1082 Search Results for ""hawaii trip""

• Wanderlust-Traveler

  • Points:652
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  • Since: 6 months ago
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• Hawaii - On a Budget Hawaii - On a Budget

  • From: gogoddess
  • Description:

    Hotel:  The Aqua Aloha Surf Waikiki offered the location and amenities I was looking for at the right price.  I paid under $100 per night...had budgeted for more expensive digs but decided it wasn't necessary to spend as much as planned on a decent property.  The hotel sits on the Alai Wai Canal at a the busy intersection of Kanekapolei & Alai Wai Blvd.  There was a lot of traffic noise so I was glad my room was higher up which helped some.  The property is well maintained, the staff is friendly and the room was comfortable, especially the bed.  It had a decent size mini fridge, microwave, coffee-maker and sink.  Dishes and utensils were provided as well.  In fact the first thing I did was go shopping at the Food Pantry grocery store 1/2 block away to stock up on beverages, yogurt, fresh fruit, etc. for my eight day satay. Continental Breakfast is included at the Aloha Surf (provided you book through Aqua), but the selection was poor (pancakes & pastries - not much else.  So I enjoyed breakfast daily on my balcony with beautiful views of the Alai Wai to the left and distant view of the ocean to my right (a big $$ saver).

    Transportation:  There is now affordable airport shuttle service from the Honolulu Airport to Waikiki - It was suggested by the hotel that I book my transfer in advance with Speedishuttle - so I did.  I was met at the airport baggage claim area, the Rep was holding a sign with my name on it - nice touch - I didn't have to seek them out.  The coast: $12.95 (+tip).  It is shared ride service - but we were loaded and off to Waikiki in less than 20 minutes of my arrival...baggage arrival was the only hold up.  I would certainly recommend Speedishuttle as the way to go...and definately make reservations in advance.

    Sightseeing:  This was my fifth trip to Hawaii so I was looking to complete my lists of sites to visit not seen on previous trips.  First stop: Iolani Palace - I reserved a docent led tour about a week prior to my arrival.  It was well worth the $20 and well worth the visit.  I read Queen Lili' uokalani's Book - Hawaii's Story - and moved to see the actual room were she was held prisoner after the take over of Hawaii by US led forces.  A great history lesson to be had there - everyone should visit.  Another day the Polynesian Cultural Center - I really didn't want an all-day tour but decided to book when I discovered a 1/2 day option was available.  For $69 I got transportation to/from Waikiki departing at 12:30pm and entrance to "Ha: Breath of Life", a Polynesian show which began at 7:30pm.  Since I did not pre-pay for dinner, I ate at their snack bar and had a delicious meal of teriyaki shrimp & chicken...yumm.  When I did meet up with the others from our coach, I asked "how was dinner"...based on their responses...I was glad I opted out of the buffet & Luau.  The young man who was our tour guide from Waikiki offered those of us who had not booked the entire package to join him for a guided tour for only $15 more..."Jay" was a the perfect host and gave an excellent tour!  I think he's only there on Saturdays.  I saved the best for last - Blue Hawaiian Helicopter Tours! - this was my big splurge and birthday gift to self. I had been wanting to do it on other visits but couldn't convince my fellow travelers...since this was a solo trip I got to do everything I wanted including a 50 minute copter tour of Oahu.  Blue Hawaiian has an excellent reputation and I would have booked with them anyway in spight of a neighbors relative owning the company.  I didn't book in advance because I wanted to watch the weather forecast and pick a "good" day while there.  I booked just two days in advance and my choice of several departure dates & times.  From hotel pick up, to check in at the heliport - to our actual tour - top-notch service was provided.  Our pilot "Jonathan" was an excellent guide and put everyone at ease right away...there was some taped commentary but most was provided by our pilot.  I even bought a video of my actual flight so I could share the unforgettable experience with family/friends back home.  Can't wait for my next Blue Hawaiian Tour - Kauai or the Big Island?

    Activities: The Beach: Waikiki Beach - as beautiful as it is can get crowded and noisy.  I found a perfect oasis in Kahanamoku Beach - near the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

     

     

  • Blog post
  • 2 years ago
  • Views: 370
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• barbaraN

  • Member
  • Points:3242
  • Views: 265
  • Since: 2 years ago
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• Kauai Frog Kauai Frog

  • From: Linda Brannen
  • Description:

    Spotted this guy one morning on recent trip to Kauai.

