Tag Archives: travel tip

Be Smart and Save on Hotel Stays

A year ago today my daughter’s dream of swimming with dolphins came true.  As a combination birthday/Christmas present, we traveled to a resort in Hawaii, which allows guests to frolic with marine mammals, for a pretty penny.  I knew exactly how much we’d have to fork over for the dolphin experience; however, when I got the bill for the overnight accommodations, my jaw hit the hotel’s travertine floor.  I was shocked by the exorbitant resort fees, which by the way, were not fully disclosed during the booking process. I later discovered that this is a common practice with hotels and … Continue reading →

Summer Travel Tip: Never Leave Children Unattended in a Car

It’s a lesson a father living in my city learned the hard way. The man left his 2-year-old daughter sleeping in his locked alarmed car while he ran into Wal-Mart to pick up a spare battery. When he returned to his vehicle his daughter was awake and two police officers were waiting to arrest him for child endangerment. That dad was lucky. Seriously. While I’m sure he wasn’t pleased about being hauled off by police, he is lucky his daughter is still alive. Had the temperature outside been higher his toddler would have suffered much more than just emotional trauma … Continue reading →

What To Know Before You Travel During Hurricane Season

The travel bargains during hurricane season are hard to beat, but before you shell out the money for a trip to the Caribbean, Mexico, or Florida there are a few points you should consider. First, the deep discounts offered during hurricane season come as a result of the risk you take. (It’s called hurricane season for a reason.) If you plan to head south during the heart of hurricane season you risk having your vacation drowned out. That’s what happened to more than 30,000 vacationers who were spending a fall trip in the Cancun area in October 2005. Their resorts … Continue reading →

Travel Warning: Hide Your GPS Units

What car thieves really want is a free set of wheels, but apparently they will settle for expensive GPS units. Just ask my neighbor. He was parked on a busy street, in a well-lit area and ran into a store to pick up a box of battery packs. When he returned less than 15 minutes later he found his car had been hacked into and his $750 GPS unit was gone. Yes, you could wag your finger and make the comment that he shouldn’t have left the unit exposed in his vehicle. But he figured he was in a well-traveled … Continue reading →

Travel Warning: The Dangers of Sand

If you thought large waves, strong rip currents, and sharks were the only dangers at the beach—-think again. There is nothing that makes my 3-year-old happier than digging a massive hole in the sand at our favorite beach in Hawaii. (Okay, she doesn’t exactly do much of the digging, but she really nails her role as sand hole foreman.) The sand hole becomes a mock playpen/playhouse for her while we are at the beach. Unfortunately, I recently learned that sand holes can become shallow graves for young children. A new report reveals that in the last ten years more than … Continue reading →

Smokey Clocked You Going 80… Now What Do You Do?

What did you do the last time you were pulled over for speeding? Cry? Beg for leniency? Pretend you don’t speak English? I just spent 20 minutes on the phone with a friend who was pulled over for speeding a block from her home. She can cry on cue better than any actress I’ve seen. This “talent” to cry profusely usually gets her out of paying $200 speeding tickets. Guess what? It worked again today. So what if you can’t release the waterworks as well as my friend? I posed the question to a police officer friend of mine who … Continue reading →