Why Are Some International Carriers Charging a Low Fare and Tacking on a High Fuel Charge -- Frequent Fliers Beware

True at the end of the day the price is the same.... whether a carrier accurately and fairly charges you an airfare plus tax versus charging you a lower bogus base fare and tacking on a fuel surcharge.  Here are some reasons it matters.

• Travelers who think that they have socked away enough for "free" frequent flier awards and companion tickets will be surprised that after using their hard earned points they are still charged more than half of what the flight would have costed had they paid cash.   You might have bought into a frequent flier program thinking you were going to have enough mileage for two tickets to Europe say as advertised by their program .... only to find out that the surcharges make using the points cost prohibitive.   

• In countries other than the US which has laws against this deceptive practice (such surcharges have to be bundled into the base fare though airlines are US airlines are trying to get this changed), airlines can make their fares look much lower than they really are, at least in countries where they're allowed to post fares that way.

• Airlines may be able to  lower the  commissions they pay by paying commissions only on the "fare" portion of the total cost to the passenger.  

• Airlines  may be doing this so they can raise the true fares on routes where fare increases still need some sort of outside approval— if this is true it may be a legitimate reason.

It is fortunate that  the U.S. government won't let airlines feature fares that exclude fuel surcharges; the only way to find them is to click on separate "explanation" boxes.  But some third-party sites—still post fares that exclude the surcharge.

Personally I think these surcharges are a scam simple as that.  A scam that those of us who accumulate  frequent flier mileage on business trips so that we can take our families on vacations for reasonable prices need to be aware of.   You can get ripped off in particular if you transfer points to use on a foreign carrier who has such charges.   

If you try to get around a carrier's bogus upcharge on their frequent flier tickets by trying to buy  tickets through them on one of their partner airlines, they will still charge you the outrageous surcharge.  Why would they charge a fuel surcharge on another carrier?   Could it be because in fact what is really happening is they are not giving you an equal deal for your points.  While they are advertising that you can buy a ticket to Europe on their airline with say 60,000 frequent flier points (this is the typical amount charged for airlines like American, Iberia who do not charge a fuel surcharge), they are in fact charging you the points plus $400 or more some dollars not including the typical taxes ( other airlines do, of course, charge taxes on such tickets).   This means that your points have been depreciated some 50% on a typical $800 ticket versus what you would have paid on an airline that does not have the surcharge.   Sure somewhere in the fine print they tell you all this.  Nonetheless,  I find it hard to believe that some of these companies have reduced themselves to participate in such obviously deceptive practices, but it appears they do, and as the old adage taunts -- let the buyer beware.   

How some Jack Daniels and Ducks Made a Hotel Famous -- The Peabody Ducks

About 80 years ago, the then General Manager of The Peabody in Memphis, Tennessee, and a friend, had just returned from a hunting trip.  They had a little too much Jack Daniel's, and thought it would be funny to place some of their live duck decoys  in the foutain of the Peabody. Three small ducks were selected and the rest was history.

Then in 1940, Bellman Edward Pembroke, a former circus animal trainer, began guiding  the ducks to the fountain each day and taught them the now-famous Peabody Duck March.  Mr. Pembroke became the Peabody Duckmaster and served in that capacity for 50 years until his retirement in 1991.

The Peabody ducks have been a long-time attraction -- drawing visitors to the Memphis hotel.

And since opening  in 1986, The Peabody Orlando has continued,  the tradition of The Peabody Ducks  March.  Each morning, promptly at 11 a.m., the Duckmaster of the Peabody Orlando leads the ducks usually with a young helper down a special elevator, and they march towards the fountain and up a red carpeted staircase.

On a recent morning, as guests at the Orlando Peabody, we watched the Duckmaster lay the red carpet and waited as other hotel guests gathered near the spectacular marble fountain for the daily ritual.  Sure enough, on cue, the Duckmaster and helper led the mallards down the red carpet and into the fountain where a sumptuous meal was waiting for them in the pool.    It's an event to see -- at least once.   

