Ask the Travel Agent

[kmmommy]

Hey girls! I thought I'd start up a thread where I can try to answer any questions you may have about traveling.

I've been working in travel for 4 1/2 years and will soon get out, but have knowledge I'd like to share with those in need.

[emschwar]

Wow, cool! Here's something I've been wondering. How far in advance do you need to book airline tickets to get the cheapest fares? Thanks!

[kmmommy]

There's no 100% answer. Airlines base ticket prices on availability and advance purchase (as well as other factors). The primary advance purchase times are 3, 7, 14, 21 and 30 days. I recommend purchasing between 14 days and 2-3 months in advance.

It also depends on time of year - holidays you probably don't want to wait that long.

[babylove]

I have a question! DH and I are thinking about going to Arizona (Scottsdale) in September....can you recommend any good hotels? DH mentioned The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, but I think it's booked

[Mom2Cole]

What a GREAT thread!!! We have decided to vacation in Florida this fall and we were going to go in September, but are attending a family reunion at the beginning of the month, so we are thinking about pushing the trip back to October. So, my question...how is the weather in October in Florida?! Is it still relatively hot?

[kmmommy]

Great choice of location babylove! DH and I *heart* the Phoenix, Scottsdale area. When we went we stayed at the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs resort and the Legacy Gold Resort. Both are in Phoenix, but it's so easy to drive down there that you wouldn't have any trouble getting around.

Tapatio Cliffs is right on the mountain and has 9 pools, 3 restaurants, a spa and a nice view of the city from the top of the mountain.

Pics of Tapatio Cliffs:
http://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/content/PHXTCPR/media/images/PHXTCPR_Pointe_Hilton_Tapatio_Cliffs_Resort_home_r ight.jpg

The whole resort:
http://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/content/PHXTCPR/media/images/photo_gallery/photo_psext2_large_PHXTCPR.jpg

The Legacy Golf Resort was nice. We had a one-bedroom apartment type room. It was bigger than my one-bedroom apartment. They have only 1 pool and 1 restaurant, but are said to have a great golf course.

The room:
http://www.legacygolfresort.com/legacy/gfx/accommodations/master_suite.jpg

[kmmommy]

Part II for babylove - it wouldn't let me post all the pics.

Others I would recommend:

The Phoenician www.thephoenician.com
http://www.thephoenician.com/images/headers/header_21.jpg

The Hyatt Regency Scottsdale www.hyatt.com
http://scottsdale.hyatt.com/property/imagedb/scott/scott_slide_lg_00.jpg

If you're interested in finding out about others check out: www.frommers.com - it's a great travel website.

Also, feel free to Private Message me with questions.

[kemaji]

We're honeymooning on Kauai in a couple of weeks. Do you have any suggestions on any must-do activities that we might not learn about otherwise?

[kmmommy]

Mom2Cole:

The weather is still nice. Average temps are 65-85 degrees. You can still enjoy the water without risking 3rd degree sunburns.

Also, it is the end of hurricane season so you are better off to go in October than in September.

Glad you like the thread - you ladies are certainly keeping me busy!

[kmmommy]

kemaji ~ First off, Congrats on your upcoming wedding.

I don't know of any secret suggestions. If it were me going to Kauai I would go horseback riding and whale watching, in addition to scuba diving, etc.

Since I don't personally know you (or what you enjoy) and want you to enjoy your honeymoon to the fullest I would suggest checking out the following sites:

www.frommers.com
www.hawaii-search.com/Kauai/Activities/
www.kauaidiscovery.com/activities/

Hope this was helpful and that you enjoy yourselves!

[Mom2Cole]

Thank you SO much Kelly!!! :D Your input is greatly appreciated!! You ROCK!!! :D

[kmmommy]

Thanks! I'm glad I can be of help!

[risa00]

This is a great thread! My family is planning an Alaska cruise next year.. Do you have a recommendation between Holland America and Royal Caribbean? We're sailing roundtrip from Vancouver. Thanks!

