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March 2008
Will you be leavin’ Atlanta on a jet plane?
Will new airline fees affect your travel plans this year?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Atlanta’s Delta Air Lines has been making headlines lately, from union negotiations and merger talks to an attention-grabbing new safety video featuring redheaded flight attendant Katherine Lee. How that cheeky safety video or the more serious merger and union issues will actually play with Atlanta travelers is uncertain, but one piece of Delta news will be noticed by customers everywhere.
With soaring gasoline prices, the cost of even traveling across town can be quite daunting. Many people spend upwards of $75 or more to fill up their gas tanks. Airlines must simply cringe every time they fuel up their jets.
New today is a $3-per-bag fee for curbside check-in,one of several new fees the airline is adding to the bill.
This is on top of last week’s news that Delta will begin charging in May an additional $25 for passengers who check more than one bag. (First class and business travelers, as well as Delta’s frequent fliers, will still be allowed up to three checked bags without the extra charge.) Other airlines have already imposed or are considering similar fees for multiple pieces of luggage.
Now I learned my lesson in bag checking when I was 15, traveling through Europe with apparently everything I owned. As I pulled my third large bag off the carousel in Berlin, another American turned to me and said, “Can you say OVERPACKED?” More than once on that trip, I contemplated just tossing it all. Ever since, I have kept to a self-imposed limit of no more than one checked bag. That has been admittedly easier in the past few years, as we usually choose to drive the family on our vacations rather than buy five plane tickets.
I know we normally discuss Southeastern travel destinations in this blog, but I thought we would take a break from that this week to discuss the act of traveling itself. I’m not talking business travel, where the boss picks up the tab. Rather, I’m more interested in the way Atlantans travel when they have a choice and they’re paying for it.
So, do you normally fly or drive when you head out of town? I’m especially interested in the decisions Atlantans make for trips round the South, which may be a long drive, but are drivable all the same - think Memphis, Sarasota or Charleston. What factors do you consider when making that decision? Do long security lines or your distance from Hartsfield-Jackson come into play? Will gas prices or new airline fees affect your travel plans this year?
Permalink | Comments (65) | Post your comment | Categories: About the airlines, Southeast travel
In a Nashville state of mind
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Years ago on a Simpsons episode, Bart and his buddies took a madcap cross-country road trip. As they crossed the state line into Tennessee on their way to Knoxville, the welcome sign read, “Tennesseein’ is Tennebelievin’”.
While it may not be the official tourism slogan of Tennessee, that Simpsons’ road sign springs to mind every time I find myself in the Volunteer State. (The official Tennessee tourism motto, by the way, is…”Tennessee, the stage is set for you!” Huh?)
I have spent quite a bit of time in Tennessee, and it’s a beautiful place with a geographical and cultural variety as wide as the state itself. I can find something of interest in all three of its Grand Divisions (East, Middle and West), but I am particularly fond of Nashville in Middle Tennessee.
Music City definitely has a cowboy-boot reputation, and I’m not much of a cowgirl. Still, Nashville makes a great getaway even if you never plan to step foot inside of the Grand Ole Opry.
Not to be cliché, but I have always found Nashville to be a friendly, southern city. It’s beautiful with lots of classic architecture and history, yet it doesn’t feel antiquated. Perhaps that’s because the city is also home to a dozen colleges and universities, as well as trendy neighborhoods and a growing arts scene. (More here.)
April is a good time to head to Nashville because the city puts on its Awesome April series of musical and cultural events, which include country music’s CMT awards, the Nashville Film Festival, as well as opera, jazz, ballet and children’s theatrical presentations.
Of course, there’s always the Wild Horse Saloon, the Ryman Auditorium, Opryland or the prospect of spotting a country celebrity to keep you busy too.
What’s your take on Nashville? Do you go for the entertainment scene, the history, or some other reason? Where’s the best place to stay when you go?
Permalink | Comments (56) | Post your comment | Categories: Southeast travel
Are you on board for a cruise?