  • 2 years ago
  • Views: 771

• Kona Hawaii July 2011 Kona Hawaii July 2011

  • From: scubafan67
  • Description:

    We were limited on our airline choices because we had $800 in credits from United. Still, it never hurts to check with www.kayak.com for other fares. We had been to Oah'u last year so we contacted our dive guide and asked for his input on finding a dive operator and accommodations on The Big Island. Based on his suggestions, we went with Kona Diving Company and used www.vrbo.com to compare and contact owners of vacation rentals. It was a little unsettling at first to rent from an owner versus going thru a property management company but for us, it worked out great. We are more about economy than luxury so the 1 bedroom studio in a residential neighborhood (versus a condo or hotel in the hubbub area) was perfect for us. We had a full kitchen so we went to the nearby Target and bought a few groceries so we could have breakfast and a few lunches and suppers at the house. We still did our share of eating out, but it certainly cuts food expense when you don't have to eat out every meal. There is also a Costco and Wal-Mart along with a few grocery stores and a Farmer's Market but for our purposes, a simple trip to Target worked.

     

    We still did our share of eating out and found a few places we really enjoyed. Da Poke Shack is a tiny little "shack" on Ali'i Drive that serves fresh, traditional poke made from the fish caught the night before. They are a small operation but efficiently run by super friendly people who take the time to answer all your questions about Hawaiian poke and even offer samples so you can try before you buy. They sometimes have poi as well but the place is popular with locals and the few tourist who venture far enough down Ali'i Drive to find it. They have a simple website www.dapokeshack.com and if you are a sashimi eater, then you will likely be a poke eater. My suggestion is Da Shack Special with the Ocean Salad (seaweed salad), but it is best if you do a little research and find out exactly what poke is and whether you'd even be willing to try it (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poke_(Hawaii)).

     

    We also found a place called L&L Hawaiian BBQ where we could get the lau lau and kalua pork (http://hawaiianbarbecue.com/live/menu/the-ll-menu/) and Genki Sushi USA (http://www.genkisushiusa.com/index.html) that was great. At Genki Sushi, the prices are based on the color of the plate that is coming along the conveyor belt, or you can simply order exactly what you want. We had fun watching it all come to us but before we knew it, we had way more plates stacked up that we thought. Take your time and eat what you have before reaching for another plate (that advice is to me!).

     

    Kona Diving Company (www.bottomtimehawaii.com) is family run and has an exceptional crew. The boat can feel crowded when everyone is getting on but once gear has been stowed and the trip begins, there is plenty of room to move about. They provide meat or veggie wraps, trail mix, brownies and drinks between dives and while we were there, they never rushed us thru a dive to meet a time limit. We dove till our tanks were pretty empty. We took advantage of their 5 day package deal and turned one of our day-dives into the night dive with Manta Rays. We had a great week diving with them and highly recommend their operation to new or experienced divers going to Kona.

     

    There is a black sand beach north of Kona around mile marker 83. It is not a popular as the famous Black Sand Beach on the southern point of the Big Island but for us, it worked fine. It was much closer and just amazing to see.

     

    When renting a car, we chose to pick up at the Kona airport and by doing so, we paid a "convenience fee." Off site rentals do not have that fee and are regularly cheaper if only by a few dollars, so if you are staying at a hotel that has a pickup service, you would get a better price for a rental car if you waited till you got to your hotel. The rental agencies will tell you there are lots of places you cannot go without a jeep or 4WD vehicle, but we found that we didn’t go to those places anyway. If you plan to go to the volcanoes or some of the remote hiking areas, waterfalls, etc., then you would need to be absolutely sure if your rental car would be allowed. We wound up getting a jeep only because they had "extra" and gave it to us for no additional cost although in hindsight, we probably spent more in gasoline than we would have with the mid-size car we originally were getting.

     

    Some people say there is "nothing to do" in Kona, but that depends on your interests. We found plenty of "free" things to do like going to Mountain Thunder coffee plantation for their free tour (http://www.mountainthunder.com/kona_coffee_tour.php) and visited The Place of Refuge (http://www.nps.gov/puho/index.htm) both of which were just a couple of many ideas from the tourism website www.http://www.gohawaii.com/big-island.com.

  • Blog post
  • 2 years ago
  • Views: 483

• Excitement is CONTAGIOUS! Excitement is CONTAGIOUS!

  • From: CarmH
  • Description:

    Well we're staring down the barrel of 36 wake-ups until our 20th Anniversary trip to Maui. We've never been and this will be our first trip to anywhere tropical.

    My excitement abounds and builds each day I mark that big red "X" through the days on my calendar. It's been a LONG wait. Lots of planning. Lots of scheming. It's almost here, people...ALMOST. HERE.

