Tagged With "automatic check-in"
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Re: Ithaca,New York tells Visitors to Go to Florida
I love honest people. Ithica was not in my radar, but I'll need to check it out when I'm in the neighborhood!
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo (#110)
I really, really don't mean to spoil the fun, knowing that whenever someone says that he does in fact exactly that. However I'll use the occasion to share a very useful tip for anyone: Google Picture Search. it allows you to search for any picture on the web and it will find similar pictures or - like in this case an exact match. You can either paste in the direct url of the picture or download a copy and later upload it again. If the website doesn't allow that (which really makes no sense...
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Re: Points to consider before visiting Tbilisi
Good points to know before travelling. The Wine sounds good.. need to check this out further. Thanks G
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Re: Shelter in hotel: New trend?
For those with money to burn and a bit of disdain for 'the rest of us,' there's an alternative in Zurich: Le Bijou Hotel and Resort, formerly a luxury apartment building and now renting out as "quarantine apartments" for $12-14,000 a night. As an add-on, the hotel is offering a $500 virus screening test by a local clinic: "You don't need to expose yourself to infected patients and hospital infections: Together with our healthcare partner Double Check, we provide medical check-ups and...
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Re: Dole Plantation, Oahu, Hawaii (Where Gumbo was #169)
I just discovered a useful website for information on visit Oahu, including on the best tourist attractions, called " Live your Aloha ". Check out their link.
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Re: TSA: More lines, delayed flights
I hate the bag fees, but they're not the problem. The TSA is. Everyone would still have a carry-on bag, albeit a smaller one if they could check a suitcase for free. My experiences in Calgary, Frankfurt and Spain in the past month. Waiting times were never more than 10 minutes and usually less than 5 minutes to be screened. You just need enough of and a motivated staff that gets people through quickly
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Re: TSA strands 450 overnight: could it get worse?
To be fair to the TSA (which I find hard to do), the $7.3 billion is not all for screening, only about half is. That said, while airports are looking to outsource the screening, maybe they should hire Transport Canada! As for the PreCheck point: TSA can't seem to make up its mind. When it started, they semi-randomly selected 'extra' people to go through it, on the theory that they would like it enough to buy it—and some did, but not enough. Then the people who had paid for it started to...
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Re: Is bad PreCheck planning responsible for TSA delays?
I don't like the whole concept of PreCheck because when they started this added security at airports, they insisted terrorists could be anyone and that's why we need to check everyone. We enter trains, buses and metros without a PreCheck, and it doesn't take forever. There is a history of attacks on those means of transportation too. And now attacks could just as easily happen at the ticket counter at the airport as on the plane.
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Re: Prince William and Dutchess Kate visit the Taj Mahal
If you are planning a trip to the Taj Mahal and India, check out TG's India section. It includes blogs on the Taj Mahal https://www.travelgumbo.com/collection/IndiaBlogs https://www.travelgumbo.com/sea...ueryString=Taj+Mahal
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo (#213)
It's Thursday, and the first day of double clues to this week's puzzle venue. If you thought the second clue was very different from the first, perhaps these will help you bridge the gap. Check the clues, ask questions...the Puzzler is happy to answer, although perhaps obliquely....
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Re: Emirates cuts U.S. flights, blames 'Trump Slump'
So if I book a US flight with Emirates I should check first if it originated in Dubai before stopping in the UK?
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo (#134)
Todays clues are what lights it. Do these photos help? The biggest clue will come tomorrow so make sure to check back.
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Re: How do you buy your travel?
Hi HistoryDigger, Priceline has competitive car rental prices, so I'd definitely check them out. I also just discovered that the Costco travel page can have some great car rental prices. Last car I rented was with them and it beat the OTA prices considerably. So I'll check them in the future if you're a Costco member.
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Re: How do you buy your travel?
Few more thoughts, following HistoryDigger and DrFumblefinger... 1. Definitely check all your affiliations on car rental; after years of getting better price through AAA than any other way I knew, I recently found that going to the same vendors through USAA (my car insurance) gets me even better. 2. Not only does Priceline have good pricing on cars, I've often found I can get 30-40% lower through their blind-bidding (Name Your Own Price) service. 3. RailEurope is something of a red flag for...
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Re: World's largest hotel to open in 2017
I know it sounds like sour grapes, but anyway: after experiencing big-hotel check-in at Las Vegas, I don't want to go to this one anyway.
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Re: Lanai: Sorry, Island Closed for Renovation
This first project is scheduled for 3 months, but it’s not clear what the schedule of other projects will be, or if it will require the closing of both major hotels. Best advice, I think, would be to check with the Lanai Four Seasons resorts and see when they’re taking new reservations for. But two years out…probably no problem.
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Re: Are ATM's at European airport going to cost you more?
I believe the facts are somewhere in between, but the direction is not good. I can't, at the moment, find the piece I saw a few months ago about the transition, but my memory is that Travelex machines are to go in as lease/concession arrangements that exist expire. In some cases, the existing deals are quite long. At the moment, I can confirm that there are still bank-based machines in place at Berlin Tegel, and I'll have the opportunity in the next couple of weeks to check Prague and...
