Get Set 2 Jet Set

I Prefer To Call Myself Frugal....

2010-10-21T10:42:00.000-07:00

When describing an airplane ticket, the adjective most people would use is most likely not "cheap". While many would argue that flying is more inexpensive now then it has ever been in history, most of the flying public still finds it somewhere in their heart to complain about the high price.

Generally speaking, I'm not one of those people. I take the time and effort to thoroughly scour the internet for good deals on the airlines I want to fly. I'm fairly flexible with my time frames and routing, so more often then not I can find a cheap ticket to places I want to go with relative ease. It's not everyday that I can find a $250 dollar ticket to Buenos Aires or a $400 ticket to Tokyo, but it all works out in the end for me.

With all the "cheap" flying I tend to do, I've managed to accumulate a nice little nest egg of frequent flier miles. As a quick explanation, frequent flier miles are essentially "credits" that you earn while flying on a specific airline that you can later redeem for free goods. Most people seem to use the miles for free flights, while others find it more beneficial to use them on hotel stays or magazine subscriptions. Me? I'm the plane ticket type. Yet despite having hundreds of thousands of miles in the bank, I've never once used a single one. Ever. They're just sitting there, collecting cobwebs.

A few weeks back I made the decision to clear out the miles and finally use them for something. Over time, frequent flier miles will only depreciate, so the longer I sat on them the bigger chance I had of seeing them lose value. As an American Airlines customer, I had the choice of a few award types: flying on American to a single destination, flying on American or one of its partner airlines to a single destination, or flying to multiple destinations on American and its oneworld alliance members and be charged miles based on the distance I travel. In terms of "bang for the buck", the last award is amazing. You can fly around the world and stop in multiple cities for the same amount of miles it would cost you to fly to a single city in Europe in some cases. If I could do all that for the same amount of miles, why wouldn't I?

So I sat down and started planning. Where did I want to go? I picked out my destinations and looked at the list of oneworld alliance members and figured out how I could get it all done. I submitted my request for an award ticket and it came back to me as available. It looked like I was about to embark on the journey of a lifetime! One catch though.....

"Where's my money bitch?"

British Airways was the airline I needed to use for about 50% of the flights I was taking. Unfortunately, British Airways charges a "fuel surcharge" to all passengers on its flight, regardless of whether you've bought the ticket or are using frequent flier miles for a "free" flight. My amazing journey around the world on my "free" ticket was suddenly costing me almost a $1000. I was aware that I would have to pay some taxes for the flights, but the addition of the fuel surcharges made the cost sky rocket. After a few days of debate, I decided that I was much too frugal to pay that much money for my "free" trip. I canceled my reservation and went back to the drawing board.

The challenge became finding a way to visit the destinations I wanted to go to without using British Airways. Iberia to the rescue....

"Quieres venir conmigo?"

Unlike British Airways, the Spanish airline has not yet instituted fuel surcharges for those who are using American Airlines miles. Using Iberia required me to change a few of my destinations, but at the end of the day I was pleased with what I decided on.

The original plan for my trip around the world was as follows:

Chicago, USA - London, UK - Cairo, Egypt - London, UK - Cape Town, South Africa - Johannesburg, South Africa - Sydney, Australia - Melbourne, Australia - Los Angeles, USA - Chicago, USA

When it comes to traveling in Africa, British Airways is by far the best bet in the oneworld alliance. While a few others have flights into Africa, no one reaches the level of destinations BA provides. My original plan had me on British Airways flights from the start of the journey in Chicago all the way to Johannesburg, South Africa. I knew I still wanted to set foot in Africa, and I knew I still wanted to touch down in Australia. Taking BA out of the equation meant that sadly Cape Town and it's beautiful Table Mountain will have to wait for another time.

"Where is the love?"

After some thought and a little re-evaluation of where I'd like to go in the world, I came up with the new routing:

New York, USA - Madrid, Spain - Cairo, Egypt - Amman, Jordan - Mumbai, India - Hong Kong, China - Sydney, Australia - Los Angeles, Australia - Chicago, USA

With this new routing, I'm still able to spend some time in Africa and Australia, and I'm able to add small detours in Jordan and India. While South Africa has really been calling my name for awhile, my rampant "frugality" just couldn't seem to swallow the pill of paying so much in fuel surcharge for the privilege of having a free flight. Honestly, I'd rather pay the $1000 for a ticket then pay the fuel surcharge on my award.

I've got my new itinerary solidified and now the search will begin to see if I can make it happen. I have the miles, but the question remains whether the airlines will have the seat availability for me. Cross your fingers!

Newest members of Leo's Around the World trip team.

Safe Travels,

Leo

India - New Delhi, Old Delhi (Part 2)

2010-09-27T09:09:00.000-07:00

TRIP REPORT

From this point forward, writing the report would become a little difficult if I did a moment by moment instant replay. Instead, I'm going to address each of the locations we visited and give you some pictures and information on what we saw and did at each. Everything we saw in Delhi was done over the course of 4 days at the beginning of our trip. For the first 3 days me and my traveling partner explored the city independently, hiring a car and driver (for the total price of ~$40 USD for 2 days) to get us across the vast chaotic expanse of Delhi. The 4th day was when we met up with a small tour group we had booked before coming over. This is my first experience with a "package" tour company while on vacation. All my other trips have been arranged and organized solely by me. It was an interesting experience, that had its pluses and minuses, but overall I was very pleased with the tour company and would consider doing another one.

Photographs for this trip report were taken both my me and my traveling partner using a mix of point and shoot digital cameras and DSLR. Again, this trip was planned without the intent of providing some of the finer details of airline travel/hotels, so I'll do the best I can with what photos were taken in our hotels. I've linked each location to a website or Wikipedia article to provide more in depth background information for those who are curious.

The Imperial, Delhi:

Arriving in Delhi was a bit of a whirlwind. Hoping to "ease" into what we rightfully assumed would be a completely chaotic city different then anything we'd experienced previously, I had done a little research and decided to book what was considered a luxury accommodation for our first few days in India. While Delhi seems to have quite a few luxurious options, we opted to stay at the Imperial due to its British Raj inspired historical charm and its proximity to Connaught Place, which is one of the main shopping locations in Delhi.

We arranged for the hotel to transport us from the airport to the hotel. Exiting the immigration/baggage claim area we were met with a wall of Indian drivers holding placards with an endless stream of names. We quickly exchanged glances and split up, walking the length of signs in the hopes of seeing the one that was for us. No luck at first. Another round, and still no luck. Had the hotel forgotten us? For the unreasonable price we'd paid for the transport, I was getting a little steamed. Luckily my friend decided to make one last round of the signs and came traipsing back a few minutes later with a short, turbaned man with a giant mustache and a look of pride and success beaming from his eyes.

Stepping outside we experienced the first blast of India's monsoon heat and humidity. "Feels like Bangkok..." I think to myself. We hop into our car and zoom off toward Delhi. Our first experience with Indian driving scares us a bit. Why do the traffic lines disappear randomly? Why does no one follow the lines when they are present? Is it really safe to have 2 adults and 4 children without helmets on a motorbike? How do you honk while on a donkey? How can 50 cars fit in a 10 square foot area? Ahhhhh the wonders of travel!

We arrive without incident at the hotel and are pleased immediately. The door attendants help us out of the car, greeting us with their hands clasped together and a smiling "Namaskr", and then immediately tag our bags and whisk them off to an undisclosed location. We are given a valet slip and are simply told that the bags will be brought to our room after we check in. Hotel security in India is very tight, which is no wonder after the terrorist attacks in Mumbai last year. Upon entering the hotel grounds our car was searched with mirrors and men crawling through the trunk. We are taken through a metal detector and our backpacks are searched. Check in is friendly and efficient. A young woman in a very beautiful sari takes our information and then personally escorts us to our digs for the evening:

When I had booked the hotel I was under the impression that we were going to have two beds, but low and behold on massive king sized bed was all that sat in this room. It didn't matter to us either way at this point, and we thanked her for her hospitality and immediately started to settle in. As promised, our bags were delivered to our door not more then 2 minutes later.

The room itself was very nice. Parquet flooring throughout with heavy wood furniture. The television seemed to have a sensor so that no matter where you were standing in the room, when you used the remote it would rotate to face you. The bathroom was well stocked and had a separate tub and shower. The only thing I didn't like about the room was that wifi for a day would cost me more then my entire monthly internet bill. Despite having slept so much on the flight over we were still exhausted, and within the hour we had both fallen back asleep.

The next morning we woke to explore the hotel a little more. Breakfast was included with our room and was served in a beautiful area of the hotel in buffet style:

There were western and Indian breakfast options, as well as a made-to-order egg area. We gorged ourselves on hash brown patties, potato curry, masala omelettes, mango juice, and fresh pastries. It is, to date, the best hotel breakfast spread I've encountered.

After breakfast we took a quick peak around the hotel. The swimming pool area in back was not very large but seemed fairly elegant. Surrounded by manicured lawns and Indian style pavilions.

The hotel itself almost feels like a museum. The rooms and decor all echo back to something not of this time period. The chandeliers and lush carpeting, the marble and the fountains. Adding to the museum-like effect are all the flowers and decorations throughout the hallways. Paintings of Indian princes, British viceroys, and Hindu gods.

Overall I was very pleased with our hotel choice in Delhi. When I return to India (and I will be returning!) I think I might enjoy staying here again, despite what I hear are some first rate luxury properties elsewhere in the city. I like atmosphere more then service personally.

India Gate:

India's monument to its fallen soldiers from World War I. A giant arch in the vain of some European monuments, it towers above this area of Delhi. It stands out not only because of its stoic beauty, but also because nothing in Delhi seems to be very tall. Overall, I seem to see it as a very flat city, similar to Washington DC. I'm not sure if that's by design or by accident.

India Gate proved to be an interesting experience because it was our first tourist stop on the entire trip. Up to this point we had been through the airport and essentially coddled while at the Imperial hotel. Our driver for the next few days, Ajay, had suggested that we stop at this location first since it was so close to the hotel and we agreed. The heat today was massively oppressive. It had rained earlier that morning, and lingering threads of fog, mist, and rain were still wafting about. As soon as we stepped out of the car, we were targeted by the touts standing just on the periphery of the monument.

I'd expected to be asked for money at every turn in India, as its commonly the imagine people seem to paint for you. I was surprised to discovered that very few people actually asked me straight out for money. Most people want to sell you something. Necklaces. Maps. Toys. Pens. 32 gig zip drives. While still annoying in terms of how persistent they are, it made me more comfortable that I wasn't being dogged primarily for a handout.

We wandered around the monument for awhile, taking in the grandeur of the stone structure. Indian military guards were stationed in strategic places, but most seemed absorbed in their cell phones or reading books. We were the only western tourists there that morning, but there were quite a few native tourists. They posed with confidence in front of the arch for photos, usually on their cell phones. It was here we also fell prey to what seemed like a popular Indian past time: "Photographing foreigners with your cellphone while pretending you're texting". I enjoyed it. Made me feel famous.

After awhile the humidity and heat became a little oppressive and we decided we had seen enough and it was time to head back to the comfort of the shade provided by our rental car. Similar to this dog we saw sleeping under India Gate, we just wanted a little bit of respite.

Red Fort:

The Red Fort in old Delhi is one of the more iconic tourist destinations you can go to in the Indian capital. Named for the red sandstone it is constructed out of, this fortress served as a military building and a residential palace for previous Mughal (Muslim Mongolian) emperors.

I was excited to be going to the Red Fort because it finally started to feel like India. Sure, up to this point we'd seen lots of Indians, lots of brightly colored saris, and a few cows scattered in the road, but for the most part the architecture was distinctly European. Arriving in front of the Red Fort finally solidified in my mind that I was in India. The intricate lattice work, the towering domed pavilions. Excitement filled me.

Entrance to the Fort was fairly inexpensive by Western standards, but much more then the locals pay. India has adopted a pricing scheme that acknowledges the vast difference in salary between the average foreigner and the average Indian. While most Indians paid between 10 and 20 rupees for admittance into the historic locales we visited on the trip, our average price of admittance was between 200 and 700 rupees. A lot of people seem put off by this, but at the end of the day it didn't really bother me all too much. I gladly forked over the 200 rupees to get into this site.

The Fort itself was very beautiful. Entry into the monument has the visitor walk through a security check (you'll have this at every tourist location) and through a giant arched entry way. Through a bazaar selling golden trinkets, religious figures, and textiles, you'll slowly make your way toward the action in the middle of the fort.

The extravagance of the Mughal court must have been remarkable. The interior of the fort is filled with lotus ponds and mock rivers, designed to provide pleasant fragrance and natural airconditioning. Hundreds of marble columns hold up latticed windows and inlaid ceilings where court officials lounged and conducted the business of empire. Individual palaces for favored queens sit in man-made lakes. Balconies for musicians to fill the fort with music. Each building a testament to the dedicated craftsmanship each laborer must have had. The walls look painted but a closer inspection reveals that its marble inlay, someone having taken the time to chip away the original rock and filled with a perfectly sized piece of a difference color.

One sad part of touring the Red Fort was to see some of the disrepair it had fallen into. While still stunningly beautiful, many parts of the fort were stained or crumbling. The white marble was yellowing with pollution, the red sandstone graffitied by young lovers and foreign tourists. There were many signs that efforts were being made to combat this, as we saw many construction works diligently going about the business of restoring the monument.

The Baha'i Lotus Temple:

The Lotus Temple is an interesting piece of architecture. Designed to look like a lotus flower blooming, the 27 "petals" on the structure do give the viewer an impression of a flower in bloom. I admit I didn't know much about the Baha'i faith prior to arriving at the temple. We walked up the path leading to the temple and were prompted by signs indicated that we should deposit our shoes with a "shoe minder" before attempting to go any further. I'm a big fan of being barefoot, so this pleased me immediately. I kicked off my sandals without any fuss and continued on toward the temple.

