Fast Five Travel Tips: How to get more from your hotel

Most vacations include a hotel stay or some sort of rental. Ask any hospitality employee, there are better rooms, perks, and services you may or may not be aware of. Here are 5 tips to improve your odds of seeing the best possible stay.

1. Smile and be patient when you check in. You, and every other traveller is tired and cranky after a long day. How would you like to be the clerk on the receiving end of this every single hour of every shift? So, smile, be patient and engage them in conversation like you would a friend.

2. Identify your priority. Choose one thing you would appreciate in a room, and mention it. Don't ask for the world. Want to be close to the pool? The lounge or the shuttle stop? Be realistic though. If you Hotwired a room, don't expect the Regal Suite without a serious upgrade charge.

3. Ask.  Just because they note a resort fee, doesn't mean it's mandatory. Ask if it can be waived or reduced. If you don't use the tennis court and daily newspaper you might not have to pay for it.

4. Loyalty club. Clubs are free to join. It's a way for the hotel to track your stays. The more you stay, the more important you become to them.

5. Money talks. Don't forget to tip your servers, your valet and even the front desk. Flash the cash when you walk in to enjoy a better stay. Don't save it for your exit. Gratuities are a form of appreciation and respect. The hospitality industry is hard work for generally little pay. Your gratuities make a difference.

Fast Five Travel Tips: Airports

Five great things about airports:

1. People watching. You see expert travellers, bag ladies (carrying big purses etc - too much stuff, lol), athletes, celebrities, and wonderful family reunions.

2. Candy stores.  Where else do you see such great and colourful treats in one place? Pick up a treat for your hosts, and one for yourself.

3. They are safe.  Consider the security and the lack of random people hanging around... very safe.

4. Time. Time to spend sitting quietly, sipping a coffee and watching movies or reading. It's refreshing to have a "forced" time to sit peacefully. It's a nice break from the ordinary.

5. Wine and magazines. You can have a drink, or two.... heck, you're not driving. Go for it! And where, other than an airport, do you ever see such a vast selection of magazines anymore?  Wine and a magazine... the perfect combo.

Trip Trinkets

What do you buy when you take a trip? Do you pack your suitcase full of new found treasures, or do you buy t-shirts, postcards, or salt shakers? What's your thing?

I limit myself to one personal souvenir. I travel light and almost never check a bag. Not only does this save on airline baggage fees, it naturally limits what I buy and bring back. Typically, I go for something crafty and definitely locally made. I purposefully try to avoid anything made-in-china. For me, it absolutely defies representation of the region and wrecks the memory.

In the Bahamas I have purchased handmade wicker baskets that I have actually witnessed the artisan make. Those are treasures! Last time there I bought a pretty little bracelet. It has such amazing detail in the beading I couldn't resist.

The craziest thing I ever brought home was a garden gnome. I was on a sports trip to Florida and fell in love with the goofy little statue in the window. I had to have him. After all, that trip was booked with Travelocity.ca And like they say, you should "never gnome alone."  After I bought it, I took the little statue out of his box and shoved him into my backpack. It was the only item I carried on that trip. So, when I got to security, my gnome got the attention of the security screeners. It looked like a little person stuffed inside my backpack. Ok, not at all like a real person, but he did garner enough attention to get re-run through the scanner and pointed out for other security guards. They pointed and snickered, as did I.

When I got home, my son named him Gibbly. Gibbly has since travelled with us on scavenger hunts, bowling nights and any other goofy family event that requires a mascot.

Resolution progress report

Well, ok, they're not resolutions, more like guidelines. I vowed to try to focus and be more healthy. Here's what I wrote:  I will try harder

So far things are going pretty well. Vitamin and water consumption is up in the house. I've been taking vitamins C, B, D & Echinacea almost every day. The kids do a multi vitamin, plus an extra C.

I skated today on our rink, and also walked the doggies for about 40 minutes through the snow. I note the snow because it's not as easy going as the indoor track I once frequented. The fresh air is good too. It's been awfully cold but I wore my big parka. Dogs and I go out for a big walk several times a week. I've skated twice this year. For the kids it's daily, if not more. Ry played 5 hockey games on the weekend, 6 if you count Friday.

Cupboards and freezer are pretty close to bare around here, so we've been successfully using up what we have on hand.

I had a little meltdown the other day and cried a bit. But I felt better afterwards. I think the key for me is to slow down and not always try to multi-task. Like everyone, I can get a little overwhelmed.

