Go Galavanting September 2008 Cover

Our story Three Shades of Costa Rica talks all about our Spring trip to Costa Rica - the cities we visited, activites, travel tips and our overall review.

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source: Dept. of State

The passport cards were created in response to the needs of a less expensive alternative to the traditional passport, especially for residents of border communities and those who do not plan to travel outside of North America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda. According to the Department of State, the card may not be used to travel by air.

Otherwise, it carries the rights and privileges of the U.S. passport book and is adjudicated to the exact same standards. The card has the same period of validity as a passport book: 10 years for an adult, five for children 15 and younger. Adults who already have a fully valid passport book may apply for the card as a passport renewal and pay only $20. First-time applicants pay $45 for adult cards and $35 for children.

I’m sure cruisers will love this new option, as it reduces passport costs for those who plan to only visit Mexico and the Caribbean.

Do you plan on getting a affordable and convenient passport card, or do you live for that stamp in the back of your passport book?

This just reaffirms my earlier statements…FLY SOUTHWEST…your pockets will be happy.

“The Beijing Olympic Official Mascot are the Fuwa. The five “Fuwa” - one to represent each of the Olympic Rings - carry a unifying message of friendship and peace, particularly aimed at the world’s children. They were designed to convey the Olympic spirit and to express the playful qualities of a young group of close friends. Their mission is to help Beijing 2008 spread its theme (One World, One Dream) to every continent. Fuwa translates to good luck dolls or children carrying blessings.”

Introducing…

Bebei

Jingjing

Huanhuan

Yingying

Nini

Info and Image Source: NBCOlypmics.com

$50!!

These new baggage fees begin for tickets purchased after Thursday, July 31, 2008 for travel on or after Tuesday, August 5, 2008.

New Fees:

Baggage Fees
Travel within the United States, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico
Bag 2 - $50
Bag 3 - $125
Bags 4—10 - $200 each

Travel outside the United States, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico
Bag 2 - No Fee
Bag 3 - $200
Bags 4 & 5 - $350
Bags 6—10 - $600

Weight Fees
51–70 pounds for travel within the United States, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico - $90 each
51–70 pounds for travel outside the United States, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico - $150 each
71–100 pounds for travel within the United States, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico - $175 each
71–100 pounds for travel outside the United States, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico - $300 each
Over 100 pounds - Not Permitted

Size Fees
63–80 inches—total of length plus width plus height - $175 each
Over 80 inches—total of length plus width plus height - Not Permitted

If we were more of a political - say what’s on my mind - type of site, I’d go into further details about how the government is ruining my hobby that I can already just barely afford (travel), but we are not…so I digress.

In its article, Airline fees survival guide, SmarterTravel investigates the affect those ‘hidden, little’ fees have on the final cost of your trip. They’ve also joined forces with SeatGuru and Airfare Watch Dog to put together a nifty guide which lists many of the fees charged by the big American carriers for items such as luggage, food/beverages, change fees, and more. According to the SmarterTravel, the list will continue to grow and will be updated on their…so this is good little chart to check out and keep on standby.

PFCs?
SmarterTravel does a great job in providing some travel scenarios and cost comparisons between airlines. For instance, a single traveler with no carry-ons doesn’t have to worry about baggage fees. However, if that traveler’s trip includes a layover, a PFC (passenger facility charge…hey airports are losing money too!) is tacked on to the price of the ticket. The old theory that flights with layovers are often the cheapest is now going out the window, because with every layover another PFC is added on. In their cost comparisons for the single traveler, the flights with more layovers actually ended up being slightly higher because of this.

Pay to sit?
Another fee I learned about was the seat assignment fee. In the couple traveling to Puerto Rico scenario, base airfare for AirTran and Spirit were initially lower. Of course we know Spirit charges for everything…but what I didn’t know is that both airlines charge if you decide you want to have a seat assignment.

In Part II of the guide, they discuss the lovely food and beverage charges and more baggage fees. Not to our surprise, in these cost comparisons, Southwest is still considered one of the most fee-friendly airlines out there.
Speaking of Southwest, their new commercial always makes me giggle…

Do you think we’ll ever stop being nickle-and-dimed? Doubt it…so we just have to know how to play by the rules…and beat the airlines at their own game.

American Airlines - *Takes a deep breath* If you’ve ever read our blog you know that “these people” have had so many problems in 2008 that they are falling out of our good graces. On international flights you have to fill out customs forms….well we were sleep when they passed them out…so they just didn’t give them to us WTF?! They Suck!!

Swiss Travel Services - We arranged for airport/hotel shuttles through Latin Destinations. And as soon as we cleared customs a Swiss Travel representative (english speaking) was right there waiting with a sign. We received vouchers upon arrival for each pick-up service and the driver was always right on time and very courteous. We used the same ervice to travel from San Jose hotel to Arenal (4 hour ride) and from Arenal to Tamarindo (6 hour ride).

