September 14, 2016 — Otaru, Japan One of the [many] interesting benefits of being on a re-positioning cruise is that you will often stop in ports that most cruise ships never visit. The port of Otaru, on Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido, is a lovely area that many people use just as a way to…
Category: International
Heading to Unalaska!
September 4, 2016 — in the Pacific Ocean Yes; you read that correctly. I’m currently cruising on Celebrity MILLENNIUM heading out of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, to our first port of call in Alaska. The port is called Dutch Harbor, home of the TV show The Deadliest Catch, and it’s on the island of Unalaska…
A Crazy Travel Schedule
I head out on Friday for my first cruise of 2016 — that is shocking to some people who know me and how I love to travel. But this summer was dedicated to working in the yards as we are doing a lot of re-landscaping. I built new redwood planter boxes for the back yard,…
UPDATE: Global Entry, a Must Have for International Travelers
I posted this originally in January of this year. Since then I’ve had to apply for the renewal of five more years of Global Entry; I will have my “interview” one month from today in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. The reason it’s there is I will be heading out to speak on a cruise from there….
Don’t Pay for Checked Bags
Note: While the tone of this article slants toward European travels, the information is equally attributable to travel within USA, to Asia, South America, Australia, etc. The U.S. Bureau of Transportation (www.rita.dot.gov/bts/home) released data for airline revenues for excess baggage charges made between 2012 and 2013. And it’s no surprise the largest 15 airlines in…