Travel Essentials Blog

by Nancy Bestor

Why do I always have such longings for ethnic food? When traveling in any big city, we tend to choose eateries by the following maxim – the more exotic, the better. Italian? Nah. Chinese? No thanks. Mexican? Sure I like great tacos, but if I can choose Indian, Lebanese or Thai, Mexican will lose out. Perhaps as I get older my palate craves the unusual. Maybe living away from a big city for 17 years makes me yearn for things I can’t easily get in Ashland. Whatever the reason, in our travels to metropolitan areas, every stop on our itinerary revolves around our next meal, and our recent visit to San Francisco was no exception.

My current favorite West Coast ethnic eatery has to be Shalimar in San Francisco. Located in the ever-so-delightful Tenderloin district, Shalimar is Indian/Pakistani eating at its best. You won’t find tablecloths, fancy menus or any semblance of an attempt to create an “atmosphere” at Shalimar. What you will find is absolutely outstanding Indian and Pakistani food. My personal favorite on the menu is Saag Gosht, a lamb and spinach dish that Shalimar says is the “favorite dish of the Punjabi farmer.” Then again, maybe my top dish is Murghi Korma Shahi, a delicious chicken curry. Or it could even be Bengen Bhujia, eggplant cooked with onion and tomato. All I know is, on our most recent visit I ate as fast as I could in an effort to get my fair share. Our table was nearly silent as my dining companions wolfed down Shalimar’s fabulous fare. The Naan bread and Tandoori Chicken, two things I like very much, but am not often willing to fill my stomach with when there is more spicy and exotic food to be had, are the best I’ve ever tasted. I’m salivating while I write…..

Shalimar does not serve alcohol, but since Indian food really tastes best when coupled with a beer, feel free to bring your own, as Shalimar does not mind. You can buy a beer or two at the market on the corner and chances are the owner will know right where you’re headed. Shalimar is light on the pocketbook too. A table of four can eat very well for $50.

Full disclosure: Shalimar is by no means a fancy restaurant. One does not dine there for the atmosphere. And the Tenderloin district is not one of San Francisco’s nicest. While I have always felt safe, a fair number of the city’s homeless do hang out in the area. There is no doubt however, that the amazing food is well worth the minor inconvenience. A sure sign to me of an ethnic restaurant’s authenticity is the other people eating in the locale. Shalimar is always full, and our table has almost always been the only non-Indian or Pakistani table in the house. If you like authentic Indian/Pakistani food and you’re in San Francisco, run, don’t walk, to Shalimar. And bring me an order of Tandoori Chicken while you’re at it.

Shalimar: www.shalimarsf.com, 532 Jones Street, open noon-midnight.

Rick Seaney, co-founder of www.farecompare.com, offers five tips for finding cheap airfare in 2011:

1. Shop for Airline Tickets on Tuesday at 3pm Eastern

I’ve been watching this rule play out for the past several years, and I know it works – because no airline wants to offer fares even a dollar more than its rivals. See for yourself:

• Normally, an airline (or two or three) will launch an airfare sale Monday evening
• Other airlines then begin matching the new lower prices
• This matching is typically finished by 3pm Eastern Tuesday

2. Be Flexible – Travel Days

Fly on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays: These are almost always the cheapest days to fly. Avoid travel on Fridays and Sundays, usually the most expensive days to fly.

3. Be Flexible – Time of Day You Fly

These are usually the cheapest times to fly:

• Fly at dawn, lunch time, the dinner hour, as well as the later evening hours
• Catch an overnight red-eye flight

Fly when most people don’t want to fly, and you will save.

4. Fly in-and-out of Major Airports

Larger airports, especially airline hubs, have cheaper airfare prices. Not always, but usually. Here’s an easy way to find the best prices:

• Select a destination
• Sign-up for airfare alerts from multiple airports near you

Look at the prices you’re sent and decide if a longer drive to a larger airport makes sense for you.

5.  Don’t Pay Airline Fees

Always avoid the worst of the airline fees and we show you the prices in the FareCompare Domestic Airline Fee Chart:

• Use a carryon bag: a single checked-bag adds $50 to your airfare price
• Pack a lunch: do you really want to pay $10 for a meal you don’t like?
• Bring a neck pillow and a sweater: JetBlue and US Airways now charge $7 for a pillow/blanket combo while American Airlines charges $8

FareCompare.com is an independent airfare website that helps you sort through and compare airfares through various airlines and ticket agencies to find you the best deals on flights all over the world.

by Ember Hood

New Year’s Eve is probably the most glamorous holiday I can think of. Party dresses, champagne, sparklers – watching that huge ball of light slowly drop in Time Square. It’s about getting together with as many people as you possibly can, even if you’ve never met any of them before, and celebrating collectively that a new year is beginning. Most years I find a party or a group of good friends to go out with, wear my sparkly hat or silly glasses, have some champagne and toss some confetti. But in December of 2004 I found myself in a considerably more interesting situation.

