More travel resolutions you might be glad you made and kept

by Jamie Rhein on

When I did a search for travel resolutions this handy guide of 12 resolutions came up. Although it was published in Travel and Leisure in 2005, the tips still hold true, particularly as regulations and rules change. Even if you take the steps already, check to see if there is anything you shouldn’t update.

Andrea Bennet presents a through overview of those overlooked items that can make the difference between a smooth, uneventful trip if all goes well, and being prepared if things go awry. She also gives specific suggestions for what to consider when planning your next trip to get the best deal you can.

Check your insurance coverage:

  • Look into travel medical insurance to decide if you need any and how much.
  • Find out what your personal car insurance covers on a rental before you take a trip to decide exactly what you need before you leave home.

Review your Frequent Flier mile programs:

  • See if the regulations have changed
  • Do you need to update the credit card you are using?
  • Plan your next trip and book ahead in order to use frequent flier miles. If you wait, you’ll miss out.

Safety, security and regulations:

  • Duplicate all important documents and designate a person and place to keep them
  • If your passport needs new pages because there isn’t much room for new stamps, get the pages now
  • Get TSA approved locks for your suitcases

Keep in touch with family and friends while on the road:

  • Make a personal Web site to keep in touch with family and friends
  • Let people know how to get in touch with you (I wrote a post about this one)

Bennet gives specific details about each resolution and also offers the suggestion to build a vacation around a skill you’d like to learn. This is a read I recommend.

New York City on January 1: After the party there’s still things to do

by Jamie Rhein on

There have been a few times I’ve ended up in a town or city when there’s a holiday–or on the wrong day, such as when a place I hoped was open was closed. For example, don’t go to the Solomon R. Guggenheim on Thursday. The doors are locked.

In New York City on New Year’s Day, it can feel as if no one is home. After the hoopla in Times Square on New Year’s Eve, the quietness of the streets can be even more disconcerting.

For a traveler who is hoping to find some activity somewhere, there’s nothing worse than that after the excitement feeling when there’s nothing left to do. If anyone is engaged in something fun, it’s not you. To help the traveler who has landed in Manhattan for New Year’s Eve and has the first day of 2008 to fill with things to do rather than flip through the cable channel of a hotel room TV, The New York Times has a wonderful article “The City Doesn’t Drop the Ball” on what you might do on Tuesday, the day after the ball drops.

Here’s the short list of what’s open.

The Statue of Liberty–If you don’t go inside, the trip out to Liberty Island on the ferry is enjoyable and offers a wonderful view of Manhattan. I’m not sure what the frigid air would feel like this time of year, though. I’ve only been here in the summer, but there is inside seating on the ferry and a snack bar on board. This would be a fun New Year’s outing.

The Museum of Modern Art–Oh, how I love this museum. If you do go, the various cafes throughout are worthy of a coffee pit stop. Also, if you need to pick up a 2008 calendar, this gift shop is the best for funky, interesting options.

The Museum of Natural History is also open. The last time I was here, I thought about how it was like stepping inside a science and social studies book, but all the pages are 3-D.

The Solomon R. Guggenheim may be closed on Thursday’s but it’s open on New Year’s Day. The article said that kids might be bored. Ah, not if you know how to take your kids through an art museum. One trick is to not plan to stay for hours, but have engaging your kids with the artwork be the purpose of the trip. With the circular layout of the museum, it’s visually interesting for children as well. I remember going here when I was 9 years-old and being attracted to Jackson Pollack’s art. Maybe it was because I thought his name sounded so cool.

The Poetry Project ‘s New Year’s Day Reading Marathon at St. Mark’s Church caught my attention the most since this is its 34th year and it’s in my brother’s neighborhood. This is a reading bonanza of 12 hours of poetry readings and performances. If you do head to St. Mark’s Church, there are a slew of ethnic restaurants in the neighborhood. Maybe you’ll get lucky and one will be open. Little Poland is on 2nd Avenue near 14th St. Try the potato pancakes.

The New York Times article does give other eating suggestions and a few more options.

National Geographic Traveler World in Focus Contest winners

by Jamie Rhein on

I just opened the link to the Intelligent Traveler from December 28 and was treated to this awesome photo that made Mark Unrau the first place winner of this year’s National Geographic Traveler’s World in Focus Contest. (Click on photo for larger view.)

Unrau is not a photographer by profession. According to the blurb about him at National Geographic Traveler’s Web site, he works in mining in Canada. But, heavens! The guy certainly knows how to capture a perfect image. The prize is a sweet deal. He gets to choose between an 11-day trip to Artic Norway or a 10-day trip to the Galápagos Islands. Personally, I’d head south.

Click here for the link to the other photos and for an explanation of how Unrau made the shot and where he took it. The other photographs are similarly explained. I like reading about the people and their traveling as much as I like looking at the photographs.

The next contest is being announced in May 2008. If you want to hone your photography skills, National Geographic Traveler has photo seminars that are being offered in various cities. There are several options over the next few months. Click here for information.

In Trinidad and Tobago soldiers help keep the streets safe

by Jamie Rhein on

If you’ve ever traveled in places where soldiers help man the streets, it can be a bit disconcerting, particularly in a place that should evoke an image of paradise.

I read in the World Watch section of today’s The Plain Dealer, (besides news Justin already posted on about lithium batteries and luggage) that for the next month or so in Tobago and Trinidad, seeing soldiers on patrol will be a common sight. Police can’t control crime by themselves so the military has been called in for reinforcement.

Because crime rates sky rocket this time of year, having soldiers frequent where people go for fun will hopefully put a damper on criminals’ good times. After Carnival in February, crime goes down, but I’m not sure how much since there are also reports of more police posts being established in rural areas.

If you go, besides being on criminal watch, don’t wear any camouflage. It’s illegal. I found that out from reading the Tobago and Trinidad Web site.

Temples and churches to visit in New York City

by Jamie Rhein on

I have spent so much time in New York City since my brother has lived there for years, that I often forget to look for the new things to do. The tried and true are enjoyable, plus I’m visiting which suits a different purpose. Site-seeing is a small part of my trips. St. Patrick’s Cathedral is one place I head to often since it’s right across from Rockefeller Square and I like the way the candles smell.

Seth Kugel’s article, “Devotion in its Various Homes” is one that made me think, “Now, why didn’t I think of that?” as an article idea. It also presents options for my next visit to New York.

Kugel gives presents an overview of the various places of worship in New York City that visitors of any faith might find interesting. Here is his list. Do you know of others?

1. The Islamic Cultural Center

2. The Ganesh Temple

3. The Elderidge Street Synogogue at the Museum of Elderidge Street

4. The Buddhist Association of New York. Kugel suggests a temple that is near the synogugue. Here is a link to a site that marks Chinatown’s temples.

Read Kugel’s article for descriptions of each place. This could be a do-it-yourself type tour you could take in a day. The wonderful thing about cities like New York is that there are large enough communities of the various religions that their places of worship have had time to develop.