There are lots of “pet lovers” out there and here’s some really great news. A new airline that is exclusively for pets will begin service on July 14, 2009. This new airline called PetAirways (petairways.com) will be the first airline for pets only. They will not fly humans, only pets! Cats and dogs will fly in the main cabin. Fares will be as low as $149, and your pet will not fly in the cargo section, but will be treated to a great travel experience under the watchful eyes of an attendant. There’s also a tracking function so pet owners can monitor their pets. The main cabin will of course be climate controlled so your pet will be comfortable. PetAirways can also dispense medication if you have advised them your pet requires it. No, just like all of the other airlines, they do not serve food. Dogs and cats actually travel better if they do not eat before or during travel. They will also recommend pet friendly hotels in the area. What good news for your dog or cat! If you need to fly to another destination, there are pet carriers to make your pet “at home” when they fly with you. The new airline PetAirways will operate in five cities. NYC, Baltimore, Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles will be the chosen cities for PetAirways. This is truly great news for your pets and their owners. Pets will travel comfortably and in the style you’ve already accustomed them! Now, the only question is, “how much luggage can your pet bring?”
June 29th, 2009
There’s no excuse not to travel with the great SALES available on luggage and deals on hotels and airfares. There’s even a $9.00 fare available from JetAmerica. Their flights will begin on July 13 and will start at only $9.00 to $199.00. You can get further information from jetamerica.com. According to AOL Travel, hotels available for $150 per night can be found in Pensacola Florida, Albuquerque New Mexico, Door County Wisconsin, Knoxville Tennessee, Fort Worth Texas, St. Louis Missouri, Las Vegas Nevada, Boston Massachusetts, Providence Rhode Island and San Diego California. Actually, when you shop around, you may find Las Vegas hotel fares for the better hotels as low as $45 per night. You can research further information on many low cost hotels at travel.aol.com. Jet Blue airlines have been running one-day reduced airfares too. Check with jetblue.com. There are other sites that you can watch for very special travel deals also. Lastminutetravel.com has offered $1 hotel fares. Travelzoo.com and Farecompare.com often post incredible bargains. You can also sign up for their fare alerts. Online auctions are another way to travel with greatly reduced rates especially if you are flexible with your travel dates. Two popular sites for these low fares are FloridaVacationAuction.Com and Luxurylink.com. These two sites offer high-end trips and low, low prices. Once you find your travel destination and make your air and hotel plans, you’ll need luggage. Delsey Hyperlite luggage and Delsey Breeze luggage as well as Prolite luggage and Tumi luggage are at specially reduced SALE prices now, Now that you have no more excuses not to travel, you can start packing!
June 17th, 2009
By now, we all know that you need photo identification to get through airport security. You also know to leave your Swiss Army knife at home or pack it in your baggage and not in your carry on luggage. However, it’s important to keep up with the new TSA mandates to avoid delays at the airport. The newest rule for security is that your boarding pass and ticket name must EXACTLY match your identification. That means if you have a middle name on your license or passport, use it when making your ticket reservations. You may never use your middle name, but TSA says their goal for Secure Flight rules is to have everything match exactly. This new rule is designed to make it easier for TSA personnel to avoid delays and hassles at the airport. Sometimes TSA will be more lenient, but if your want to avoid delays and stressful situations, be compliant with all of the new regulations. If you have a question whether an item you want to bring on board will be approved, you can always check with your airline or the TSA website. Do pack your liquids and/or gels in a 3-1-1 case or in your baggage. The 3-1-1 liquid carrier (3 ounce containers, 1 quart size, 1 per person) is a clear plastic quart sized case with containers inside of three ounces or less. Remember, that you cannot bring on a five-ounce bottle that is only slightly filled. The container must be of the correct size and it is only ONE quart sized clear plastic case per person. Pack your carry on bag neatly in the chance that TSA personnel need to go through your luggage. If your carry on is overstuffed, it may be hard to pack it back again after TSA personnel have gone through it. Use packing cubes, as they will make the re-packing job quick and easy. Also, allow yourself the extra time for going through tighter security in case you need it. This will avoid a stressful situation if you’re delayed catching your flight. Security regulations are designed to protect us all, so be calm and collected and you’ll soon be on your way!
