Giving the Gift of Travel
As you fill out your holiday gift shopping list, remember that there’s a gift that is always welcome; is never the wrong size, shape or color; and can deliver what the recipient wants most, whether that’s relaxation, adventure or romance. That gift, of course, is travel.
It’s easy to give travel. Most often, travel is offered in the form of a gift card or certificate that can be applied to the cost of airline travel, a hotel or resort stay, cruise fares or admission to popular tourist attractions.
If you know your loved one’s travel habits, you could give a gift that’s specific to an airline, cruise line, resort or destination. If you want to let your recipients make their own decisions about where to go and how to get there, give gifts that can be redeemed through a wide variety of travel providers. Your travel professional can help.
If you want to give a spectacular gift and your budget allows it, you can give an entire vacation trip. If your budget doesn’t extend that far, no need to worry: you can purchase travel gift cards and certificates in denominations as low as $10.
If you’d like to wrap up a travel gift card or certificate with something more, there are lots of small items that any traveler can use. Pick up a leather passport cover, some durable luggage tags, a travel pillow or a set of small plastic containers for toiletries. If you know your loved one’s destination, select a guidebook; or, give them a small journal with blank pages they can use to record their travel memories.
Ask your travel professional for more ideas about giving travel for the holidays. You’ll simplify your shopping list – and with the time you save, you may decide to take a holiday vacation yourself.
New Year’s Eve Away from Home
Some people believe that what they do on New Year’s Day sets the pattern for what they’ll do for the rest of the year. If you ring in the New Year in a fabulous vacation destination, does that mean you’ll travel to exotic locales for the entire year? Perhaps not, but it does mean that you can enjoy a wonderful celebration.
Since each New Year is celebrated around the world, there’s an endless variety of destinations to choose from. Here are a just a few suggestions to get you thinking.
If you plan to stay in the U.S., many cities offer fun celebrations. The best known may be the classic “ball drop” at One Times Square in New York City, which is broadcast around the world. If you love a party but don’t want to risk cold weather, try Las Vegas: you can take in a show and get out on the Strip in time for the midnight fireworks. For a country-flavored New Year’s Eve, travel to Nashville, where live music rules the night at the city’s many music venues and a guitar drop marks the countdown to midnight.
If you’d like to experience New Year’s Eve with an eye on the exotic, there’s no shortage of international cities with fabulous celebrations. Thanks to its position on the globe, Sydney, Australia, hosts one of the world’s first major New Year’s celebrations. People gather near the famous Sydney Harbor Bridge to watch light shows and a midnight fireworks display, followed by live music on several stages around the harbor.
The French feast on specialties such as foie gras on New Year’s Eve, which they call le Réveillon. Celebrations in Paris range from street festivals to intimate dinner parties to elegant balls, where people share their resolutions for the New Year. At midnight, the Eiffel Tower, thrown into silhouette by fireworks, is a stunning sight.
In Sao Paulo, Brazil, many people dress in white to bring good luck for the New Year. If you’re a runner, you can join the annual Saint Silvester Run that winds through the downtown area. At midnight, bonfires along Avenida Paulista will be echoed by the fireworks in the sky.
New Year’s Eve is a celebration around the world, and good wishes flow. But, wherever you celebrate, take some simple precautions to help ensure your safety. When in a restaurant or club, note where the emergency exits are; be sure to have the number of a reliable taxi service; and, don’t give your hotel information or open your door to people you don’t know. Now, call your travel professional and start packing for a Happy New Year!
Catch Some Bowl Fever
At this time of year, even the most casual college football fan can be swept up in “bowl fever.” If your favorite team is in the Bowl Championship Series (BCS), you’ll want to travel along and be part of the cheering crowd at the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale Ariz.; the Orange Bowl in Miami Gardens, Fla.; the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.; or the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, La. In addition to the BCS, there are more than two dozen other bowl games featuring top teams from around the country. And, if your team doesn’t receive a bowl bid, that’s no excuse to sit at home: it’s still a thrill to watch top college football teams vie for the pride and glory of a bowl title.
The 2009-2010 bowl season begins December 19 and runs through the BCS National Championship game in Pasadena on January 9. Bowl games are held in an amazing variety of cities – from Charlotte, N.C., to Detroit, Mich., to Honolulu, Hawaii – that offer plenty to do before and after the game. Here are a few examples:
The Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, Texas, will match up teams from the Big Ten and Big 12 on January 2. When you’re not inside the Alamodome, be sure to stroll the San Antonio River Walk, lined with charming restaurants, galleries and shops. Explore the city’s lovely botanical garden and the zoo, or enjoy a round of golf at one of about 40 courses.