Once you reach the front entrance to the temple, you're organized into a neat little row of people. A volunteer from the temple speaks to the group in English, giving you the history and background to the Baha'i faith, which seems to encompass a world view that strives to unify divided people and promote equality. After the English speech, the same speech is given in Hindi for local visitors. You are then told that you can enter the temple, but to remain silent as it is a place of prayer and reflection. We stepped inside and took a look around. The inside structure is very plain, consisting of an alter/podium toward the front and then row after row of seats. We sat in one of the last rows for a few minutes and did follow the advice of the volunteer and engage in quiet reflection.

Qutb Minar:

One of the very first Muslim structures built in India, the Qutb Minar is the tallest brick minaret in the world. It also has the distinction of being the first and only (so far...) location where I was successfully scammed. Upon attemping to purchase a ticket to the complex, I handed over a 1000 rupee note to the government ticket provider. He then asked me if I had anything smaller for him. Assuming things would be fine, I digged around in my bag and found that I had a 500 rupee note and quickly handed it over to him. He then handed over a ticket for me to enter the complex and my change: 300 rupees. I'm not 100% certain, but I believe the entry price was clearly listed as 200 rupees for foreigners. I'm still missing 1000 rupees. I looked back at him expectantly and he just smirked at me, his eyes daring me to demand the money back. I weighed the benefit of making a scene with the likelihood of the money being returned to me and realized I had lost the money the second I hadn't insisted he return the original bill before handing over more cash. I walked off, having learned a lesson that I implemented throughout the rest of my stay in India.

Despite the rocky start, Qutb Minar was a beautiful site. While the Red Fort was beautiful in its own right, Qutb Minar is a little older, and a little more intricate. The Arabic calligraphy carved into the walls are almost hypnotic. You end up wandering from crumbling archway to collapsed wall and just marveling at the time it must have taken to build something this gorgeous.

This location seemed more crowded then the others. There was a tour bus sitting right outside the gates to the complex and sure enough wandering around we did bump into quite a few foreign visitors. The complex is also home to an iron pillar that standings in the middle of a courtyard. Despite being exposed to the elements, the iron does not rust. The courtyard is surrounded by giant crumbling archways of Arabic script, with hundreds of little green birds flitting back and forth between the excellent perches the letters provide.

Akshardham:

The biggest Hindu temple in the world. While it is a recent construction, the beauty of this temple isn't diminshed by that at all. Sadly we were not allowed to bring ANYTHING into the temple, so we had to leave our bags and cameras in the car with Ajay. I searched the web and found this photography on a free use website so you at least have some visual image of what we were seeing.

The temple grounds are massive. In addition to the main temple hall seen above, there are vegetarian food stalls sprinkled throughout, a boat ride that gives you a 10 minute overview of Hinduism and Indian history, an elephant walk that allows visitors to learn how important elephants are to Hinduism and Indian in general, as well as numerous prayer areas where people can bathe in water or kneel in thought.

The interior of the main complex is part worship center, part informative tour. While many of the Hindu visitors engaged in praying, non-Hindu visitors were able to make their way around the inner sanctuary and read informative paintings that explained the origins and practice of Hinduism. Not only was this temple stunningly beautiful and one of the highlights of Delhi for me, but it was a very informative stop where I learned a lot of India and Hindusim.

Rajpath:

We had tried to stop in this area previously but were thwarted by heavy fog and mist at the time. When the weather cleared up a bit, we headed back to this boulevard filled with government buildings.

Rajpath reminds me a lot of Washington DC. Even some of the buildings were designed in a similar vein, but there's a bit more yellow and red stone. Below is Rashtrapati Bhavan, the home of the President of India. It is the largest home of a head of state anywhere in the world. And standing before it, it sure did look massive.

Rajpath itself is pretty stunning. The wide street stretches from its end at the Presidental home all the way across Lutyen's Delhi toward India Gate. While most of Delhi's streets tend to be congested and overpopulated with tuk tuks, cars, and motorbikes, Rajpath always seemed to have a little less of the chaos. The regal government buildings also stood as an odd contrast to some of the grim and grit that seems to plague India in general. The manicured lawns and well maintained facades of these ministries and branches of government almost seem silly when the administrative failures of hygiene and civic services is considered.

Jantar Mantar:

While probably not too high on the lists of most visitors to Delhi, I was deadset on making a visit to this interesting landmark. A movie I really enjoy, The Fall, filmed some of its scenes in India, and used Jantar Mantar for some of its locations.

Though the structures themselves might seem fanciful but useless, their true design is to serve as astrological tools. Each piece serves a function. For example, the staircase below that seems to lead to nowhere is actually a giant sundial.

Similar to the Red Fort, I was a little sad to see that this amazing historical landmark wasn't being curated appropriately. Where as in other locations something as beautiful and important as this would be off limits, people were allowed into the complex and then given free reign. As we wandered around, many people were seen lounging, sleeping, eating, and even canoodling on the stairs, platforms and crevasses. Pollution stains were evident on the buildings, and trash litered the ground around a few of the structures. Small amounts of graffiti could be seen as you walked around. Hopefully some steps are taken in the future to better preserve these structures, because they really are beautiful and a wonder to behold.

Jama Masjid:

Our first venture into Muslim India. The Jama Masjid is one of the highlights of any visit to Delhi apparently. As we were visiting during the month of Ramadan, and a preacher back in our home country was stoking up controversy about Quran burning, I was a little nervous going into this location. Despite it all, I sucked up some of my fears and entered.

Like the Lotus Temple and Akshardham previous, we were required to remove our shoes before entering the mosque. Those of us who had bare shoulders or knees were given wraps to appropriately cover ourselves.

The one thing that immediately struck me about the mosque was how social it was. The previous religious sites we had visited were strictly for worship by those who were of the faith. Yet the Jama Masjid mosque seemed to be a religious and a social center for the Muslim here. While many people were actively engaged in worship, just as many were engaged in having conversations with friends, lay in the shade to escape the sun, or people watching as the tourists and worshippers alike darted back and forth through the courtyard.

Children played games of tag, ran up to tourists to ask for money, or chased pigeons who would congregate in the four corners of the courtyard. It was almost the end of Ramadan, so there were a few vendors set up within the mosque complex selling food and decorations to celebrate the breaking of the fast. If you walked over to one of the outlooks on the edge of the mosque, you could see the busy bazaar atmosphere that stretched from the entrance of the mosque all the way up the road toward the Red Fort.

I noticed that similar to the Japanese, Indian Muslims cleansed themselve before entering the main mosque area. A pool of water was provided so that worshippers could clean their hands and face before entering. In Japan, something similiar is done with a water fountain and the cleansing of the hands and mouth.

As we were walking through the courtyard an man locked his eyes on me as he and his companion headed in our direction. Once next to me, he gave me a nod of the head and proclaimed in a strong voice, "Islam is best." I wasn't quite sure what to make of this. Was he saying this in an assumption that I was anti-Muslim? Was he saying this as an icebreak to start a conversation? Was he saying this because he resented my presence here? I never got to find out, as he continued walking with his friend without saying anything else. I felt a bit accosted and foreign at this point, but all it took was the site of two Muslim girls engrossed in texting on a cell phone to remind me that despite all our difference, we are still the same.

Chandni Chowk:

After our time in the Jama Masjid, we exited and headed toward the major market area in Delhi: Chandni Chowk. It's a beehive of activity. A flourish of commerce. Filled with spices, food, tshirts, pants, backpacks, cds, window panes, and live birds. It seems cliche, but I honestly felt like anything and everything you could ever want to buy was available here.

We also took the time to wander into the back alleys in old Delhi. Narrow and grimy, its filled with men sitting in concrete stores selling betel nuts and tobacco. The elderly sprawled out on straw mats enjoying an afternoon nap in the nooks of the twisting streets. Dogs and cats dart between your legs as you step over discarded water bottles and food wrappers.

It seemed as good a place as any for a little break, so we nestled up to a chai walla and asked for a cup of tea. He silently fired up his gas burner and threw some spices and milk into a kettle, stirring and moving the pot with seemingly effortless ease. After a few minute he removed the pot and poured out the glasses of tea and handed them to us. We sipped and smiled. Delicious. 5 rupees? I'd have paided the equivalent of 500 rupees for something like this back home, of much less quality. I love India.

Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib:

Our last major stop in Delhi was at a Sikh temple. Sikhism, from what we learned, is an off shoot of Hinduism. There is a very large focus on community service within this religion.

In the temple, we again were asked to remove our shoes and this time cover our heads. Sikhs men are known for not cutting their hair and thus wear the popular turban. We obliged and donned the offered bright orange bandanas provided. In the main prayer area, three musicians strummed away at their instruments while worshippers made their way toward a golden altar. Others quietly sat on the floor observing and listening to the music until they felt motivated to approach. We joined them on the floor and sat for awhile, listening to the rhythmic chanting and music while the slow whirl of the ceiling fans acted as a metronome.

After visiting the temple, many Sikhs engage in community service. One of the biggest methods of community service provided by the Sikh temples is free food to those who need it. Regardless of religion or background, people can come to the Sikh temple and request a free plate of food. This operation requires that many Sikhs volunteer to prepare food, cook food, and clean plates. We were allowed into the kitchen area to see some of the massive preparation that must go into feeding the needy. We were even invited to stir dal (lentils) and roll out chaapatis (bread) with some of the volunteers. They asked us where we were from and if we were enjoying India. The replies of "Chicago", and "Absolutely loving it" were crowd pleasers.

Overall:

While Delhi was not my favorite stop in India, it was definately worthwhile. From its giant temples to its garbage strewn alleys, Delhi is a real mix of what makes India.... India. It's beautiful and ugly. It's dirty and clean. It's chaos and peace. It's heartbreak and uplifting. It's modern and old fashioned. It's spiritual and commercial. It's India.

Delhi in my opinion is a good starting point for a tour. My new visit to India will probably start in Mumbai, so I'll have a better idea of which is the better gateway.

Next up: Agra and the Taj Mahal.

Safe Travels -

Leo

India - Temples, Thalis, and Tuk Tuks (Part 1)

2010-09-22T11:38:00.000-07:00

TRIP REPORT

Flight Details:

American Airlines Flight 292
Departing: Chicago O'Hare International airport at 7:30 PM
Arriving: Delhi Indira Gandhi International airport at 8:30 PM
Business Class
Seats: 9H & 9J (moved to 9E & 9G prior to take off due to a broken seat)

Background:

India. It's a country that has held my travel fascination since I was a little boy, and despite my enormous desire and curiosity in regards to the world as a whole, it's essentially been my travel "holy grail". I remember telling my Dad once that someday I was going to go to the Taj Mahal. His response? "I dunno, its pretty crazy and dirty over there. You won't like it. Try somewhere else."

Regardless of the lackluster support, India never left my mind. Once my travel odyssey began in 2009, I knew it wouldn't be too long before I was on the subcontinent. Then this spring some motivation and conviction sprang in my head. I knew I just HAD to go to India this year. With a little airfare shopping and some solid persuasion on my part, in no less then 3 weeks I had a travel companion and airline tickets booked. September 3, 2010: my date with destiny.

Check In:

Despite being on the brink of excitement induced madness, I managed to work a full day at home before catching a cab to Chicago's O'Hare International airport. Being late Thursday afternoon, American Airline's Terminal 3 was pretty packed to the brim with business travelers and vacationers alike. While I typically just check in at a kiosk, the chaotic mess unfolding before us convinced me it might be an better idea to head down to the other end of the terminal and use the First Class/Business Class/Executive Platinum desk. Hauling our bags through the heaving sea of people, we arrived at the premium check in counter in about 5 minutes, slightly sweaty but intact.

Check in was neither friendly nor efficient, but the job got done. While walking into the line an American employee darted out of nowhere to immediately ask us if we were flying in a premium cabin with them today. I found this a little odd considering a few others had entered the line with no questioning. I guess two 20-something guys with hiking backpacks looked like they might be lost? The check in agent got us our tickets and handed back our passports in about 10 minutes, and we headed off to the security lines. For some reason the priority pass line was being directed to the new full body scanner. I'm mildly annoyed at this point because this set up seemed highly counter productive. You have a priority access line to facilitate a quick and smooth transition through airport security yet you force those high priority passengers to wait around for the slowest security check currently offered by the TSA? That's cute.

After 15 minutes I got slightly agitated and suggested we sneak over to the nearby metal detector line. We hopped over without incident and were through in 5 minutes. A quick glance up at the departures monitor informed us that we'd be leaving from the very distance L gates in Terminal 3, which was almost as far as one could get from American's Flagship Lounge. Oh well, can't win them all. With the busy Thursday night flights and the inane security circus, we only had an hour to burn at this point. We hauled it toward the lounge.

Lounge:

Despite being an Executive Platinum for almost a year and having a few international flights, this was the first time I was able to access and utilize my home airport's Flagship Lounge. Prior to this flight I'd only been able to used the one in New York's JFK a few times.

First impression? Tiny. Tiny, tiny, tiny as hell. How is this supposed to be a step up from the spacious confines of the Admirals Club? Yikes. First impressions often change though, and that was the case here. Despite being about the size of my apartment's balcony, it did have some nice touches. Unlike the Admirals Club, the food spread was pretty decent. While there wasn't fillets of steak stacked from floor to ceiling, the shrimp cocktail, chicken kebabs, Indian samosas and egg rolls were tasty. The mini bar, stocked with a wide variety of bottled waters, sodas, and beers left my thirst quenched. Sadly I'm a non-drinker, which mean the spread of liquor laid out in one corner did not appeal to me. My traveling companion did enjoy quite a few cranberry vodkas though.

All joking aside, I did enjoy Chicago's Flagship Lounge more then its Admirals Club. The only downside was that I felt very confined and crowded. Hot food and free cold drinks go a long way, but the appeal of these things loses a bit of luster when the Japanese business man sitting in your lap due to limited seating snags a bite of your mini pizza without asking. Maybe that's just me? In the future I'll still be there, angling for a place to sit and playing "Guess My Deodorant" with my other oneworld elites.

