Travel The Neat Way

04/28/2023

Here’s an idea for you!!!
🛳️ 🏝️

Have you made travel plans for February 2024? It probably seems like a long time from now, but really… it’s right around the corner. Or do you find yourself in an eternal planning stage (meaning planning a trip you’re never going on)? Hey... no judgment here.

11/28/2022

Today only!!!

https://www.deliberatelydifferenttravel.com

11/24/2022

To all my Family, Friends and Foes! Have a wonderful day and remember to give thanks to the Most High!!!

08/02/2022

06/23/2022

Reposting from a Friends post. Good information and advice - especially for Summer Travel season.

FYI. FROM A FLIGHT ATTENDANT.
Flying this summer is ROUGH!!! I feel like as a Flight Attendant I should attempt to share some tips to get you through airline travel for the foreseeable future. ✈️✈️
1. Things are not good..... if its less than 7 hours - DRIVE! I'm not kidding. There is nothing enjoyable about flying right now. On any airline. If you must fly, keep reading. 🚗
2. Download and use the app of the airline you are flying. You can do everything on it - get your boarding pass, track your bags, see your incoming plane, and change a flight. It sure beats waiting in the long line to talk to an agent! Trust me - Usually these apps will tell you a flight is cancelled before the crew even knows! 📲
3. Fly MUCH earlier than you need to - a whole day early if its important!! This week I saw many people miss important things like weddings, funerals, cruises, international connections, and graduations. The tears were very real, for very real reasons, and there was nothing I could do! If you have to be somewhere, spend the extra money, go a day early. Have a glass of wine and stay in a hotel, enjoy your night not being stressed while everyone else misses their events. 🍷
4. ALWAYS fly the first flight in the morning so you have all day to be rebooked if the s**t hits the fan. Yes, that means it might be a 3:00 alarm, but morning flights don't cancel nearly as often.⏰
5. This is not unique to this year, but keep in mind summer is thunderstorm season. A single storm can shut down a whole airport. We can't fly through them. Storms usually build as the day gets later. Book early flights! ⛈
6. Schedule long layovers - Your 1 hour layover is NOT enough anymore. 30 minutes, not a chance. 3 hours minimum. 🏃‍♀️🏃🏃‍♂️
7. What you see on the news is an understatement. We are short staffed and overworked. Not just pilots and flight attendants, but also ground crews. Without ground crews there is no one to park the planes, drive jetways, get your bags on/off planes, or scan boarding passes. This causes many delays that snowball throughout the day. Sometimes HOURS.(Another reason morning flights are best!) 👀
8. When flight crews get delayed we time out. We can NOT fly longer than 16 hours. Its illegal. So it doesn't matter if you have a wedding to get to, when we are done we are done. The way things are now, there are no back up crews, so when this happens your flight cancels. (Now you are starting to see why those morning flights are best!) 😴
9. Avoid connecting in Newark (Or any New York airport for that matter). It is literal hell. You have a 50/50 chance your flight will cancel or missing your connection. They have been cancelling flights at their starting points just to keep the planes out, because there just aren't enough people to manage the planes, so the gates stay full. Also the restaurants are expensive, it is not a great place to be stuck. 💩
10. Be nice. As stated above, we are overworked and tired. We will not help you if you are mean. No one cares that you are going to miss your cruise if you are an as***le. So even if we can help, we will save our help for someone nice. Tensions are high. Our patience is gone. If you make us mad - you will not be flying on our planes. We will leave you behind without a second thought, and laugh about you later. 🥰
11. Being drunk on an airplane is a federal offense, so don't overdo it. If you drink too much at the bar waiting for your delayed flight you risk not being allowed to fly at all. We are too tired to deal with your drunk ass when we have legitimate issues to deal with. 🍻
12. Get trip insurance if you have a lot of money invested. I hate the whole idea of this, but I also hate the idea of losing money. Example: I was working a flight yesterday that waited over an hour for a gate. A family of 8 missed their flight to Rome. The only flight of the day. They were going to a cruise which they would now miss. They were all crying, there was nothing I could do. (Also a reason to fly a day early!) 🛳
13. Flights are FULL. If you buy the cheap seats you will not be able to sit with your family. It says so when you purchase your ticket!! Flight Attendants aren't there to rearrange the whole plane just so you can sit with your family because you tried to save $100 on a third party website. 💸
14. Speaking of third party websites and saving money..... Like I said flights are FULL. If a flight is oversold, and no one volunteers to give up their seats, who do you think is the first to be bumped? You guessed it, the family that saved a few $$ by using sites like Expedia, Kayak, Hotwire etc. 🤷‍♀️
15. Pack smart. Don't be "That guy" Don't hold up boarding because you have your extenders open till they are busting and you can't figure out how to make it fit in the overhead. (Passengers are stressed too, they can be aggressive when boarding a delayed flight) 🛍
16. Take showers, brush your teeth, leave the perfume off, don't eat stinky food (caesar salad and tuna fish I'm talking to you!), and bring headphones. Trust me. These things sound basic, but add to stress on crowded planes. If you are stuck on the tarmac for 3 hours after a 4 hour flight, you will thank me for this. 💜
17. Bring a sweater if you tend to be cold. So tired of half naked girls asking me to turn the heat up. NO. Wear clothes!! Side note: If you dress like this and ask for heat, there's a chance I will turn the AC up. 🥶
18. Thats not water on the bathroom floor. For the love of God wear shoes to the bathroom!!! 🤮
19. Don't tell a Flight Attendant they look tired. We are and we know. You may cause us to ugly cry right there in galley. 😭
20. Happy Travels