    My hubby said last night as I was getting ready to log into Facebook that a friend at work told him he HAS to take a surf lesson while there. So I looked online and found a 2 hour Semi-Private lesson for $85. His eyes lit up!! He's been really non-chalant about the trip so far. Don't get me wrong, he's looking forward to it, it just hasn't been so dramatic for him as it has for me. I'm the one with the full blown countdown till Maui on my cell phone and my Wake-Ups ticking down on our calendar. But on the first day of July he sent me a text that said, "You realize that NEXT MONTH we'll be in Hawaii, right?!" and with that I could tell he was really getting into it. His fear was that he didn't want to wish our summer away by counting down the days. Well...the only thing about that is that we live in Washington State. And uh, the issue we have with this summer is that IT NEVER GOT HERE! We've had - and yes, our news stations around here have been keeping track - 78 hours of 80+ degree weather this summer. PATHETIC!

    So it sounds like Sufing will edge it's way into one of our beach days, which is going to be REALLY AWESOME. No, you won't get any pictures of ME trying to surf. I mean...first of all...that would be wrong on a LOT of levels, but more importantly, my hubby is awesome on a skateboard, and SOMEONE has to be available for the candid shots of how this whole lesson thing will go down. We're so excited!

     

    Those of you who have been to Maui or the Islands, have you taken Surf Lessons? Who did you get your lessons through? Did you have a GREAT TIME?

  • Blog post
  • 2 years ago
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• Maui Research - What to do Maui Research - What to do

  • From: CarmH
  • Description:

    In preparation for our Dream Vacation to Maui, I've spent an unGodly amount of time researching exactly how and what to do, when the best time is to do it all and how I can get the ABSOLUTE BEST PRICES - because, let's face it, MAUI IS EXPENSIVE!!! Let's get started, shall we?

    THE FLIGHT

    The airline ticket was #1 on my list. I knew that it would cost the biggest chunk for my hubby and I to even get there, but we went ahead and spent the extra money on flying with Hawaiian Airlines. If you book far enough in advance like we did, our tickets turned out to be about $550/pp/rt. Not too shabby. We are going in August and we booked the flights in March. We made the decision to fly with Hawaiian Airlines because;

    1. Think about it - they fly a LOT of Hawaiian's to and from the mainland. Hawaiians are known for their...ROBUSTNESS, therefore the seats on the planes are more accomodating than say, your typical Alaskan Airlines flight;

    2. Chances of our luggage getting lost is slim to none. You're on one plane. Headed to ONE destination. It doesn't get much more straightforward than that. I'm terrified of all my swimsuits getting lost by the airlines, but I'm slowly getting over obsessing about this minor glitch that could ruin our trip. That's not to say that I'm not gonna get on the plane wearing one of my suits under my sundress, because I plan on jumping in the water almost immediately after we walk into the condo we secured - if not sooner. I'm excited and am acting like a teenager...and I haven't been a teenager in 21 years...so... YAY!

    3. We are getting Lei'd when we land. I want the full Hawaiian treatment and nothing says HAWAII like a Lei, am I RIGHT?!?! YEP! We paid the extra money to get Lei'd when we get off the plane. Corny? Yep. But a girl has a dream in her head and she's probably got only one chance to make her dreams a reality and I'm going for it.

    4. I want my Hawaiian experience to start the MOMENT we step foot on that plane. And that is what will happen on this particular airline. The Aloha Spirit (from what I've been told) happens the moment you step foot on the plane. That sounds like the perfect way to start a dream vacation to Maui, wouldn't you say?

    WHERE TO STAY

    A friend of mine told me about a website that shares listings of vacation homes that are for rent by owner, complete with an easily navaigatable (I just made up that word) website. You can basically select ANY WHERE that you want to go and then it starts to narrow down the area's and gives you explicit details on the properties listed and in almost every case, there are interior and exterior photos with the listing so that you can make an informed decision. the website is www.vrbo.com (vrbo=vacation rentals by owner). It took some looking and even some correspondence with a couple owners before we found our dream condo to rent for 8 days, but the folks we talked to - even when their space wasn't what we had in mind - were full of Aloha Spirit and more than helpful with suggestions and places to go and things to see. I even spoke with one lady, and after determining her condo didn't have the beachfront location we were looking for, she gave us some of the condo addresses in her complex that would be more of what we were looking for. WASN'T THAT NICE?!?! We're staying in Sugar Beach Resort, by the way. We found an end unit, 50 steps from our Lanai to the Beach completely renovated for about $145/night. SEE??? LISTEN TO ME, PEOPLE!! I'm trying to help you streamline your searches here!!!

    WHAT TO DO

    There is SO MUCH to do on Maui. If you have an unlimited bankroll, you're going to LOVE IT! But I can help you even if you don't, and you're going to have a GREAT TIME!