Flight:

Soon enough our time in the Flagship Lounge was over and we headed all the way out to American's boondocks. Gate L8, our departure lane for the trip of a lifetime. I was hoping the gate's labeling wasn't an omen regarding the status of our flight, and as it turned out things were looking pretty good. By the time we made it from the lounge to the gate they had already called boarding for first class, business class, and AA/oneworld elites. We hustled up to the gate agent, handed over our tickets, and happily headed down the jet bridge on our way to India.

Business class on American is always an enjoyable experience. I've read and heard a lot of people give some critical opinions on the hard and soft product, but at the end of the day for the average flyer, it ends up being pretty comfortable and nice.

Having never traveled in business class before (similar to my brother and sister in my last post about our trip to Japan in July), my traveling companion immediately set to work testing out his "fancy" digs. For the next few minutes, seat 9H was nothing but a whirl of motions, contracting and extending from an upright airline seat to an almost flat bed and everything in between. I smiled on the inside and enjoyed the pre-departure beverage being served: a choice of sparkling wine, water or orange juice. Again, being a non-drinker, the orange juice went down just fine. I suppose it was a stroke of good fortune when my friend inquired as to whether or not I was going to give my seat a bit of a test ride. More for his amusement then from any need of my own, I poked around with the seat controls.

Sadly, my seat was completely and totally broken. Each time I pressed a button, the seat groaned and moaned as if I were a contestant on the Biggest Loser. You could hear the gears sputtering and attempting to move with absolutely no success. We flagged down the flight attendant working our aisle and she apologized for the issue and called for a mechanic to help out. When he arrived we scooted out of the seats and let him test the controls out. It worked perfectly. How embarrassing. We both knew it hadn't been working just a few moments ago, but right before our eyes the seat was moving with the stealth of a Romanian gymnast. The mechanic grunted a bit and walked off. Taking a seat I tested out my newly working seat only to discover..... the same grunting and groaning.

I quickly put together that the problem seemed to only happen when someone was seated in the chair. The mechanic had tested the seat while standing. Again, we flagged down the flight attendant who called the mechanic back. This time we asked that he sit in the seat while trying to move the chair and this was enough to garner a grunt of disapproval. He tinkered around for a few minutes before throwing his hands in the air and declaring the problem too difficult to fix in the period of time he had. A little creative seat swapping resulted in the two of us moving to the middle section of business class sharing a row of three seats with a rather grumpy Indian business man who appeared rather displeased that the empty seat next to him was now occupied by my 6'2" friend.

Take off was smooth and timely, despite the minor hold up my seat created. Soon enough the flight attendants were heading down the aisle passing out Bose noise-canceling headsets, beverages of our choice, and the signature warmed nuts in little white ramekins. While this all happened, another flight attendant headed down the aisle asking us what we'd like to have for dinner. The menu for the flight was:

Dinner

To Start

Warm Mixed Nuts

Appetizer

Mint chutney shrimp with curried chickpeas and potato salad

Salad

Fresh seasonal greens and an assortment of fresh vegetables offered with classic Caesar dressing or Sapori d"Arte olive oil and vinegar.

Bread Basket

Assorted gourmet breads

Main Course

Mughali Jhinga

Shrimp marinated in a clove almond sauce served with green chutney rice and paneer makhanwala (cubes of Indian cottage cheese immersed in a rich fenugreek tomato sauce)

Paneer Makhanwala

Cubes of Indian cottage cheese immersed in a rich fenugreek tomato sauce paired with lemon rice and channa saag (garbanzo beans in a spinach and cinnamon sauce)

Lamb Medallions with Cardamom Sauce

Lamb medallions enhanced by a cardamom sauce offered with roasted butternut squash, haricots verts and mushroom risotto

Ginger Soy Salmon

Fillet of salmon with a ginger soy glaze offered with haricots verts, carrots and jasmine rice

Dessert

Ice Cream

Vanilla Heath Bar Crunch with cocoa dusted almonds from Ben & Jerry's

Fruit and Cheese

Ancho chile caciotta and Sage Derby cheese accompanied by fresh grapes

Snack Attack

Uno's Pizza

An individual deep-dish spinach and garlic pizza served with a green salad and peppercorn dressing

Chicken Tikka

Chicken tikka served with mango cucumber salad and a lemon relish

Dessert

Citrus carrot cake

Breakfast

To Start

Fresh seasonal fruit

Breads

A selection of breakfast breads

Main Course

Cream Cheese and Chive Omelette

Cream cheese and chive omelette served with blue crab sauce, a potato boat with spinach and tomatoes

Vegetable Cutlet with Paneer Tikka

Seasoned potato patty with vegetables and Indian cheese sauteed with spices

For my dinner I decided to go with the Mughali Jhinga. The flight attendant returned after about 15 minutes to provide me with a tray of starters:

The appetizer was tasty but had a little too much garnish. I'd have preferred more edible vegetables or a few extra shrimp, but beggars can't be choosers. The salad was good, the creamy wasabi dressing has a bit of kick to it, helping to clear out any lingering or developing congestion one might have carried onto the plane. One of the unique things about American's Delhi service is that the choice of bread for dinner included a warmed naan, which I haven't seen on any of my other flights.

Having eaten my way through those three plates, I was presented with my main course:

This was singlehandedly the best airline meal I've had to date. Admittedly, my flying career has been very short, but I can't remember actually savoring a dish while in the air before. The shrimp was full of flavor; not over cooked, and the sauce was metered out in just the right portions. There's nothing I dislike more then seafood that's tough and slathered in sauce to disguise the fact. The rice was also cooked well, without any hard clumps distracting me from my dining experience. The paneer side dish was an excellent addition to the meal, adding a spicy, creamy kick to the meaty bites of shrimp.

For dessert I opted for the ice cream, because honestly, is there any other choice? I asked for a nice cup of coffee to go along with the cold scoop of milky goodness, and I sat there for a few minutes content that all my hunger had been sated. This was the first time I can honestly say that I really enjoyed an airline meal. Good job on this flight American!

While I typically attempt to stay awake for the majority of my flights, after the big meal and the dimmed cabin lights, I found myself drifting off in the middle of an episode of 30 Rock. If I'm sleepy enough that the antics of Liz Lemon can't keep my attention, I know its about time I huddled down and counted some sheep. I switched off the TV show, lowered my seat into the bed setting, and threw on my complimentary eye shade. I was out in about 5 minutes.

Despite being the longest flight in American's schedule, I somehow managed to sleep until I woke up and saw this:

So much for enjoying my lengthy business class experience! I'd slept right through the small meal in the middle of the flight. Breakfast was about to make its way down the aisle so I jostled my traveling partner awake and raised my chair. I quickly glanced at the map on my screen and noted that I was about to have my breakfast while flying over Kabul, Afghanistan. I suppose it's not often in my life I'll get to do that. My breakfast choice was the Indian option. I figured I'd better start my transition to Indian food as soon as I could.

The meal was presented to me quickly and promptly:

What a difference this meal was from the one I had right before falling asleep. The paneer cubes were dry. Not dry in a "this is ethnic food you might not be familiar with, so just go with it..." kinda way. It was the kind of dry that suggested it had been cooked, heated, and baked to the point of loosing any hint of moisture. It literally tasted like cubed cardboard. The first bite immediately was chased by a gulp of water. The second cube the same. The third cube never made it near my mouth. The potato side was good enough to keep my stomach from growling, but even that paled in comparison to the amazing food just a few hours before. Oh well, you can't win them all.

Arrival:

Despite being sent around the airport twice because of air traffic issues in Delhi, we were soon on the ground and making our way through Indira Gandhi International airport's brand new Terminal 3 arrivals section. Newly constructed for the 2010 Commonwealth Games being hosted in Delhi, the new terminal had a few pluses and minuses that you notice right off the bat.

Minus: When we exited the airplane we became trapped for 5 minutes because none of the ground crew at the airport knew how to open the sliding glass door at the end of the jet bridge.

Plus: Bright and seemingly clean walls and carpeting.

Minus: The moving walkways to immigration and the transfers area were not functioning, making the trek from the plane to immigration over the carpet difficult and cumbersome.

Plus: The bathroom we stopped at just before immigration was clean and well stocked with toilet paper.

Minus: The airport employees acted as if they had never seen a tourist and stared quite a bit while one "takes care of nature's call".

Plus: The artwork in the terminal and in the immigration hall was very nice -

Immigration itself was interesting. As soon as we got off the escalator there were two immigration booths reserved for First and Business class passengers. We immediately cued up behind a few other passengers. Time ticked on as we realized perhaps this priority line wasn't exactly moving with the speed one would hope. A tip of the hat to the priority security line in Chicago, perhaps? We looked down the hallway a few feet and noticed there was no wait for the regular immigration queues. Time to hustle over to those lines.

I presented my passport to the immigration official with a friendly "Hello!" No response. He proceeded to open my passport, examine the picture, examine me, examine my picture, examine the visa, examine my picture, examine my visa, examine me, pause for a sip from him bottled water, converse in Hindi with the official in the next booth over for a minute, examine my visa, stamp my passport, hand it back and motion me forward without ONCE speaking a word to me. Talent and commitment, for sure. Refusing to speak to newly arrived visitors to your country is never NOT the best way to greet people.

We then proceeded to exchange our dollars for Indian rupees as the luggage carousel looked rather bleak and lonely without any luggage on it. Crowded with people eager to head out of the airport, getting our money exchanged seemed like a better option then joining the growing number of passengers impatiently stomping their feet waiting for any hint that baggage was on its way. The exchange was painless and efficient. During our trip we noted that we seemed to have gotten a fairly good rate, though it seems we might have gotten 1 extra rupee per dollar had we waited till we got into the city. Rupees in hand, the luggage carousel sprung to life and we soon had our bags. Even if it took 45 minutes for the bags to arrive, at least the priority tags on our luggage ensured they arrived at the very start of the distribution. It's the little things.

Overall:

This was one of my best flights to date with American. Mostly because I slept through the entire trip completely content with my meal. I have such a difficult time sleeping on airlines but for some reason I was quickly lulled to slumber. The seat made sleep at least tolerable, though I'd prefer to be completely horizontal. You're in a flying tube of aluminum though, so almost flat isn't half bad. At the end of this flight, I'm was a happy American Airlines elite and passanger.

As always...

Safe Travels,

Leo

Japan - The Long Journey Home

2010-08-25T09:34:00.000-07:00

TRIP REPORT

Background:

In a previous blog post I mentioned that Japan is a destination you can typically find me heading off to at least once or twice a year. Not only is it my home away from home, but currently my mother is residing there. Is there a better reason to jet set across the globe then to visit your mom? The answer, dear reader, is no.

Despite having been to Japan a few times in the last two years, this visit promised to be a little unique. I had always traveled with friends or alone, never with family. This time, not only was my mother going to be meeting me in Tokyo, but my brother and sister were going to be making the long trek with me. As children we grew up in Japan, but when I was 13 and my siblings much younger then that, we moved back to the United States. My brother and sister haven't been able to return since then, so this was a big trip for them. The excitement was building as time ticked down. Despite planning a trip for everyone that was essentially a carbon copy of one of my earlier visits, I was excited to experience Japan with my family. We were going to start off with a few days in Tokyo, head over to some relaxing hot springs in Hakone, make a quick day trip to Hiroshima, and then attend the famous Gion Matsuri in Kyoto.

Getting There:

Despite its comparatively small size to other nations, Japan is extremely well connected to the outside world by plane. All major US airlines besides US Airways fly into Japan, in addition to the two big Japanese air carriers. If that isn't enough, you can always manage to connect north or south of the border with Air Canada and AeroMexico, or connect in major European and Asia cities.

While Chicago has direct flights to Tokyo on American, United, Japan Airlines, and ANA, the cheapest option for my siblings and I to get into Japan was to fly on American from Chicago to Tokyo through New York. Considering my brother and sister both list "broke ass college student" on their yearly tax filings, price was of the utmost importance on this trip. Having a few spare upgrades available on American through my elite status, I ended up moving the three of us into first class for our domestic flights and business class for our long trek across North America and the Pacific, while sadly our return from Japan would be in economy.

We arrived with plenty of time to spare and were quickly checked into our flight from Chicago to New York. We quickly grabbed some food to eat in the Terminal 3 food court before heading over to the Admirals Club to partake in some free wifi and assorted snacks. Not accustomed to flying very often, my brother and sister seemed to really enjoy putzing around in the lounge waiting for our flight to New York. Soon we were boarding our flight to LaGuardia and my brother and sister enjoyed their very first First Class flight. The crew was friendly and seemed to take a liking to our traveling troupe, even meeting up with us at the baggage claim and talking to us about our trip while waiting for taxis. We checked into a cheap Priceline hotel near JFK (the LaQuinta, Spanish for "Sometimes I don't change your sheets") and crashed.

Checking in at New York JFK was a breeze. We were able to use the premium passenger check in section which had no line. Anytime you can avoid a line while at the airport, its a good thing in my book. We were handed our boarding passes and quickly shifted our way through security before settling down at the Flagship Lounge/Admirals Club to wait out our boarding time. We grabbed some seats near the big windows and snapped a few pictures of our plane.

Boarding was finally announced and we schlepped our bags through the terminal and boarded the AA 777 that was taking us to Tokyo. We settled into our business class seats. American's business class on the 777 sits 2-3-2, which was convenient for us as we grabbed a row in the middle section. It was at this point that my brother and sister pretty much threw the little restraint they had left to the wind and really started diving into the experience. Pictures were taken, seats were converted into beds, and sparkling wine was offered.

The service on the flight was outstanding. Our flight attendant took very good care of us, always addressing us by name and always checking in on us after waking up from sleeping or periodically while watching movies. Food was ..... meh. You're on an airplane so what can you expect though? I've heard mythical rumors from across the travelsphere that there are some amazingly tasty airline meals out there. My hunt, sadly, continues....

Arrival:

Arriving in Tokyo's Narita is always a fairly easy experience. Generally speaking, landing in most Asian locations I've been to have been fairly easy experiences. The immigration procedure is efficient and painless, though the Japanese do require fingerprints and photographs to enter the country. Despite the hassle, we were all quickly processed through to collect our bags and were waved through customs in less then 10 minutes. While it would have been great to have our Mom meet us at the airport, it seemed silly for her to waste money on a pricey train ticket just to get back on a train and head back to Tokyo, so we agreed to meet her at our lodgings. We purchased local train tickets from Narita into Tokyo for 1000 yen each and boarded our train.