[emschwar]

Ooh, I have another question. The spring 2004 moms on LJ were considering the possibility of a get together somewhere. But where? We're all over the country. Can you think of anywhere sort of centrally located that's relatively cheap and has lots of stuff for small kids to do? And when would be a good time to go? Thanks!

[kmmommy]

This is a great thread! My family is planning an Alaska cruise next year.. Do you have a recommendation between Holland America and Royal Caribbean? We're sailing roundtrip from Vancouver. Thanks!

I would probably recommend Holland America. Both cruise lines have good reputations, but I've heard more issues with Royal Caribbean. I'll try to talk to a cruise specialist at work tomorrow and see if I can get more info for you.

[kmmommy]

Ooh, I have another question. The spring 2004 moms on LJ were considering the possibility of a get together somewhere. But where? We're all over the country. Can you think of anywhere sort of centrally located that's relatively cheap and has lots of stuff for small kids to do? And when would be a good time to go? Thanks!

Centrally located...hmmm. There are a lot of options like Chicago, a couple places in TX or even Minneapolis (Mall of America and stuff like that) but my top choice for somewhere with tons to do and that's not too expensive is Las Vegas. Not very central, I know, but you can get good package deals with flights and hotel for a good rate. Plus, there are tons of attractions for kids - stay at the Circus Circus hotel.

http://www.circuscircus.com/landing/images/itr_circus2.jpg

Hope that helps!

[emschwar]

That does help! We were actually thinking of vegas, but we weren't sure it was that kid-friendly.

[kmmommy]

It's such a big tourist attraction now that they have to make it kid-friendly. There are other hotels too, but Circus Circus is the best for kids.

[kemaji]

Kaeden's Mommy ~ Thanks for the websites, they will definitely be helpful.

[DiscoDiva]

I booked a hotel through Expedia, and I got a printout and email with the confirmation number. But how do I know for sure that the hotel has my reservation? Should I call the hotel direct and confirm with them? Or should I stop worrying and let Expedia do their job? I've heard that they are reputable and do a good job, but there's something about not booking directly that makes me nervous.....

[kmmommy]

I would call at least a couple days in advance to make sure the hotel has your reservation. There should be no reason for worry, but confirming in advance is always a good idea.

The behind the scenes of booking online (through Expedia, Orbitz, etc.): Many hotels (not prepaid) run on a reservation system called Pegasus. The hotels or their chain puts info on different websites. The sites link to Pegasus to get the hotel, dates, rates, etc. Pegasus is what gives the confirmation number back.

I always confirm ahead of time. It's just a precaution I always take with travel.

Enjoy your trip!

[babylove]

Kelly ~ Thanks for all of the AZ suggestions!! I will definitely check them out! The only thing holding me back now is getting pg...we really want to go somewhere in Sept/Oct for our 2 yr anniversary but I don't want to be in my first trimester b/c I am worried about m/s....I *know* I won't be one of those lucky women who doesn't get sick. :rolleyes: And I definitely don't want to take a 3 hr plane right feeling like ass, KWIM? Anyhoo, thanks so much for your suggestions!!!

kemaji ~ I honeymooned in Kauai 2 yrs ago and I definitely recommend horseback riding. It was a blast!! We also did this fantastic Zodiac boat trip, which is not for the faint of heart....in fact, had we known how, um, adventurous it was, we might not have gone. But I am so glad we did b/c the views were AMAZING. It's a half-day excursion. I can't remember the name of the company, but I am sure the concierge at your hotel can recommend a good one. HAVE A GREAT TIME!!!

[Jonesey]

Great thread!

My husband and I are planning our "last big trip" before kids. We booked flights (using miles) to Australia for two weeks in November. Do you have any suggestions about areas to visit while we're there?

