Traveling With Debe

California attractions close in the wake of wildfires

In hard-hit San Diego County, where an estimated 200,000 acres have burned, the San Diego Wild Animal Park, Legoland and SeaWorld were all closed. The Wild Animal Park sustained fire and wind damage, and some animals were evacuated, including the California condors. The park said it would remain closed today, Oct. 24, but planned to reopen Oct. 25 if conditions allow. SeaWorld also said it would remain closed today, Oct. 24, but sustained no fire damage and is monitoring the animals' health. Legoland said it planned to reopen on Oct. 25 pending further developments. San Diego International Airport remained open but passengers were urged to contact their airlines. For airport updates, visit www.san.org. Port of San Diego administrative offices were closed and "cruise operations at the port will be conducted as conditions allow." The San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau said the fires were primarily in the county's outlying north and east areas. Weather patterns are "expected to improve in the coming days, enhancing the ability of firefighters to contain the wildfires," the site said. The CVB's website lists whether attractions are open or closed. "Various San Diego area tourist attractions, including the downtown core and waterfront, are fully operational," the website said. "The San Diego Convention Center, airport and hotels located in central San Diego are not threatened by the fires and are open for business." For more information, visit www.sandiego.org.

Excerpted from Modern Agent.

Long wait for passports....

If you are planning on  traveling anywhere outside the 50 Unite States anytime soon - yes, that includes Canada - you need to get your passport in order NOW.  Whether that means renewing or applying, the wait is long.  Current wait times are 10-12 weeks.  Expediting your service will only gain you about 4 weeks.  In other words, if you are leaving next month, you are already in big trouble. 

You do have two options - fly to Chicago and stand in line with the other hopefuls at the regional passport office OR contact a passport service agency.  They have standing appointments everyday.  You'll pay a service fee for their time & efforts but it's better than sitting home with non-refundable tickets to Mexico....

What's in your 1 Quart Zip Top bag??

As I prepare for a 3 night trip to NY, here's what made it into my "secure" bag:

• 2 oz. Avalon Organics lemon bath gel
• 3 oz. Aveda Rosemary Mint Shampoo
• 1 oz. Aveda Rosemary Mint Conditioner
• 1 oz. Aveda all sensitive lotion
• 1.4 oz. Aveda hand relief lotion
• .30 oz. Burt's Bees lemon butter cuticle creme
• 1.3 oz. Crest Pro-Health Rinse
• .75 oz. Neutrogena Acne treatment
• .85 oz. Crest toothpaste
• .35 oz Bach Rescue Remedy
• 3 bottles of sample colognes

...with room to spare!  Yes-the deodorant is missing but I figure I can pick-up a small one on the way from the airport.  No worrries.  And for facial cleansing, I packed an Aveda facial bar in my non-liquid bag.  I took the quart bag as a challenge and had fun filling it with cute little versions of my fullsize favorites.  Granted, I'm only going away for 4 days...a week long  trip would probably require a checked bag...although you'd be surprised how far 3 oz. of shampoo can last.

PLUS! You can take on liquids that are purchased in the "secure" area, i.e. everything after you go through security.  Don't forget to bring on your Caribou...no more airline coffee!

Click here for up-to-date TSA travel tips.

TSA relaxes rules for carry-on items

From an article that appeared today in Travel Weekly, an industry trade publication-

The Transportation Security Administration has relaxed its rules for airplane carry-on items and said it would allow airline passengers to carry small amounts of liquids, gels and aerosols onboard.

The agency said that, effective Sept. 26, travelers would be allowed to carry travel-sized toiletries, of three ounces or less, if they are contained in one quart-sized, clear plastic zip-top bags.

Travelers also may bring on the aircraft beverages that they have purchased in the secure areas of the airport.

The TSA said it was "unlikely" that the restrictions on liquids and gels would be changed further in the near future.

Kip Hawley, the TSA's assistant secretary, said in a statement that the agency had "learned enough from the U.K. investigation to say with confidence that small, travel size liquids are safe to bring through security checkpoints in limited numbers."

Larger amounts of required medications, baby formula and diabetic glucose treatments have been exempt from the liquid ban, although travelers must present them to screeners at security checkpoints.

The TSA had banned liquids, gels and lotions in carry-on bags Aug. 10, after U.K. officials announced an investigation into a terrorist plots involving transatlantic flights.

On Sept. 25, the TSA said it also would be enhancing security measures throughout airports, including adding more random screening of employees, more canine patrols and tighter cargo screening, and deploying more officers trained in bomb appraisal and screening by observation techniques.

Disney 2006 Part One

Greetings from Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL!  We are currently on vacation at the Happiest Place on Earth.  I was hoping to post a blog-a-day but we are really busy running around the world!  Here are some of the highlights:

• Expedition Everest is awsome - a MUST DO
• Favorite NEW thing is Turtle Talk with Crush - another MUST DO
• Halloween party was disappointing this year...
• Meal plan is a great deal-lots of snack options
• Weather is beautiful but Spetember is love-bug season
• Great bus service to Pop Century from all Theme Parks, usually two at a time!

Look for an extended review after we return on Wednesday Sep 27th.  Until then, be sure to book your fall travel NOW as Disney has packages on sale through travel Oct-Dec 2006 but you must book by  September 30.  Please email me if you'd like more information.

Have a Magical Day!