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Re: Are ATM's at European airport going to cost you more?
My purpose in posting this was to pass along information that I felt was reasonable, although I could not check it myself. I am glad to hear that it moght not be correct, although, as I stated above, in Brazil (my last international trip) I encountered something similar. As someone who travels to Europe once every 2 years or so I felt that this was something I was needed to know, and that I could share for others like me, as a warning of changes that are happening. Maybe I chose the wrong...
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Re: Are ATM's at European airport going to cost you more?
Jonathan, I was in no way suggesting you shouldn't have posted it and was very interested in the information, in fact. It effects us all who travel and as mentioned, I'm surprised it hasn't come to pass sooner. I could have worded my post better. Because the article wasn't fresh I wanted to check the facts as best I could from my computer, to see if the sky really is falling. He mentioned looking for a Barclay's ATM so that's where I went. I have no doubt there are fewer than before. My only...
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Re: Are ATM's at European airport going to cost you more?
I just opened a Capital One checking account, chip & pin debit card, 1% foreign currency conversion fee, rather than the 3% my local bank charges. The 1% is standard for MasterCard branded debit cards, seems no way to avoid it. But Capital One charges no additional. Will check out the AAA card. The series, 'Anatomy of a Trip', will start September 9th, if all goes as planned (does it ever?)
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Re: France, Britain at swords points over croissants
These matters are too weighty to be settled by a single judge—a panel of judges is needed. My bag is always packed... Rob...are we flying Norwegian? perhaps we can check their breakfast on the way...
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo #152
Here's the Thursday clue...check back late tonight for an early look at Friday's clue. By now it's clear that we're looking at a stately building...but have the details told you anything about it?
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo #207
Here's the second clue for this week's puzzle; starting tomorrow there will be two a day. Check them out, ask questions, solve the puzzle!
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Re: Is a stopover in Iceland worthwhile
Well, I said so much about Iceland, I decided to leave the rest for another post. Getting from Barcelona (or Madrid) to Lisbon: the only practical way is to fly. Train takes too long for this one, and costs more! From Barcelona to Lisbon, flights on Vueling, Iberia, TAP, etc. run from $35 one-way to about $80 before you hit the high-priced ones. I just looked in May; Vueling and Iberia have $68 in the morning and $35 at 7:30 pm. Madrid-Lisbon, there's a $40 mid-day flight, but most other...
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Re: Is a stopover in Iceland worthwhile
Well, thanks everyone. You've been great and this has all been very helpful. So yes, I will go to Iceland for 4 days. I will base myself at a hostel in Reykjavik (all I can afford), and I'll do 2 day trip tours, still researching which ones but those recommended look great. And I love hot springs, so I plan to soak the evenings away after enjoying the "youth scene" over there. I need to check out a good Icelandic beer. Any recommendations. And I will visit Iceland at the of my trip, rather...
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
I've mentioned in other pages that I love wide open spaces - like the State Delaware Park - but the designer of New York Central Park rung a Bell with me. Frederick Olmsted came to Liverpool to check out the "Peoples Garden" and he wrote in 1850 : "Five minutes of admiration, and a few more spent studying the manner in which art had been employed to obtain from nature so much beauty, and I was ready to admit that in democratic America there was nothing to be thought of as comparable with...
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Re: Where Gumbo Was #4.5: Newport Pier, Newport Beach, California
Hey, everybody: Check in tomorrow for a new Where in the World! It will be on display at 5 am EST. Hope that doesn't put the West Coast at a disadvantage...but I don't think anyone is going to get it right away!
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Re: Where Gumbo Was #4.0: Queen Mary in Long Beach Harbor, California
Hey, everybody: Check in tomorrow for a new Where in the World! It will be on display at 5 am EST. Hope that doesn't put the West Coast at a disadvantage...but I don't think anyone is going to get it right away!
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Re: California road trip ideas
Elephant seals are always good. If you also want to see their smaller cousins, the sea lions, you can find them at the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve. It is about 40 minutes south of San Francisco at Moss Beach. Nearby Half Moon Bay has several reasonably priced restaurants with views of the ocean. Check this nifty video of the Reserve http://www.fitzgeraldreserve.o...rald-marine-reserve/
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Re: How to Fly through Airports…or at least relax a bit!
There is a lot of good advice here, PHeymont! Nice practical piece. I usually carry my laptop in a separate computer case that has several pockets in it. One is where I keep the laptop accessible to pull out quickly. One pocket is where I put all the junk that needs to come off before security check (phone, keys, watch, pen, etc). Zip it closed and I know where everything is when I'm through security. I realize the above advice is more applicable to guys, DixieChick, but it saves me a lot of...
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Re: Need help planning Morocco trip
If you're passing through Europe and plan to go directly on to Marrakech, keep in mind that the low fare carriers more often than not use secondary airports which will add to your travel time if go straight on. For instance, if you fly into London's Heathrow airport a low fare airline will likely use either Luton or Stansted. I believe British Airways has flights from Heathrow so check on the variables and you may find that with time and costs involved to change airports a bit more expensive...
