometimes not. Check to see if there's paper towels. Sadly though, one can sometimes substitute paper towels, if the facility is out of toilet paper, it's also probably out of paper towels and or uses one of those air hand dryers. ALWAYS, carry tissues with you in your purse.

And remember to use a paper towel to open the door on your way, if you can. Any idea how many hundreds and thousands of people use these public facilities? More then we care to know, probably. Don't let your kids walk around in them barefoot.

Happy Traveling, Be safe, Be Healthy, Be Smart and think about your potty stops.
**Due to some technical difficulties yesterday's post was incomplete, click on it... The Lovely Blog Award.

Traveling by Car or Traveling by Plane?

Traveling is fun, it's educational, interesting, and can be stress free. However, often people make travel confusing, difficult, and more stressful then it needs to be.

How to travel is an important factor in the process and can enhance your experience or detract from it in a very negative way. If you're traveling for business you're probably flying instead of driving. However, that might not be the best method of travel. Habits are hard to break, but consider this for a minute. Getting up at the crack of dawn to take the one flight where you're going can add stress to your day and make you tired and irritable. Missing your flight obviously can produce lots of stress and sometimes added expense to the trip. Weather conditions often delay flights, cause you to be routed to other cities even; more time lost and again potential added expense. Most airlines require you to be at the airport an hour or two ahead of your scheduled departure time. Do you need to rent a car once you reach your destination to get to your hotel or the meeting? That process takes time and cost money too. Consider the distance you're actually going, you might be ahead to rent a car and drive. Having pretty scenery to see coming and going can add a pleasant distraction from your hectic work schedule. You're much more in control of time tables when you drive vs when you fly. Take for example a trip from Columbus, Ohio to St. Louis. Taking into count arriving at the airport appropriately early, flight time; it's about a 4.5 hour time commitment provided everything's on time and you fly non-stop. It's about 6.5 hour car trip. For a mere 2 hours you could be ahead to drive. It's certainly cheaper to drive. Just food for thought. Other considerations obviously are whether you're making the trip solo or with other people. If traveling with other people, driving becomes even more cost effective.

If you're traveling with children I highly recommend car travel over plane travel hands down! Even if the trip is longer than say above example of Columbus, Ohio to St. Louis, Missouri. Kids can be better entertained in the car then they can on a plane. It's definitely cheaper for a family of 4 to drive unless they're using frequent flier miles. You have total control over when you stop to eat, when and where you stop to go potty. When and where to eat and go potty are super important when traveling with kids. You have total control over who sits where or with whom; which you don't have on a plane. The average family is 4 people and most airplanes don't have 4 seats together. Packing for the trip is far easier when traveling by car vs traveling with kids on a plane. You don't have to worry about finding and lugging all your luggage, while trying to hold juniors hand, and finding out you really need to be an octopus to hold and carry everything. Many kids are afraid of planes, and the large number of strangers they see on them. Car travel eliminates that. You also have control over what time you depart. For small children I recommend picking them up while asleep (be it at night or during nap time), and placing them in the car after you are totally loaded and ready to depart. They'll sleep, you'll have a very peaceful couple of hours of travel. You can dress them quickly and easily when you stop at the rest area for a potty break; or if they're infants to change a diaper. You know how tiny airplane restrooms are, you don't want to have to change a diaper in there. In fact, I'm not sure you could. Though I also don't support changing them in your lap while you're in your plane seat. Yes, in my travels I've seen people do that. One mother traveling alone ask the couple she was sitting with if they minded. Well I guess it was nice she asked. Their choice was to put with the smell of the dirty diaper or agree to let her do the diaper change on their shared laps. Ok, now she has the dirty diaper to dispose of and she's in the window seat. Not a good solution for any of us in the surrounding rows.

Planes aren't the cleanest places in the world, nor are airports. If you have children and travel by car, you'll not be exposing them to extra germs that may be difficult for their little bodies to fight off. No one wants a sick child on their hands while traveling.