    If you're like me, you obsess about just about every detail of your trip, and ONLY when you have everything planned and mapped out can you simmer down and enjoy the anticipation until you leave for your trip. I couldn't/wouldn't rest until I scoured the internet for every little thing we wanted to do and had a plan of attack.

    One thing to remember, there's a time difference. Maui is anywhere from 2 to more hours ahead of wherever you are from. You can use this time change to your advantage for some of the activities you are planning.

    • The Road to Hana - Over 60 single lane bridges - hairpin turns - blind corners. This is a place that you DEFINITELY don't want to drive in the dark of night. The suggestion is to get a SUPER early start to get the entire trip completed by sundown. We are planning our trip to Hana on the first day we are there. We arrive on Thursday and will do the Road to Hana on Friday. We'll already be waking up super early - we are early risers anyway, so we're going to be up before the birds are chiping. Might as well take advantage of our internal clocks right out of the shoot, right?
    • "The Crater" - Haleakala - we are planning to make the 3am trip to see the sunrise on Haleakala on the very next day. IF WE CAN GET OUT OF BED! HA! All that driving may make this impossible, but we're going to plan for it, and if it works out, GREAT! Get both of our early morning trips out of the way. While the trip to "The Crater" (I've been told not to call it Haleakala by someone who lived in Maui - because I'll sound like a stupid white girl from the mainland.) isn't as trecherous as the Road to Hana, it's still going to take some time to get up there. And to get there in time for the sunrise, you'll need to get up early.
    • Snorkelling - I've done some research on this and have found that rental snorkel gear is CHEAP!!!!!!! My husband and I will be able to rent snorkel gear from Boss Frog's for $9.50 for an entire week. It's a great deal - they have specials on the internet, and NOT ONLY THAT!!!!! - but they LOVE helping people enjoy the island. They are corrdinators for activities and can most of the time get you the best deals on anything from a Luau to a Rental Car. I would call them when it gets close to time for your trip and have them help you with as much as you can afford - afterall - you almost can't afford NOT to.
    • Trip to Molokini - There's a little crater of a volcano that has been underwater for quite some time and if you go on a catamaran trip with Boss Frog's they'll take you there (weather permitting) for PRACTICALLY FREE if you rent your snorkel gear through them!! I think there are harbor fees you have to pay, but they run the catamaran out there once or twice a week and LOVE showing everyone a good time. There are other places that offer trips to Molokini as well, but if you can swing the trip with the catamaran from Boss Frog's look into that first. You may be able to take advantage of it and save some $$.
    • Luau's - there are TONS of places on the internet to find info for the best Luau's on the island of Maui. I would say to research ALL of them, read about the types of show they perform. Once you've found the right one for you - whether it's more of a traditional luau or one with FLAMING KNIVES FLYING THROUGH THE AIR, start looking at prices. Contact some of the activity coordinators on the island - I've mentioned Boss Frog's already a few times. These companies have a way of purchasing lots of seats at Luau's because they are partnered with them and many times, they have deeper discounts than you can even find on some websites, so it's worth a call.
    • Beaches -  I mean, COME ON!!!! It's MAUI! I'm extremely excited to rent our car, drive to the closest beach and run like a bat out of hell into the ocean the minute our plane lands. There are so many beaches that you almost can't make a bad choice. I plan on hitting as many of them as I can. We're only there for 8 days, and by reading this far you can see that I've got other things planned, but I just can't wait to run into the water as soon as humanly possible. Many of the snorkel rental shops give you a map to help you find the best snorkelling - from those maps you can also locate awesome beaches for lots of different things you want to do - sunbathing, longboarding, body surfing, surfing, fishing...the list is endless.

    I hope i've given you some tips you can use that will be helpful for planning your trip to Maui. All it really takes is an internet connection and a computer and the rest just sort of falls into place. Good Luck!! MAHALO!

     

    P.S. 43 wake-ups....GAAAAAAHHH!!!!!

     

  • Blog post
  • 2 years ago
  • Views: 648

• Vacation Countdown - How do yo Vacation Countdown - How do you attack it?

  • From: CarmH
  • Description:

    I don't know about you people, but once I finally get to the point that we've decided we're going somewhere? I'm pretty much a nutcase until the day we leave. Our trip to Maui was a prime example of my freaky-outy-ness.

    I've written before about how we came to decide to take our very first trip to Maui. Here's a FFWD version of a recap: 20th Anniversary in August; On March 25th my husband came up with the idea for a cruise to Mexico; I got nervous about pirates/hurricane season means the ships don't sail in August; He said, "Let's check out Maui"; I almost peed my pants and RAN to my laptop; We called my brother in law who LOVES Maui and he said we'd love it; Hubby got a call the next day from said brother in law asking if we had decided yet - during that call hubby told him indeed we HAD decided and we were going to Maui; Brother in law freaked out, came over to our house with a wad of cash for a gift and about 6 books and some tips for our trip; countdown starts 179 wake-ups.

