Taking off Travel blog

I’m just back from a trip to Florida, in the Hollywood/Dania Beach area. (It seems the person who planned the area was originally from California, hence the name.) It was fun. Flying in and clearing security went smoothly, and we were through in less than half an hour. Just as I was thinking we’d be in the pool by 2, we hit a snag - the extremely lengthy Alamo car hire process. We had prebooked so it should have been smooth. Instead we had to wait for the rep to:

• double check our reservation
• try to con us into upgrading to a bigger vehicle (for more money)
• try to sell us insurance coverage which we already had
• get a GPS system

Finally, we had to be bussed to the Miami offsite airport parking lot to collect our car. Most of the time when I hire a car, the reps give me the car that’s available. With this Alamo rental, we had the novelty of walking to the appropriate parking lot section and picking anything we wanted - and all of them were quite big enough for our luggage, despite the rep’s dire warnings.  We plugged in the GPS (later to be christened the ‘gremlin’ but that’s another story) and away we went to our hotel, one of the Marriott chain.

Pool at Marriott Springhills Suites, FL

The room was spacious, though the bathrooms needed a refurb and we had a great view of the pool and a few palm trees. (Overall, we thought the hotel was a good choice, as it was close to places to eat, local attractions and Interstate 95 without being too noisy.) Free internet access and breakfast added to the value. By about 4.30 we were finally able to hit the pool, which was practically deserted. That’s what you get for traveling at the tail end of the season when most kids are back at school.

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Flexibility can help cut vacation costs

We’re all feeling the pinch of the current economic climate. Everything costs more, while many of us have less ready cash, so how do you have a good holiday anyway? Here are some tips for reducing the cost of your vacation - not just at this time of year, but all year round.

Grab That Fare Now!

If you see an unbelievably low fare on the dates you want to travel, book it immediately. You can almost guarantee that it won’t be there when you return. The word from travel agents (just in case you hadn’t already noticed) is that fares have gone up and seat numbers have gone down. That means it’s a seller’s market for air fares and there’s no incentive to discount.

Sacrifice Some Of Your Holiday

It’s great to be there on the key holiday dates, but you could save a fortune if you sacrifice some of that family time and travel on the holiday itself. The cost of your ticket will fall, and if you’re not going too far, you could still be there in time to enjoy the holiday festivities. Whether you’re traveling for Christmas, New Year’s, Thanksgiving or Labor Day, this will make your trip more economical. Read more »

Indy Park Ride & Fly

Indy Park Ride & Fly and 1st Class Express Airport Parking, two offsite airport parking facilities servicing Indianapolis International Airport (IND) have merged to create a bigger, better Indy Park Ride & Fly in conjunction with the opening of the airport’s new Midfield terminal.

“After 11 years and over 1.5 million parking stays, we’re extremely excited to relocate to the new Midfield terminal,” says Amy Strohmeyer, Indy Park Ride & Fly’s General Manager. “Our new Indy Park Ride & Fly facility will hold more than 2300 cars, and will be the largest off airport parking operation servicing the new Midfield terminal.”

This Ronald Reagan Parkway facility offers the same outstanding, hassle-free service as before, plus more parking spaces, long-term or short-term parking, car care services, enhanced self-parking option, free shuttles to the airport and back, 24 hour surveillance, secure, fenced-in lots, complimentary luggage assistance and more. For an even faster airport parking experience, travelers can sign-up for the Indy BizXpress Fast Pass member program, which will allow them to simply drive in, park, ride & fly.

Another brand-new bonus offer  available at this new Indianapolis airport parking facility is Long-weekend Savings. When traveling from Thursdays to Mondays between November 13th, 2008 and March 2nd, 2009, customers will save more than 40% on Indianapolis Airport parking with discounted rates as low as $6.00 a day. Read more »

It’s almost time for the start of the holiday travel season. While we all look forward to the traditional festivities, it’s also a time when there’s a lot of stress related to travel. Long delays, over booked flights and lost luggage cut down on the time available for having fun - and are a real hassle to sort out. But if you want to make the most of the holiday season and cut down on the stress, then the American Society of Travel Agents has prepared some handy tips for making sure your holiday goes smoothly. Here they are:

• Book your ticket ASAP. If you must book last minute, remember, you have options. The key to securing the best deal is flexibility in travel dates - ask your ASTA travel agent to check into holiday fares; the slow week between Christmas and New Year’s; or consider flying into an alternate airport and renting a car.
• Arrive early. Difficult airport parking, long lines at security checkpoints and the possibility of the airline overselling the flight and bumping passengers, should all be considered when deciding what time to arrive at the airport. Give yourself plenty of extra time. Need some incentive? Keep in mind that those who arrive earliest for an overbooked flight stand the greatest chance of staying onboard. Read more »
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