08/02/2021

Here is something for you to think about if you are planning international travel for 2022!

There are 32 weeks until Spring Break in March. The current passport processing time is 24 weeks. That's only 8 weeks, give or take, for a hiccup. If you plan to travel before the summer of 2022, I strongly recommend that you get your passport applications submitted NOW! Do not wait, do not pass go, because there is NO get out of jail free card on this thing! Point of fact, travel insurance does not cover cancellations due to you not receiving your passport back from the US Department of State. And for goodness sake, DO NOT get a Passport card because it is cheaper. That only works for travel by car, crossing the borders to Mexico and Canada. GET THE BOOK!

Take the Trip. Make the Memories. Just Go!

06/18/2021

📢📢📢📢
Carnival Cruise Information 🛳🛳⚓️

PROTOCOLS FOR JULY 2021 SAILINGS FROM TEXAS
Cruises from Galveston are available for guests who have received their final dose of an approved COVID-19 vaccine at least 14 days prior to the beginning of the cruise and have proof of vaccination. Accordingly, the following applies only to these specific itineraries from Galveston:

All guests, including children who are age-eligible for vaccines, will need to show proof of vaccination.

This means, that regrettably, guests who are not vaccinated, including children who are not yet eligible for a vaccine, will not be permitted to sail.*

Our Have Fun. Be Safe. guidelines for cruises from Galveston incorporate guidance from the CDC and Texas officials:

All guests will be asked to confirm their status as fully vaccinated for COVID-19 during check-in and provide proof of vaccination in advance of boarding. (As a reminder, “fully vaccinated” means the final dose of the vaccine was administered 14 days prior to embarkation.)

It’s important for guests to come prepared, as those who arrive at the embarkation terminal without the proper proof of vaccination will not be able to cruise, and no refund will be issued.

Face masks for all forms of transportation are still required by the CDC; however, protocols are evolving and as changes are announced, we will share more information as soon as possible.

While guests will be vaccinated, we will follow protocols and requirements for each destination while ashore. Remember, these restrictions are under the control of local government and are subject to change without advance notice, so we encourage guests to come prepared for potential mask requirements ashore.

Please note that these guidelines are subject to change.