I was twenty-two and putting off graduating from college by spending a year studying abroad in France. Wanting to take full advantage of my time in Europe, I decided to travel during our winter holiday from school, even though I had no travel companions. For the first leg of my journey, I spent the days leading up to Christmas in London, wandering the foggy streets and hunting down as many landmarks as I could. I snapped silly pictures of myself grinning like a chimpanzee in front of Big Ben and Tower Bridge.

Christmas day was a bittersweet affair, alone in my hotel room, flipping between the limited BBC channels and feasting on sandwiches and Coca Cola that I’d picked up the night before at a little shop down the street. A brief phone call home in a telephone booth (very red and very British) on the corner next to the hotel was the highlight of the day, getting to talk to my family for a few minutes before my over-priced phone card ran out. On the plus side, it was actually the first time I was able to sit through “Gone With the Wind” in its entirety.

The next leg of my journey was far less solitary. I headed up to Uppsala, Sweden to spend a few days with my favorite Swede in the world, my friend Ina, and her parents. They welcomed me with open arms, told me stories, made me real Swedish meat balls and mulled wine, and even took me to a bandy match (an amazing ice sport that seemed very much like hockey to me – but say that to a fan and you’ll get a dirty look!)

When my time in Sweden was up, I headed back to London for the least-anticipated portion of my trip – the sixteen hour layover in Stanstead airport outside of London on New Year’s Eve. Staying an extra night in Sweden and flying back to France on New Year’s Day or later would have cost at least 100 euros more. So, I packed a book and resigned myself to a very boring time. When we arrived in England, I found a suitably empty bank of chairs and settled in, propped my feet on my little wheeled bag and started to read. (more…)

Travel experts are weighing in on the trends they expect to see for travel in 2011. Here are a few things to look for next year.

Pauline Frommer, daughter of guidebook guru Arthur Frommer, says we can expect airlines and hotels to start offering “package deals” on fees. Perhaps we’ll be offered a flat annual fee from Marriott Hotels or United Airlines to avoid resort fees or carry-on luggage fees and ticket changing fees.

Ms. Frommer also expects home and condo rentals to continue growing over hotel room rentals. She reports that Homeaway.com, the largest home rental site on the web, grew from 60,000 rentals in 2005 to more than 230,000 today. For Frommer’s full story on 2011 travel trends, visit this site.

Trip Advisor, in its annual travel trends survey, says the top three international travel destinations for Americans next year are Paris, London and Rome. Trip Advisor also reports that the friendliest AND most annoying travelers are Americans. For other survey results visit Trip Advisor’s Website.

American Express predicts that airfare in 2011 will rise from 2% to 10% depending on the region, not because of lower profits, but because of supply and demand. Airlines nationwide are expected to post an aggregate net profit of $9.1 billion next year, down from $15.1 billion this year. For more information, read this this article.

by Nancy Bestor

It’s almost 2011, and I thought it would be a good time to share my travel wishes for the new year. Our family’s travels in 2010 were great, but there is always room for improvement right? Here are my top 10 travel wishes for 2011:

1. That the person I stand behind in the airport security line remembers not to be carrying an 8 ounce bottle of water, or a full size bottle of shampoo, or a Swiss army knife, or anything that will make an already long line even longer. We’ve been doing this for almost 10 years now. It’s time to get with the program people.
2. I hope to continue eating delicious street food around the world: things like tacos, pad kee mow, falafels, and pho, to name a few of my favorite delicacies.
3. That people remember how fortunate we are to be able to travel. We fly 30,000 feet IN THE AIR and cross the United States in as little as five hours. This is a trip that would have taken our ancestors days, weeks, and even months to accomplish. We can make it to just about any spot on the globe in less than 24 hours. Pretty amazing when you think about it.
4. That my travel on public transportation is as easy, smooth and reliable as train travel on the Swiss Rail System. Why can’t all countries learn from the Swiss so we can set our clocks by the departure time of trains, buses, planes, and more? If the Swiss can do it, can’t we all?
5. That people are kinder to airline and TSA employees. It’s not their fault that your plane is delayed, or the security is tighter. They are just doing their job, following the rules their boss told them to follow. Let’s cut them some slack.
6. That I can learn to pack less clothing.
7. Let’s be more flexible in 2011. Weather is going to delay our travels. Mechanical problems are going to delay our travels. That’s just the way it goes.
8. I hope to stay healthy while traveling. It’s no fun being sick anywhere, but it’s especially not fun to be sick in a foreign country.
9. When my flight is oversold, and the airline asks for volunteers willing to take a later flight, I hope I am able to volunteer, I hope to get chosen and I hope to be well compensated.
10. World peace. Because who doesn’t wish for world peace?