[PGirl26]

This is such a great idea for a thread. I'm so sick of looking at all these different sites for hotels etc. FH and I are looking for a honeymoon destination. We kind of have different idea's of what we want. I'm wanting beach/sand/sun/lots and lots of margarita's....he wants to make sure we have something to do. And casino's lol. I'm definately wanting to go all inclusive. I thought about Sandals etc. Can you suggest any places that could accomodate the both of us? We want to go somewhere we've never been. So that excludes the states...Florida, SC, for example. Any help is greatly appreciated!!

[kmmommy]

Great thread!

My husband and I are planning our "last big trip" before kids. We booked flights (using miles) to Australia for two weeks in November. Do you have any suggestions about areas to visit while we're there?

Lucky you!

As I've posted before it's tough to make strong recommendations since I don't know you personally, but here are my top three.

Wollongong ~ about an hour south of Sydney. It features the largest Buddhist temple and nice beaches. You can try Chinese calligraphy, try vegetarian Buddhist foods and check out the cool shops.

Brisbane ~ Tons of cool shopping. Extreme diversity. You can check out theaters, see sporting events or take a ferry ride. I book a lot of travel to Brisbane.

Port Douglas ~ Probably where I'd most want to go - there's rainforest, coral reef so you can go deep-sea fishing or snorkeling. It's supposed to be just gorgeous.

Check out these sites for more options:

www.travelaus.com.au
www.frommers.com

November Events in Sydney: www.bcl.com.au/sydney/wotson-november.htm
November Events in Melbourne and Victoria: www.bcl.com.au/melbourne/wotson-november.htm

Enjoy your trip!

[kmmommy]

This is such a great idea for a thread. I'm so sick of looking at all these different sites for hotels etc. FH and I are looking for a honeymoon destination. We kind of have different idea's of what we want. I'm wanting beach/sand/sun/lots and lots of margarita's....he wants to make sure we have something to do. And casino's lol. I'm definately wanting to go all inclusive. I thought about Sandals etc. Can you suggest any places that could accomodate the both of us? We want to go somewhere we've never been. So that excludes the states...Florida, SC, for example. Any help is greatly appreciated!!


I suggest somewhere like Cancun, Cabo San Lucas or Playa del Carmen. All three have everything you want, but also have good shopping, museums, bullfights, cool restaurants, etc. Plus, you can get an all-inclusive with no problem.

If Mexico isn't it for you, I would suggest Hawaii. You can go to a luau, shop, check out volcanoes, waterfalls, hiking, etc. Plus, you've got access to all your must-haves.

Whatever you decide, I hope you have a fabulous time.

[nolagirl]

I have a couple of questions.......1)What are your favorite islands to visit in the Carribbean and why; 2)What are your recommendations for cheap travel to the Carribbean (i.e. certain times of year, airlines, etc.) Thanks in advance......its great of you to do this!

[kmmommy]

This is a great thread! My family is planning an Alaska cruise next year.. Do you have a recommendation between Holland America and Royal Caribbean? We're sailing roundtrip from Vancouver. Thanks!

Risa,

I talked to a cruise specialist today and he recommended Royal Caribbean for a party-like atmosphere and Holland America for a more relaxed experience. He said they're both great so it just depends on what you're looking for most.

HTH!

[kmmommy]

I have a couple of questions.......1)What are your favorite islands to visit in the Carribbean and why; 2)What are your recommendations for cheap travel to the Carribbean (i.e. certain times of year, airlines, etc.) Thanks in advance......its great of you to do this!

My top 5:
St. Martin (St. Maarten)
Dominican Republic
Cayman Islands
Turks & Caicos
Bahamas

I just love exotic locations like these. Always have. Give me a palm tree, beach and a drink - I'll be good forever! I just love the character of almost all the Caribbean islands so I don't have a specific reason why I like them.

The least expensive time to travel is during the summer months due to hurricane/storm season. The cheapest airline will depend upon where you live, specials, etc. No airline is really the lowest in a certain market anymore - there are too many variables.

For good deals check out:

www.travelzoo.com
www.tgvacations.com
www.funjetvacations.com

HTH!

