Picture Perfect Vacations TraveBLOG

Blogging on ..... with life!

For those of you into blogging, we are afraid that we have disappointed you. In the world of blogs, it is understood that to stay up to date and "fresh", we need to blog regularly. Please note that although we have failed to blog this year, we are still alive and exploring this great world that we all live in.

In our travels, we have discovered some places that are worth sharing with others. These are the destinations we tend to recommend to our clients. Places we have been to ourselves - places that we can honestly advise others based on personal experience. 

If you'd like to know more about where we have been, give us a call. Our goal is to help you have a "picture perfect" vacation. Check out our website to find out more about us. We tend to specialize in Hawaii, the Caribbean, and a few other places that have captured our fascination and love along the way.

Name, Date of Birth, and Gender Please

Do you know exactly how your name is spelled on your driver’s license and/or passport? You might want to double check. The next time you book a flight, you just might be asked for this information. And that won’t be a temporary request. Not only will you be asked to give your full name as it is written on the government issued ID you plan to travel with, but you will also be asked your date of birth and gender. Why?

 

The Transportation Security Administration has implemented a newly formed program called Secure Flight, and ALL airlines are required to participate! If you are not asked for this additional info the next time you book an air ticket, it is because the particular airline  you are flying on is still integrating this new data collecting into their  system.

 

According to the TSA, passengers will not be delayed in travel if this info is not recorded, as the program is being phased in gradually with each airline based on their capacity to record this extra info.

This additional data collection is supposed to be able to clear more people from the government's No –Fly list, (terrorist watch program) and should be appreciated by people who have been misidentified on this list in the past. For more details about this new TSA program, and the privacy policies behind, log on to the TSA website.

 

Baggage Bungling for a song!

You need to check out and see the video entitled United Breaks Guitars, if you haven't viewed it on You Tube.

A musician who claims United Airlines busted his guitar, wrote a song about his experience. It would be nice if the airlines "paid up" when they break personal items, but I know their documentation states that they are not liable for items above a certain price. Travelers beware!!! The song is great, though - check it out!!!

Flying U.S. Airways with Luggage? Better have Computer Access

And we thought it was bad enough to hear that the airlines would start charging for checked luggage. Now U.S. Airways has come up with a new scheme to make even more money off of wary travelers.

In small print, under News, listed on their website, U.S. Air describes their new policy. As of July 9th, 2009, they will start charging $5 more for travelers who check their bags at the airport, as opposed to claiming they have a bag to check when they check in online. In other words, those who do not have access to computers beforehand, or are returning home from a vacation and do not have time to go online before arriving at the airport, will be charged extra for not paying for those luggage fees during online check-in! Now instead of paying $15 for your first checked bag and $25 for your second, you will be penalized an extra $5 at the airport by not checking and paying for them online beforehand.

It is a shame the airlines have resorted to this sort of revenue-generating tactics. Cutting costs is essential to the airline industry today, as is the case in many industries. Eliminating paper menus in first class, and reducing the number of flights available, to name a few examples, makes economic sense, but charging customers for luggage in general, and penalizing them for lack of computer access is going too far. The airlines have stooped to new lows. Some statistics indicate that less people are flying, and are making other choices when it comes to where and how people get to their destinations. Could the distasteful practices the airlines are incorporating on their 'valued' customers be a result of this?

Hey! Don't I get my Money back?

On June 22nd, at 11:00 P.M., Identity Pass ceased operations.  This is the company that used to offer a quicker pass through airport security checkpoints for passengers who paid an annual fee.  Evidently, they were unable to negotiate an agreement with their creditors, and the company abruptly stopped operations.They claim that all personal data they have in their records is now "currently secured in accordance with the TSA's security, privacy and compliance standards." Gee, I sure hope so. :- ) The website also indicates that they will "continue to secure such information, and will take approriate steps to delete the information".  OK, that sounds good. Now tell us this - will you return money to travelers that bought your services since they have lost there "go to the front of the line" security access? According to their website, they won't be able to. Now that's a cause for "air rage". For this news announcement in full, click here.

New Passport Rules Take Effect June 1st, 2009 - Cruise passengers Beware!