Tokyo:

Tokyo, Tokyo, Tokyo. A city with millions of people with a million things to do. I've heard a few people nonchalantly mention that despite its size, Tokyo really isn't that interesting of a city to visit. I wholeheartedly disagree. I've never been disappointed with my numerous visits to the Japanese capital, and this time was no exception.

We only had a few days to spend here, so we wanted to make sure we hit up a few of the big sites. We were staying at a little hostel in the Asakusa district, so the first morning we ended up walking over to Senso-ji Temple, which is the largest Buddhist temple in Tokyo. Its historic Thunder Gate with the giant red paper lantern has been the hallmark of numerous pictures and postcards from Japan. We wandered up the covered street lined with various shops hawking trinkets and tasty treats. The temple itself has a fairly large complex with a few sights to see. The giant straw sandal on a gate, the main building itself with murals painted on the walls and ceilings. Dragon shaped water fountains. Jizo statues galore. It's chaotic and frantic at most times of the day, but always an interesting and fun place to be.

We moved on from Senso-ji and hopped a few train stops over to Ueno Park. This green area in the middle of northern Tokyo is always an interesting place to stop by. They were hosting an ice sculpting contest in the open forum area near the National Museum campus. One section of the contest had already started by the time we wandered into the area, but we made sure to grab a good position to watch the second portion. The Japanese summer swelters; the heat is never too high, but it's high enough to make you feel like you're baking when you combine it with the awful sticky humidity. Sitting around blocks of ice while tiny chips from chisels and saws fly all over was a unique way to cool off.

We hopped back on the Tokyo subway system and made our way over to the Shinjuku/Harajuku area to take in the impressive Meiji-jingumae shrine. This is probably my favorite spot in Tokyo. Literally a few steps away from some of the heaviest trafficked streets in the most populous metropolitan area in the world, you have this quiet, forested oasis that offers shade and relaxation. Marked by massive wooden gates bearing the seal of the Emperor, you walk for almost a mile through a heavily wooded path before reaching the serene confines of the shrine. If you're lucky, you'll see a traditional Japanese wedding taking place as you walk through.

The next day we took the sightseeing a little easier. We marched around the Imperial Palace for awhile, taking in the famous Nijubashi bridge (said to resembled a pair of glasses) and wandered over to the parliament building, the Diet. Realistically there isn't much to do at the palace, so we headed over to the touristy Tokyo Tower, which resembles the Eiffel Tower for all intents and purposes. We shelled out for the overpriced tickets and headed up to the observation deck, staring out at the massive breadth of Tokyo. The Tokyo Metropolitan building is a much better view if you want to see all of Tokyo, but the Tower was good enough to keep us entertained, especially my brother and sister who got a big kick out of standing on the glass viewing platform to freak my mother out. Feeling the grumbling in our stomachs, we decided to sit down for some nice Japanese food.

We ended the day on the unmanned robotic train to Odaiba, a man-made island in Tokyo Bay. We got our pictures taken with the fake Statue of Liberty (notice a theme with fake replicas of other famous world landmarks?) and then did a little shopping for my sister at the all-women's mall, Venus Fort. Its interior is designed to mimic Venice, Italy. Wandering around, it really just reminded me of the Venetian hotel in Las Vegas.

Weary and exhausted from walking in the heat all day, we headed back to our hostel and prepared for our early morning trek to the mountains.

Hakone:

While at times it seems like a sleepy little town in the mountains, Hakone is a pretty major destination on the touring map, both with foreigners and with the Japanese. Tucked away into the mountains south east of Tokyo, its full of natural beauty, misty lakes, active volcano vents, and natural hot springs.

A very difference atmosphere then Tokyo and a welcomed change at this point in the trip.

Getting to Hakone is a little bit of a pain. You take a short bullet train ride from Tokyo to the town of Odawara where you then transfer to a local train or bus that winds up the mountains. We splurged a bit on the hotel for this location. After sleeping in a clean but cramped hostel in Tokyo, were were looking forward to something a little more luxurious.

The hotel we were booked into sat prominently on the bend of the river running through this region.

Keeping with the traditional Japanese style, shoes are removed when you enter the building and kept in a locker. We shuffled down the hardwood floors to our room, which had an open format and was tiled with straw tatami mats in all directions. We booked a corner room overlooking the river, and we had a wrap around enclosed veranda that allowed views of the mountains and river. On a separate balcony attached to our bathroom, we had our own personal outdoor hot bath. In total seclusion you were able to disrobe, wash yourself clean, and dip into the hot water while listening to the river flowing by and birds chirping in the greenery. Heaven.

Also included in the room was the traditional "gift" when you arrive in a Japanese inn, which for us included delicious hot tea and some citrus jelly snacks.

Having spend half the day commuting to our new location, the only thing we did the first day was enjoy the hotel's facilities. In addition to our personal hot tub, there were men's and women's hot springs on the bottom floor. The family split up and took turns trying the different baths, soaking in the ambiance and just relaxing. To cap off the night, we headed into town on foot and ate some delicious tempura.

The next day we managed to crawl out of the comforts of the hotel, though we did linger a bit to soak up some more of that warm water. The weather wasn't cooperating much, which made it difficult to do much sightseeing. The wind was kicking up pretty strong, which meant the cable car line through the mountains to a lot of the sights was shut down. Of course we didn't know that before we headed up to the cable car station, but that's what travel is all about, right?

We hopped on a bus to Lake Ashi instead. Situated at the top of the mountain, it was an odd change from what we'd seen all day: sunny and windy. Once we reached Lake Ashi, it grew much darker and misty, almost as if we had wandered on to the set of "The Ring". Then again, a foggy lake with a fake pirate ship floating in the middle of it isn't really all that creepy, is it?

After wandering around the lake for awhile, he headed over the to historic checkpoint further around the lake. During the age of shoguns and samurai, the Emperor erected a checkpoint in Hakone to control the movement of people in and out of the region. Hakone has erected a replica of this checkpoint with plenty of markers and mannequins to give you the general idea of how it functioned. Additionally, there is a cedar lined walking path through the woods that was erected to provide shade to travelers on their way between the two regions. We walked down the cedar path through the mountains in silence, enjoying the shade on a muggy summer day.

Before we knew it our time was up in Hakone and it was time to move on to the next destination. We did manage to spend a little time back in Odawara before we caught our train to Kyoto to visiting the castle there. Not as impressive as Himeji Castle which I saw on my first trip back to Japan, but still a cute and nice place to visit.

Hiroshima:

We were staying in Kyoto, but Hiroshima is a close enough train ride that you can make a day trip out of it, which is what we did our first full day out of Hakone. There isn't much to say about Hiroshima that doesn't cause me to get misty and reflect on what it means to be both Japanese and American. Needless to say, our entire time was spent in and around the Peace Memorial Park viewing the monuments and remnants of what the atomic bomb did to the city and its residents. I've been to Hiroshima before, but this was the first time I was able to make it into the museum to see the documents and mementos of that moment in history. It's difficult to explain just how it makes you feel. Sick. Awestruck. Angry. Thoughtful.

Kyoto:

Kyoto is essentially the city people think of when they think of old Japan. Geishas, tea houses, paper lanterns, and austere temples. Any visit to Japan should stop at least for a little while in Kyoto, so of course we did.

We managed to plan our time in Kyoto to coincide with the annual Gion Matsuri, the biggest festival in all of Japan. The night before the big event, we met with one of my mother's friend who lives in Kyoto. He's the manager of a grocery store and his friend owns some restaurants around Kyoto. We were treated to a delicious free meal at a German joint as a result of this fortunate connection.

The big meal helped fuel us the next day, which ended up being particularly fun, yet grueling. The main event of the Gion Matsuri was today, which included a parade. For the festival, different organizations build large "floats" which they drag and push down the street. The big thrill is when the floats get to a bend in the road, where bamboo slats are laid on the ground and doused with water and the massive floats, some of which are 3 or 4 stories tall (see below...), are pushed on the slats around the corner, bobbling back and forth on the verge of tipping. What makes it even more thrilling is the fact that the floats are stacked to the max with riders.

Leading the procession is a young boy who has been selected from a local merchant's family. For the entire week of the festival he conducts his duties and is not allowed to touch the ground and is carried at all times by men from location to location.

After the boy passed our location and a few floats careened around the corner, the heat became too much to bear and we had to retreat to the relative cool of the public transportation system and some lunch.

To finish out the day, we ended up climbing to Kiyomizu-dera, a temple near the top of a hill on the eastern edge of Kyoto. It's a popular destination, so as you laborously climb the hill you are constantly surrounded by people either headed up with you or headed down. The street is lined with shops on each side hawking souveniors, talismans, drinks, and ice cream.

Kiyomizu means "pure water", and this temple is definitely full of water. Though devoted to water, the most interesting piece of the temple is the "stage". Built with no nails, the stage sits on stilts hundreds of meters over a ledge on the hill side. Jumping from Kiyomizu's stage is the Japanese equivalent of the English "leap of faith".

Final Thoughts:

As always, Japan is a first class destination. I'm completely and utterly biased, so take that with a grain of salt. I genuinely feel that its a great destination that is both adventurous on the one hand, and familiar and comfortable on the other. It's foreign and friendly. It's difference but managable.

Its the ideal first point of entry for those who are looking to travel in Asia but are afraid of the language barrier and "chaos" many people associate with the Far East. I invite all of you to go, and to take me with you. I'm happy to play tour guide.

Safe Travels,

Leo

It's the End of the "World" As We Know It?

2010-08-19T13:13:00.000-07:00

It was a slow time here at the blog last week, due to some travel related difficulties. Unfortunately I have this thing called a "job" that requires me to occasionally climb onto a plane and jet off to quite a few quiet, forgotten corners of the American heartland. Needless to say, the week I spent without cell phone reception or internet access in south eastern Iowa wasn't exactly my most interesting or memorable trip. My apologies for the mini-break, but I've had a difficult time in general figuring out how to maintain updates on the blog while I'm on the road.

Despite the general lack of modern technology in the quaint little community of Ottumwa, Iowa I was able to keep informed on some of the news stories making the rounds in the airline/travel community. While there was a lot going on, a few of the recent news stories all seemed to have a similar theme in common: the oneworld airline alliance. It has definitely been a rough year for oneworld, and the news in the last few weeks doesn't seem to be trending upwards either.

First, a little background....

The oneworld alliance is a collection of airlines across the globe who have agreed to collaborate in order to provide a higher level of service to their customers. The members include American Airlines, British Airways, Iberia, Finnair, LAN, Royal Jordanian, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, Malev, Mexicana, and Qantas. Additionally, S7 Airlines from Russia and Kingfisher Airlines from India are on deck to join the alliance in 2010 and 2011, respectively. The alliance allows members to code share and sell tickets on another members plane as if it were their own plane. For example, I live in Chicago and am a loyal American Airlines (AA) customer. Unfortunately, AA doesn't fly to South Africa. In the age before alliances, I would have had to have flown AA and switched over to another airline to reach my intended destination. Now, I can simply log onto AA's website and book at ticket to South Africa. I'd take AA to London or Madrid and then connect to a British Airways or Iberia flight. My ticket will say its an AA flight, and I will earn miles and benefits as if it were an AA flight. Additionally, I will have lounge access and all the preferential treatment loyal airline fliers receive from their home airline. The idea of an alliance is to make global travel seamless for the traveler as the airlines cooperate on policy, procedure, and in general attempt to maintain a similar standard of service.

While I do not believe in any way, shape, or form that the oneworld alliance is anywhere near falling apart, it certainly seems like they have been struggling to maintain the quality level of service they've been known for in the past. Some examples:

In the earlier part of the year, Japan Airlines (JAL) was struggling with the possibility of bankruptcy. Plagued with financial issues left and right, the Japanese carrier was looking to cut costs and increase revenues wherever they could. The corporation entertained the idea of leaving the oneworld alliance for the SkyTeam alliance. While many oneworld carrier do have flights into Japan, SkyTeam rival member Delta Airlines trounces oneworld member American Airlines in the all important US-Japan connecting traffic market. The drama unfolded over several months when JAL finally announced plans to remain in the oneworld alliance. The JAL crisis revealed some of the vulnerability in oneworld's alliance strategy. Where as other alliances admit airlines much more freely, oneworld seeks to bring in "quality" carriers who do not provide redundant, overlapping service. With minimal overlap in the alliance, the loss of JAL would have cut oneworld's access to the crucial Japan/China/Korea markets that are vital for business travel. JAL's exit would have left Cathay Pacific (CX) as the only Asian partner. While a quality airline, CX hardly serves enough destinations in China, Korea, and Japan to allow oneworld to claim any substantial coverage in Asia where JAL to leave. Regardless, JAL's choice to remain in oneworld didn't come without a price, as the airline has decided to slash routes and capacity to reduce losses. JAL remains in the alliance, but its a weaker partner then it was before.

Also facing financial crunches, AA and British Airways (BA) are currently negotiating with a few of their unions about work hours and pay among other things. BA has already suffered through a short flight attendant strike, and there are more announced on the horizon. The BA flight attendant union seems to strategically pick times of the year with high passenger traffic to go on strike, making the disruptions much more apparent and thus raising awareness of the dispute with the flying public. Similarly, AA is currently in negotiation with two of its employee unions that seem to be making very little progress. The possibility of a strike grows every day, which would cause more then a little bit of heartburn for the general flying public in the US as well as with frequent fliers on AA.

oneworld's South American partner, LAN, announced last week that they plan to merge with another major South American carrier, TAM. TAM, unfortunately, is not a member of the oneworld alliance, but claims membership in the rival Star Alliance. You can already see where this becomes problematic. Once the two carriers merge, the question becomes which alliance will they choose? LAN is a South American powerhouse airline, which has a long and strong history with some of oneworld's carriers. Yet, while TAM is a new, up and coming airline and fairly new to the Star Alliance, the immense number of partners LAN would gain in the Star Alliance seems very lucrative. oneworld currently has 11 members with 2 confirmed pending members. Star Alliance currently has 28 members with 2 confirmed pending members. While the oneworld crew has a strong reputation for excellence, Star Alliance's combination of massive numbers as well as several well respected airline (Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, United, Continental, Lufthansa, Asiana) makes for an alluring change. With oneworld's policy on not admit partners that would overlap existing service, the loss of LAN would reduce the alliance's ability to service South American destinations drastically.