A Place in Another Time and Space -- A Night in a Real Castle -- The Schloss Bensberg overlooking Cologne, Germany

During our stay in Germany I wanted to spend one night in a real castle.  Not one of those cold and drafty kind -- a castle that had been brought up to date so that you really could feel like royalty.   Possibly you should save such experiences for mid-trip, but I knew we would be arriving fairly early in Dusseldorf  and would be very tired from the over night flight, so having a comfortable place to stay even if we could not immediately check in was paramount.

Schloss Bensberg in Bergishch Gladbach is a baroque structure that looms over Bensberg and Cologne pronouncing its importance to the surrounding region.  It was built for a prince who never got to live there.  Versailles and Windsor Castle served as models for Prince-Elector Johann Wilhem II (Jan Wellem) in building his private retreat on a hillside with magnificent views of Cologne with the help of the Italian architect count Matteo d'Alberti over 300 years ago (between 1700-1716).  When Wellem died in 1716, his widow left the building unfinished.  Over the years it was used as a military hospital, boarding school and refugee camp  ultimately falling into disrepair until in 1997, an insurance company financed a magnificent renovation to turn Schloss Bensberg into a modern day Versailles for guests from around the world.



From the winding streets below, we first caught sight of the castle, overlooking the town and city below. The white and silver structure glistened in the early rays of the sun as we rolled our rental car through the imposing gate and up the paved driveway past stone entry buildings, a regiment of carefully aligned trees, gardens burning with color and a verdant lawn that ran straight up to the colonnade at the front of the castle.   With its multiple turrets, endless rows of huge ornate windows and elaborate entrance, the castle in front of us was much grander than any picture could have led us to expect.

We were dead tired on arrival and therefore overwhelmed with gratefulness when we were quickly ushered into the elegant lobby with our car and luggage whisked away with silent grace.   More thrilled was I when the receptionist promised to have our room ready as soon as possible, and in the mean time thought we might like some breakfast and guided us through the hotel under arched white ceilings, past gorgeous marble and plaster statuary, huge paintings, salons with Renaissance-style murals and other signals that we were indeed in a palatial space.

The breakfast buffet heaped with smoked meat and fish selections, eggs, a wide variety of local and imported cheese, breakfast meats, pastries, fruit and more flowed into the corridor in front of a high-ceiling dining room with additional buffet items, breads, teas and coffee.  We were led to a window table overlooking the grand courtyard and lawn below and promptly served coffee in delicate white cups over white linen.   Ahh!

After a relaxing hour or so, we were escorted to our room overlooking the Castle lawn, the small town with its grand church and in the distance below Cologne and the spires of its magnificent Cathedral.  Cologne was only a short car ride away -- about 20 minutes or so, easy to visit from the Schloss.   After a rest we did a quick tour of Cologne and came back to the Schoss for dinner.    

Vendome, the 3-star chef Joachim Wissler's Restauant,  was fully reserved and I hadn't booked in advance.  I had thought when booking the trip that as we would be overtired from the overnight flight, our first night in Germany might not be the best choice for a splurge dinner.  Especially one that might involve up to six hours and many, many courses (Check out Andy Hayler's review)  Nonetheless, we did peak in the dining room and roam through the beautiful gardens in front the restaurant, which is situated in a stone building on the grounds of the Schloss.

The meal we did have at the Italian restaurant, Trattoria Enoteca, while not a Michelin Three Star like Vendome, was spectacular in its own right.  Following an argula and dandelion salad topped with pine nuts and Parmiggiano Reggiano, I chose the fried sturgeon with a lemon caper sauce arranged on a plate with aspargus and tiny potatoes.  I saw wonderful pasta dishes float by as well as desserts and cheese plates.  If this was second choice for a restaurant at the Castle, I can only imagine how extraterrestrial Vendome is.

