Sinful Travelers Confess Their Deepest, Darkest, & Downright Bizarre Secrets

Step right up!

The other day I was conversing with a friend of mine who is just about as obsessed as I am with gallivanting throughout this planet. It seems that when one of us is on the road, the other is planning the next “big” adventure and vice versa. One day over a few adult beverages at a local pub we got onto a topic I like to call “travel confessions.” This is when you get some travel nerds together and try to shock them with stories of odd occurrences on the road, places that as a serious traveler you have never visited, and possible habits you picked up while bouncing from one locale to the next.

My friend, who swears to have been just about everywhere, told me that he has no intentions of ever visiting London, England. He says it just looks like a real “boring city and expensive place to visit.” I was taken aback, not only because London is such a popular travel destination, but that this guy had recently become obsessed with the Manchester United football team. I figured someone who loves to travel for sports and concerts would eventually wind up landing at Heathrow Airport and then check out London en route to Manchester for a game.

It was my turn to share a few secrets or to squash some assumptions that people just believe since you call yourself a travel junkie and a nomad. Well for starters, I have yet to visit two “must visit” countries – France and Germany. Yes it pained me to tell my pal and some others sitting with me that I have yet to walk by the Eiffel Tower in Paris or raise an over-sized beer in Munich. But I swore that both were on the top of my list of countries to check out within the next few years…I promise!

Another confession that will probably make many hotel owners out there frown is my love of hotel key cards! I have a shoe box full of those digital door openers from all over the world. They are like mini-souvenirs that remind me of the many great places I was lucky enough to visit.

But enough about me. I decided that the only way to get over being such a guilty global navigator, was to reach out and ask some other travel experts to join me in a group confessional. Below are some uncensored secrets, habits, and revelations that they felt compelled to get off their chest. God have mercy on their sight-seeing souls.

• First up in the confession booth is Gabe Saglie, Senior Editor and “Travel Guru” at Travelzoo.com, who revealed to me that, “When it comes to hotels, I always check-out with 2 things: amenities and stationary. Amenities are something hotels identify with, and even advertise, especially the upscale hotels. So this started years ago, when my traveling really began to pick up and I found myself forgetting where I’d stayed. Those little shampoo and shower gel bottles were miniature mementos of stays at great hotels. Somewhere along the way, I started passing them on to my mom, who lives in L.A. but travels little (by comparison), as souvenirs of cities I’d visited. Today, she has hundreds and hundreds of amenities from cool hotels all over the world. She gets them faster than she can use them and files them away in neatly organized cabinets.”

Saglie continued, “As for the stationary, I get a kick from mailing letters or bills inside hotel  envelopes. I think it adds a sense of intrigue for the person opening it on the other end. Plus, I haven’t had to buy envelopes in year.I also figure the hotels get some nice PR out of it, so it’s a win-win, no?”

• Lonely Planet’s Andy Murdock also feels the need to snatch hotel items when he travel. Murdock confessed, “I like to swipe hotel room pens – I’m always in need of a pen and often seem to lose or forget them, plus I like finding them in a drawer years later and remembering where the pen and I first met. I think you can tell a lot about a hotel by the pen they provide: some hotels put a lot of thought into it and pick out a pen that writes well, has an interesting design, and suits the hotel’s look and feel; others don’t give it a moment’s thought and just buy thousands of ultra cheapo ballpoints that aren’t worth taking with you. The pencil hotels are the most mysterious to me because they invariably fail to provide a pencil sharpener. Be wary of pencil hotels.”

• Sean O’Neill, Senior Editor for Budget Travel, felt compelled to express to me that while he may be a world traveler, there is just one kind of vacation he has avoided. “I’ve never taken an ocean cruise!” he exclaimed. “I feel silly about having left this off my travel to-do list. For millions, it’s an essential experience. But I’ve been turned off the idea ever since I read a Harper’s essay by David Foster Wallace, in which he ridiculed cruise-going. Sometimes I worry that I’m missing out. But I never worry enough to actually do anything about it.”

I must admit that I too have not gone cruising on vacation. Just not my thing. Next up is another troubled traveler that just needs to get something off her chest. I must warn you though that confession is a tad bit on the R-rated side.