The last bit of news has been brewing for a few weeks but seems to have really exploded in the last few days. Newest oneworld alliance member Mexicana, has declared bankruptcy. The first rumblings of trouble began when Canadian government officials refused to allow several Mexicana flights to depart from Canadian airports as creditors began to call on the airline's outstanding debt. This led to Mexicana indicating bankruptcy was looking like an option and claiming its financial woes were largely based on the salaries of its flight attendants and pilots. Soon after, the airline ceased to sell international tickets on its website. While no future ticket sales were being made, the airline insisted that future flights would still operate. With bankruptcy now declared and a significant revenue stream severed, it looks less and less likely that Mexicana will be able to fulfill its obligation to passengers who have already purchased tickets. Combined with the possibility that LAN might leave the alliance after its merger, oneworld's position in Latin and South America looks like it could be in jeopardy.

While its clearly not the end of the alliance, oneworld has struggled in 2010. Considering oneworld is the alliance that I participate in as a member of AA's AAdvantage program, I have a vested interest in seeing that they continue to be profitable and successful. Here's hoping they can get their act together and make some big changes in the near future.

Safe Travels,

Leo

Vancouver - Where Wild Meets Mild (Weather)

2010-08-11T08:12:00.000-07:00

TRIP REPORT

Background:

Living in Chicago, Canada is the closest foreign country to which I can make a quick get away for a weekend of fun. As much traveling as I have done in my life, our friendly neighbor has never made it onto my list of visited destinations. I'd always intended to go, but I'll admit to letting the allure of more exotic destinations ensnare me first. Guilty as charged. It took the wedding of two close friends to finally draw me north of the border, but I'm glad I finally made the trip. Despite having a very limited amount of time on the ground, I truly enjoyed my time in Vancouver and I definitely am planning on making another visit.

Getting There:

Traveling to Vancouver is an adventure in and of itself. You have quite a few options.

All major US and Canadian airlines fly to Vancouver International Airport (YVR), which is the 2nd busiest airport in Canada. One of the draw backs of taking a flight north of the border is that there are large taxes applied to air travel into Canada. The ticket I ended up purchasing on American Airlines (AA) ended up including almost $150 in additional taxes. Say what you want about the US, but the $8 fee I pay to fly into New York or Dallas is nothing compared to what you pay flying into Canada. AA recently started a direct flight from Chicago to Vancouver, but the cheapest tickets actually routed through Dallas, so that's what I purchased. Flying to Vancouver through Dallas is more then a little out of the way, but when you look at my travel patterns its pretty par for the course.

Due to the amount of travel I do with AA, I received complimentary upgrades to first class on all four of the flights it took me to get from Vancouver and back. I'm recently took on a membership with American's Admirals Club, which is their lounge service. It provides travelers with a relatively quiet location with free wifi, complimentary non-alcoholic beverages, and light snacks while they wait for their flights. This turned out to be quite useful on the way back from Vancouver when I was delayed in Dallas for almost 8 hours due to thunderstorms.

I left on Friday afternoon and arrived around the same time in Vancouver due to the time difference between the Midwest and the west coast.

Arrival:

My first impression of Vancouver's airport? Very, very nice. As soon as I exited the plane I was surrounded by sunshine streaming in from the glass walkway leading to the arrivals terminal. We were on the 2nd floor and the path to the immigration lines has plenty of signage. The walk is pretty lengthy, but you probably won't mind or notice. The majority of the path is filled with leafy green plants and trickling waterfalls, seemingly a nod to the close affinity Vancouver has with its natural surroundings. As you stroll along the walkway you can take a peek at a few pieces of native artwork placed throughout the building.

Immigration was more.... suspicious of my arrival in Canada then I had been led to believe they would be. Canada has a reputation as a very easy going country, but the immigration official grilled me for a good 5 minutes on my reason for visiting, where I was staying, where I planned on going, and why my visit was only for a few days. Eventually I received another stamp in my passport and moved on to collect my baggage and catch a cab to the bed & breakfast most of the wedding guests were staying at.

Stanley Park:

One of the main attractions in Vancouver is the massive waterfront Stanley Park that sits on an outcropping of land near the Central Business district. With thousands of acres of forested land, this park is one of the largest urban parks in North America. The entire park is lined with a paved path called the Seawall, where Vancouverites can jog, bike, run, and walk along the bay. The park is filled with a variety of public beaches, playgrounds, picnic areas, and cultural art pieces for a wandering visitor to take in.

Our bed & breakfast was only a few blocks walk from the park, so 6 of us met after a late breakfast to go wandering through the park before the wedding that evening. We made our way down streets lined with restaurants of every imaginable type. Greek, Korean, Japanese, Middle Eastern, French. A testament to the diverse population of Vancouver. We entered the park passing through tennis courts and lounging families. The weather was amazing, sitting somewhere in the middle of the 70s temperature wise, with a slight breeze and solid sunshine.

We made our way down toward the seawall and headed east along the coast. The bay was filled with boats of all types. A cluster of small sailboats looked like they might be engaging in a race of some sorts. Industrial tankers floated quietly in the distance. Couples held hands as they waded into the water and skipped over seaweed and slippery, mossy sea plants on rocks. In the distance was always a stretch of water with a shoreline opposite, white washed buildings and modern glass towers resting peacefully at water's edge.

It was amazingly peaceful and beautiful. It was an odd mix of modern city living with wilderness. Towering tree lined hiking paths that were just minutes away from Thai restaurants and the headquarters of the Oneworld airline alliance. Kayakers skimming the water in solitude while cars zip past in the distance. Totem poles and lichen blanketed tree stumps with Indian tourists eating falafel sitting amongst them. Coming from Chicago, I was jealous. While its always nice to have my office in the Loop, there isn't much space where one can get away from it all. Michigan Avenue, State Street, Millennium Park. They're always crammed full of people. Vancouver seems to have the right mix of modern business trappings and green escapism.

The Wedding:

That afternoon me and my friends enjoyed the celebration of love and devotion that constitutes a wedding. Vancouver was a beautiful backdrop for this event, providing both the scenery and the legal recognition for this occasion. My two friends who were wed that day are both men. While they are US citizens, they were interested in tying the note in a location that would provide the recognition of their commitment that it was due. While some US states do allow for gay marriage, the future of its legality is questionable in the US, so the couple decided that they would make their vows in Canada.

A limousine picked up the grooms and guests at the bed & breakfast we were staying at. Destination weddings tend to be small in size, and our entourage today was 11 people. The ceremony took place at the home of the wedding commissioner. She had a lovely balcony overlooking a well kept garden. Vows were exchanges, smiles were had, tears were shed, and the deed was done. Time to celebrate!

The newlyweds asked the driver to give us a driving tour of the city. We were whisked through the streets of Vancouver with champagne in our hands. Chinatown, Granville Island, Canada Place, Marine Building, Robson Square. These city landmarks were gazed at and commented upon by 11 slightly intoxicated revelers. It would have been much nicer had we had the time to stop at each location and get a proper look, but tonight was reserved for celebration, drinking, and eating.

We were dropped off a few blocks from our restaurant by the limousine. Vancouver was holding a Jazz Festival downtown, so many of the streets were blocked off to vehicular traffic. We made our way through the neighborhood knows as Gastown and sat down at our restaurant: Al Porto. Food had been preset for us on the table and we immediately dug into a very nice spread.

Granville Island & Central Business District:

The next morning, after a night of celebration, we headed out on the exploratory trail again. This time we walked down toward the shore on the opposite end of what we had explored the day before. It was a bit hazy and misty that day, but it was pretty nonetheless. Lots of odd sculptures line the bay area. One reminded me instantly of the giant rack of ribs from the opening of the Flintstones. I read the marker explaining what it was but at the end of the day, it was just a giant iron rack of ribs. Another statue we looked at seemed to be sitting with its legs pulled up toward its chest. The frame of the statue was constructed using letters from various alphabets from all over the world. Again, another monument to the diversity of this Canadian city.

After our slow meandering along the shoreline, we reached a stable of water taxis. After some quick conversation, we agreed to hop on one to venture across the small channel of water and see the Public Market on Granville Island. Despite its name, as far as I can tell Granville Island is not actually an island. The map seemed to indicate it was just an outcropping of land. Perhaps it was an island at one time?

The Public Market was filled to the brim with tourists and shoppers galore. The salty aroma of fresh fish hits your nose as you enter, but its quickly replaced by the sweet smell of fresh picked apples, or the arresting scent of lilacs. The facility itself reminded me of Pike's Place in Seattle, though I suppose this version was much less touristy. We wandered around for awhile, making small purchases of food here and there while ducking into eclectic shops.

Having had our fill of Granville Island, we hopped a water taxi back across the channel. The grumbling in our stomachs told us that it was about time for a proper meal. We headed out for some Canadian grub. I had my first taste of poutine that afternoon, and I must say it was delicious. Being lactose intolerant, the cheese curds were probably not in my best interest, but what is travel without a little culinary adventure?

We wrapped up that day walking north and taking in more of the sites along Stanley Park. It's just so massive in scope it takes awhile to see everything it has to offer. We saw a pretty large Inukshuk statue. This is fairly well known since the Vancouver Winter Olympics this year as it served as the symbol for the games. While I originally thought this was erected for the Olympics, it turns out this was actually constructed much earlier as part of the Expo in 1986.

Having had a full day of hiking around Vancouver, we retired for the day for another round of great food and nightlife.

Grouse Mountain:

Sadly, due to work obligation my visit in Vancouver came to an end. My traveling companions were able to stay longer though, and did get to see a few more sights that they shared with me. They were able to .....

Enjoy another hearty and delicious breakfast at our B&B....

Hike and zip line through the misty Grouse Mountain to get an amazing view of Vancouver......

And they even saw some bears!

Final Thoughts:

Despite the little time I had on the ground, Vancouver really impressed me. The city is fairly clean and easy to navigate. It is very modern in feeling but at the same time manages to maintain some of the "frontier" atmosphere you get when you imagine some of the western cities of North America. The integral mix of wooded space with glass and steel through the city is refreshing and calming, especially to someone who comes from one of the more "concrete jungle" areas in the United States. The varied ethnic makeup of the city means that the culinary offerings in Vancouver are amazing. I've had some good food in my travels around the world but the eats in Vancouver are definitely pretty impressive.

Vancouver isn't perfect though. Public transportation options were available but seemed limited in scope. Most of the locations I needed to get to were not serviced by the train lines and required multiple bus stops. Also, the service level in most of the restaurants reminded me of Argentina. The wait staff only stops by if you make a massive amount of effort to get their attention. While I enjoy being left alone to dine in peace, I do enjoy having a some level of service that makes sure I don't have to set off fireworks to get another glass of water.

All in all, Vancouver gets a big thumbs up, a definite return trip, and has sold me on visiting more of Canada.

I Went To China & All I Got Was A Free Ticket To Paris.....

2010-08-04T13:41:00.000-07:00

I'm fully aware that I promised trip reports on my recent shenanigans in Vancouver and Tokyo, but getting the pictures ready and on a media format that makes it easy for me to include in a post has been troublesome. It'll be here soon!

Just a quick update on the future travel schedule of your dutiful writer....

New York City, NY

August 29th

American Airlines, Economy

ORD-LGA-ORD

Delhi/Agra/Fatehpur Sikri/Jaipur, India

September 2 - September 14

American Airlines, Business Class

ORD-DEL-ORD

Beijing, China

November 10 - November 17

American Airlines, Economy Class

ORD-PIT-ORD-PEK-ORD-DFW-PIT-ORD

After a whirlwind year, those three trips still seems massive to me. I'm pretty excited to be going to the two most populous countries in the world only two months apart. I'm sure that one or two additional trips will creep their way into my schedule as well. Atlanta seems to be calling my name lately, and I have enough miles on United for a North American round trip itinerary waiting to be cashed in. I've thought of saving them for something better but likelihood that I'd accumulating any more miles on United in the near future is pretty slim.

The New York and India flights are pretty straight forward, I get to climb on a plane in Chicago and end up deposited at my location when I get off that same plane. The China itinerary is a bit more ... complicated. American Airlines is currently running a promotion that allows you to double the amount of elite qualifying miles (EQM) earned on flights by flying out of certain airports, and triple the amount of redeemable miles (RDM). RDMs are the miles you get from an airline that you can use to get free stuff with. A lot of people collect the miles for awhile and get a free ticket somewhere, but you can also get free magazine subscriptions, ipods, and hotels stays. The list of free junk you can get goes on and on and on. For someone interested in traveling, RDMs are a huge commodity. With this in mind.....

I looked at the cities the promotion was good out of (Raleigh/RDU, St. Louis/STL, Nashville/BNA, and Pittsburgh/PIT) and discovered that flying to Beijing (PEK) from PIT was a reasonable $800. What does that all mean? Let's look at the math:

Flying from Chicago to Beijing directly would mean:

$1400 for the flight, 13,158 EQM and 26,316 RDM. Keep in mind, the 26,316 in RDM is enough for one round trip ticket on American Airlines to most locations in the US and Canada.

Flying from Pittsburgh to Beijing would mean:

$800 +$99 for the flight from Chicago to Pittsburgh, 26,316 EQM, and 65790 RDM. The 65,316 is worth almost enough to do 3 round trip tickets on American to most locations in the US and Canada, or one round trip ticket to Hawaii, the Caribbean, Central America, South America, Europe, or Japan.