 As of June 1st, 2009, our government will start enforcing the full implementation of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. What this means is that all U.S. travelers, age 16 and over, will be required to present only "WHTI compliant ID's in order to ENTER the United States, whether they are traveling by AIR, CRUISE SHIP, or LAND CROSSING. Passports have been required for all AIR travel since Januray 23rd, 2007, but cruise passengers have been able to still get by with just a birth certificate and Driver's License. The new ruling however, now affects ALL travelers, regardless of how they travel.                                                       

The confusion here, is the requirements for cruise ship passengers, who are embarking AND disembarking from the same United States port city. For these particular cruises, known as "closed loop" cruises, the rulings state that passengers can use a new, relatively inexpensive ID card, known as the "Passport card" , in lieu of an actual passport. The problem however, is that these "passport cards" will NOT be accepted if the traveler ends up having to FLY back to the United States, due to accident, or "missing the boat", so to speak. My advice - if your travels take you outside the United States, don't take chances - buy an actual passport. For more information, click here!

Luggage fees Rake in Dollars for the airlines

AA takes off from St Martin
Originally uploaded by Picture Perfect Vacations

Oh my! According to the Dept. of Transportation Bureau's  latest statistics, the airlines took in $498.6 million in excess baggage fees in the fourth quarter of 2008, which is a 301 percent increase from the fourth quarter of 2007. It looks like the airlines have found a lucrative way to make money off of the traveling public, since we all need to take luggage with us when we fly.

I know the airlines are having trouble making ends meet, but charging for luggage (especially the FIRST bag) isn't the best way to promote customer satisfaction in my opinion. Since the precedent has been set, I doubt if we will ever be able to check our luggage for free again (I'm not talking about the exceptions,
of which, thankfully, there are still a few)... so I still recommend that travelers do whatever they can to prevent themselves from having to pay the airlines for these new charges.

    * Pack light
    * Pack light enough that you can carry on your luggage, rather than check it
    * Buy a luggage weight device so you can stay underneath the limit

For more enlightening information on how well or how badly the airlines are doing, check out the Dept. of Transportation reports here.

What do you think of this issue? Have you had to pay for checked luggage? Would love to hear your comments.

Swine flu or Swine Fear?

I love Peter Greenberg. He is a straightforward journalist that puts things into perspective. Like what he says about swine flu. Yes, it is something the country needs to be worried about, and yes, individuals need to take precautions, but don't let the media reports make your concerns turn to immobilizing fear. Greenberg is the guy who travelled to Hong Kong during the SARS outbreak, and is still here to tell us about it. On this latest flu news, he states that travel should still be OK, unless your age and/or your immune system is already compromised. To hear more from the travel guru on "swine fear", read his article entitled The Travel Detective's Advice on Swine Flu and Travel.

Air Turbulence and a lot of Hot Air in Coach!

Have you ever flown and experienced "air turbulence." I'm not  talking about bumpy air currents, I am talking about bumpy rides in coach, as in people getting upset with others because they kept getting kicked in the seat by youngsters sitting behind them, or being pinned in their seat because the guy in front has put his seat down as far as he could so YOU don't have any room! Eeeks! The horrors of riding in coach!

I can still recall my flight to Fiji... it was uncomfortable off and on. I was a little shocked when I was told by a flight attendant to move my chair up so the guy in back of me could put his tray down to eat! Don't people who want to sleep get any priority over eaters? Apparently not. While the guy ate his meal behind me, I tried to sleep in an upright position. Next time I need to try that  travel cushion that is supposed to give you more "incline" room, even in coach.

Then there was the girl that got on late. All the overhead bins were filled and she had one large carry-on that she said had to go in by her seat. This woman started asking people in the seats nearby if the carry-on bags in the overhead bins nearest to her seat belonged to them, and that if they did, someone would have to remove their bag so she could put hers there instead! Everyone was shocked that she thought she had ownership to the bin over her seat. Finally, a woman already seated spoke up and told her it wasn't anyone else's fault that the bins had already been taken and that she would just have to find another place for her bag. The woman glared at her for a minute, then begged a flight attendant to help her. As expected, the flight attendant took the woman's bag and walked to another area of the plane with it.

Let's talk travel!

As travel agents, we try to keep up with the latest travel information, like news on passports, destinations, and what's important to you - the traveler! Here you'll find all sorts of information.

You'll find stories and reviews of a lot of the different places we visit, with emphasis on the places we have  fallen in love with....

small ship cruising (800 passengers or less), Hawaii, Fiji, and the Caribbean. We'd love to share our knowledge and love of travel with you. Let's talk!