• Adena Harford, who runs the blog at tripwolf.com, told me that, “I kind of got into not using toilet paper in India.” I asked her to please explain that exactly that meant. She continued, “Let’s see – well, first of all, we noticed only the tourists stop at little stand to buy toilet paper – and that there is a faucet and a bucket in every bathroom stall. I was secondly inspired by Jack Kerouac’s idea that most (western) people think they are so clean, but they are actually going around with dirty assholes because we only wipe them with paper. So well, I got into using the water and faucet, and truly felt like I was cleaner than usual – we all referred to it as ‘going local.’ Like, have you ‘gone local’ yet? Sorry if this story was a little TMI.”

Hmm…

• Moving right along we have flight attendant extraordinaire and travel blogger Heather Poole. Heather once told me on Twitter that she does in fact collect hotel “Do Not Disturb” signs, but her confession today was about someone else…or so she says. “I once knew a flight attendant who washed her panty hose in the hotel room coffee pot. NAST-AY!”

• Where Ive Been’s Katy, who is both the Community Manager and #traveltuesday initiator on Twitter, shockingly told me , “Alright, my travel confession is…I always remove my shoes on flights. Even when I have EXTRA smelly feet.  Hee hee hee!” She also confessed that as a young traveler she used to steal the blankets on long, transatlantic flights. But in Katy’s defense she expressed, ” Come on, I was 10 years old!”

• Monica Wong, who runs the travel blog  “A Pair of Panties & Boxers” confessed to me that, ” When I was studying abroad in Shanghai, I took a weekend trip to Hangzhou. I initially planned to stay for one night but I fell in love with the sunset at the West Lake. I wanted to see it again so my boyfriend and I stayed an extra night. The only problem was we only brought one change of clothes. Which meant, we only had one pair of underwear. We had to wear it twice. Inside out, of course. That incident gave birth to the name of my blog.”

Geez, these confessions are just getting dirtier and dirtier. For shame you travel experts…for shame indeed! I am going to clean up this confession booth and will be back with part 2/3 of  travel confessions tomorrow! In the meantime be good you sinners.

Tags: budget travel magazine, cruises, england, france, gabe saglie, germany, heathrow airport, hotel, London, lonely planet, Manchester, Munich, spain, travelzoo, tripwolf, twitter, where i've been, whereivebeen.com

10 Twitter Accounts That Will Save You Cash On Travel

When I am not updating this site or browsing the “interwebz” for the latest in travel deals and news, I can often be found on the insanely popular micro-blogging website Twitter. What, you never heard of Twitter? Really? Well if that truly is the case, then first let me help you get out from underneath that rock and second let me provide you with a link to sign up right now.

Twitter has easily become one of the best spots online to score exclusive deals on airfare, hotels, and other travel perks. Why on earth would anybody that loves to travel AND save money in the process not want access to this goody-bag of secret links, promo codes, and helpful tips.

Well as I approach 2,000 followers on Twitter (not exactly Oprah numbers, but hey I’m happy) here is a Top 10 list of airlines, experts, and other travel “tweeps” you should be following right now. It still amazes me at how many big travel companies are currently dropping the ball by not taking full advantage of these free forms of advertising and marketing via social media sites. For example, if you are a hotel, you should be interacting with possible future customers. Is it too much to ask someone on the hotel staff to update a Twitter page every few hours with some sort of “exclusive” deal that will lure in new travelers?

Oh and the airlines…you know those same companies that are mostly going bankrupt and are struggling to fill seats on their fleet. Well there is no excuse for any of these companies not to be active on sites like Twitter either. Some airlines “get it” and many others just do not. Finally, to opaque travel websites that sell airline tickets, hotels, and other items that are needed when traveling, where in the hell are you? All of these sites should be clobbering followers over the head with updates and pushing their deals on an hourly basis. I mean you are a damn travel WEBSITE…use the web properly to promote!

Now just to make things clear, this is NOT a list of my favorite travel friends online or people I want to share a drink with at the next travel writer’s convention. It is simply a short list of the websites that will save you some moolah while tweeting and re-tweeting with your internet pals. Oh and one last thing, this list is in no particular order. Enjoy!

1. @VirginAmerica: Yes Sir Richard Branson and company not only have one of the coolest and innovative airlines going today, but their “twittering” is always fresh, informative, and at times will save you some serious cash by promoting their online sales. You will often times find Virgin America’s twitter page answering customers questions, comments, or complaints. They are one of the few airlines out there that truly understands today’s internet savvy market.