If you're travel party is all adults, car or plane travel is still a choice you need to make. Consider the distance, the cost, and your time frame. Car travel has added bonuses. Sometimes the trip isn't just about the destination; sometimes the trip can be the trip!

For additional car travel info (must needed safety tips for all travelers), you'll want to read a previous post HERE

For families traveling with children please read all about making a kids special travel trip tick here.

And if you're traveling with your furry friends car travel is much much better, they can run and play in the rest stop while the family's goes potty. And you don't have to leave your pets behind.

Florida Sunshine in Palm Beach

This is the sunrise I enjoyed this am while drinking my coffee and sitting on my balcony.

The suitcase is out and about, therefore I won't be dropping on my fellow EntreCarder's.  My posts will be limited in terms of pictures using different computer and I don't really good photo software at the moment.  Please bare with me, folks.  Will post more on return.

If you've voted for me, THANK YOU, if you haven't yet you still have a few days, please and thanks.  Click on the badge at the top of my blog.

Do you love Southwest Airliines as much as I do?  We always have good service, with friendly nice hostesses.  Even though we were delayed twice yesterday on our quest to get to the Florida Sunshine, everyone made the best of it.  Our captain mingled about the cabin talking with people, the hostess sang two funny songs and really entertained people.  Thanks to them, no one got irritated and that made the trip so much more plesant than it might have been with the delay. 

Did you know pets, small dogs in small carriers are now permitted on Southwest?  I didn't, but spotted two yesterday at 2 different airports.  No time right now to do research and give you the details, but rest assured for my friends with furry friends I will do a follow up post.

Unpack, I'm doing the laundry! Hurry up.

Laundry, a necessary evil of pre and post vacation. Quick, my next load will be darks, got something? I'll throw it in.

Seriously, isn't that the worst part of traveling?

A few general travel tips:Don't travel when you're sick, I don't want to sit next to you on the plane and hear you cough, clear your troat and blow your noise every 5 minutes. Stay home! I don't want whatever you've got.

Leave your shoes on! I don't want to smell your feet. Whats with this? The last 2 trips I've taken people seem to think it's fine and dandy to take their shoes off, put their smelling feet on the seats....hello, how many people need to sit there?

Has everyone completely forgotten what size carry on's are suppose to be? For every person who brings on too much, or too big of item, the airlines slow down; thus causing delays. No wonder many airlines are now charging people who bring extra stuff on. I've seen backpacks that require 2 strong men to lift them and aren't even close to the carry on size they're suppose to be lately. If they're too wide to go down the isle of the plane, they're not a carry on item.

If you have children and you're flying Southwest, PLEASE make the opportunity to check in and get boarding passes ahead of time. Even if you can't print them from your laptop, you can check in and get your A or even B, so you have the opportunity to sit together. Don't expect half the plane to rearrange after they've settled in, and you can't sit with your kids and your kids friends. It's your responsibility to get things taken care of. You put the flight attendants in a bad spot, and take up lots of extra time when you arrive late and there are no longer seats together. Have more consideration for your children, and the 200 other passengers. Most hotel's have a business center with computers where you can check in and or print your boarding passes. Make use of them.

Dress before you fly, really no one wants to see your pj's. You're really not that cute in them. Should there be a problem on the plane, do you really want to be seen on national TV in your pj's and slippers?

The plane is still boarding and you want to squeeze between people to go to the bathroom? Get serious. Doesn't anyone think? My last couple of trips have been less pleasant then they could have been because people don't take care of business in a logical way BEFORE boarding. Don't sit in the waiting area, or the bar then expect to go to the bathroom on board while everyone is boarding.

Travel involves planning, forethought and consideration of your fellow travelors, you're not the only one involved or the only one with wants and needs.

Ok...last call, I'm throwing in the load of darks.

Traveling next to Alcatraz, so to remember to come on back for a visit.