Schloss Bensberg also has a world-class spa known for its lighted ceilings (it was closed the day we were there unfortunately), a cozy lobby bar and elegant, club-style bar, but, moreover, staying here is experential -- a night out of time and place -- in an historic yet comfortably modern space that gives you that feeling of specialness that you want to get at least once in awhile in your travels. 

St Nicholas Church in Bensberg

Resources: 

Germany (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

Lonely Planet Germany (Country Travel Guide)

Rick Steves' Germany 2011 with map

Frommer's Germany 2011 (Frommer's Complete Guides)

Disney For Grown Ups -- Food and Wine Festival Comes to Epcot September 30

We recently returned from a visit to the Magic Kingdom plus with child in tow... and, sorry for the overuse, but it was magical!  While there I was reminded as we dashed in and out of Epcot to do Soarin, the Triple AAA attraction which takes you on a virtual flight over the USA, that Disney World is fun for adults too.  And next month I can use the excuse of an adult experience -- the upcoming food and wine festival --to do an adult thing and sneak about and have some kid fun as well.

The Food and Wine Festival, which starts September 30,  is a 45-day Disneyesque experience that  gives "guests" a taste of a wide variety of international cuisine, culture and entertainment from six continents, with more than 25 international marketplaces featuring tapas-sized portions of dishes paired with beer, wine and cocktails.

The Marketplaces are positioned around the 40-acre Epcot World Showcase Lagoon. This year, they include the festival’s first Hawaii marketplace, which will cook up Kalua pork sliders and tuna poke with seaweed salad and lotus root chips to team with a refreshing Seven Tiki Mai Tai or a Kona Longboard or Pipeline beer.  A new Caribbean Islands marketplace will serve ropa vieja with rice and jerk-spiced chicken with mango salsa. A beverage menu featuring a frozen Dragon Berry Colada and frozen Rock Coconut Mojito is sure to conjure steel-drum fantasies.

Another  new addition is the Portugal marketplace, where the Portugal Wine Bar will offer best sips to pair with calamari salad with olives and smoked paprika. The Scandinavia marketplace will return after a hiatus with a fresh new Xante Sunshine cocktail made from Xante pear and cognac liquer. And the Canada marketplace will introduce a sweet treat: apple ice wine.

The festival will also feature:

• Celebrity chef appearances starring top culinarians like Jeff Henderson, Cat Cora, Alan Wong, Gale Gand, Suvir Saran, Jamie Deen, Rock Harper, Celina Tio, Robert Irvine, Andrew Zimmern, Buddy Valastro, Warren Brown, Art Smith, Keegan Gerhard and more.


• First-ever HGTV home entertaining seminars each Friday, Saturday and Sunday.


• The Cranberry Bog display by Craisins telling the story behind the venerable cranberry’s rich agricultural heritage.


• Daily wine seminars, bottle signings, author events and culinary demonstrations at the Festival Welcome Center.


• Eat to the Beat! concerts three times nightly at America Gardens Theatre.


• Plus, many other special events

I am thinking when I go in early October I might just want another spin on Soarin again....but perhaps I ought to do that before the tasting begins for many reasons.  

Resources:

150th Civil War Commemorations Expected to Spark Tourism for the more than 350 Sites Impacted by America's Bloodiest War

The war which touched hundreds of American towns, consisted of more than 50 major battles and 5000 minor ones, saw over 700,000 people killed (360,000 Union soldiers, 260,000 Confederate soldiers, and as many as 100,000 civilians died) with just about every family experiencing personal tragedy (death, disability, homes destroyed) started on April 12 100 years ago -- the American Civil War.

And starting this week, the many towns across the country whose histories were touched, molded, or greatly altered by the war are initiating events to commemorate this war that has continued to fascinate and engage generations long since the first and last gunshots were fired.