So for the $900 I spent on my ticket to Beijing, I ended up with enough miles to make another free trip to just about anywhere in the world that I would want to go. Think of it this way, when I bought my ticket to Beijing, I got a trip to Paris/Buenos Aires/Tokyo for free. A 2 for 1 sale. I get to spend a week in China seeing some amazing sights and eating amazing food, and when I get back to Chicago, American Airlines will thank me for my business by giving me another flight for free. Love. It.

The elite qualifying miles (EQM) were a big draw for me too, as it actually solidified my elite status on American Airlines and its Oneworld partners for another year much faster and easier then I thought I was going to do this year. That's a topic for another blog post this week though.

Safe Travels,

Leo

Hawaiian Has Seoul

2010-08-04T09:47:00.000-07:00

When I think of flying to an exotic international location, the airlines that I think of taking are typically some of the bigger names: American Airlines, Air France, Lufthansa, etc. The likes of Hawaiian Airlines doesn't really float to the surface of my brainstorm. Sure, they'd be an option for me if I were looking to catch a few golden rays on Waikiki Beach but if I want to see the Opera House in Sydney, or eat some of the freshest sushi money can buy in Tokyo, Hawaiian wouldn't seem like an option. Maybe it should though.....

Recently the airline announced that it is seeking to begin service to Seoul's Incheon airport, which serves as South Korea's gateway to the world. While it might seem odd on the surface, there seems to be some data that supports the airline's decision. In November of 2008, the United States granted visa-free visits to citizens of South Korea, making vacations to Hawaii much easier. The Hawaiian Tourism Authority recorded a 44% increase in visitors from Korea in 2009 and estimates that with direct service from Honolulu to Seoul, the state can expect additional revenue near $74 million per year. That's not chump change, especially with the recent downturn in the economy and how it has effected Hawaii's tourist industry. Seoul's Incheon serves as a hub destination for travelers throughout Asia as well, so the net increase from other Asian countries has the potential to increase in kind.

Hawaiian Airlines isn't new to the international flying market though. Just recently they were awarded tentative approval to fly from Honolulu to Tokyo's Haneda airport. While the option to fly to Tokyo's more well known Narita facility was always available, Haneda is much closer to Tokyo, making it a more convenient option for Japanese travelers. Additionally, Hawaiian flies internationally to Manila in the Philippines, Sydney in Australia, and Papeete, French Polynesia. While not technically international, Hawaiian has flights to Pago Pago in the southern Pacific's American Samoa. Clearly these routes are designed to facility the movement of tourists from their homes to Hawaii or from other tourist destinations. To a Hawaiian resident or innovative traveler it also opens the possibility of seeing some far flung destinations in a unique manner. Sure, you can take a 12 hour flight from Los Angeles to Tokyo in a single trip, but what's the fun in that? Fly, or stop over, in Honolulu for a spell!

4 Travel Destinations You've Probably Never Heard Of

2010-07-30T12:38:00.000-07:00

By most of my friends' standards, I'm an "adventurous" traveler. I'm not exactly climbing Mt. Everest or finding my own way through the Sudan with a compass while avoiding the Janjaweed, but for the average American tourist you don't have to be doing those things to be adventurous. Simply leaving the borders of the US is something the majority of Americans don't seem to do. Despite some of the amazing deals I've gotten on my trips across the globe, I've only had 1 occasion where someone was willing to jump on the bandwagon with me. While money was always the primary excuse given, there were always rumblings about not wanting to go to a country that didn't speak English or where water might not always be safe to drink.

Not that I blame them, it can be an intimidating prospect to jet off across an ocean to a land that is completely foreign to anything you've known. To each their own, but one day I will convince some of my friends to go on a trip with me somewhere exciting and unheard of.

Despite some of the travels I've undertaken, I still have a "bucket list" of locations I'd love to see before I die. Scanning down it will reveal quite a few recognizable locales: London, Paris, Cozumel. Locations that you would find on just about anyone's list. There are a few entries that might raise a few eyebrows though. My adventurous spirit hears the siren's call of quite a few exotic locations, and with enough luck I'll get to cross them off my list in my life time.

Here's a small sampling of 4 locations on my Travel Bucket List that you may have never heard of:

Andaman Islands

Paradise. At least so I imagine. And others seem to agree.

This Indian island chain in the Bay of Bengal seems to sneak under most radars. While locations like Hawaii and Bali seem to get most of the attention, this place appeals to me because it offers all the tropical beach bliss you can find in a more popular location without actually being popular. I was reading a recent story from someone who visited the island during its "high" tourist season and he reported that besides he and his wife, the only people who walked along the beach in front of their lodgings were local fishermen. No screaming kids, no speedoed eldery tourists. Just passing fishermen.

Getting to the islands isn't very easy. Their history as a prison for the British during the Raj will attest to how remote they are from the mainland of India. Flights are limited, but are available from Delhi, Kolkata, and Chennai. A traveler also has the choice of reaching the islands by boat from Kolkata or Chennai, but as it costs the same as a flight and takes 4 days to arrive it seems taking a plane would be a wiser choice. If you are not an Indian citizen, you'll need a special permit to stay in the Andaman Islands. These are provided upon arrival if you choose to fly to the islands, or must be secured prior to arrival if you plan on taking the boat. All flights and boats disembark in Port Blair. Most travelers seem to arrange transportation to individual islands from here.

After all the hassle of getting to the islands, you can then look forward to lush jungle landscapes and the quiet serenade of waves crashing on the shore. The crowds of Waikiki are far removed from what sounds like the vast emptiness of an Andaman beach. You're never quite alone though: the Andamans are home to a large breed of saltwater crocodile and indigenous native tribes here are notoriously unfriendly to outsiders. Other then those concerns, you're biggest worries are when to go scuba diving and what book to bring to the shore.

Svalbard

From a tropical paradise to a winter wonderland. Svalbard is little heard of and little heard from. A group of islands in the Barents Sea, directly north of Norway sitting well above the Arctic Circle, it's not surprising you may have never heard of it. My first introduction to the island group was while reading a children's novel: The Golden Compass. During the course of the story, the heroine of the novel travels to a land called Svalbard to meet with a polar bear. Thinking this was an land of make-believe, imagine my surprise when I discovered that this place actually exists!

Technically speaking, Svalbard serves as one of the northernmost points in Europe. The cities on these islands are the northernmost permanently settled locations on Earth. The biggest draw of making a trip to Svalbard is seeing the Arctic world in all its natural wonder. Residents and visitors alike are required to carry rifles when they leave the limits of established settlements. The biggest threat to safety on the islands would seem to be the bitter cold, but in reality it's the more then 500 polar bears that inhabit the islands. If you're gun shy, make sure you've booked a guided tour; they'll handle polar bear watch for you.

Similar to the Andamans, reaching Svalbard can be a bit of an effort. While a treaty signed by 41 nations technically allows for many nationalities to enter without a visa, the reality is that the Norway views Svalbard as part of its territory and therefore requires all visitors to pass through Norwegian immigration. There's no avoiding this, as the only regular method of reaching this snowy destination is domestic flights through Tromso and Oslo. The major city in the islands is Longyearbyen. From here you can arrange a variety of "touristy" activities including mountain climbing, arctic sailing, and viewing the abandoned settlements of previous coal mining operations from Russia.

Djenne

Mali is a country that many people couldn't point out on a map, let alone find Djenne which isn't even one of the larger cities in Mali. An oddly shaped nation in the middle of western Africa, Mali is the fabled land of Timbuktu. Africa is the continent that probably conjures the most apprehension in travelers, plagued by rumors of corruption, violence, and crime. While most rumors have some basis in reality, a simple investigation on the internet will bring forth a wealth of stories from everyday travelers who've made trips all across Africa in perfect safety. Sure, you might get asked to pay more then you should for a taxi from the airport, but that happens to me in New York City as well.

The town of Djenne might not be recognizable to you or me, but the United Nations sure knows it. The big tourist draw, the Great Mosque, was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987. While many cities have mosques, and even Great Mosques, the unique feature of the Djenne building is that it's made entirely of mud bricks. The mosque was first built in the 13th century, with the current structure being erected in 1907. Being made of mud, the elements in Mali takes a toll on the structure. To address this, every year the community of Djenne holds a festival where food and music is enjoyed while the entire community participates in repairing any damage to the building. As if the structure wasn't enough to lure you into visiting, every Monday the city holds a massive market where vendors hawk just about anything you can think of.

Mali is a little easier to get to then some of our previous locations. A previous French colony, your easiest method of arriving is to take a flight from Paris to the capital, Bamako. Another option is to fly with Royal Air Maroc via Casablanca. Save for a few neighboring countries, all visitors to Mali are required to secure a visa prior to arrival. Once in Mali, you can arrange with a car hire or taxi to drive to Djenne. The best day of the week to attempt to get to Djenne? Monday's market day.

Ushuaia

Situated on the southern tip of Argentina's section of the isle of Tierra del Fuego, Ushuaia is far removed from the tango dancing and beef grilling sights one would typically find in tourist friendly Buenos Aires. With a temperate climate, it's warmer then one would probably expect from a city that seems so far south. Being far removed from the rest of the world and even the rest of Argentina, Ushuaia has had an interesting history over the years such as being a home for missionaries, a penal colony, and eventually a location for the Argentinian navy. The modern era has marked Ushuaia for a more interesting fate though; it's the launch point for the majority of tourist cruises to the elusive 7th continent, Antarctica.

Ideally situated for Antarctic tourism, Ushuaia is often host to adventurous tourists prepping for or returning from tours of the ice strewn land mass. Tours to Antarctica aren't cheap. My most recent search indicated that the least amount of money I could shell out for a trip was somewhere in the ball park of $2999. This was with a company that had mostly negative feedback. A reputable tour operator could cost you between $5000 and up. None of this covers the cost of the additional clothing and supplies one would most likely need on a trip to a land with such a harsh climate. The town itself isn't without its own charms. There are plenty of museums detailing the history of Tierra del Fuego and its original inhabitants. The natural beauty of the area shouldn't be overlooked either, with pristine water and sheltered bays dotting the area.

Getting to Ushuaia is fairly simple. You'll either have to make your way to Buenos Aires, Argentina or Santiago, Chile and grab what seems to be an expensive flight. There are methods of getting to Ushuaia over land, but these are cumbersome and take several days. Visas are issued upon arrival for most nationalities. Lodgings in Ushuaia range from bare bones hostels to 5 star resorts.

Substance vs Style: A Traveler's Dilemma

2010-07-28T09:53:00.000-07:00

Perhaps the name of this blog is a little misleading. The term "jet set" gives the reader an impression that the traveler is not only flying off to thrilling locations, but doing so at a level of style and luxury that most do not experience. That impression, I must confess, may be a little disingenuous. On my most recent trip in Japan, approximately 50% of my lodgings were in hostels. We're talking bunk beds on thread bare "pads" in lieu of mattresses with shared bathrooms and a shower that only provides hot water in 30 second spurts. At one point at one of our accommodations, a cockroach literally climbed up the side of my bed and nonchalantly diving into my toiletries bag. Juxtaposed with my last post about Japan, you'd think perhaps I was lying about the greatness of Japan. Despite all this, the hostels were still a great value and overall very comfortable and clean. But, needless to say, my travels aren't always first class.

The reason I am writing about all this is that I ran across a posting on a travel forum I frequent regularly that stated the following: I can either go see the Taj Mahal, or stay at a 5 star hotel, and I'm picking the 5 star hotel.

This, ladies and gentlemen, made my jaw drop.

This boggles my mind on multiple levels, so let's examine it for a minute. This wasn't exactly an either/or proposition for the writer. He did not have to choose between seeing the Taj Mahal and not having a hotel for the night, or not seeing the Taj Mahal and having a hotel for the night. There are plenty of hotel accommodations, plenty of them luxurious in their own right, in the vicinity of the Taj Mahal. The writer on this forum was stating that the 5 star hotel he was interested in staying at was in a location that made seeing the Taj Mahal that day impossible, and therefore he was going to give up seeing one of the most iconic monuments to love and architecture known to man in order to stay here.

Where are our priorities?! I've never stayed at an Aman resort, but I can see the allure. Luxurious tents in the countryside of India. Plush cushions, gourmet food, spa accommodations, a pool to dive into and wash away the heat, and what I'm told is some of the most amazing service a resort can offer. Yet I'd be hard pressed to see any reason on the website, or from the word of mouth I've heard of Aman Resorts, to fork over almost $1000/night in exchange for missing out on seeing something as epic and amazing as the Taj Mahal. Especially when you can go "slumming" at a hotel property like the Oberoi Amarvilas that is essentially right next to the Taj Mahal. Being voted the 2nd best hotel property in Asia by Travel + Leisure magazine in 2010 apparently isn't good enough to give up eating tandoori lamb in a linen tent. Seriously, is this not a nice enough hotel:

Which isn't to say I haven't splurged on a few hotels in my travels. When I stayed in Bangkok my hotel of choice was the Lebua at State Tower, which is a pretty nice hotel. Sure, I could have stayed in a hotel with a lot fewer bells and whistles and saved myself a boat load of money, but I wanted to treat myself a little bit. When I was in Hong Kong earlier this year, I stayed a night at the Shangri-La property in Kowloon. While it wasn't at the top of the food chain in terms of Hong Kong hotels, it wasn't anything to bat your eyes at either. At the of the day though, when I was in Bangkok and Hong Kong, the reason I was there was to see Bangkok and Hong Kong.

Not to get a massage. Not to eat a Michelin rated meal. Not for a door man.

Bangkok is the Chao Phraya river, the Temple of Dawn, pad thai from a street vendor, stray dogs who beg you for food, lady boys on mopeds, and mind boggling humidity. Hong Kong is the Star Ferry, sneaking away to a sandy forgotten beach, the Temple Street night market, being shoved on the sidewalk during rush hour in Central, and a hazy view of the harbor from Victoria Peak. They are not Hiltons, Four Seasons, Hyatts, or Aman Resorts.

And I'm willing to bet northern India is more about the Taj Mahal then it is about the Aman-i-Khas resort.