    Ya'll - ever since then, I've been a basket case. Seriously. Like, to the point that I'll never ever EVER plan a vacation this far in advance again. It's supposedly worth waiting for...but you tell that to my over-active imagination. Yeah...I'm not buying it.

    So my question to you would be, how do you countdown your trips? Do you count "Wake-ups"? Do you count "Sleeps"? Do you go by months or days or even hours or minutes? Am I psycho? I can't possibly be the only person on the planet who loses sleep over an exciting dream trip they never thought would be come a reality, right?! Someone said once that I was wasting my life away counting the time that ticks by and that once we get there it's going to go too fast, but you know what? I'm excited!!!!!

    I was given a helpful hint from a friend on Facebook the other day. My incessant countdowning in my status messages were concerning him because then he would know (and everyone else, for that matter) when we wouldn't be home. So, I suppose if you have your profile on the full public access option, you'd probably want to at least lock it down to the point that only the people you're friends with can see what you're doing, which is what I ended up doing. So my friend's suggestion - which was probably just a sneaky way to try to get me to stop counting down because he was getting jealous/tired of seeing me post my stupid "wake-ups" countdown, was something that I thought I'd share with you folks. Not that anyone is even looking at thist Journal. Are you? Are you OUT THERE? Comment already, people!! Show me some LOVE!!!!

    45 wake-ups and I'm gonna board a Hawaiian Airlines flight to Maui. FREAK ME OUT!!!!!

  • Blog post
  • 2 years ago
  • Views: 435

• View from our back yard View from our back yard

  • From: elan
  • Description:

    Collection of images from a December 09 trip to Hawaii to see the Billabong Pipeline Masters with a couple of friends. We rented a house directly on Rocky Point for a week. Unfortunately, we missed the 'Eddie' while in flight to Hawaii, but the leftover swell the next day was still impressive.

  • 2 years ago
  • Views: 149
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• Waimea Falls Waimea Falls

  • From: elan
  • Description:

    Collection of images from a December 09 trip to Hawaii to see the Billabong Pipeline Masters with a couple of friends. We rented a house directly on Rocky Point for a week. Unfortunately, we missed the 'Eddie' while in flight to Hawaii, but the leftover swell the next day was still impressive.

  • 2 years ago
  • Views: 247
  • Not yet rated

• Morning updates for the contes Morning updates for the contest

  • From: elan
  • Description:

    Collection of images from a December 09 trip to Hawaii to see the Billabong Pipeline Masters with a couple of friends. We rented a house directly on Rocky Point for a week. Unfortunately, we missed the 'Eddie' while in flight to Hawaii, but the leftover swell the next day was still impressive.

  • 2 years ago
  • Views: 123
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• DSC_0108-1.JPG DSC_0108-1.JPG

  • From: elan
  • Description:

    Collection of images from a December 09 trip to Hawaii to see the Billabong Pipeline Masters with a couple of friends. We rented a house directly on Rocky Point for a week. Unfortunately, we missed the 'Eddie' while in flight to Hawaii, but the leftover swell the next day was still impressive.

  • 2 years ago
  • Views: 129
  • Not yet rated

• View of Pipeline from the path View of Pipeline from the path between the houses

  • From: elan
  • Description:

    Collection of images from a December 09 trip to Hawaii to see the Billabong Pipeline Masters with a couple of friends. We rented a house directly on Rocky Point for a week. Unfortunately, we missed the 'Eddie' while in flight to Hawaii, but the leftover swell the next day was still impressive.

  • 2 years ago
  • Views: 159
  • Not yet rated

• Obstructed view of Pipeline Obstructed view of Pipeline

  • From: elan
  • Description:

    Collection of images from a December 09 trip to Hawaii to see the Billabong Pipeline Masters with a couple of friends. We rented a house directly on Rocky Point for a week. Unfortunately, we missed the 'Eddie' while in flight to Hawaii, but the leftover swell the next day was still impressive.

  • 2 years ago
  • Views: 227
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• North Shore Sunset North Shore Sunset

  • From: elan
  • Description:

    Collection of images from a December 09 trip to Hawaii to see the Billabong Pipeline Masters with a couple of friends. We rented a house directly on Rocky Point for a week. Unfortunately, we missed the 'Eddie' while in flight to Hawaii, but the leftover swell the next day was still impressive.