[risa00]

Thanks so much for your help. I don't know why I didn't receive an email notification, but I'm glad I checked the thread. :D

[kmmommy]

My pleasure!

[Robertsgirl]

What recommendations to you have for a cheap diving trip to Cozumel? Best season to go....good websites to watch for deals, that kind of stuff....

Thank you!

[lady1297]

OH!! Question!!

What about places/things to do in Cape Cod??? I've always wanted to go. And DH promised me a trip. What time of year? Bed and Breakfasts??

[tvmonkey]

Not sure if we can ask you something like this but...

can you explain how travel consolidators (specifically international flights) work?

Let me explain why I'm curious:
I booked an international flight *not with a big consolidator like Orbitz or Expedia but a smaller one, and I got the airfare for $807 with taxes. But I just received my ticket and the tickets have a higher price printed on them. How does this work? How do they make money besides the $10 fee they charged me?

[ginandchris]

Hi

My DH and I are trying to plan a trip there in either September or October. Is the weather still warm then? We went there for our honeymoon last year but that was in May. TIA!

[justHB]

How often do you travel and what destinations have been your favorite? Also, are you basing your recommendations here off first-hand knowledge or information you've gathered from your line of work?

[ktsb]

I just saw this thread as I was thinking UGH.

I'm planning a trip to Maui in November. I'm afraid it's getting late so I'm feeling that sense of urgency/panic.

I have been on the net for hours researching over several days. I found what looks like to be some great deals through a warehouse membership (Costco). Now that I narrowed it down to 6 hotels I went to check tripadvisor.com.

Well I'm completely lost now. Seems like every hotel I like has just has some horror stories on tripadvisor along with some this is the best place I've ever stayed stores. I'm at a loss now.

To put it simply I'm trying to stay somewhere for 7 days around the $2,000 price range. I think my pain threshold is around $2,300.

Any suggestions/ideas???

[justHB]

{Edited b/c I posted in the wrong thread and can't find the "delete post" option.}

[nic]

Lady1297, to answer your question, there's nothing like Cape Cod in the summer. The beaches, the food, the atmosphere..... With that being said, summer, meaning June,July and August are the busiest months to travel to the Cape so if I were you I'd go in late May (maybe the weekend before Memorial Day) or in September (right after Labor Day weekend). It'll be a little less expense and not quite as crowded but the weather should still be nice.

[1MegMeg]

Kelly - Thank you so much for starting this thread answering our travel questions. :) I am going to Colorado in December (will be flying into Denver). I know you don't have a crystal ball, but when do you think the best time is to get our airline tickets? Do you think the prices now are as good as they are going to get, or do you think they may drop some? Also, I have checked Southwest's website and they only have tickets available through December 12th - we aren't going until the 17th. Should I wait for Southwest? Any insight you can provide is *greatly* appreciated. :) Thank you!

ETA: There is are flights (with decent times - an important factor because we are driving to Vail from DEN) on Airtran right now for $315 pp. Do you think that's as good as it's going to get coming from Tampa? Based on Southwest's current schedule from TPA to DEN I have a pretty good idea of when the flight times would be (and SW's times are fine for us) and the price could be $80 pp less (if the price is their usual $99/one way), but I just don't know if we should wait or not.

Okay, I am done blabbing now. :)

[justHB]

When you book a room as "run of the house" what does that mean?

Thanks!

[Rosebud]

I have a question for you...

We booked our honeymoon flights on Northwest Airlines (through Expedia.com) a couple of months ago. Now the NW mechanics' union is on strike and I'm worried. Our honeymoon will begin on Oct. 10 and I'd kinda doubt that this will be resolved by then. Am I wrong?

We are flying from L.A. to the Detroit hub on October 10th, changing planes (about a 2 hour layover total) and then continuing on to Paris.

Two weeks later, we're flying direct from Amsterdam to L.A. (this should be through their KLM affiliate, so I'm not worried about this leg).