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Re: Welcome to England! Brits expedite your entry
As it's described in the article, it appears the government wants fees for things like this to pay the costs of other immigration programs...I wonder if that explains the sizable fees for the U.S. Precheck and Global Entry programs, which Gumbo reader Sisyphus asked about on the forums the other day. (Here is a link to that discussion Is Pre-check or Global Entry worth it? ) The article also says it may be available to some regular-visitor travelers from US, Canada, etc. Wonder if they'll...
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Re: Planning a Road Trip
That is a very good suggestion to think in terms of planning your trip as a connection of national (and state !) parks. The parks tend to be, by definition, in the scenic places, which are along the scenic drives. What a coincidence ! How handy ! The champions of finding scenic drives off of the interstates and shunways are the RVers. Check the sites used by RVers for ideas. Here is a good one: http://drivecrosscountry.net/T...r/Trip_Planning.html
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Re: Spain or Portugal?
Portugal's rail system feels a bit worn in places, and some trains look terrible from outside...but the interiors are clean and the system seems to work. Not a terribly large country, so that time between the two largest cities (Lisbon and Porto) is about 3.5 hours. If you add in getting to the airport early and getting in from the airport at the other end, it's probably faster than flying. Other significant points in Portugal also have reasonable rail service, including Coimbra, the...
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, August 14, 2014: The CN Tower, Toronto, Ontario
Hi Travel Luver! Yes, I have walked on the transparent floor many years ago (pre-digital photography era, which reminds me that I need to get those slides transferred to digital). Unfortunately on this last trip to the CN Tower I did not have time to take the ride up to the observation deck. It probably goes without saying that if you are afraid of heights, the observation deck of the CN Tower may not be the attraction for you. Your adventure begins with a long but quick elevator ride to the...
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Re: Hawaii: Coping with Hurricane Ana
The sun did indeed come out today (Tuesday). As you can see from the attached photo. Lots of photos of the trip already up on Gumbo on the Go, with more to follow. Check out that link here: https://www.travelgumbo.com/clips?fileType=IMAGE
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Re: Finding Reiner: Disaster to Discovery
Thanks, Jessica, for your kind words. I'll check out your blog as well.
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Re: How Dumb can you be? Things not to say to the TSA
This makes me groan. We finally got TSA PreCheck, and in New Orleans this is worth the price. We sail right through security without taking anything out of our bags and without taking off shoes or belts. I had to bring through medications that could not go through the scanners, but that hand check was swift. This might not be the case at JFK, PHL, or at DFW.
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Re: Australians OK with biometric scans
I'm really not ok with a lot the security measures that have happened the last decade in air travel.Some of the measures were necessary, but I hope we can find a balance and respect peoples privacy and freedom Still not sure how biometric scanning would of protected the Malaysian flight at all. I thought all the security was to check us because terrorists can be from any country,any age, and have legal documentation .
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, July 24, 2014: Floral Clock, Niagara Parkway, Ontario
Outside Pietermaritzburg City Hall, South Africa is a Naval gun from the British Royal Navy Ship HMS Fawn. After the ship ran aground in 1850 the gun was relocated to its current location. It was fired to announce 1 O'clock to the surrounding town. A visiting dignitary asked how the time was kept to ensure its accuracy. "We have a telescope that looks into the local clockmakers shop. He has a 100 year old Belgian clock in the window that is famous for keeping perfect time" So the wealthy...
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Re: Replacing iPhone Abroad
Hello HistoryDigger, I have some friends in Cologne who might be able to give you some on the ground advice. I'll send you their contact info via dialog. Check for the top right corner for a message.
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Re: Replacing iPhone Abroad
Originally Posted by PortMoresby: I'd be inclined to contact the original source of the phone and see if they can Fedex a replacement. Be careful with that. There might be a huge duty/tariff you'd have to pay to do so. Check this out with your concierge before you take this route. But if no customs fee, I'd probably get a new phone from back home, too.
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, May 20, 2014: The Piano Busker
He is not the only piano busker. Check out Colin Huggins in my blog today about Greenwich Village, here on TravelGumbo.
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Re: $6 BILLION in bag and change fees!
I'm not sure if it's a great business model to make most of your profits by annoying your customers. I think many have gotten their heads around the baggage fee (note coincidentally the increase in the number and size of bags rolling onto a plane), but some of the airline change fees are obscene. I point to Southwest airlines as one that still does the right thing. You get to check one bag without a fee. And ff you can't make your flight, they give you a credit on the airfare good up to one...
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Re: Agritourism Bed and Breakfast in Normandy
Definitely visit the Mont St. Michel (island) after the tour buses leave. So a great time to head out to the island is mid afternoon (ie. get there by mid afternoon, don't leave Bayeux at that time). By the time you get to the old island itself the crowds will be thinning. It's a bit of a climb up to the monastery, but the views are incredible as the great history and beauty of the place. Just be sure you don't delay visiting the monastery too long (believe it closes at 6 pm but double check...