Just back from a week in Cancun, where I spent many a day sitting on the beach looking at the beautiful Caribbean blue water while drinking a fruity concoction. Or would that be drinking a fruity concoction while sitting on the beach…..hmmmmm? The highlight of my week (outside of the beaches and the concoctions) was a day trip to the Mayan ruins of Coba. While tours are available, we decided to rent a car ($80 for the day including insurance) for the 200-mile round trip to the Coba ruins.

On the way south from Cancun, on a local’s tip, we stopped in Playa del Carmen, a sleepy beach town, for a taco breakfast. Food carts just outside the bus station in downtown Playa del Carmen sell tacos to the locals, only in the morning hours. We scarfed scrumptiously outstanding soft pork tacos, with generous side helpings of salsa that burnt our lips with their heat. The tacos were about .75 cents each. It was a great way to start the day.

We contemplated a visit to the more popular Mayan ruins of Tulum, but decided on the less traveled path of Coba. This turned out to be an excellent decision. Coba is full of interesting stone ruins with the highlight being the dramatic Nohoch Mul, a 138-foot pyramid that you can still climb to the top of. The Nohoch Mul (meaning large hill) is the tallest ancient Mayan structure in the Yucatan, taller even that the famous pyramid at Chichen Itza, and the only pyramid that you can still climb. The Nohoch Mul is very steep and lots of tourists were using the rope placed in the middle of the pyramid’s steps to hold onto, when climbing up and down. It was no problem for me climbing up, but heading down made me a bit nervous. The view from the top looks out over the luscious jungle, and is well worth Coba’s small price of admission (just over $4). I highly recommend a visit here. We rented bicycles (for $2.50) to pedal around the ruins, which are fairly spread out. There is little signage, so bring a guidebook that includes information about the ruins of Coba.

Another fun side trip on the way to or from Coba would be a stop at one of the many cenotes for swimming. The definition of a cenote is a sinkhole containing groundwater, but that sounds far less glamorous than a water filled cave whose roof has collapsed. Some cenotes are open to the elements, while others are partially or completely covered within a cave. Mayans used the cenotes for both irrigation and drinking water, and more than 1000 have been discovered in the Yucatan. Most day tours offered in Cancun include a stop at a cenote, and there are several popular water parks that in addition to cenotes, offer zip-lining, jungle jeep rides, snorkeling and the like. In addition, along the drive from Cancun to Tulum and on to Coba you’ll see signs for many more casual and privately run cenotes, where you can pay a small admission and take a dip in a beautiful pool. For more on cenotes in the Cancun area, read here.

by Nancy Bestor

It’s great to visit family for Thanksgiving, Hannukah and Christmas. Eating turkey and stuffing, lighting candles, and opening gifts is always more fun with those you love. What’s not always so fun however is traveling for the holidays. The weather is dicey, the roads and airports busy, and people can get a little grumpy. Here are some tips for staying sane during your holiday journey.

Pack Food! I am always a bit more short tempered (my husband will attest to this whole heartedly) when I am hungry. And when you are on the road you never know where your next meal will come from. Airlines rarely provide free food anymore, and the food available to purchase is rarely appetizing. So pack your own food, whether for a long car trip or an airplane journey.

Flight Delayed? Ask for details! The airline industry is cutting costs whenever possible. If your flight is delayed, they likely won’t offer up every solution they have available. For example, I flew home from Mexico last weekend and missed my connection in San Francisco, due to a three hour delay in the flight leaving Mexico. I missed the last plane into Medford and had to stay the night and leave San Francisco the next morning. My traveling companion texted home, and had her husband call United and get us booked on a flight the next morning, as the United personnel in Mexico said there were no available flights into Medford from San Francisco, so they could not help at that time. We had to fly home from San Francisco through Seattle, (sadly our SFO-Seattle plane flew directly over Medford), but we did get home the next day at 3pm.  There are almost always options, you just need to ask.

Ask also to be compensated. If your flight is delayed or cancelled, you might be eligible for compensation. And, once again, you don’t know if you don’t ask. On the Mexico flight described above, we were put up in a hotel in San Francisco (a nasty hotel, but that is another story), given $15 in food vouchers, and given $250 in travel credit for a future trip on United. Not bad for getting home 15 hours after our scheduled arrival.

Be flexible. You may have to take a slight detour to get to your destination. It may take you a little longer (or even a lot longer) than you expected. But the truth is, the weather is dicey this time of year, and more people are on the roads and on airplanes. There is only so much an airline or the snow-plowing crew on the interstate can do. Be flexible.

Keep a good attitude. Getting upset is not going to get you to your destination any faster. It is what it is.