Teams from the Southeastern Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference will play in the Chick-fil-A Bowl at Atlanta’s Georgia Dome on New Year’s Eve. After the game, join the Peach Drop celebration at Underground Atlanta, a downtown entertainment complex, where the clubs will be open until 4:00 a.m. If you aren’t too sleepy the next day, visit some of the city’s many attractions, such as Centennial Olympic Park, the Georgia Aquarium or the sites honoring Martin Luther King, Jr.
If a bit of winter’s chill doesn’t bother you, head to Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl in Boise, Idaho, on December 30. You’ll watch teams from the Mountain West Conference and the Western Athletic Conference play on the famed blue Astroturf field in Bronco Stadium. Boise also has a greenbelt along the river that’s perfect for strolling, a thriving performing arts community, and plenty of dining and nightlife to entertain you.
Whichever bowl game you choose, be sure to ask your travel professional to help you purchase tickets and travel packages through reputable sellers.
Vancouver, Whistler Ready for 2010 Winter Olympics
The Olympic Flame is now winding its way through Canada, bound for Vancouver, British Columbia, and a dramatic entrance into BC Place Stadium for the opening of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games on February 12. Those lucky enough to attend the games will enjoy some of the most majestic scenery on the planet in the city of Vancouver and the nearby ski resort of Whistler.
With a backdrop of coastal mountain peaks and the Pacific at its feet, few cities can rival Vancouver’s natural beauty. The city is also filled with parks, quirky neighborhoods, great ethnic restaurants and an appreciation for the arts, the environment and aboriginal culture. For the Olympics, Vancouver has new or refurbished venues for hockey, curling, figure skating, speed skating, freestyle skiing and snowboarding. The city is compact and walkable, but a new rapid transit subway and light rail line will help visitors get around, too.
Whistler is already well known to ski enthusiasts, with its world-class ski facilities and pedestrian-friendly village. The ski area, located an hour north of Vancouver, includes both Whistler Mountain and its neighbor, Blackcomb Mountain. Whistler will host the alpine and Nordic ski events as well as bobsleigh, luge and skeleton. Olympics fans at these outdoor events might find it hard to take their eyes from the mountain scenery in order to focus on the action.
Ticket sales for Olympic events have been brisk, but at last check there were still tickets available for the opening ceremonies, the closing ceremonies and some events. In the U.S., CoSport (www.cosport.net) is the official ticket sales agent. Talk with your travel professional about securing event tickets and accommodations for an unforgettable trip to the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Business Travel / Online Safety on the Road
For business travelers, a laptop computer with Internet access has become an essential piece of travel equipment – you’d no more leave home without it than without your cell phone or credit card. For the convenience of business travelers who need to send messages and documents on the road – as well as other travelers other who enjoy surfing the Internet – many airports, hotels, coffee houses, convention centers and other public spaces offer Internet access via a Wi-Fi wireless network.
It’s important to know that while these connections are convenient, they are not always secure. It’s not uncommon for hackers to intercept data that comes and goes from your computer over an unsecured wireless network. Because these networks are intended for public use, they don’t include the type of security features that would keep hackers out. Still, you can take steps to implement your own wireless Internet security while on the road.
Before you leave, make sure your security software is up-to-date. You should have a firewall program that helps prevent unauthorized access to your laptop. You should also have an anti-virus program. In addition, set your operating system to automatically check for, download and install updates. If needed, ask for assistance from your corporate information technology department.
While on the road, take care to avoid “evil twins” – false Wi-Fi hotspots set up by hackers. These evil twins can appear to be perfectly legitimate, even using the name of an airport or hotel – but, they allow hackers to record all the data flowing through the connection. To avoid evil twins, ask an employee of the airport, hotel or other establishment for the exact name of the Wi-Fi network that you should connect to. Still, it’s probably best to assume that someone is always eavesdropping on your Wi-Fi connection: so, avoid entering private data, such as bank account information, while connected to the Web via Wi-Fi.
Finally, be just a little paranoid about the people next to you. If you can see what’s on their laptop screens, they can see what’s on yours. Don’t leave passwords, account numbers or other sensitive information up on your screen.