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You are here: Home / Archives for Travel & Adventure

Sedona With a Twist, and More

May 28, 2009 by Sonia Marsh

It was then that I decided to…. catch a taxi and go back to my hotel room. I left my friend dancing, although she did offer to drive me back to the hotel.

Apart from feeling uncomfortable in the nightclub with mostly single people, I think I might have danced had the music been disco, like “Let’s Groove” by Earth, Wind and Fire, or “Brick House” by the Commodores or my latest favorite song by Black Eyed Peas, “Boom, boom, Pow.” I love songs with a definite rhythm. Alternative rock is not my choice of dancing music. What do you like to dance to?

The following morning after our Starbucks coffee, we drove to Uptown Sedona–that’s what downtown is called– and saw these horses.

I felt like we were back in time and Sedona, although beautiful, is a little too small for me. I’ve often said that I could live in Belize for up to 3 months, but then I would crave a movie theater, libraries, bookstores, coffee shops, and some new faces. I think the same applies to Sedona, as far as I’m concerned. What about you? Do you need a mix of the two, or are you definitely a city person or a rural person?

The weather improved, and we decided to take a tram ride to see the red rocks and other parts of town.

Due to spring, and fresh rain, we could smell the fragrant pines and drove by some interesting plants such as the giant asparagus stem with red broccoli florets.
The majestic red rocks with their striations have names such as “the coffeepot” and
“the chimney” defined by their shapes. I have to admit the view from this person’s house below, is quite inspiring, especially if you’re a writer or an artist.

I have a few more stories to share in my next post. One is about a place I never thought I’d step into, but did.

The Travel Detective Gives Us Some Tips

April 3, 2009 by Sonia Marsh

The line slithered outside the sliding glass doors of the awesome Newport Beach Public Library one hour before the scheduled presentation of Peter Greenberg. Greenberg, travel correspondent for ABC’s Good Morning America and a New York Times best-selling author of the Travel Detective series, fights to give consumers the best kept secrets such as, “There are secret seats on coach that are better than Business class seats. In case you were wondering, they’re not the bulk head seats or the exit row seats either. Greenberg says they’re in his latest book, Tough Times, Great Travels: The Travel Detective’s Guide to Hidden Deals, Unadvertised Bargains and Great Experiences.

I shall give you a few snippets from his presentation that I found useful and interesting:

* Don’t book tickets online thinking you’ll get the best deal. Call the airline first, get the best deal they offer and book it. The airline will hold it for free for 24 hours. Then go online after and compare prices with the one you got from a real person.
* Greenberg recommends Kayak and onetime to book online tickets.
* Openskies offers only business class seats at a great cost. They fly between New York, Paris and Amsterdam and I checked a flight from NY to Paris one-way in May was only $662.
* Korean airlines fly everywhere in the U.S., for example Los Angeles to Sao Paulo and offer better rates and service.
* 85 banned airlines are still flying abroad.
* Buy one way tickets, then you never need to change ticket.
* Get trip cancellation insurance.
* Never buy insurance from travel provider itself, go through the travel agent.

Other comments of interest:
Greenberg mentioned the worst airports in the U.S. are Miami and LAX, due to passport control and customs delays. The best airports are Portland, Seattle and Chicago.

The best bargains and countries to visit in South America are Argentina, Chile,(has the most to offer in terms of diversity, dry desert in the north, Lake District, Patagonia.) Colombia has turned things around and is a great place to visit now. Paraguay is the most dangerous country for a woman traveling alone in South America.

You know what DELTA stands for? “Don’t ever leave the airport.”

If you’re interested in listening to the podasts of these famous speakers, please click here. It usually takes a few weeks for the podcast to be available after the presentation. So please be patient and come back if you don’t see it right away.

So what are your travel plans this year? Any good tips you can share?

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