Hotel Britannia - Located in downtown San Jose. Far from the airport but an easy 30 minute ride away. The room was sapcious enough for the two of us and very clean. The bathroom was huge, as far as hotel bathrooms go. Cleaning service was on time everyday and they work in crews of 3 so it takes them about 10 minutes to do your entire room. The tropical breakfast buffet left much to be desired…unless you like fruit like that, then I suppose it would have been perfect for you. The concierge at the hotel was not very helpful, but since everything else with the hotel went so well we’ll chalk their lack of assistance up to the language barrier.

El Pueblo - A multi-plex with restaurants, clubs, gift shops, cigar shops etc. We ate lunch at Lukas Restaurant & Bar, where the food was o.k. and the service left much to be desired, and dinner at Papa Pez where the service and the food more than made up for lunch. The shopping plaza is small and doesnt necessarily have to be on your must see list. It is also home to Ebony 56 a club we went to our first night which deserves its own review.

Ebony 56 - Hey, the place as the same name as me, so we HAD to go, right? Wrong. It was terrible. But only 2000 colons to enter and ladies drink free. You can’t beat a $4 club night. It was like dance groups with hype men doing routines in uniform. Not only were they not percise but we watched 2 groups dance and yell in the mic for an hour each and they each shoul dhave gotten the ‘Gong’. But everyone else seemed to like it. And if you don’t speak Spanish you can ‘forget about it’ in here. However, since it is possible that I was tired (but we had slept for like 3 hours before we went, so I don’t think thats the case) I’m going to give it……instead of the one it deserves

Mercado Central - A cab ride from El Pueblo to Mercado Central was about 15 minutes (due to traffic) but it was only like $3. (Sidebar: Take a cab everywhere!) When you think of this place think of the local flea market in any U.S. city, the Straw Market in the Bahamas, or Central Row in Puerto Rico. Anything you need to buy you can find it here. (San Jose was less expensive overall than the other cities. As you get closer to the coast, prices rise.) Souvenirs are much more affordable in Mercado Central and you have the ability to haggle. Keep in mind the aisles are small and due to a multitude of seafood shops, the smell pungent, but you can’t beat the prices.

Arenal Paraiso Resort and Spa - Pretty darn cool. It was at the base of a live volcano, it was erupting on the other side though, so we saw no lava. The resort is set up like duplex houses…one on each side…we had our own porch with glass doors, two rocking chairs and a drive-way. After check-in the concierge puts your luggage in a shuttle van and drives you to your home. The resort offered many optional tours so there is no need to sign-up in advance especially if you want to visit a hot springs because guess what…its right there! And its FREE! Aside from the ants that infiltrated the bathroom, and I was so unhappy to find them in my contact lense case, the resort was great.….because of the ants

Canopy Tour - ‘Zip-Lining’ Mz Travel Diva’s favorite activity. (Laughing on the inside…I’m breathing now….and ready to continue) The Arenal Paraiso Resort had a zip-line tour right there on the property. Talk about perfect. The tour was about 2 hours long and they give plenty of instructions…and even when you don’t follow them….they help you out without getting upset. Isn’t that right Chris?

Tamarindo Diria Hotel - I have no idea what the people on Travel Advisor were talking about. This was the best hotel we stayed at by far! It was centrally located in Tamarindo and walking distance to the hottest clubs, shopping, and most eateries. Our beachfront property was white sand and picture perfect. The room was newly remodeled and decorated and except for the crab that jumped out on Chrissy in the room, everything was Wonderful!

Babylon - Local nightclub about 10 minutes walking distance from our hotel. I was kind of nervous because most roads in this town are unpaved so they kind of pop up everywhere. Well the dirt path that leads to this place takes you behind some well lit buildings into darkness and then lights emerge and there it is. I was for sure we were being led into a trap. The night we visited The Funky People Online, from NYC, were hosting so the music was mixed DJ and a live Reggaeton Band. This place beat out Ebony 56 hands down!





I’m afraid that if I go any further into deciphering our trip I might either ruin Costa Rica for you or make you want to move there! Remember, every experience is different and unique. Go forth and discover!Ever been to Costa Rica? Share your experience with us in The JetSet Community.

American Airlines is leading the industry in everything including making travel for people like me and you darn near impossible. Its not totally their fault the economy is in shambles and they are following suit.

As predicted many US domestic airlines are adjustng fees as American makes changes. US Airways, United Airlines and Spirit Airlines have followed AA in their new rule to charge passengers $15 for the first piece of checked luggage. Aside from Southwest Airlines all domestic airlines that operate in the U.S. began or will soon begin this month charging $25 for the second piece of checked luggage.

Fly Southwest….I’m sticking with that!

American Eagle will also cut flights in these major hubs and will no longer serve Providence, Rhode Island; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; and San Luis Obispo, California.

Source: Smarter Travel

In the news…
- Too sick to fly? CNN Travel offers some tips on what to do next.
- A survey from the Travel Industry Association reports, Americans made 41 million fewer trips in the past 12 months. Forgone trips have reportedly cost the travel industry an estimated $18.1 billion.