The news reports keep saying that Northwest is doing a good job of keeping their flight schedules, considering the strike. I'm just really worried about the L.A.--> Detroit--> Paris leg. We've already decided to go carry-on only so they can't lose our luggage, but I'm afraid that a flight will get canceled or delayed so significantly that we won't get to Paris.

ANY ADVICE?? Thanks in advance. :)

[Vishenka69]

JustHB - "Run of the house" means that you can't book a specific view and your room will be assigned when you check in. So you may get a great view and a king-size bed or you may get the opposite.

Rosebud03 - there used to be a rule (I'm pretty sure it's still in affect) that if any American airline goes into bankrupcy or on strike the other airlines have to accomodate the passengers with already purchased tickets. The good news is that it'll get you to your destination, the bad news is that there will be delays and various layovers. But the strike may be resolved by October and if they're still operating, there's a good chance that your flight will carry on as scheduled.

[justHB]

JustHB - "Run of the house" means that you can't book a specific view and your room will be assigned when you check in. So you may get a great view and a king-size bed or you may get the opposite.

Can they force a smoking room on us?

[Vishenka69]

JustHB - usually when booking even "run of the house" rooms, you should have an option for smoking or non-smoking or a comment box. I'm pretty sure that in US a hotel can't force a smoking room on you unless you booked very last minute and that's all they have available. As for hotels abroad, some may not even have non-smoking smoking rooms. You can always call the hotel directly and make a special request.

[tlew12778]

Hi! I have a question about upgrading using miles. Mainly, I was wondering how far out you suggest I look into purchasing the tickets. I think I will need to buy a full-fare economy ticket in order to use miles to upgrade (the star alliance website says class Y or B) but those tickets are sooooo expensive still. We don't need to travel until April, but I know that award travel can get booked up far in advance. Thanks!

[bookworm]

tlew12778, my experience has been that Y and B fares stay incredibly expensive--Y is full fare, fully refundable coach, and for US travel is usually as expensive as F. B is not much less. I'd call and ask if there is mileage upgrade availability for the dates you want--they often hold very few seats in that bucket. If they have the availability, and you're willing to pay what they are asking, go ahead and buy the tickets now.

Just as an example, I used to fly from Boston to Orlando a lot on business. Usually, the ticket would be around $200. When I had to buy a B class (b/c the discounted fares were sold out), it was about $650. The one time I bought Y, it was over $800. Nutty. The good news is that domestically, those were automatic upgrades ;).

[EuropeBride]

Hi Kelly!
What a great idea for a thread! Thank you so much!
Do you happen to know of any nice but not too expensive hotels/resorts in Tulum, Mexico? It doesn't have to be anything super fancy, but we do like having nice sorroundings, good food etc.
DH and I are going for two weeks from the middle of October to the beginning of November. We're flying to Cancun and plan on travelling around for a week and relaxing at the beach the second week. Any help would be greatly appreciated! :)

[justHB]

JustHB - usually when booking even "run of the house" rooms, you should have an option for smoking or non-smoking or a comment box. I'm pretty sure that in US a hotel can't force a smoking room on you unless you booked very last minute and that's all they have available. As for hotels abroad, some may not even have non-smoking smoking rooms. You can always call the hotel directly and make a special request. Okay, we're supposed to check into a hotel this weekend in Vegas that is listed as "run of the house" but we never indicated smoking or non (at least that I can remember). Wish us luck!

[tlew12778]

tlew12778, my experience has been that Y and B fares stay incredibly expensive--Y is full fare, fully refundable coach, and for US travel is usually as expensive as F. B is not much less. I'd call and ask if there is mileage upgrade availability for the dates you want--they often hold very few seats in that bucket. If they have the availability, and you're willing to pay what they are asking, go ahead and buy the tickets now.