As a sampling:

In Charleston, S.C., on April 12, mortar fire will once again light up the skies above Fort Sumter. In Manassas, Va., as many as 10,000 re-enactors will don uniforms of blue and gray to re-create the major battle there. Near Cape Hatteras lighthouse on North Carolina's Outer Banks, uniformed troops will replicate an amphibious assault. Monmouth County, New Jersey sounds the bugle on two dozen "edutainment" programs this week. In Pennsylvania "The Invasion of Pennsylvania" will begin in Greencastle, Pa. and Chambersburg will burn again on the weekend of April 15-16. (List of events in and around Gettysburg)

This week and throughout the next four years, travel to the more than 300 places where small and large battles occurred will be more compelling than ever.  The tourism industry around these sites has been gearing up with programs, reenactments and more, and awaits the influx of visitors to start now.

Among World's Oldest Travelers -- The Sandhill Cranes and their over 2-Millionth Stopover in Nebraska

The sky is suddenly blanketed with a massive cloud of flapping prehistoric-looking wings.   Eerie ghostly sounds echo across the Platte river as an ancient song formed by the almost in unison trills of an enormous avian choir is heard once more.

Heralding the beginning of Spring on the Nebraska prairie, channelling into the age-old 50-mile stretch of the Platte River Valley, the same valley that pioneers clung to on their long journey west, over a half-million sandhill cranes home in on their ancestral roosts.   It's an annual event that draws bird watchers and other tourists to the Nebraska towns of Kearney and Grand Island, which bracket the nesting grounds of these birds that have been arriving here for over 2 million years.

For the cranes it's a pit stop on the journey north to their breeding grounds.   They stop here for the safety and access to food and water that the sand bars of the Platte and the harvested Nebraska corn fields provide.  Every sunrise during their late February to early April stay along the Platte, they ride the thermals in groups seeking grounds to feed.  Then in a frenzy they gorge themselves until dusk when they fill the sky once more heading  back to the river. (During the day, tourists drive the back roads near the Platte observing this natural wonder.)

In addition to tourists, the cranes bear up with the arbitrary Nebraska March weather and its struggle between Winter and Spring, a warm 60 degrees one day, a plunge  into the 20s the next.  They blend into  the warm yellow and  brown corn husks one day, only to be blanketed in snow the next.

Alarmed by sightseers and photographers, the leader bird will rise up tall both protesting the intrusion and alerting his followers to ready for flight.

Along the byways near the Platte, the cranes can be observed often in pairs,  usually mating for life, and not pairing again unless an initial choice is lost.

While you can watch these magnificent birds in the corn fields and see them in the air, the best viewing is at the sanctuaries along the Platte.   The Rowe Sanctuary near Kearney provides tours and opportunities for sleepovers in blinds.  Another popular viewing area is at Alda Bridge Crane Viewing Site southwest of Grand Island.  More information on viewing and etiquette for watching the sandhills can be found at Nebraska Travels.

The sandhill's  stay in Nebraska each year is brief and startlingly beautiful, one I feel privileged to have witnessed before their flight onward on a journey that takes them to their breeding grounds in Canada and the Artic.

80 Days Around the World -- How About 80 Seconds?

Years ago I was entranced by a film that took the main characters around the world by hot-air balloon,* steamship and train.   In the film and novel Around the World in  80 Days,   Jules Verne characters, Phileas Fogg of London and French valet Passepartout, attempt to circumnavigate the world in 80 days on a £20,000 wager (equal to £1,324,289 (approximately $2.2 million )) in today's terms. The Verne book and imaginary trip marked the start of an age of  global tourism.   It suggested that anyone could sit down, draw up a schedule, buy tickets and travel around the world. Prior to this, the experience of this kind of travel had been the exclusive territory of explorers and adventurers.



Of course, today Phileas could have done it much faster.  The average radius of the Earth is 3,959 miles; the fastest time traveled around the world by flight is 23.4 hours. But around the world in 80 seconds?  Filmmakers Romain Pergeaux & Alex Profit have done it in a Youtube video project completed in only 3 weeks.   Created as  a tribute to the  Jules Verne's book "Le tour du monde en 80 jours" is a quick motion slide show taking the viewer to London, Cairo, Mumbay, Hong Kong, Tokyo, San Francisco, New York and back to London .  If you can't travel around the world physically, this virtual 80 second one  is worth the watch.