We all have our own personal travel philosophies, but this is my blog so I'm allowed on my soap box. What has our consumption come to when we jet set across the globe only to experience what money can buy us, and choose to ignore what history and culture can give us? What ever happened to going to India to see India? I encourage everyone to travel, but to travel for the right reasons. You can get a massage, a good meal, or a comfortable bed in your home town. It's not every day can see the Taj Mahal, the Serengeti, Iguazu Falls, or Mount Rushmore.

Enjoy the luxury of a 5 star hotel on all your trips if it's within your means, but do it at night when you can lay on those 1000 thread count sheets in sheer exhaustion and ponder the wonders of the world.

Safe Travels,

Leo

Japanese Manifesto: 4 Reasons It's Always New

2010-07-26T11:31:00.000-07:00

Recently my attention was directed toward this Flightster.com article where the author details the 7 reasons she never gets tired of making a trip to Disney theme parks. While I'll freely admit that I haven't set foot in a Disney property since the age of 12, one location I have continuously made multiple treks to is Japan. These trips never grow old to me, they're enjoyable through and through on a variety of levels. Yet some people still seem to question my decision to make so many trips across a massive ocean to visit the same country time and time again. To them if you're going to hop on a plane for 14 hours, you better be going somewhere new and exciting to get your money's worth.

While I can understand the sentiment behind the concern, I'd have to every so respectfully disagree. Never mind that Japan is the country of my birth. Never mind that no matter how long I live in the United States, Japan is always somewhere in my heart. Never mind whatever bias you might see creeping into this post already. I offer you the following: a "Japanese Manifesto" to detail the reasons Japan is a destination that is, and will continue to be, forever fresh.

Little Country, Big Possibilities

In the minds of most people Japan is a small country, which is neither correct nor incorrect. Japan is what it is: no where on the scale of the United States or Russia, but it still roughly the same size as Germany or the state of Montana. Despite the minimal amount of land mass, one of the advantages Japan has is its length. Stretching from eastern Russia all the way down to the Tropic of Cancer, a tourist to this island nation can spend a few days frolicking at the snow festival in Sapporo on the northern island of Hokkaido and then catch a 3 hour flight and bask in the tropical sunshine of Okinawa's beaches, never leaving the borders of Japan.

Every year starting in January until the last week of April, the Japanese watch with giddy anticipation as the "sakura zensen" (translation: cherry blossom front) makes its way from the southern tip to the northern end of their lengthy nation. Grab a picnic basket, a blanket, a bottle of sake, and your 5 best travel buddies and snag a patch of ground beneath the silky pink canopy of cherry blossoms. If celebrating the arrival of spring isn't much to your liking, try hitting up the snowy slopes in the north. Or surfing off the coast of Japan's rural and often overlooked island of Shikoku. No matter the time of year you arrive in Japan, there is always somewhere you can go that will suit your climate needs. That's difficult to find in a lot countries that aren't massive in size.

Old Means Old

I remember walking out of my downtown office one afternoon and attempting to discreetly sneak my way through a stationary group of tourists viewing what I admittedly agree is some of the beautiful architecture of Chicago. As I sucked in my stomach and slithered past the group, I couldn't help but overhear a woman comment that it was so amazing that these ancient buildings were still standing today. Bless her heart for being so awestruck by my hometown, but I beg to differ.

As an American, I often find it amusing how some of my fellow citizens interpret age. We use the term "old" a little too loosely. That 1980's concrete monstrosity is ancient. The writing desk we found in Grandma's attic is a relic. One of the advantages (or disadvantages depending on how you look at it) of living in such a youthful country is that we often forget what it's like to have thousands of years of history and tradition backing just about everything you do. At home I can see a document written 300 years ago and a beach front all-inclusive hotel built in the last 15 years. All nice and lovely in their own right. In Japan, I can see an illuminated manuscript that is thousands of years old, and walk on a beach that Genghis Khan's army was repelled from. There's amazing things about the New World, but sometimes you just have to marvel at how old the Old World is.

Technology as a Destination

You've heard it all before, but I'm going to tell you again. Every time I step off the plane in Japan there is another new gadget, invention, or gizmo that makes me scrunch up my face in glee and giggle under my breath. While innovation is rampant across the globe, the Japanese seem to have a peculiar penchant for the obscurely useful developments I've come to adore. Most recently I learned that in order to combat the limited space that is always an issue in Japan, they have begun installing robotic bike storage "huts" in some public parks. You mosey up to the contraption, feed your bike into a loading mechanism, and it stores it somewhere in the multi-storied building leaving you with only a receipt to retrieve it. It's not the Empire State Building, but it's intriguing and entertaining in its own right.

This is the country that brought us the Nintendo and the Tamagochi. A country where you have 5 story shopping malls devoted to just digital cameras. A country where bullet trains zip across the country while its riders do a million tasks on their comically large cell phones. A country where you can test drive Toyotas on a man-made island accessed by a driver-less monorail in an air conditioned warehouse that has roads criss-crossing its 4 stories of open space. Whatever your technological need or dream, somewhere in Japan you can find it. Or at least meet the people working on inventing it.

Backpacker or Big Baller: Budgets for All

Generally speaking, the Japanese have a pretty good reputation. They're clean, polite, and hardly ever have a temper. The one thing Japan has been vilified for in recent years is what most would call some of the most expensive and outrageously priced goods a tourist has ever laid eyes on. The rumors are endless: $200 taxi cabs from the airport, $1000 hotel rooms, $200 lunches, $100 melons. Yes, you heard me right. Melons.

As a frequent visitor to Japan, I can confirm it all for you. These things are all true. A taxi from the airport can cost you over $200, some hotel rooms are priced as if they're toilets are lined with gold, lunch in some restaurants can cost you a week's wages, and the Japanese do sell individual melons for $100 a pop. Yet these are the extremes of Japan, the cost of things that an average Japanese shopper wouldn't dream of buying.

Reality check - You don't take a taxi from the airport, you take the train or bus for $10/$30 bucks. You don't insist on staying at the Park Hyatt just because it's a recognizable hotel name, try the discounted Japanese Prince hotel chain or even bed down in a hostel and you'll save yourself hundreds of dollars and be surprised just how comfortable it might be. You don't get a Western style steak dinner in Tokyo, you stop in at an okonomiyaki joint and drop $6 bucks on a massive seafood pancake. You don't buy a $100 melon. Period.

If I wanted to, I could tell you all about how I spent $3000 in a weekend while vacationing in Miami, but chances are you'd recognize that whatever I was doing wasn't the typical tourist activity. Same goes for Tokyo. It's not any more expensive then a modern city in the United States. Which also means it gives you the flexibility of enjoying all that this country has to offer on the cheap, or on the cha-ching. Your pick.

And There You Have It....

At the end of the day, I know I haven't given a single reason to visit Japan that can't be said about another location. Realistically, no one location on Earth has the market cornered on anything though. Everyone has a diversity of climate, historical sites and artifacts, mechanical wonders, and affordable buys.

For me, what Japan possesses that no other location has is that unmistakable feeling of being a home away from home. No matter where I go on those islands, I know I'll meet people, see sights, and experience events that will make the money spent and the long flight across the globe worthwhile. It was my first travel destination, and I have a sneaking suspicion it will always be my favorite.

Give Japan a thought, and as always.....

Safe Travels,

Leo

Grab the Defibrillator: Blog Resuscitation

2010-07-26T09:14:00.000-07:00

Well hello there, faithful reader!

I'm back from what turned out to be an unplanned hiatus. All the excitement I'd planned for myself this summer jet setting around the US and Asia appeared to have been too much for my trusty Toshiba laptop to take. It passed away 4 weeks ago from what I assume was excessive amounts of excitement, quietly taking along with it my ability to blog. The position of "laptop" has since been filled by a brand spanking new Macbook, allowing me to continue to bring you the latest and greatest news of the travelsphere. And to continue my fetish with Apple products. Two birds, one stone.

Regardless, we're back. We've been traveling. And we have much to tell you.

In the next two weeks you can expect to see the following posts:

Japanese Manifesto: 5 Reasons It's Always New
Vancouver trip report
Canton, Ohio trip report
Rail tour of Japan trip report
Hawaiian Airlines starts new service to Seoul, South Korea
Air Berlin Joins OneWorld alliance

Hopefully you didn't think I'd abandoned you and all your travel needs. To answer one reader's email, have no fear, I'm still here to help you jet set!

Safe Travels,

Leo

There Are No Foreign Lands, It Is the Traveler Only Who Is Foreign

2010-06-24T15:32:00.000-07:00

Robert Louis Stevenson said those words more then a century ago, but it rings true to this day. The world is a small place at the end of the day, and it's the traveler who must take it upon themselves to get on the plane/train/boat/unicycle and make themselves familiar with the new surroundings. It's been my goal to do this for the last year and a half, and I've got quite the docket set up for myself in the next few months. Starting tomorrow and ending in mid-September, I have the following locations lined up:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

June 25-June 28

I'll be here for just a few short days attending the wedding of some very close friends. Most of Friday will be consumed with getting to Vancouver, Saturday is a full day of celebration for the wedding and the reception, which leaves only Sunday for any full fledged exploration. This will be my first foray into Canada, which seems interesting considering it's the closest foreign location to my home town and yet I've been to numerous locations half way across the globe before setting one foot here. I'll be doing a bit of research tonight to figure out how to make the best of my one day here.

North Canton, Ohio, United States of America

June 29 - July 2

Let me first state that I am absolutely thrilled that the most prominent image I could find of North Canton was this "down home" style Arby's sign. The Donut Connection sign in the background just provides icing on the cake that is Ohio. This will be just another trip in the long line of stops I've had to make in the Buckeye state. I'll be the first to admit I'm not the biggest fan of Ohio. I personally think it should be divided into two or three smaller states, though I'm sure that wouldn't cure the boredom I've experienced while there. Perhaps I need to branch out further and make sure I stay in a more interesting location in Ohio next time. This trip is work related though, so there isn't much choice in the matter. There does seem to be one interesting monument to a former US President. I'm hoping to make it there.

Tokyo/Kyoto/Hakone, Japan

July 9 - July 20

Japan, like Ohio, is another location you're most likely to find me in at least 2 or 3 times a year. This marks my first visit to the Land of the Rising Sun this year though. This trip is a mix of leisure and familial obligations; my mother has been living in Japan for a few months and has asked that me, my brother, and my sister make the trip across the Pacific to visit her. My father was in the military during the earlier years of my life, and Japan was essentially the only location we ever lived while I was a non-teenager. While I've been back to Japan quite a few times since, my brother and sister haven't set foot there since we left and this is their first major international trip. Excitement and planning is the theme here. I hope I make it through everything without anyone losing a passport.

New York City, New York, United State of America

Late July/Early August

My preferred air carrier, American Airlines, is running a promotion offering triple frequent flyer mileage AND triple elite qualifying miles for flights between Chicago (ORD) and New York's LaGuardia (LGA) until the end of August. I haven't blogged about the benefits of having elite status on an airline as of yet, but when I do you might have a better idea on why I am currently thinking that I'll be making a few short trips to New York City. While I've previously "been" to New York, I've never actually gone into the city. Most of my stops in New York entail a low key hotel room near JFK or LGA between flights. So with this massive incentive, I think I'll finally get a change to get into Midtown, see a Broadway show, or climb to the top of 30 Rock.

Ottumwa, Iowa, United State of America

August 16 - 20

Another work related trip. This will be my 2nd time in the great state of Iowa, and even though it admittedly has much less to do than Ohio, I found that I enjoyed my time here much more than I did in Dayton or North Canton. There's something very calm and peaceful about Iowa: the empty roads, the rows of corn, the people nodding their heads in silent greeting as you walk by. Ottumwa seems to be in the middle of nowhere, and considering the hustle and bustle I'll have in New York, Tokyo, and Vancouver it might be a welcomed relief.

Delhi/Agra/Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

September 3 - September 15

This is the trip that I'm probably the most excited about currently. I think everyone has a "dream" destination, the only spot in the world that has drawn your curiosity and fascination for the majority of your life. That spot for me has been India. I'm not 100% sure I can explain to you where my interest started, but I can confirm that for the better part of 10 years, I've been scheming of a way to get myself into the sub-continent. A stable job and some price tracking on flights finally made the dream a reality. Almost two weeks in India is a thought that both thrills and terrifies me. I'm thrilled to finally see some amazing things, taste some amazing food, and experience some amazing events. I'm also terrified of seeing, tasting, and experiencing some of those same things. Out of all the places I've been, India is most likely the least modernized and prepared for tourists. This will either be the experience of a life time, or a glass of cold water in the face.

So there you have it, my travel itinerary for the summer and early fall. These are the locations and sights you can look forward to seeing and reading about when my trip reports get published. I'm excited to see some new places and comforted to return to some old favorites. For now, I've got laundry to do and baggage to pack. It's off to Canada tomorrow!

Safe Travels,

Leo

Thx 4 Da Info - Airlines and Social Media

2010-06-22T14:33:00.000-07:00

Social networking sites have changed the way that people communicate with one another. When I was younger the best way to update anyone about your life was to give them a phone call. In our gloriously modern times, there are quite a few more options that can end up being much more efficient and quick: Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, email, Foursquare. The list could go on for quite a bit. Where as before I would be required to call up 10 friends to get a message out, now I can just make a quick post on my Facebook or send out a short 30 character tweet and have them all see it almost instantly.

Social networking has also changed the way that airlines communicate with the traveling public. While the traditional tools of outreach such as commercials and magazine ads are still the most prevalent, most airlines have begun to incorporate some elements of social networking into their marketing/outreach efforts. As you can imagine, some airlines have been more successful then others in utilizing these new formats to connect with fliers. Being based in Chicago, it makes sense for me to take some time and look at how United Airlines (UA) and American Airlines (AA) have harnessed the power of Twitter and Facebook to varying degrees of success.