  • 2 years ago
  • Views: 152
  • Not yet rated

• North Shore Sunset North Shore Sunset

  • From: elan
  • Description:

    Collection of images from a December 09 trip to Hawaii to see the Billabong Pipeline Masters with a couple of friends. We rented a house directly on Rocky Point for a week. Unfortunately, we missed the 'Eddie' while in flight to Hawaii, but the leftover swell the next day was still impressive.

  • 2 years ago
  • Views: 176
  • Not yet rated

• Big Waimea a day after the 200 Big Waimea a day after the 2009 Eddie

  • From: elan
  • Description:

    Collection of images from a December 09 trip to Hawaii to see the Billabong Pipeline Masters with a couple of friends. We rented a house directly on Rocky Point for a week. Unfortunately, we missed the 'Eddie' while in flight to Hawaii, but the leftover swell the next day was still impressive.

  • 2 years ago
  • Views: 168
  • Not yet rated

• Consquences of Waimea Bay Consquences of Waimea Bay

  • From: elan
  • Description:

    Collection of images from a December 09 trip to Hawaii to see the Billabong Pipeline Masters with a couple of friends. We rented a house directly on Rocky Point for a week. Unfortunately, we missed the 'Eddie' while in flight to Hawaii, but the leftover swell the next day was still impressive.

  • 2 years ago
  • Views: 138
  • Not yet rated

• View from our back yard. Unkno View from our back yard. Unknown surfer, Rocky Point

  • From: elan
  • Description:

    Collection of images from a December 09 trip to Hawaii to see the Billabong Pipeline Masters with a couple of friends. We rented a house directly on Rocky Point for a week. Unfortunately, we missed the 'Eddie' while in flight to Hawaii, but the leftover swell the next day was still impressive.

  • 2 years ago
  • Views: 229
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• 2012 Smart Air Travel Guide 2012 Smart Air Travel Guide

  • From: TravelZar941
  • Description:

    ~ TravelZar's - 2012 Smart Air Travel Guide ~
    
    The presumption is that we all live in a digital World now, so the following recommendations are EZ and doable for almost everyone. There are ways to beat the Airline’s constant increase of Air Travel & Baggage Fee’s, while they keep increasing their ‘Black-out’ dates, as well as, restricting the number of carry-on items. The most obvious fact to mention is that there is nothing like a well thought-out Plan A, with B & C options, I called it ‘Smart Travelers Logistics’. In the word, logistics, I am referring to the maze and haze of air travel today, that starts from the time that you book a flight to packing for the trip to finessing yourself to your gate, with only minor scratches and abrasions, to ensuring that your home communication network is viable, from your travel points.
    
    (1) Passport - Valid for at least 12 months, now required by most countries.
    Entry Visa's, if required, are now mostly sent to you as a digital file, like PDF file, JPEG file or a Word doc. Use the PDF Format file system as that is the most universal one used everywhere and loads up a lot quicker than a Word file, for obvious reasons.
    
    Tip: Most NetBook’s, Cell Phones, Flash drives, 7-inch & 10-inch Pad’s, or PDA’s can read & store PDF files, but if your phone is lost or stolen, you will then have a much bigger problem, unless, you also smartly uploaded an extra COPY to a Public email address, like AOL, Gmail, Yahoo, etc; giving you the option to both access and PRINT out a copy, at any Internet Cafe, Mail Stores, and some Public Libraries.
    Tip - USB Flash “Thumb” drives are the easiest to carry, and on International Travel, I would recommend that you purchase more than one, since they are so cost-effective, can be bought in packages of four or more, make an extra copy of your travel itinerary, maps, and documents, leaving one with a trusted friend or family member, as a Plan C.
    Tip - Best Scanner/printer: see below for recommendations, or visit my numerous Electronic Reviews on amazon dot com.
    
    *Recommendation - Visit the US state department's Web site, at least 4 days before departure at: http://travel.state.gov/ , to check for the latest Traveler's advisories.
    
    (2) Scan & Upload Copies of the following items to a your USB Thumb Flash Drive, and/or, a Global email client like: Gmail, AOL, Yahoo, HotMail, etc; for easy retrieval in case of an emergency (You only need to create a Folder this once, with some updates later on):
    
    * Your Passport & companion's; Driver's license (state/international);
    * Flight & Hotel itinerary(s);
    * Contact Info for US Embassies for the countries you will be visiting or go to the US State Depart link included here;
    * Copies of your credit card's w/direct CC Help Center contact numbers;
    * Any American Express Travel Cheques;
    * Emergency Travel insurance documents,
    * An Emergency Family Contact list,
    * Airline Emergency Contact numbers, Airline Web site User names/passwords.
    * And if applicable, your MD's Contact Info + any Updated Medication list-IMPORTANT!
    Tip - After Uploading ALL documents in a single email to Yahoo or AOL, at the same time, Forward a Copy to your parents, wife, husband or best friend.
     Tip - Home Printer/Scanner Recommendation: HP PSC 1500 AIO (all in one) series, is very good for scanning & extremely easy to use. Costco sells them for about $70 dollars or less. From direct experience, I've used most printer/scanner by major manufacturers and for Consumers, it's hard to beat the HP lines for their great scanning & copying of documents and photo’s.
    