Will you hit the high seas for vacation this year?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Some people are natural cruisers. Take our friends. They book cruises to the Caribbean regularly and occasionally ship out to Alaska and other far-flung places. Even my in-laws, who rarely travel, have taken up cruising with a group of their friends — and they’re loving it.
Each time someone we know raves about their most recent cruise, we enthusiastically jump on board and ponder taking one ourselves. Given that we have three young children, our most serious cruise inquiries have been of the Disney variety. We have almost booked a Disney Christmas cruise on a couple of occasions, but something always gets in the way that time of year.
Check out the ajc.com Cruise page for more information and travel ideas.
And for whatever reason, we don’t naturally think of a cruise when we plan our summer vacations. We love to ponder new destinations, and I think that’s where our problem lies. I don’t know if we’re just an impatient lot, but we tend to focus too much on our vacation destination and not in the trip itself. We just want to get to where we’re going.
True cruisers will tell you the fun’s all in the getting there. The cruise IS the vacation - not necessarily the ports of call. So maybe we landlubbers just need to grow some sea legs, sit back and enjoy the ride.
The Southeast offers loads of jumping off points for cruises to many beautiful places. Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Disney, Norwegian, and Princess are some of the cruise lines that depart from ports within a manageable drive or a short flight from Atlanta. There, you can board a ship to Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, islands throughout the Caribbean, Mexico, the Panama Canal and even South America.
So tell us…Where’s your favorite place to take a cruise? Do you have a favorite cruise line? What’s the best thing about these trips? Can you offer advice and tips for the novice cruise-taker? What happens if you get sea sick on board? Is it worth the cost to upgrade from an inside cabin to an oceanview or balcony room? How far ahead of time do you need to book your cruise?
Permalink | Comments (35) | Categories: Cruising, Southeast travel
It’s time for some new Savannah memories
What are your favorite things about Savannah?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mention Savannah and most people immediately think classic Southern architecture, historic squares and Spanish moss-laden trees. Not me. While I remember that stuff from childhood visits, Savannah means three things to me: Sir Mix-A-Lot, Jeane Kirkpatrick and Kinko’s.
As much as I love the city, I’m always on my way to Hilton Head or to my parents’ house on St. Simons when I pass through. As a result, it has been years since I have spent more than a few hours there - which may explain why my “grown up” memories of Savannah include a 1990s novelty rapper, Reagan’s ambassador to the United Nations and everyone’s favorite copy shop.
I’ll start with Kinko’s. Apparently, my folks don’t have a copy shop nearby that can handle an order for 200 memorial service programs at the last minute. So my brother and I recently headed up the road at 10 p.m. in search of the nearest Kinko’s - by the Savannah Mall - to pick up the order. We spent a total of 15 minutes in Savannah, including a futile search for an open Starbucks to get coffee for the ride home.
Just out of college, I flew into Savannah for a luncheon featuring former U.N. Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick. After her speech, I had to drive Mrs. Kirkpatrick to the Savannah airport to catch her flight back to DC. It was all I could do to figure out where I was going and attempt some kind of conversation with an erudite lady who was easily 50 years older than I. As soon as she boarded her plane, I caught my flight back to Atlanta. Total time spent in Savannah - about three hours.
My junior year at UGA, I decided to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day Savannah-style with some friends from Statesboro. I bought my official green cup to drink my green beer on the riverfront, but didn’t drink fast enough. My friends (who drove me there) quickly became “incapacitated”. Either we were going to sleep on the streets, or I had to put down my cup. Later, I drove a car load of passed-out party-goers all the way back to Statesboro. A looped recording of Sir Mix-A-Lot’s “Baby’s Got Back” was the only music in my friend’s car and the only thing keeping me awake for the 45-minute drive. To this day, I can still sing every word.
I realize now that I am way overdue for a proper visit to General Oglethorpe’s city on the bluffs. Savannah is beautiful in the spring, and St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner. This time, however, I’ll get a hotel.
What do you think of Savannah? Are you going there for St. Patrick’s Day? Where do you stay when you go? What are the best things to do and see in Savannah?
Permalink | Comments (45) | Categories: Southeast travel