June 9th, 2009
They are about to go off to college and they are celebrating their graduation from High School. What are the best gifts for graduation? Duffels on wheels are one of the most popular graduation gifts. Anyone going away to college will find that wheeled duffel is the most convenient and easy way to travel. The wheeled duffel will also pack down flat for easy storage in crowded dorm rooms. There are also smaller wheeled duffels for weekend travel or coming home for short visits. Wheeled duffels can be stuffed with lots of clothing and essentials and are lightweight for your convenience when traveling. There are wheeled duffels in every color and style for graduation! Another popular gift is a new backpack. Many of the newer backpacks have a padded compartment to carry their laptop safely as well as padded straps to ease the strain on their back. There are also padded laptop cases allowing you to insert your laptop into a carry bag of your choice. A leather wallet with an ID pocket is another great gift for graduates. These come in many bright colors for the girls as well. Small travel alarm clocks are practical and a great gift idea. Whatever they are doing and wherever they are going, they will need to be on time! Many graduates are planning a trip to Europe or other oversea destinations. A leather passport case is a wonderful gift idea, made even better when monogrammed with their initials. Those traveling abroad will also appreciate an electrical converter and adapter set, or any of the international travel appliances like a hair straightener or hair dryer. Language translators are another great gift idea. There are many different versions covering lots of different languages. There are even talking versions. Travel earring boxes and locking jewelry cases are another clever gift idea for the girls graduating. A leather shave kit monogrammed with their initials is something all of the boys will appreciate. The monogram helps to identify the toiletry case and leather can take all kinds of abuse from college students. There are fabric hanging cosmetic kits for the girls, which are useful for carrying and hanging their toiletries. The handy Swiss Army tool kit is another clever gift ideal for graduates. Leather luggage tags monogrammed with their initials are something personal that they’ll always find useful. Graduation is certainly an exciting time for celebrations and gift giving!
June 3rd, 2009
Tired of damaged luggage from airline or cruise line travel? Don’t want to replace your luggage every other year because it’s been ruined and is no longer fit to travel? Briggs and Riley luggage offers a lifetime performance guarantee. If your Briggs and Riley luggage is ever broken or damaged, even by airline travel, it will be repaired free of charge. Briggs and Riley call it their “simple as that” warranty. They have actually built their luggage to last through the rigors of travel. Whatever the airlines or cruise lines can throw at Briggs and Riley luggage, it can take it! The frame on Briggs and Riley luggage is a proprietary thermoplastic hybrid frame, which stands up to the toughest travel conditions. The Ballistic nylon outer fabric resists punctures, water, and wear, dirt, stains and abrasions. This fabric is designed to travel wherever you may want to go! There are corner guards on the luggage which are impact resistant shields streamlined to minimize corner abrasion. The long lasting YKK racquet coil zippers are ultra-durable. By minimizing areas that can be damaged, Briggs and Riley know it doesn’t have to worry about too many luggage repairs. Besides durability, Briggs and Riley luggage is also popular for having the pull up bars on the outside of the luggage. This frees up all of the space inside the luggage for your clothing, travel accessories, cosmetics, etc. No need to pack around the lumps and bumps caused by the bars inside. There are no bars inside the Briggs and Riley luggage. This makes packing a lot easier and smoother. You won’t have to pack around the bars or give up luggage space you need for yourself. Briggs and Riley also have expandable luggage, and removable garment sleeves with their Pullman sizes. Packing can’t get any easier than with Briggs and Riley luggage. This is the luggage we recommend whenever we hear that complaint, “I’m tired of having to constantly replace my luggage!” The few repairs that may need to be made on Briggs and Riley luggage are done quickly and efficiently. And, it’s true; they are always done at NO CHARGE. It’s as simple as that, and it’s comforting to know that when making a luggage purchase. Now, you can concentrate on your travel plans!