The making of the video, pictures of the trip and an interview of Alex Profit can be viewed at  http://www.tourdumonde80.fr

*the air-balloon was added for the movie, was not part of the original novels

Turn Your Camera into a Travel Lifesaver -- 10 Tips for Making Your Camera Your Travel Assistant

A camera is a camera right?  You bring it to take those beautiful travel memories.  Yes, but today's powerful digital devices are more than snapshot takers.   Here's some suggestions for augmenting their value and turning a camera into an important travel aid.

Scan Documents


You need to carry separate copies of your passport with you or other important documents, e.g. insurance policies, etc.  Easier than copying or scanning, take photos and store the jpegs in your lap top or  tablet.  (You may also want along to take copies of valuables in your home -- just in case.)  You can also photo documents, information en route that you might need later in your trip or at home.

Capture Important Visitor Information


While walking around you discover a location you want to visit, but it isn't opened. Take a photo of the sign to remind yourself of the location and when it is opened.  This is also useful if you are doing a travel blog or article and want to store key facts.

Mark Where You've Been with Sign Photos 

I can't emphasize enough the usefulness in taking sign photos.   Take a photo of an informative sign while your visiting a location so you will remember where you were and important facts you may want to recall later.  Take photos of intersection signs, building signs etc. near where you have taken a number of memory photos.  This is particularly useful because the sign will show up near the memory  photos you have taken and will be time dated so you can easily place where you were when you took the photos.   

Find Your Rental Car

Avoid spending time looking for a car that you left in a large parking lot or place you might forget.  Take a picture of the car and its surroundings, especially street signs, buildings and other landmarks. .


Record your rental car, ticket or other information  


Take a photo of your rental car and documents and other important paper information just in case. You may want the photo as a memory as well -- good or bad.

Remember a Restaurant 

Want to remember what you had to eat at a restaurant or maybe what you want to have there in the future, take a picture of the menu.  This is another memory device if you took other photos there and later may have trouble remembering where the photos were taken. The day and time of the photo will place the menu near the photos you took when you upload them.   Make sure to get the name of the restaurant in the photo -- take a sign picture here as well.   

In Worst Case -- Have Help to Find a Lost Child 


Take photos every day of your children before you start on the day's journeys.  If you're  in a crowed place and child wanders away you will have photos of them with the clothes they are wearing.

Capture Details of an Event You Want to Attend


Take a photo of the fliers for events that you may want to attend: a concert, theatrical performance, art show. This way you will have all the information you need to buy tickets and attend the event without writing it down.

Remember a Dish You May Want to Recreate at Home


Take lots of photos of food.  It's fund to remember meals you have had, and also there may actually be one you want to try to recreate yourself at home.   Frequently you will find that in other countries,  the presentation or combination of foods are different and interesting.  Having a photo of unique meals will be useful when you are entertaining and want to do something a little different yourself.   

Keep Track of Items You Want to or Have Purchased


You can't always buy a book or other item when you see it.   If not, take a photo to remember it.  You can also take pictures of items you have purchased and the receipts (especially ones of value that you haven't yet insured).  If they are lost or stolen, you have a record.

Wanderings in Dublin, Ireland -- 5 Must Visit Places

If I am not traveling, I am thinking about it.  Certain smells, the look of a vista, the taste of a food, the lyrics of a song, a  TV program  or just an occasion like St. Patrick's Day will bring back a travel memory and I yearn to return to a place.   Many times I do actually go back, but even if I can't visit physically, the mind is a wonder when you have travelled with intention.  It let's you go back and enjoy the travel experience again and again, especially when you decide to write about it, find pictures, and do some auxiliary memory searching.   Today my mind is wandering to Ireland.  It's flipping through the streets of Dublin.

