PicaJet Blog

My husband and I celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary yesterday.  Our formal plans had us dining at a very cool eatery called “The Bootlegger Italian Bistro,”  in South Las Vegas. We had eaten there when we first arrived in Vegas and thought it would be a nice place, with its classic old gangster ambience, to have our anniversary dinner. 

But our plans changed.  Vegas has a way of doing that to plans.  So, we cancelled our reservations in favor of another place.  And we are so glad we did.  We had one of our best times yet in Las Vegas.

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There I sat, minding my own business, reading my book when the most amazing thing happened.  I gasped and shrieked as a storm erupted from the ceiling above my head.  Tiny ice pellets fell all over me.  What was this?  I was stunned because I was sitting in the middle of a sleet storm while ON BOARD an Air Canada plane. 

I felt it was worth mentioning to Air Canada’s customer service.  How did I do it?  Did I get any reaction?  What I did may be of help to you in your next encounter with Air Canada customer service following a less than exemplary Air Canada flight.  Read on . . .

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If you have never taken the train, or you haven’t ridden the rails in some time, then check out the nearest Amtrak station.  Especially when exploring a new city. That’s the Philadelphia Amtrak station showing above.

With the high cost of rental cars, gasoline, insurance, and with the irritation of battling traffic in a strange city, travel by Amtrak train is like a gift from heaven.

My husband and I have just decided to include at least one Amtrak day trip while traveling, and we are very glad we did.  We took the Amtrak between New York City and Philadelphia, and loved the trip.

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No, not all the airlines are charging for the first checked bag, but will they hold out for much longer?  We may as well get used to traveling lighter now in anticipation of even higher fees down the road.

Those fees will really add up at $15-$25 per checked bag EACH way when flying to that dream destination.

But do you really need the extra baggage?  Probably not.  If you choose an appropriate carry-on bag and pack more efficiently, you’re likely to find that you don’t miss hauling around all those extra suitcases. 

There are great travel sites with clever tips designed to help you beat the airlines at their own game.

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It’s all over the news.  Increases in airline tickets.  Increases in airline handling fees. 

In Europe, Ryanair is charging for everything from booking your ticket with a credit card to simply showing up at the airport.  Cruise lines are upping their prices, too, and all in an attempt to offset the rising price of fuel.

But should the increased fees mean less travel?  Or maybe it’s just time to get really creative when booking or packing for our travel adventures? 

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This is a typical sight from an Alberta highway.  A quiet little pond, so innocuous, so charming.  But many countries, many lands have similar vistas - sights which look perfectly safe, including those sights in some of the more questionable areas of the world like Egypt and Africa. 

How can a traveler know if a decision to explore a new world is a smart decision? 

Luckily, there are many web sites that can help you make an informed decision.  Some even have links to other travel tools (like currency conversion charts) that make travel to a foreign land a whole lot easier.

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There’s “adventurous” travel and then there is “dangerous” travel.  Since neither my husband nor I are members of the CIA, nor are we navy seals, we have placed limitations on our travel experiences.   Those limitations recently affected one of our travel decisions: an end-of-summer trip to Belize.

Having reviewed a recent Canadian foreign affairs travel report, we have decided that Belize is not the place for us - at least not this year.  

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I love my province, and I love our two biggest cities: Edmonton and Calgary.  But I hate the traffic congestion.  Monday, I went to Calgary for a Photoshop seminar.  Arriving at 5 PM was my first mistake; my second mistake was staying on the Deerfoot Trail.

The drive was perfectly normal.  3 hours from the west side of Edmonton to the edge of Calgary.  What happened after that was, in a word, ridiculous.

Read this if you want some good advice when traveling to Calgary.

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My husband can be a pretty grumpy traveler, but even he, with a few moderations to his attire, can be a happy traveler.  He had to stop wearing his lace-up shoes through airport security, for one thing.  But here are a few more tips to help make your flying experience more palatable.

I have a great deal of respect for the Frommers’ people and their travel advice.  Recently, the travel site gurus ran a piece on what NOT to wear when flying.  The advice is simple, yet comprehensive.  It’s great advice for anyone who hasn’t quite figured out that, yes, Virginia, no matter what they taught you in school about being non-judgmental, on a plane, you will be judged by the clothes you wear.

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We are off to New York City in a few weeks, but we’ve been there lots of times.  And, while we LOVE the Big Apple, we are adventurous travelers.  So, it’s time to step out of our comfort zone once more. 

The “City of Brotherly Love,” - that’s Philly, for those of you not in the know, is just under 2 hours away, by train.  This historical hub of the USA sounds very intriguing. 

But how to get there?  And what to do?  And how long do you have to do it? 

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