    (3) Trip/Health/Medical Insurance: Travelex-insurance or CSA Travel Protection, is definitely recommended, especially the more complex and/or, if you are on an extended trip.
    
    (4) GSM Cell phone w/3 or 4G Service, WLAN (Wireless N preferred), VoIP, Email, Web, GPS, & camera. Pre-load with Skype or another VoIP provider. Uses a SIM Card.
    
    *GSM Cell or Smart Phone Recommendations: iPhone 3GS/4G, Nokia E71, or any GSM BlackBerry’s or Android models.
    Tip - My VoIP Recommendation: Skype! It just seems to be the best among all the others.
    
    (5) 1st Aid Kit - Basic to Advanced kit should include antibiotics like Cipro, or a Z-Pak for 'Traveler's Diarrhea. Requires an RX, also consider including:
    * OTC Dramamine for motion sickness;
    * OTC Benadyrl Gel + 1% Cortisone (extra) + Neosporin ointment (extra). * For Natural Medicines Recommendations, send your Q's to: konamd at yahoo;
    
    Legend: OTC=over-the-counter; RX=MD prescription required.
    
    (6) For Local Guides, Reviews & Information,visit travel sites like: BudgetTravel, TripAdvisor, TravelHobo, AOL travel & New York Times/Travel, etc, for the latest Travel Tips & Information.
    
    (7) Smart Phone/Pads/PDA & NetBook ‘Widget’ Apps - Load useful widgets, like: a HotSpot Wi-Fi Finder, a Currency Converter, Language Translator, GPS/Maps, Gas Price watch, Bus & Train Schedules, etc.
    
    (8) Sign-up for last-minute Airline Cell Phone Notifications/Cancellations or Flight Updates, may be useful.
    * Tip - Pay special attention of What Time of the Year, your favorite Airline is offering their BEST Travel Specials, to your most favorite Destinations. Look for deals during the “off-season” and Note It on your calendar and create a text file on your desktop, for future reference. I have a Favorite Destination desktop Folder, and each time there is an interesting Special offered, I just create a PDF file from the email and slip it into the folder, which I also highlight it with a Color, thus signifying it’s ‘priority or importance’.
    * Tip - Consider adding Apps like Kayak, Airfare Pro, Siri, etc; as well as, Web sites like Orbitz, Travelocity, etc.
    * Tip - Cell/Pad/PDA ‘Data’ Plan’s trump Free or Paid Wi-Fi Access in the Airports, and Hotels, where Internet access & Coverage can be be quite sketchy, costily or non-existent.
    *Recommendation - Create a Plan B for any unexpected Airline & Ground travel cancellations. This is much easier if you have already uploaded a Contact List of all the Major Airlines, and/or, their Web sites to your cell’s Web browser.
    
    (9) For International travel - regardless of whether you have a CDMA (Verizon, Sprint, etc) or a GSM -frequency (AT&T, T-Mobile, Rogers) Cell Phone Rate Plans, the first thing to do is to call your CELL phone company, as soon as your Travel Plans are finalized. Notify them of your Travel Plans and Request them to "Unlock" your cell phone, especially if you have one with a  SIM Card (GSM phone), that can easily be replaced with a ‘local’ number, whether you are in Barcelona or in Tokyo.
    Most US GSM frequency cell companies like AT&T, Cingular and T-Mobile will unlock their customers' phones under certain conditions.
    Unlike companies like: Verizon & Sprint which use the CDMA frequency, which means that they do not have SIM cards, so you're screwed, if you like placing calls abroad at $5.00 bucks/minute, extra charges or more.
    
    * Alternate Recommendation - Consider buying a Cheap International cell phone that works in the country(s), where you will be traveling.
    Tip - Go to: Aerobile for SIM cards and check out Brightroam for their US & International cell phone comparisons. Example - I only wished that I had this Option when I went to New Zealand for a month visit, as my ‘on the verizon’ Cell Phone bill was astronomically high, from making or receiving call’s to and from the US, and I didn’t have access to high-speed internet, for Skype.
    