New Passport Regulations

On msn.com today, there is an article about the the new passport regulations that are due to go into effect in 2007.  A particularly helpful paragraph reads-

For a list of post offices, town clerk's offices and other facilities where passports are processed, type in your zip code at http://www.iafdb.travel.state.gov/. There are more than 7,700 such locations around the country.

Wow...holy useful batman...

Travel Clothes & Packing Tips

The Disney Trip Countdown widget on my desktop reminds me that there are only 8 days till my next trip to Walt Disney World.  But before that we will be in Buffalo, New York to see family, friends and the Dalai Lama at UB. 

Packing for back to back trips is always tricky.  Differences in weather and activities can leave you staring at piles of hopeful clothes wondering-who gets to come and who stays home?  The best trick is an old stand-by...layering.   Although Chicos is the store that usually comes to mind for travel clothes, I recently found a bunch of great, new favorites at Target. My favorite thing to pack is thin, long sleeve shirts and cardigans that I can roll up and stuff in my small back pack/purse to have for when the sun goes down.  Right now Target has a slew of long sleeve cotton shirts by Cherokee and Mossimo for $7.99, a rayon polo by Mossimo for $12.99 (love it!) and a fine gauge cotton cardigan for $14.99. 

When you are in Orlando, and it's 90 degrees out, it's a tank or t-shirt with shorts or capris.  But at night, after the sun goes down, you need a little something more.  A long sleeve cotton shirt or a fine gauge cardigan are just the trick to keep you comfortable.  Here are some other things that I always bring:

• Rain ponchos-it's a drag to keep buying them when you have 4 at home
• Binoculars-great for animal viewing at Animal Kingdom PLUS we're doing the Backstage Safari tour this time around. Plus, my seats for the Dalai Lama's talk are not as close as I had hoped...
• Pre-printed address labels and postcard stamps-don't laugh!  I like to send postcards to friends and family and my Disney clients!  Having labels pre-printed saves time.  You can grab a pack of generic Disney postcards (best value) and write out short notes while you wait in line for.
• Ziploc bags-I always seem to need these...wet bathing suit, snacks to take on board, small items that could get lost, above mentioned postcards and stamps...
• All relevant power cords & rechargers...'nuff said
• A good book-flying is always an opportunity to see just how much patience you have and how resourceful you can be with an indeterminate delay.  My latest choice is Saving Fish from Drowning by Amy Tan (who will be in Minneapolis at the Hopkins Center for the Arts on September 28)
• DVD player or laptop-along with that good book, another thing that keeps your sanity intact.  If you live in Minnesota, check out Half Price Books for cheap, used DVDs. 

Remember: Rolling clothes does decrease winkles, if you don't wear it at home-you won't wear it on vacation, the reason you are on vacation is to...............(fill in the blank.)

 

Local Adventures

Minneapolis/St.Paul magazine website offers a great email newsletter – Weekend Recommender – that features Live Music, Theater, Galleries, Comedy, Nightlife and More. Featured this week under Museums – You get a Macy's Museum Adventure Pass, a handy ticket that gets you and three pals free admission to seventeen metro arts and culture organizations with your Twin Cities library card.

A Day at the Fair

Today we ventured out to the Minnesota State Fair, along with about 50000 other people and a large mass of incontinent rain clouds. But-no matter...it's all good. Here's my list of (burp) favorite fair food...

Roasted corn on the cob-WOW! so delicious and tender, just enough butter and you-add-salt!

Endless cup of milk for $1-it's cold, it's creamy, it's comes in 2% or chocolate...yummy!

Tiny Tim Donuts...A marvel of miniature machinary with a noble purpose-to create perfect little fried cakes covered with fresh granulated sugar. Warm, slightly crispy with just enough sugar-the perfect dessert. Follow up with an endless cup of milk (see above).

Nothing I ate was on a stick but that was not for lack of variety. We just prefer a hands on approach to our food. Hope you enjoyed the fair too. It's one of the many great things about living in Minnesota.

On the Road to Sedona

While we were in Phoenix, we took a trip up to Sedona for the day. Luckily, the hotel – Sheraton Wild Horse Pass puts a great magazine in the room for guests entitled Where Phoenix. Their article, The Road to Sedona, (In the August issue) gave us our blueprint for the day. We set out in the morning and stopped in Arcosanti, Montezuma Castle & Montezuma Well before winding up in Oak Creek. TIP! If you are traveling with kids, be sure to pick-up a Passport To Your National Parks - it's a fun book that lists all the national parks, recreation center, forests, etc in the US and has pages for stamps and stickers. It comes in either a small spiral bound format or a NEW 5x7 three version. At each stop, you can have the book date stamped as a memento.

The information center in Oak Creeek gave us great maps and insight into which trails offered the best views. Because of the stops on the way up, we arrived in Oak Creek at 4pm. They do not recommend being on the trails after 7pm because that’s when the predators come out…yes predators. There’s a happy image to carry with you as you strike out into the wilderness. Needless to say I started imagining different battle scenarios, starting at about 6pm…why wait till you’re actually attacked to have all that fun?

But I digress. This is not a posthumous post. We survived out trek, although we did take a wrong turn and wound up further and further way from our starting point. I convinced my husband to hike out to the road and head back. He pointed out that walking down a major highway with no shoulder and blind turns was much more dangerous that the land around Bell Rock Canyon…. Note to self.

I would recommend spending the time to stop on the way up to Sedona. You can stay overnight in Oak Creek or Sedona and have the next day to enjoy the canyons before heading to Flagstaff. The next posts will talk about the side trips…