May 28th, 2009
Travelers are usually looking for the newest place to visit. While this isn’t a “new” destination, it hasn’t been easy to visit Cuba for a long time. Now that the Obama administration is lifting travel restrictions, there will be lots of travelers wanting to be among the first to visit Cuba. There will also be many who have relatives they have wanted to visit in Cuba. It’s important to realize that Cuba at the present time does not accept U.S. credit cards and debit cards. There’s also a surcharge of ten percent to exchange U.S. dollars. You’re better off exchanging your money for euros, Canadian dollars or Swiss francs before leaving the U.S. as these currencies do not get charged the ten percent surcharge. How to carry all this currency around? Americans are not used to carrying a lot of money around, as they usually travel with credit cards or traveler’s checks. ATM machines are always available for us, so it doesn’t occur to us to carry a lot of money. The best way to carry a lot of money is to use a money belt that you can wear UNDER your clothing. There are money belt models that can be worn by men or women. These money belts are worn UNDER the clothing around the waist, around the neck, around the shoulder, or around the ankle! There are also socks available with zippered compartments that can be worn to carry money. Another style of money belt is worn around your own belt and it then flips up and under your slacks. There’s also a regular men’s leather or fabric belt with hidden zippers underneath. If you are staying in Cuba for a longer length of time, you might want to carry all or several of these models to hold the currency you’ll need. It’s fun to have a new location to visit and see, but it’s always important to do some research prior to your trip. You can also visit www.newsday.com/travel to see a virtual tour of Cuba to give you some insight prior to your trip.
May 20th, 2009
Now that Mother’s Day is over, it’s time to think about a gift for Dad. Luckily, there are lots of gift ideas for Fathers for Father’s Day! Traditionally, Dads get wallets for Father’s Day. There’s always a large selection of wallets for Dad, and they can be monogrammed FREE of charge to make the gift even more special. Dads always love the Tumi wallets in leather. They are of the finest quality and always well received. This year, there are also wallets made of stainless steel. These Stewart Stand wallets are made of stainless steel thread used in the aviation and medical industry. Very thin, and very durable, the stainless steel wallet makes a very special gift for Father’s Day. Briefcases are another popular choice and always well received by Dads for Father’s Day. There are many styles on SALE and a huge selection to choose from. Monogrammed with his initials, a briefcase is a gift Dad can well appreciate. For Dads that travel, there’s new lighter weight luggage to keep him well within the airlines restrictions. There’s also the new TSA pass through briefcases from Tumi, Briggs and Riley, and Pathfinder. These briefcases allow you to pass through airline security without having to remove your laptop from your briefcase. Of course, Dads love toys too. There’s the new Einstein Brain Station to keep Dad thinking and amused. This hand held game uses all different parts of the brain and will amuse Dad for hours. Another great suggestion for Dad is the dresser valet. Dad can keep his keys, cell phone, wallet, change, keys, etc., on this dresser valet and always know where everything is located and can be found easily! There are lots of different versions of the dresser valet to match any decor. There’s even a standing valet that will also keep his suit hanging neatly. Some of the standing valets even have a charging section for his cell phone, PDA, etc. For Dads that have a lot of wristwatches, there are watch boxes, which organize his watch collection. These come in leather or wood and will keep his watches safe and in one place. And there are always lots of desk accessories for the Dads who spend lots of time working. Some Dads even have home office, and a leather desk set is the perfect gift for him. All of these items can also be engraved with his name, initials, or just “Dad” which says it all!
May 13th, 2009
There are deals galore for those planning a cruise in 2009. Every cruise ship seems to be offering some type of cost reduction with incredible value. Not only are nine major new ships being introduced, but also the economy has caused Cruise lines to slash prices and offer lots of money saving deals. New cruise ships debuting this year are AIDAluna, Carnival Dream, Celebrity Equinox, Costa Luminosa, Costa Pacifica, MSC Splendida, Oasis of the Seas (Royal Caribbean), Seabourn Odyssey, and Silver Spirit. Many of the premium destinations are also offering deals and upgrades, so do some research and start packing. Some cruise lines are offering free flights and hotel stays, or onboard credits. You also can pack those larger pieces of luggage because the Cruise lines are not as strict as the airlines and generally allow you to “over pack.” Kenneth Cole luggage and Skyway luggage have those larger 29″ sizes. Delsey Hyperlite luggage has the 28″ expandable size. You can also pack up those larger sized garment carriers, such as the Prolite luggage garment bag, which easily holds twenty garments or more! Briggs and Riley luggage also has a full sized garment bag for lots of suits and dresses. Remember if you are flying to your cruise destination, you will have to watch airline size and weight restrictions to avoid extra fees. Additionally, you can learn how to obtain discounts, upgrades, choose cabin locations and more on www.newsday.com/travel. You can also contact cruise lines directly to see what offers are available. There are so many wonderful offers, you’ll want to review them all and decide what works best for you. Whatever you choose, you know you’ll have a wonderful, relaxing vacation! You can check the following websites for further cruise information:
www.carnival.com
www.celebritycruises.com
www.costacruises.com
www.hollandamerica.com
www.msccruisesusa.com
www.nci.com (Norwegian Caribbean)
www.princesscruises.com
www.royalcaribbean.com
www.seabourn.com
www.silverseacruises.com
May 6th, 2009
Yes, Mother’s Day is in less than two weeks! Luckily, we have lots of suggestions that Mother will love! AND, none of them are fattening! The newest line of Vera Bradley luggage is called Purple Punch and Mother’s will love it! The Purple Punch Vera Bradley luggage is shades of purple with lime green accents! You just can’t resist this bright happy color, and it’s built to last. Vera Bradley Purple Punch luggage is expandable, lightweight and durable! For business Moms, there are also great looking pens from Waterman, Cross, and Vantaggio. Engraved with Mom’s initials, these pens are always a pleasure to use when writing. There is also a new line of pens from the Vera Bradley collection. These pens take a Cross refill and write beautifully! In fact, stay-at-home Moms will also appreciate these good-looking pens from Vera Bradley and they are under $20.00. Jewelry boxes are another wonderful gift for Moms that they appreciate. It’s always easier to wear jewelry that is kept organized and easy to reach. We also have locking jewelry boxes for Moms that need to keep fingers out of the jewelry box! Moms always appreciate leather wallets. Leather wallets are now available in bright colors so they are easy to spot inside your handbag. The newest leather wallets are also lightweight, and they are still designed to hold credit cards, receipts, plus money. Bosca, Lodis, Tumi, Kenneth Cole and Mywallit are a few of the popular brands. Mom will love the wallet monogrammed with her initials for that personal look. Working Moms would love the newest briefcases in lightweight leather. All of the briefcases are at greatly reduced SALE prices for this busy season. Moms love their initials monogrammed on these good-looking briefcases. We even have leather totes from Jack Georges starting at $69.99! UBU has introduced a whole new line of colors in their lightweight, never wrinkle, jackets. These UBU jackets will accompany you anywhere, and Mom will arrive looking fresh and totally unwrinkled. The UBU jackets are reversible, so you get two jackets in one. They are especially popular for travel as they take up little or no room in your luggage or carry on! There are new travel accessories that Mom will also appreciate. The International, use around the world hair straightener is perfect for traveling Moms. The small portable luggage scale will keep Mom from having to paying overage charges from the airlines. Now, you have no more excuses to forget Mother’s Day!
April 30th, 2009
Looking at the newest choices in luggage today, you’ll be impressed by the bright colors and lighter weight selection. Bright colors include offerings like the new Delsey Helium Hyperlite that comes in Fire Red, Azure Blue, Fern Green as well as more conservative colors like gray. No black in this Delsey Helium Hyperlite selection either! Vera Bradley has introduced her brightest color selection yet - Purple Punch! This is all of the shades of purple, fuchsia and lilac with lime green as an accent. All of these beautiful colors are against a dark chocolate brown background with dark brown patent leather PVC piping and handles! The Vera Bradley luggage is also lined with a different pattern in a coordinating but not matching pattern. Talk about bright! You’ll also love the newest Tumi luggage colors. Besides the traditional black, Tumi is now available in bright yellow and bright red! These newest colors have black trim so they blend in well with your traditional Tumi black luggage. Calvin Klein has wonderful colors of Cracked Pepper and Basil, which is a bright green. The Calvin Klein Soho luggage collection is made of ballistic nylon for durability! The duffel on wheels selection is also bright colored! You’ll love the offerings of a Graffiti print and a polka dot print wheeled duffel with contrasting striped lining. We also have great Turquoise duffels in rip-stop nylon. Vera Bradley and Delsey also make the duffels with wheels in their new bright color offerings. We’re also looking at much lighter weight luggage. Not only do the airlines charge for overweight luggage, but also it’s much easier to travel with luggage that is lighter weight making the pieces easier to handle. Prolite has lightweight ballistic nylon luggage that is a pleasure to lift. The Delsey Helium Hyperlite is their lightest yet in the Delsey collection of luggage. Skyway luggage has introduced two collections that are extremely lightweight - Montage and Vision 2. Briggs & Riley is showing lighter weight luggage and so is Hartmann. Luggage is going lighter and brighter just in time for the busy summer travel season!
April 23rd, 2009
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