UGH! Well, the cheapest economy fare that I am finding right now is about 900 euro per person (which is about $1125) to fly from Milan to Bankgkok next April. And obviously I would not be able to upgrade this class fare as I am sure it is restricted. An unrestricted ticket is 1400 euro ($1750) but at that rate I would amost be tempted to just spend the extra 500 euro per person and buy business class directly and at least get the extra mileage.

The one time I actually successfully used my miles to upgrade they made me buy the full fare economy ticket (which was only like $700 actually btwn Milan and NYC) but they would not confirm my upgrade until 2 weeks before the flight.

[bookworm]

I agree--I'd spend the extra $ and get the miles. I believe on *A (did you say that's your program? Sorry if I'm making that up.), the mileage bonus for business class is preferred miles. Are you preferred now? That sometimes opens more upgrade availability (or, at least, you can clear sooner than non-preferreds).

I don't know the rules for your particular airline, but on the domestic *A carriers, you can often upgrade some of the discounted fare classes, but it takes more miles. I think it's 10K each way for Y/B (US to Europe), and 30K each way for the discounted classes (with the bottom 2 or 3 excluded). It's a lot of miles to burn, but it's a long flight!

[Luckybwaygirl]

Hi KM!

This is a great thread -- I am going to subscribe to it so I can get LOTS of travel ideas. DH is a wanderlust sort of guy, having accomplished extended stays in Mexico, Australia, China, Kenya and Uganda. Myself? I have been to every state (I was dancing in a show that was on tour) and worked on a cruise ship for a bit. Also, my mom and dad live in Den Haag. So -- travel is a real passion for us!

My question -- DH is actually a "soon-to-be DH". We are honeymooning in Brasil in late September/early October. We are going to Rio, Ilha Grande, and Igaucu Falls.

Any tips or info you could share with me? Specifically, I am wondering about packing for the weather (isn't it spring over there right now? do I need to pack jeans? or a light sweater?) and also -- your take on general safety while in Rio De Janeiro. Some of my friends have me all freaked out about getting jumped/mugged and others are like "Relaaaaaaax. S'all good."

What thinks you?

[tlew12778]

One of the secretaries here just got back from 3 weeks in Brazil. She said the weather was fantastic. She said it rained a couple times but only for like an hour or so (like FL basically). She said the weather was nice... like 80s. They wore light sweaters or long sleeves at night. They went all around the north and center. As for Rio, she said that as long as you don't flash your valuables you'll be fine. She had one instance on a beach where some local kids (ruffians by the looks of them) started eyeing her digicam so they just left. She didn't wear any jewelry while traveling.

[Luckybwaygirl]

Okay. thanks. I was wondering if maybe the weather dipped enough to wear sleeves at night!

I have heard the same thing from others -- be watchful of groups of kids. I don't wear any jewelry anyway, except my engagement/wedding ring. And I am not taking them with me! (I am a little sad that I won't be able to stare at my left hand with two rings on it during my honeymoon...but oh well!)

I am a bit worried about DH and his new digital camera. He's not a city boy! He is just not as watchful (paranoid?) as I am. I am making him carry it in a plain ol' backpack instead of the snazzy carrying case that came with it and he is SO BUMMED about that. But hel-LOH? Don't ask for trouble, right?

I heard Ipanema is way safer than Copacabana. Any thoughts anyone?

Also, we are staying one night in the Flamengo area of Rio (in between our Ilha Grande and Iguacu trips). Is it safe there? It looks pretty close to the Centro and I have heard mixed vibes on that.

[Asha]

we are toying with the idea of travelling to equador/galapagos islands. i know celebrity cruise line has a package cruise there, but it is quite pricey, though, it does look fantastic. i have been searching the web and noticed there are more affordable options, but i don't know which companies are reputable. is there any way i can check out the reliability and reputation of a company? are there websites that i can check this out too? most of the popular search engines/websites focus on more mainstream vacation destinations. also, is there a website that i can check the safety factor for tourists in certain countries? also, if you know of any companies that offer more affordable and good packages to the galapogos islands/equador, i would be happy to hear about it. thank you so much for you help.