2. @SouthWestAir: Speaking of airlines that get their audience, at over 427,000 followers (you see my 2,000 is nothing) the people at Southwest Airlines are probably some of the most interactive and coolest travel companies on Twitter. The air carrier with LUV has even done contests with their “tweeple” and handed over free trips to destinations like Las Vegas. Nice!

3. @JetBlue: Rounding out my airline picks would be the low-cost carrier that receives high points from yours truly when it comes to using social media sites like Twitter to their advantage. JetBlue Airways continues to outdo themselves online by holding exclusive sales, selling last minute seats at insanely low prices, and also finding time to reply to customers via the internet.  Some of the “JB”  goodness has included an exclusive one-day only 20% off sale to its 1 million (and counting) followers and setting up a sister Twitter account (@JetBlueCheeps) that sells tickets for as low as $9 one-way for upcoming last-minute weekend travel.

4. @Travelzoo: There are many travel booking websites online today that make life much easier by placing all of the best airline, hotel, cruise, car rental, and vacation deals under one URL umbrella, but few do it as well as Travelzoo.com. Gabe Saglie, the senior editor, and his merry travel men and women scour the internet and negotiate with travel companies to find you the lowest and best deals online. They also use Twitter to get the word out there and to promote their website in the process (wow what a concept). The page is constantly updated with links to offers currently running on the site and TZ is known to interact with its followers. Plus it is usually the first place online that updates me that their weekly Top 20 is ready to check out.

5. @CheapOair: Yet another travel booking website that understands by updating consistently and interacting with their followers, that you can create new traffic to your website. The nice people at CheapOair even have a cool blog that provides readers with travel ideas. Hey they even were kind enough to ask yours truly once to write up a piece for them. So they have to be cool.

6. @AirfareWatchdog: Browser and the gang are always staring at a computer screen, trying to figure out the lowest and best airfare online…and they do one hell of a job at it. Checking out their website is an air traveler’s dream. I have personally come across some insanely low fares thanks to the hardworking staff at AirfareWatchdog.com. But with so many websites online, one can get lost in the mess of URLs, favorites, and bookmarks. So while hanging on Twitter, it is always nice to see an update from AFWD. They not only share with their readers some of the amazing fares that they happen to come across online, but they also occasionally chat it up with their loyal followers.

7. @FareCompareLabs: Another airfare hunting website that scours the internet for the latest and lowest deals. The page updates constantly on Twitter with breaking news on sales, lower prices on certain routes, and other information you need to know when trying to save cash on air travel. The people behind FareCompare.com, including CEO @RickSeaney, have even branched out to create local Twitter pages for you to follow specific city deals. For instance, I also follow @flyfromNYC to get the latest fare prices out of JFK, LGA and EWR.

8. @PeterSGreenBerg: The travel guru and one of my personal favorite people to read and listen to about the subject of travel is definitely someone that needs to be on your Twitter list. While not an airline with an exclusive sale or a hotel with a last minute special rate, Mr. Greenberg is a wealth of travel information. His updates range anywhere from plugging his latest radio show to informing you of a great deal to somewhere far away.

9. @AAirwaves: If you were to ask me six months ago to make this list, American Airlines would have not been on it. But I have to admit that one of the larger carriers woke up and is finally onboard with this whole using the internet to gain new customers and to assist with current ones as well. Their Twitter page is constantly updated with news, tells you which planes will be offering Wi-Fi, and even goes back and forth with followers. Good job AA, glad to see you arrived fashionably late.

10. @Yapta: One of the more unique travel websites today is definitely also one of the most engaging and informative with its Twitter followers. The people at Yapta.com are always updating their tweets with tips on how to save cash when booking airfare, links interesting travel articles, and answers any customer questions, comments, or complaints. Oh and if you are wondering what “YAPTA” means, it stands for “Your Amazing Personal Travel Assistant.”

Well there you have it, 10 websites you need to be following on Twitter. If you want to add to this list, feel free to comment below.

Tags: airfarewatchdog, cheapoair, fare compare, hotel max, jetblue, roosevelt hotel new york, southwest, travelzoo, virgin america

Laid Off? Go On Vacation!

As the unemployment rate skyrockets to 8.5% today, is it any wonder why the travel industry is slashing prices left and right? The economy absolutely sucks right now! So what better way to ease the pain of being let go than by taking advantage of the airline, cruise and hotels desperate need for business. “Vulture vacationers” is a term used in a great New York Times article by Michelle Higgins that talks about how with no job opportunities out there for certain people, there next move was to book a cheap trip before heading back into the work force.