Happy holidays, and safe travels from the Travel Essentials Team.

More than 150 works of Pablo Picasso are on exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum. Picasso’s work, on display through January 17, is on loan  from the Musée National Picasso in Paris, which is currently closed for renovations. The exhibit includes paintings, sculptures, drawings and photographs from Picasso’s personal collection. The Picasso show will travel to two other US museums;  the Virginia Museum of Fine Art (February 19-May 15), and the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco (June 11-September 18). For more information visit www.picassoinseattle.org

The Boston Museum of Fine Arts, opens a 125,000 square foot wing this month. The new space will showcase an “Art of the Americas” collection, with more than 5,000 works of art produced in North, Central and South America. Included in the collection is the silver “Sons of Liberty” bowl, created by Paul Revere in 1768 to honor members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives who stood up to British rule and resisted laws passed to tax the Colonists, eventually known as the Boston Tea Party. Visit www.mfa.org to learn more.

The Smithsonian- affiliated National Museum of American Jewish History has just opened in Philadephia. A block from the Liberty Bell, this is the first museum in the world devoted to the history of Jewish people in the U.S., from their arrival in 1654, to Barbra Streisand’s turn in Yentl, to the present day. For more information, visit www.nmajh.org

by Nancy Bestor

It’s October, and for many Americans, October means playoff and World Series baseball. I grew up on baseball. My dad was (and still is) a big fan of the Oakland Athletics. We lived just 10 minutes from the Oakland Coliseum, and since I was the second of two girls, I was my Dad’s last hope for a child who would be interested in his (and America’s) favorite pastime. I don’t actually remember going to baseball games (sorry Dad), but I do remember the glory years of the Oakland A’s, and going to their World Series Championship parades in 1972, 1973 and 1974. I remember Rollie Fingers with his handlebar mustache, Mr. October himself Reggie Jackson, owner Charlie O., and my favorite player, Bert “Campy” Campaneris.

Somehow, I married a big baseball fan too—and believe it or not, a big Oakland Athletics fan as well. In the early days of our relationship, I spent a lot of time at the Oakland Coliseum, watching baseball, drinking beer, and thinking that nighttime baseball games, when you’re not dressed warmly enough, are just too damn long. When Bob and I got married, we traveled the USA in a Volkswagen bus for five months (read the full story here). We saw lots of our country’s greatest sites, ate in a bunch of fantastic regional specialty restaurants, and yes, we visited lots of ballparks too. We saw games at Tiger Stadium, the Seattle Kingdome, Wrigley Field, and Yankee Stadium. And we were extra fortunate (no sarcasm here, really) to see our Oakland A’s win at both Fenway Park and Camden Yards.

Now we live in a state without a major league team, and I must admit that I find myself waxing nostalgic over those early days at the Coliseum. Tickets were cheap, beer vendors still roamed the stands, and I fondly remember many a Saturday afternoon, sitting in the warm sunshine of the upper deck and cheering on the team. Hot dogs at the ballpark tasted better than anywhere else and a ballpark Coke is a Coke like no other.

Sure when we travel to “the big city” in another state we can go to a baseball game, but it’s not quite the same. And since we’ve now been married 17 years, if we were at a nighttime baseball game, and I wasn’t dressed warmly enough, I wouldn’t just THINK that baseball games are too damn long. I’d say it out loud and simply leave.

If you’ve traveled outside the U.S. a few times, there’s a good chance this unhappy circumstance has happened to you or someone you know. Yes, I’m talking about traveler’s diarrhea, also known as Montezuma’s revenge, the Turkish two-step, the trots, the Tijuana cha-cha, the sour apple quickstep (the list goes on and on). Our family was unfortunate enough to get sick while traveling in Turkey a couple summers ago (read the full story here) and it made for a few miserable days. It’s no fun having to hang out near the bathroom when what you really want to be doing is seeing the sights. We felt like we took all the precautions that go hand in hand with staying healthy in another country, but obviously, we missed out on something. Here are a few tips for keeping traveler’s diarrhea from your next trip.

Only eat fresh fruits and vegetables that can be peeled. Definitely avoid salads. We ate tomatoes most mornings for breakfast in Turkey. They were delicious, but perhaps they were our downfall.

Never drink tap water. Do not brush your teeth in it, do not open your mouth in the shower. Avoid ice in drinks as well. I’ve read blogs that say not to trust bottled water in third world countries either, as some businesses fill bottles with tap water and reseal them with glue (have you seen Slumdog Millionaire?) The best source for water is to take a water purifying system, like the Steripen. You know your water will be safe, as the Steripen uses germicidal UV light to sterilize water in less than two minutes. Using the Steripen is ecologically friendly as well, because you don’t buy plastic bottle after plastic bottle of water.

(more…)