TWITTER

For those of you who haven't quite figured out what Twitter is, here's the cliff notes version: Twitter is an online/mobile service that allows a user to make text-based post of up to 140 characters to a distribution list of subscribers. So UA or AA can publish short messages of up to 140 characters related to any subscriber who indicates they'd like to receive messages from the airlines. While this might not sound all too different then an email, the strength and success of Twitter has lied in its ability to become compatible with other formats. Twitter now allows users to receive specific updates directly on their cell phones, within an application on that cellphone or wireless capable device, or to automatically update the sender's Facebook or blog page. With a single 140 character burst, UA or AA can communicate with the flying public via Twitter, text messaging, email, applications, Facebook, or blogs. Talk about efficiency.

The trick is how do you convince subscribers that they might be interested in receiving "tweets" from your respective airline. After all, the advent of these technologies has brought the level of unwanted spam advertising to stratospheric heights. United's angle on gaining subscribers seems to be the most effective: offer periodic sale pricing on a variety of routes. Labeling this sale a "tware" (a combination of tweet and fare), United will occasionally sent out a tweet notifying its subscribers that for a few hours, they are providing an airfare discount exclusively for Twitter followers. The message usually links to a web page on United's site that includes details on the dates and destinations that are currently on sale, and will provide the user with a limited time use code to take advantage of the sale.

While the discounts can vary (I've personally seen small discounts on flights to Washington DC all the way up 40% off flights to Australia), one important goal is always achieved: UA has provided adequate incentive to its subscribers to receive advertisements and UA information without feeling bombarded by advertising. The subscriber can at least feel like they "get" something out of it, despite the more mundane and banal postings UA might make:

The one aspect of UA's use of Twitter that I feel leaves more to be desired is the level of professionalism that is used when posting. While the use of Twitter in and of itself might be viewed as "hip and youthful", I think UA makes a mistake when it allows the individuals who run the account to make posts that are at times unintelligible due to overuse of internet slang and abbreviations. For example: "RT @elliottyamin Mad important partnership b/w @MalariaNoMore & United 2gether able 2 touch more lives & help eradicate malaria in africa." While the idea is good (UA is replying to a user, former American Idol Elliott Yamin, who mentioned that UA has partnered with a non-profit to fight malaria in Africa, as blogged about in our last installment), I'm a little put off by the fact that United's official response was to call the partnership "mad important". Is this public relations for a major company or the Real World?

On the other hand we have American Airlines, another user of Twitter that might need to spruce up its offering a bit. Where as UA has successfully offered Twares to its users for over a year now, I have yet to see a single offering from AA that provides any incentive to its subscribers. AA's twitter postings are entirely consumed with responding to flyer's complaints and compliments, or announcing various AA news pieces and charitable works.

While good in theory, AA has yet to harness Twitter as effectively as UA for one simple reason: UA gives people a reason to BUY a ticket. AA doesn't. Low airfares provide an incentive to fliers to buy tickets. While AA's PR work addressing customer complaints and charity work is admirable, it doesn't give incentive for anyone to actually buy something. AA's Twitter team definitely aces the professionalism test though. Rarely have I seen the messages utilize slang or excessive abbreviations unless absolutely relevant or appropriate.

While AA might be a slightly larger airlines then UA (for now), the Twitter audience skews in favor of UA: 91,000 vs. 75,000.

FACEBOOK

Another popular method of connecting with flyers through a social network is Facebook. Facebook is a social networking website that allows the user to post a variety of media onto the site which will automatically load on any "friend's" (i.e. subscriber's) news feed. Similiar to Twitter, an airlines can utilize Facebook to upload its latest television ad and instantaneously provide access and advertisement for it with thousands of potential customers. Replace the television ad with a photo, advertisement, sale announcement, press release, or any other outreach tool and you can see how much potential use this might have. Again, both AA and UA utilize this social networking website to varying degrees of success.

UA's Facebook page is essentially a dead zone. While it has 20,000+ fans, the airline has never utilized any of Facebook's features to communicate with its audiences. It essentially serves as a method by which users can advertise their affinity for the airline by "liking" the page. Fans can "tag" UA in posts and pictures of the airline, but with no official presence they are unable to communicate directly with the company. Based on the blank updates page its safe to assume UA seems to have no interest in using the site to relay information or interact with the traveling public:

It seems United is missing an opportunity here. While their Twitter account actively interacts with the public, the Facebook account is a stagnant and almost sad representation of the company.

On the other hand, AA's Facebook page is very active and provides a lot of the same information its Twitter account does. Several time a day a representative from AA will update the page with information on new flights that are being initiated, improvements to the cabin, or potential weather delays fliers might see. It also serves as a method in which to advertise sale fares offered by the airline, though unlike UA's Twares these sales are open to anyone and do not require a code specific to Facebook fans.

The one thing AA seems to fail miserably at on its Facebook account is handling negative feedback. Without fail, any information posted by AA on its page will inevitably be swamped by a litany of complaints from users ranging from an individual's damaged luggage from a flight the night before to requests to lower the airfare on specific routes so the user can visit family. While this is to be expected with any public forum where a company interacts with the public, AA's response seems to be to ignore the users. Though once in awhile the AA account will address specific user's complaints, 95% of the time its posts become a battleground between users tearing down and building up the company.

I'm not an expert in handling public relations, but common sense tells me that ignoring the issue isn't working and probably does more to anger individuals then to calm them. Perhaps AA can reply with requests to contact AA's customer service department directly with complaints through its website or dedicated phone line? Anything would be better then seeing an announcement of a donation made to the Susan G Komen foundation for breast cancer research be bogged down by complaints from users asking for assistance with their canceled flight.

Again, the success of each airline's use of Facebook seems to be in the numbers: UA's low following of 20,000 users is trounced by AA's 80,000 fans.

The modern world is fickle with its attention, and social networking seems to be (for the time being) the wave of the future. An airline's attempt to link into these up and coming trends can really shape how the flying public interacts and chooses to spend money their carriers of choice. Have you had an experience interacting with an airline through Twitter, Facebook, or some other social network?

Safe Travels,

Leo

I Dream Of Africa

2010-06-18T15:37:00.000-07:00

Despite the thousands of miles that seem to separate our various land masses, I've always held firm to the idea that our planet is a small world with a lot to see. My dream would be to one day see a world where you could drop in to your local airport, and catch a flight to anywhere your heart desired with little hassle. The realities of the travel industry will never allow that day to arrive though, which isn't neccasarily bad. The negative impact of so many flights on our environment is already controversial. Additionally, it just isn't financially feasible to connect every notable point of interest in the world. Sure, it would be great if I could run down to O'Hare from my condo and catch a flight to Madagascar, but no airline is going to make money on that route.

All this is why I always find the initiation of new routes on an airline to be such an exciting and interesting thing. I'm eternally fascinated with the ways that people can connect to each other, and being able to jump on a plane for a few hours and get off in a completely different culture is certainly a way to connect to someone else.

This Sunday at 10:20 PM Eastern, United Airlines is passing a historic milestone in its history by initiating service to Africa. The airline will be flying a Boeing 767 from Washington Dulles (IAD) to Accra, Ghana (ACC). According to United's press release, Ghana's ambassador to the United State will be taking the inaugural flight. Additionally, American Idol contestant Elliott Yamin will be on the flight, though I'm completely mystified as to why this was considered noteworthy enough to include in the official press release.....

To mark the occasion, United has partnered with non-profit Malaria No More and ExxonMobile to distribute more then 1000 mosquito nets to families in rural Ghana. Sonya Jackson, president of the United Airlines Foundation (the charity arm of United Airlines) said, "Along with the economic value our new service provides to Ghana, we have responsibility and commitment to do our part to address a critical need in the region." This is an interesting and noble sounding clip, but my personal suspicion is that everyday Ghanaians probably won't see much economic value from United's new service. At the very least, the mosquite nets are a nice gesture.

When this service was first announced, it was not the only African destination marked by United to receive services. The Nigerian city of Lagos was on deck to receive flights as well. Nigeria's aviation approval process is notoriously slow and shifty, and it currently seems United has dropped its plans to provide service to this violent but important city in the heart of Africa's oil country. There's a possibility that Nigeria's government had no hand in United's decision to not launch service to Lagos though. Continental, which United Airlines is currently in the process of merging with, has recently announced some of the destinations it plans on adding to its route network when it beings flying the Boeing 787. The first location was Auckland, New Zealand, and the 2nd location was.... you guessed it, Lagos, Nigeria. With the merger pending, it would seem that duplicating service to Lagos on the same airline might saturate the market a bit. Even though United initially intended on flying to Lagos from Accra with the same aircraft, Continental's intention to connect Lagos to Houston makes more sense for business travel by connecting two oil industry giants.

I've never been to Ghana (or Africa for that matter), but I have a coworker who has gone and absolutely fell in love with the people and culture. He's already planning a return during the upcoming Christmas holiday season. It looks like he'll have another option to get there now. I'd be looking to go with him if I wasn't trying to concentrate on flying on a certain rival airline alliance.....

What remains to be seen is if the Ghana route can be profitable for United. Only time will tell. For now, we can just enjoy the fact that for some people, like my coworker, our world just got a bit smaller.

Safe Travels,

Leo

Source: United.com

De-doored during deplaning?

2010-06-16T11:49:00.000-07:00

Even though I'm on an airplane more often then your typical individual, it might surprise a lot of people to know that I have a very deeply ingrained fear of heights. Elevators, tall buildings, balconies, you name it - I'm afraid of it, and you can definitely include flying on that list. As time goes by and I take more and more flights, that fear has reduced itself to a very manageable level. I know myself though, and I can guarantee you that from take off to landing on every flight I ever take, a little voice in the back of my head will be having a panic attack for the duration of the ride.

Nevertheless, what if the malfunction you fear is awaiting your plane isn't during the flight at all?

Passengers on American Airlines Flight 962 experienced just that recently when their plane landed safely at Dallas - Fort Worth (DFW) from Sao Paulo, Brazil (GRU). The Boeing 777 pulled up to the jetbridge at Terminal D and its flight attendants opened the door to being to deplane the passengers. What happened next is still under investigation, but it appears one or both of the following things took place:

The pilot failed to appropriately park the aircraft.
The ground crew at DFW either inadequately or failed to chock the aircraft.

Regardless, the result was this:

According to the report the plane rolled backwards approximately 200 feet, its door ramming up against the jetbridge and eventually tore free from the aircraft. Luckily there were no reports of injuries among the crew, ground crew, and passengers.

I can only imagine if I was on that flight:

Standing up after almost 1/2 a day on an airplane to stretch my legs, I try to clear the flyer's fog out of my head while navigating the narrow aisle in an attempt to get to my carry on baggage and get off the plane in a reasonable amount of time. I take a moment to thank my lucky stars that I've made it through another flight without an incident.....

Only to suddenly feel the plane amble backwards 200 feet and hear what must have been the shockingly harsh sound of a Boeing 777's door being ripped off its hinges!

AA's spokesperson acknowledged the incident and stated it was still under investigation. My assumption would be that considering American Airlines only flies to a few select destinations with its 777s and that this one will be out of commission for a few days, the plane's crew and ground staff will have a lot of explaining to do.

Safe Travels,

Leo

Sources:

Star Telegram Sky Talk, Star Telegram Sky Talk

Inaugural Flight

2010-06-15T14:51:00.000-07:00

Greetings and welcome aboard!

I'm glad you've taken some time to stop by this little venture of mine. I'm sure you're a bit curious as to what this whole blog thing might be about, so I'll do my best to catch you up to speed....

Way back in the days of parachute pants and Hypercolor t-shirts, I was nothing more then a little boy with a big dream. The world was an exciting and enthralling place, and I wanted nothing more then to lace up my Keds and find a way to see it. Every night before bed my parents would tuck me in while quizzing me on the cities of the world: Tokyo, Paris, London, Delhi. The world seemed like it was endless and I couldn't wait till I was old enough to buy a ticket and immerse myself in it.

In my early adult life, I wasn't the most financially secure and ambitious person. I still sat around daydreaming about far away lands, but the idea that I might one day actually get to see them was not a reality. I was content to browse airline websites and travel blogs, forever gazing at what might be. I honestly believed that I would never leave the country, let alone the Midwest each and every time I looked at my bank account.

December 31st of 2008 was a historic benchmark for me. I was settling into what has now become a solid and stable career, finding my legs in what has now become a solid and stable long term relationship, and it felt like it was about time to settle into a childhood dream as well. So when January 1st finally rolled around, I made myself a New Year resolution I knew it would be easy to keep: get off your ass and get on a plane.

Since that day I've come to embrace and love everything that is "travel". Airports, airlines, frequent flier programs, travel websites, geography, airline routes, hotels, and the stories of awe, wonder, and disappointment that go along with it - all of these things pique my interest like few other subjects in my life. I've been able to see and do some amazing things in the past year, and I wanted to find a way to both document and share those experiences with friends, family, and anyone else who wanted to take the time to read a few paragraphs a week.

So here I am. Writing to anyone who will read about everything that encompasses "travel" in the 21st century. You can expect some of the following from this blog:

Trip Reports - My travels hasn't come close to stopping for the time being, and I've seen quite a bit in the last year as well. Whenever I have a trip I'll be documenting the location and journey on this blog with a traveler's eye view of the airports, flights, hotels, destinations, and cultures. I'll also be taking some time to relive some of my favorite trips from the past year. Pictures will clearly be shared.

Airline News - I'm no where near an expert on airlines, but I do have a mild fascination with what makes an airline tick. So from time to time I might make some musings about airline alliances, airline quality, airline route offerings, and airport experiences in general.

Travel Websites - There are a lot of resources out there for an individual who wants to see the world. When people hear about my travels, they often ask me a lot of questions. "Where do you find cheap tickets?" "How do you know what to do and see?" "What travel tips do you have?" I use a lot of different resources and websites to plan my trips, and I'm still learning quite a bit from them. I'll take some time to detail what tools I use to make the most out of my trips.

So there you have it. The maiden voyage of what I hope will be an enjoyable writing experience for this 20 something guy from Chicago. I maintain another blog for personal reasons, and I've always stated that what I write is for me first, and I maintain that mantra here. If someone decides to read this, that's good to know. At the end of the day, I want this to be something I enjoy though, and hopefully you do, too. So let's all get set to jet set....

Safe Travels,

Leo