Travel Archives

I am very excited when new service comes to Boston because the lack of competition here on direct routes leads to very high fares. Also, the traditional carriers have made flying so miserable that it does not take much to impress me anymore. I have always been a big JetBlue fan and Virgin America seems to be improving on their playbook (new planes, reasonable fares, good amenities and friendly service). On a recent business trip, I flew the new Boston to San Francisco direct route. The price of the ticket was about $350 and the new plane had Virgin America’s trademark mood lighting, interactive entertainment system (where you can order paid meals and have them delivered to your seat) and a noticeably friendly crew. However the really big news was the Wifi service, which worked flawlessly and for $10 let me work online for the entire flight, which was a reason to choose Virgin America alone. Instead of arriving to 100 e-mails, I was all caught up and ready to go when I landed. The only negative is that the basic coach seat is a little tight on legroom, but they do offer a variety of upgrade options. Virgin America, like JetBlue and Southwest before it is helping to bring civility back to air travel. Count me in as a fan and I am hoping for more Boston routes.

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Who says patience isn’t a virtue? After almost 20 years, Weber has finally given an overhaul to its tried and true Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker.  The old 2820 model is replaced by the new Weber 18.5″ inch smoker which finally has a built-in thermometer as well as improvement to the legs, water pan and door design. Weber has also added a second bigger smoker to the line called the 22.5” which is the radius of a large Weber Kettle grill and has three cooking levels. If you have held off on getting a smoker, now is the time.

Read the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker Review

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Yapta is a very cool new website tracks fluctuations in airline ticket prices, similar to a stock ticker and notifies you when a ticket you have already purchased or are interested in buying drops in price, so you can get the best deal. If you have already purchased a ticket, Yapta will tell you how to contact the airline to for a refund or will make the request automatically. I saved $80 the first time I tried it. It couldn’t have been easier, I got an e-mail telling me the price had dropped and they also sent me Jet Blue’s phone number and told me what to say. The price went back up the next day.

See More Travel Tips & Deals

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There is a lot of debate these days about when toddlers should move out of a traditional car seat with a five point harness and into a booster seat. The issue for most parents is that the kids outgrow their convertible car seat before they are really ready for a booster. The much talked about Radian 65 from Sunshine Kids helps fill this gap and also also a great seat for travel and/or a second car. It has many of the features of a booster seat with the security of a five point harness. Thanks to BabyCenter and Sunshine Kids for providing the demos.

Read the full Sunshine Kids Radian 65 Car Seat Review.

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On the heels of a recent trip to Europe, I had the chance to test out some new products and have also updated the Bobby’s Best Travel Section. Here are some tips based on my own experience in Europe:

Do’s

Bring a GPS System (if you will be driving a lot)
We purchased the Garmin Nuvi 670 which is a widescreen model that comes loaded with European maps and it was a lifesaver. It is essentially the same model as the less expensive Nuvi 650; however, it includes European maps which can often cost several hundred dollars more. Honestly it’s hard enough to drive a golf cart sized stick shift diesel around Europe without having to try to read a map at the same time. The Nuvi 670 was very accurate and was also helpful for locating gas stations and parking lots, the latter of which was key for tourist towns and major cities. A portable GPS is a great investment for travel and it’s something you can enjoy when you return home or travel domestically as well.

Scan Important Docs
Scan all of your important documents (i.e., passport, travelers checks, medical information, etc.) . Then e-mail a copy to a friend or relative, or relative and then copy your own e-mail account to a USB Keychain Drive and bring it with you. This way, if anything is lost, you can retrieve the file either locally from your keychain or from your e-mail account at an Internet café. For the copy you leave at home, you can also include your credit cards, but don’t carry this information with you on the keychain.

Call Home with Skype
If you are traveling with your laptop and will have internet access, put money in your Skype account before you leave. You can also buy an inexpensive headset to use with your pc. While there are many options now for purchasing mobile phones that will work overseas, roaming rates are still very expensive, often averaging 50 cents a minute. With Skype you can make calls to the US for less than two cents a minute.

Don’ts

Check Your Luggage (unless you absolutely have to)
The airlines just can’t seem to reliably put bags on planes these days and starting off your vacation without your clothes is a real bummer. Also, if you think that the airlines will reimburse a shopping spree to replace your items so that you can begin your trip, you will be very surprised by their draconian reimbursement policies. Do what you can to fit your luggage into a 22-inch carry on, being mindful that international weight and carry-on restrictions are often more stringent that domestic. Two great choices for luggage are the Travelpro Crew 6 22” Series and the Eagle Creek Tarmac ES 22 bag.

Bother with Travelers Checks
If you are going to a major city, ATM’s are the easiest and cheapest way to get money. Travelers checks just aren’t what they used to be and you will probably get a worse exchange rate. Carrying a few as a precaution is fine, but on the last three trips I brought them on, I never used one of them.

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