Many people have worked hard for years, saved a good amount in their piggy bank and see an opportunity that normally is not there for them. They have more time to see more places! Is it a smart idea for everyone? Of course not. If you live paycheck to paycheck and lose your gig the last thing you should be doing is flying off to Paris or cruising in Bermuda. But if you are one of the thousands of people that were recently canned, why not take a break from resume sending and sitting on the couch watching The Price is Right (which actually isn’t that bad when I think of it) and take that trip you have been holding off on for years due to not enough time or because it was super expensive.

May I suggest some places that are “on sale” right now? Las Vegas, Hawaii, Ireland,cruises (everywhere) and even your local top hotels (for a weekend getaway) are all down compared to a year ago and in some cases more than 50% off! I am off to Toronto next week and snagged a 4-star hotel for more than 50% off the price when I did a Price Line bid. In June I will fly to Poland for three weeks and saved a bundle when I booked a flight using Aer Lingus ($730 for a round-trip flight that is usually well over a thousand easily in June). So go now…search…bid…book…take a break from this awful economy and get your mind off of job hunting. It may very well recharge yoru batteries and even bring you back refreshed and ready to start searching again.

New York Times: Hard Times? Time To Take Off

Where to find good deals for your unemployed excursion: TravelZoo.com

Tags: airfares, cruises, hawaii, ireland, Las Vegas, new york times, Travel, travelzoo, unemployed

Europe’s Rising stars, NYC hotel for under $100 a night???, JetBlue getaways and more.

Another eventful week in the travel business. So I thought today I would catch you up on some of the deals, news, stories and articles that came out this past week.

Jetting for less: JetBlue currently has a 40% off select getaways that include such destinations as Aruba, Cancun & Nassau. These “beachy keen” deals include 4-star accommodations and nonstop flights from such locales as Boston, New York & Orlando.For more information head on over to JetBlue.

New York City Hotel for $89/night!?: Whoa…recession pricing is in full effect with this great deal from TravelZoo and Best Western. The new Bowery Hanbee Hotel, which is located in the hip and trendy SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan, is offering a jaw dropping special. For select dates through April, travelers can enjoy a great room for only $89/night! In order to get this low rate you must book with TravelZoo’s special code, which is…well…”TravelZoo”…not hard to remember. Click here for more information. Hurry because you must book by March 9.

Luck of the Irish: While not “new” news, it is worth mentioning the current sale and prices that Ireland’s most popular airline Aer Lingus currently has on their website. Sales at a stunningly low $199 each way to/from Ireland in the spring and $229 in the summer. Simply amazing considering how expensive flights to Europe were just 8-12 months ago! But Aer Lingus is not just good for flights to the Emerald Isle. In fact they have dozens of European cities at lower than normal prices right now. I booked a 3 week trip to Krakow in June for about 40% lower than the competition. More for information on the Ireland sale click here, to check out all of the other great destinations that Aer Lingus flies to click here.

(Another)Southwest sale: In what seems to be a regular occurrence these days, Southwest is offering a sale. But this sale is unique as it covers all of the airline’s destinations. Some of the cities that the low cost airline flies to include New York (Long Island Islip), Ft. Lauderdale, Chicago (Midway) and Seattle. The Nationwide sale has fares that range from $49-$129 one-way. Check out Southwest for more information. Hurry though, this sale ends Monday March 2.

Europe’s other great cities: Fodor’s has a great article about “Europe’s Rising Stars”, which includes a look at such amazing, yet sometimes overlooked, cities like Galway, Ireland and Valencia, Spain.

These particular cities offer all of the same excitement and culture of their more popular neighbors, but often times To check out the full article, click here.

So much is going on these days in travel. Airfare sales seem to pop up every 7 minutes (or at least it feels that way) and hotel prices are plummeting worldwide. Who would have thought a year ago that you could stay in a nice hotel in Manhattan for under $100/night? Madness. It is safe to say that the term “Staycation” is officially retired. To that I say, GOOD RIDDANCE!

Tags: aer lingus, aruba, bahamas, best western, bowery hanbee, cancun, chicago, europe, ft. lauderdale, galway, ireland, jetblue, krakow, long island, mexico, nassau, new york city, poland, seattle, southwest, travelzoo, valencia