So tonight I took my son with me grocery shopping and we even stopped at a Future Shop because he wanted to look around. No racing through aisles and trying to set land-speed records at Safeway to make up for the unanticipated detour.  It was a nice change for us. Usually we're bound by time and lists.

We grabbed a couple Air Miles bargains at Safeway.  I hope to grab a few more. Air Miles do come in handy for gift cards, small electronics and that kind of thing. Last year we used Air Miles to buy Disneyworld park passes. That was an awesome use of them. Saved me about $500 on two passes.

I washed some more clothes and set them aside for donation, then tossed out some old leaky boots. So the house purge continues.

All in all, I think I'm doing just fine.  January is a tough month. Especially if you're cooped up indoors a lot with the cold weather or illness. If your resolutions are less than perfect, I'd encourage you to not give up. Just cut yourself a little slack, take a deep breath and keep going.

I think we're done

If you've been crazy enough to be a regular reader of this blog, you'll know I love Vegas and the Tropicana Hotel.  Well, things are a changing in sin city. The Tropicana has been sold to the Doubletree - Hilton chain.

It had been previously owned by a Canadian private equity firm Onex Corporation. They led the path out of bankruptcy protection in 2009.  With a failed night club attempt, a poker room closure and the lack of a marquee performance act the future did not look that bright. Thus, I am not that surprised that they sold.

However, 2010-2012 the Tropicana was awesome. Millions in renovations, fresh attitudes and fantastic food kept me going back. I did indeed love the TropLV. We had good times.

Hilton took over today. My favourite restaurant Bacio, and their chef Carla have parted ways.

I have no reason to return to the Trop. Good news for me though... next time in Vegas I'll get to try a new hotel. And chef Carla Pellegrino has opened up her own restaurant The Meatball Spot and the reviews I have read are outstanding.

I've also decided to separate travel from this blog and have moved it over to Escapethe204. I think I will get a little more specific over there.  Short and sweet travel blogs. Yes, Jenn, I'll still ramble on about how I love Delta Airlines and why it's cool to fly from Minot. ;)

Here, who knows... more Assorted Cathie. Hard to believe it has been over 2 years already. I continue to do it, just to write. It satisfies the part of me that needs to write. I don't do it for money. I don't do it for any commercial purposes. I simply do it to relax and empty my brain. Helps me sleep better. Keeps me out of trouble.

Cheers!

Fast Five Travel Tips: The week before you go

When the vacation is just around the corner, you have a lot to do. Here are 5 helpful tips IMHO.

1. Check the weather forcasts. This will help you pack better for your departure and arrival cities. It will also help you predict delays or other circumstances that might change your plans.

2. Contact the concierge at the hotel. Introduce yourself via e-mail, and let them know of your dinner requests or anything else that you might need. If nothing else, at least they should recognize your name if you DO need something while you're there. Don't be a last-minute Lucy.

3. Gather your frequent flier cards, confirmation numbers and itinerary. Photograph or photocopy for your house sitter or your "just in case" contact at home. Things are soooo much easier to find if you're not rushing at the last minute.

4. Gather your medications. Do you need any prescriptions refilled or labelled for travel?

5. Contact your credit card and place a travel advisory. Double check that your household bills or automatic payments are all set up before you leave. You don't want to miss a payment or risk insecure internet connections with your bank info when you are travelling. Only travel with the cards you need. Leave everything else at home or in your safety deposit box.

@cdntripseeker

Nothing else will do

For some things there are no suitable replacements. But we try, don't we?

Like cake. There is no substitute for cake! It sucks when you can't have cake. You miss cake. And sometimes, just out of the blue you start thinking about cake.

So you grab a cookie. That doesn't do it. Maybe a donut. Nope. So now, maybe you hit the mall and look for a sweater, or buy a new leather jacket or two, just to distract yourself. But retail therapy doesn't help. You still can't deny that it's cake you want.

And there are days, like birthdays and anniversaries, you just expect cake to be there. And when there's no cake it's disappointing.

So why is it that we deny ourselves cake? "I'm too fat. Too old. I don't celebrate birthdays. I'm on a diet. I don't deserve cake. Cake is for other people. There's no good cake anymore."

There's no cake at my house. Well, that's not entirely true. I made a Rice Krispie cake last week. But that's not really cake. It was a feeble, lazy person's attempt at cake. Sure, I ate half the thing but it wasn't in any way satisfying.

I don't need a lot of cake. Just a taste of cake every once in a while. There are very few things on this earth better than cake. And this I know to be true... there are no substitutions.