OMG!

I haven't entered in this thing since August.. and NOT ONE person has said a word to me. All my adoring fans have forsaken me!

Jen and I are off this week to Nashville by way of Indianapolis. Given the recent fun on the airlines and I'm sure the resulting increase in security.. driving is the way to go. Every time I fly.. I think 'why am I doing this? this is NOT fun." And while the drive to Nashville is about 8 hours or so.. I prefer it.

Rule #1 - the time between Christmas and the New Year is easily the best time of year to travel for fun. Simply, there is NO business travel this week and hotels are going begging. We got a 3.5 star hotel in Indy for the ridiculously low rate of $37.50.... thirty seven bucks.. roughly the cost of a round of drinks at a decent bar. The drive is pretty long to Nashville so we thought if we left Tuesday night and stayed in Indy we'd have more of a day to spend in "Music City" .

We are then going to Nashville where I found a Sheraton for $50/night!!!! Out by the airport. Rule #2 no business air travel makes for great rates out by an airport. Not so much in the downtown where touristy people might be hanging.

Thanks Priceline! for Nashville and thanks Hotwire! for Indy. This little trip points out how to use the two best sites online. For Indy.. we really wanted to be on the southwest side of the city to avoid 'rush hour' as we motored south toward Louisville. So I was as concerned about the area, than I was just price driven. I'd been following a 3.5 star hotel oh Hotwire for $46 for a week and I didn't think it would be going up... when it dropped to $37.50 I jumped on it.

For Nashville.. I just wanted to see how cheap I could get a hotel. With plenty of time on my hands between when I bid and when we left.. I made what I thought was an incredibly low bid. I was pleasantly surprised when they accepted my bid.

USA Today had an article a while back about how all of LAS VEGAS in on sale.. the best deal there was an all you could drink (wine or beer) buffet for $22! I'm sure it's still up somewhere on their site. if you like to travel and you like to do it cheaply.. right now is the time to go...anywhere (except Florida)

Here's ONE way to travel

Offer to work at a resort at no wage! I spent the month of July in Platoro, CO (don't look for it on a map!, it's probably not there) working at a lodge for no money. I got room and board and a lifetime of memories.

First bit of advice.. if you ever thought you'd like to own/run a resort.. try this. I knew in three days this was not gonna be for me. I'm not a people person.. it turns out, who knew?????????????

The hours are INSANE!!!! You are talking 12-14 hours a day depending on what is going on and maybe more.

The hiring (and firing) can shoot holes in your schedule. I was there 3 weeks, two people were let go. How do you replace people when you are 40 miles from a cell phone signal?

But the benefits were terrific.. the scenery was just fantastic, the southern rockies up around 9-10,000 feet, the sound of a rushing river just outside the lodge is like Prozac to me. Mule deer, elk, moose, antelope, marmots, hummingbirds all around the lodge.

The people I worked with were all characters, mostly great people. I enjoyed the change in my lifestyle. Some of the guests were terrific and I was glad to meet them. Others, notably a family from Texas, I could have collectively drowned them in the river.

LOTS of memories, lots of stories to tell.. worth every minute of the time I was there.

New way to travel

If you volunteer to work at a resort for free.. you can stay in Colorado for free!!!!!!  that's what I'm doing... 

Travel & Leisure magazine

I've been getting T&L for years now.  In my opinion it's the better of the two travel biggies, the other one  Conde' Nast Traveler.  Even though, I believe T&L  depends way too much on lists to fill their magazines.  Best Hotels, Best Spas, Best Travel Agents (really!).  You can subscribe for about a dollar an issue and if you have the travel bug.. it may help scratch it. 

I found the 33 best travel web sites in an old issue I unearthed from a pile of papers and some of them are worth passing along..

www.farecast.com  "predict the ideal moment to buy a(n airline) ticket

www.kayak.com and sidestep.com "best deals on flights and hotels" (still not cheaper than hotwire.com I'll bet)

www.traffic.com  'avoid roadblocks'

www.tripadvisor.com   'reviews by users'   (this is a GREAT site to check out hotel reviews) 

www.lastminute.com  'package deals one week out' 

There you have it.. from the 2008 December "Travel & Leisure". 

Jet America comes to Lansing

From Yahoo: 

Clearwater, Fla.-based JetAmerica said 34 nonstop passenger flights a week will start July 13 at Toledo, Ohio; South Bend, Ind.; Melbourne, Fla.; Newark, N.J.; Minneapolis and Lansing, Mich. Twenty-eight flights start or end at Newark Liberty International Airport. The carrier will add six more flights -- from Toledo to Minneapolis -- starting Aug. 14.

JetAmerica is targeting small and midsize cities like Lansing, which has seen the number of daily flights at its Capital Region International Airport fall from 35 to 12 the past five years. The decline is part of a national trend that has seen airfares increase at those airports as daily flights have decreased.

Robert Selig, head of the Capital Region Airport Authority, said JetAmerica will give Lansing business travelers direct access to New York City and carry leisure travelers to central Florida.

There will be a few $9 tickets on each flight.   I wouldn't go to NYC for $9 but I might go to Florida.

Nashville and Indy

If you love music.. then, by golly, get your butt to Nashville... Jen and I saw some great acts over the weekend.  We saw an act at the Fiddle and Steel Guitar bar in Printer's Alley that had GREAT stamped all over them. Their lead guitar was incredibly good and their singer was terrific, too. 

And CHEAP... once you get there...  it's about 530 miles from Lansing, (no construction though...) the bars downtown, don't charge cover.  They pass a tip jar around and you toss a couple bucks in.  Beer isn't too expensive.   One place, Robert's Western Wear  (bar, stage and footwear.. no lie)  has a Recession special ; PBR, fried bologna sandwich & a moon pie  $5!

Saturday night we went to the Bluebird Cafe, and listened to four guys you have never heard of that were wonderful   $10 cover.. over 2 hours of GREAT tunes. 

The photo is the lobby of the Frist Center for Visual Arts, a magnificent Art Deco building that was, at one time, a Post office.  The lobby alone is worth the price of admission (FREE!) 

Another little trick

We're going to go to Nashville next weekend  (Memorial day) for a two night stay.  We'll head to Indy on Thursday night to knock out about half the drive.   I got a Radisson Hotel in Indy near the airport for $45 plus fees  $14.    Not bad.     

 Big holiday weekends are LOW business traveler periods.   The best time of year to take advantage of this fact is the time between Christmas and New Year's.   Hotels almost PAY you to stay with them. 

Also.. we'll rent a car vs. my Buick  Rendesvous.   in addition to gettin much better mileage, I'll be putting miles a LOT of them.. on a car I don't own.   $15/day.. or about a half tank of gas.   If I get 30 mph vs. 20 mph..  I'll save about   $60/gas and spend  $81 for the rental .   that doesn't factor in wear and tear on the car.