    (10) For US & International Accommodations - You should absolutely consider renting local Vacation Homes or Villa’s or condo’s, as they offer the Best Bang for your Buck, hands down! When you add up all the Extra Room, Privacy & Amenities, and Cost per Guest, it just makes Perfect Sense.
    * Tip - Listing Site Recommendations for US & International Home/Condo Rentals: VacationHomeRentals, VRBO, villa4vacation, are some of the BEST dot com sites to peruse, BEFORE, your travel begins! Many property listings offer “last-Minute” deals, and/or offer extra Perks, like Free Nights, Early check-in’s/Late Check out’s, welcome baskets, Free local meal certificates or gas cards, etc. Example, If you are traveling to Hawaii, check out VRBO dot com/173046. Aloha!
    
    (11) Airline Baggage Fee’s - How to avoiding those pesky ever–present baggage fees?
    (a) One, this only applies if you are flying with MAJOR airline companies (American, Virgin, Alaskan, Delta, United/Continental & Hawaiian Air to Hawaii or Vegas;
    Two, You, your family, or your company have a ‘frequent flyer’ status, determined by each individual airline;
    
    (b) Learn how to Travel lighter and more compact, and I will not address this area as everyone has their own individual tastes, but I would definitely research things like “How to pack lightly for a short-stay, or for a month’s stay”, a good place to start is U-Tube; Paste & Copy your airlines Luggage SIZE, Carry-on & Checked Baggage requirements, including Weight Limits, Before they start making more $ on you, onto a PDF file that you keep as a reference on your desktop or Smart phone; All Luggage is not created equal, so look at some interesting alternatives on sites like: ebags.
    
    (c ) Travel Programs - If you meet the Frequent Flier status, you should absolutely join your favorite airlines “miles” membership, and then join their the various levels of “Elite” airline club memberships, as many are quite affordable on an annual basis, (Less than $250 per year for a Premier Club Membership) and the PERKS, include 2 Check-in bags at No Charge (FREE), plus 2 carry-on’s, plus more significant Perks like Priority Boarding, Club Lounge access & Express Security Line, always makes it less painful. Personally, for one or two month’s trip, in addition, to my 2 allowable carry-on’s, I ONLY Check-in 1 suitcase, on the OUT-bound flight, then I will slip in a large Lobos 35" Collapsible Duffel, into my suitcase, and fill it with my used laundry, nicknacks, books and any Gifts or items that I have picked up, making sure to meet the weight requirements. Any expensive Gifts or items are always in my carry-on’s, just FYI.
    This becomes my FREE 2nd “suitcase” on my IN-bound flight home, and be sure to purchase some TSA-Friendly Wire Locks, it makes everything so much easier.
    
    (d) Airline On-line Ticketing & Gate Upgrades - If you do not meet the ‘Frequent Flyer’ Status, another Option is like in this example, I fly Hawaiian Air to the West Coast, and for a modest some of about an extra 30 to 50 dollars per ticket, I can Upgrade to the status of
    Coach Plus, where I get All the perks of Coach, plus Free first 2 checked bags, Waived change fee (fare difference may apply), and a 25% inter-island discount. Most airlines offer Check-in “Upgrades”, and you would be wise to research all these last-minute Upgrade Options.
    
     (e) Extra, extra Baggage - ship via USPS or from mail stores. If you consider what the airlines may charge you for exceeding their luggage/weight limits, this is a great option, as there are many Post Office’s, Mail Store’s (mail box etc & UPS). Better to pay an extra $50 bucks for a large box, than $300 for an extra suitcase at the counter. Some mail stores may also offer a Free pickup service and then you just call in your CC number.
    
    (12) Airlines Carry-on Luggage - Size & Weight Requirements:
    Size: 45 linear inches = 9 x 15 x 21”, or
            115 Centimeters = 55 X 38 x 22 cm
    
Weight (depends on airline): From 20 pounds to 40 lbs.
    
    * American Airlines 
Inches: 45
Weight: 40 lbs
    * Continental Airlines 
Inches: 45 
Centimeters: 115 
Weight: 40 lbs / 18 kg
    * Hawaiian Airlines 
Inches: 45 
Weight: 25 lbs
    * Jet Blue 
Airbus A320 Inches: 26 x 18 x 12 
EMBRAER 190 Inches: 24 x 16 x 10
    * Japan Airlines 
Inches: 45 
Centimeters: 115 
Weight: 22 lbs / 10 kg
    * United Airlines 
Inches: 45 
Centimeters: 114
    * US Airways 
Inches: 45 
Centimeters: 115 
Weight: 40 lbs / 18 kg
    * Virgin America: 
Inches: 50 
Weight: 16 lbs
    * Virgin Atlantic: 
Centimeters: 115 
Weight: 13 lbs / 6 kg

    
    Tip - A Carry-on Bag no taller than 22 inches is likely to be an acceptable size on most major airlines.
    
    
    * Happy Travels!

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