Here's some of the places it has taken me to:      

1. Temple Bar Area -- for it's bohemian art feel, Irish eateries, and nightlife.  

Americans especially of Irish descent have a romantic sense of what Ireland should be, and the Irish have catered to that expectation, amplifying the Temple Bar  area with numerous pubs mimicking the older pubs of the area .  Regardless, old or new, touristy whatever, it's fun crawling listening to music and having a pint or two.  And several of those older pubs do have histories connected to them that date back centuries, for instance:   

The Brazen Head (20 Bridge Street Lower) is touted as  Ireland's oldest pub, with a history dating back  to 1198. While there is probably little there now of what was there in the 12th century, the pub retains within its walls the feel that those of us seeking our notion of  an old Irish pub are looking for.  Moreover, it has something else, a virtual red carpet of historical patrons  including  such literaries as James Joyce, Brendan Behan and Jonathan Swift as well as revolutionaries including Robert Emmet, Wolfe Tone, Daniel O'Connell and Michael Collins. And today the place claims patrons still include some famous faces, including Van Morrison, Hothouse Flowers, Mary Black and Garth Brooks.  Pictures of all those folks line the walls. With live music every night, this pub fits the bill for the Irish experience.

Here you can find a complete list of pubs in the area: Temple Bar Pubs

2. St. Patrick's Cathedral -- Come on no explanation needed

Built in honor of Ireland’s patron saint, Saint Patrick’s Cathedral looms over the famous well where tradition says Saint Patrick baptized converts on his visit to Dublin.

The  church of Saint Patrick on this site was granted collegiate status in 1191, and raised to cathedral status in 1224. The present building dates from 1220. The Cathedral is today an Anglican church and the National Cathedral of the Church of Ireland.

Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver's Travels was Dean of the cathedral from 1713 to 1745. Many of his famous sermons  were given there during his stay. His grave and epitaph can be viewed in the Cathedral.

Visitor Information

3. Irish Eateries 


Somewhat redundant with visiting pubs because this is where I would go for some traditional Irish grub, but there are also some other haunts to taste some Irish cuisine (still somewhat of an oxymoron despite the arrival of some fine Irish chefs).

I dream of this decadent Irish salad with the big slab of fabulous Irish bacon at Bewley's on Grafton Street.   Bewley's on Grafton Cafe opened in 1927 and is a Dublin landmark and Ireland’s longest established and largest café with over one million customers annually. Bewley's, the company, by the way, is Ireland's oldest and largest coffee and tea distributor.  The cafe is also known for it's art, and worth a stop to see the stained glass alone.

And, of course, there's the ham and cabbage. The dish served at the Oliver St. John Gogarty (a pub and restaurant) is called bacon and cabbage.  They also deliver up of a full menu of other Irish favorites including Irish stew and smoked salmon with brown bread.   More American in style (but hey it's in an historic Dublin townhouse) than Irish,  for that one gourmet experience , I recall Shannahan's on St. Stephen's Green for their top-notch steaks.

And speaking of the green:

4. St. Stephen's Green

Wandering through the Green you can reflect on nature where poets of Dublin did.  The Yeats memorial above is one spot for contemplation.   And right off the green on Merrion Sq., you can come face to face with another poet, author, and playwright.  The statue is right across the street from Oscar Wilde's childhood home.  

5.  Trinity College and the Book of Kells

The Book of Kells is one of the finest of a group of illuminated manuscripts produced from the late 6th through the early 9th centuries in monasteries in Ireland, Scotland and England. In addition to seeing this famous work at Trinity College, wandering about this four-plus-century-old institution founded by Elizabeth I of England and graduating the likes of Jonathan Swift, Bram Stoker, Oscar Wilde, and Samuel Beckett is nothing to miss while in Dublin.

And of course,  there is the beer.... and Guinness is the granddaddy, and a must on this Dublin tour.   

(Photos courtesy of S. Bates)