Recorded in the beautiful home office of Chateau’ Relaxo, FL
A quick overnight road trip since our last episode, and it was in the form of an overnight antique road trip.
We hit three stops in Ocala, FL
* Ocala Antique Mall and Estates
From there it was Van Horn Antiques in McIntosh and that’s where we found a $15.00 cast iron three fried egg pan. I’m about three hours into its restoration which consisted of rust removal and reseasoning, more reseasoning, and still more reseasoning.
We finished up in Micanopy, FL the location where much of the 1991 movie Doc Hollywood was filmed. Micanopy is the true definition of a central Florida town.
* Antique City Mall - An auction was taking place, and that was the first time in years that we’ve seen something like that. I left with a handful of railroad spikes that will eventually become part of a rustic wine rack. Again, several hours into this project with several more hours ahead.
Leaving Micanopy it was an hour north to Lake City, FL our stop for the evening. In Lake City, we found Two Fat Guys Burgers & Fries. One of the best road food burgers that I’ve ever eaten. If you stop in make sure to order the “Garlic Parmesean” fires… they will not disappoint.
That evening we stayed at the Lake City Hampton Inn. This is a location that I have driven past for the better part of 13 years but had never stopped at. This was a typical Hampton Inn, with plenty of parking, clean rooms, and a snack at check-in. What was odd was at breakfast we had to ring a bell so that an employee could come out from the back to dish out our food. Safe to say that we went across I-75 to the McDonalds.
The random show rears its head at least semi-annually. The reason is that there is a bunch of travel information that I can’t dedicate a whole episode to, and it’s too mundane to make the monthly crazy travel roundup.
Let’s start with a question. Are you a travel snob? I asked this question almost 100 episodes ago. And recent incident brought this back to mind.
I recently used Hilton points to book The Entrepreneur a night away from home. When he made it back home the first thing he said was, “Did anyone from the hotel call you?” Not the first thing you want to hear when you booked someone a hotel room in your name. My reply…. WHY?. I’m known to say, “Don’t answer a question with a question” but I believe that my reply was justified. The Entrepreneur then went on to explain that as he was checking out an employee approached him asking about his stay. The Entrepreneur followed the employee over to what he thought was the check-out desk….. But only it wasn’t the check-out desk it was the Hilton’s Timeshare desk and The Entrepreneur was trapped. Long story short The Entrepreneur explained that I had booked the room, Tommy Timeshare took my Hilton reward number and did at least deposit 500 points into my account.
So this is where the whole travel sob theme crept back into my head…. I never ever check out of a hotel. I don’t stop by the front desk for a receipt and I normally don’t remove the “Do Not Disturb” placard from my door. I might electronically checkout via the app like I said might…. But this doesn’t make me a travel snob.
It's the same thing with my rental. I fill it up with gas pull into the Hertz lot, wave at the attendant, and go about my business.
I fly Southwest Airlines, there is nothing snobby about Southwest or as Outgoing CEO Doug Parker puts it “go fly the cattle car”.
Maybe I’m a travel snob, who knows, who cares, but I need to spend more time with The Entrepreneur on hotel etiquette, …. Walk with purpose, and don’t make eye contact.
One of the travel-blogosphere websites posted - 6 things I look for in a hotel when traveling with my young family
Ashley Onadele’s was as follows -
* Safety and cleaning protocols
* Family-focused amenities
* Dining options, including room service
* Personalized service
* Room size
* Something for parents, too
Here’s my take - and in full disclosure, all my young kids can drive and buy alcohol.
Safety and cleaning protocols - We’re all concerned with this, but it comes down to what a hotel actually does, not what they say they do…. And honestly, you’ll never truly know.
Family-focused amenities - Sure if you’re in Orlando or Anaheim, but if you’re in Knoxville, TN, it’s time to get creative, and that falls on you… Mom & Dad or Dad & Dad or Mom & Mom.
Dining options, including room service - Think Yelp or UberEats. Most hotel dining facilities have a very limited menu and after 22 years of traveling… room service is for the birds.
Personalized service - Short of staying at a resort, good luck with this. This is up to each individual. For me “Personalized Service” means that no one calls my room minutes after I walked in to make sure everything was ok. Some people love that stuff, not me.
Room size - King bed, two queen or two double beds most hotel rooms are the same size. If you’re that concerned look for the word “suite” in the description.
Something for parents, too - Ha, you’re traveling with young kids what could you possibly be planning?
From the “This Actually Makes Sense” department I give you this - Delta CEO Ed Bastian wrote a letter to Attorney General asking the Justice Department to set up a national “no-fly list” for unruly passengers. Bastain added that close to 2,000 of their previous passengers had already been placed on the airline’s own list.
This is way overdue! Combine those databases, cross-reference, and classify passengers into three groups.
* First-time flyer
* Fly
* No-fly
If your behavior causes a flight delay - No Fly. If your behavior requires flight attendant, pilot, and possibly passenger intervention - No Fly. If your behavior requires you to be escorted off a plane - No Fly. You get the point. This isn’t an invasion of anyone’s privacy, this is being held accountable for your behavior.
Thank you, HuffPost for yet another list - Vacation Habits That Are Secretly Stressing You Out
* Overplanning/Underplanning
* Skipping Meals
* Being Too Stringent With Itineraries
* Checking Your Work Email
* Comparing Your Trip To Other People’s Travels
* Ditching Your Self-Care Habits
* Only Booking The Cheapest Options
* Not Understanding Your Budget
* Setting Unrealistic Expectations
* Overplanning/Underplanning
* You do need to plan, especially if you’re spending your family's earned money. However, you have to find a balance that works not only for you but for your family. No one wants to hear “I’m bored” 10 minutes after check-in.
* Skipping Meals
* Honestly, I have no idea how this happens. Sort of like leftover pizza, I can’t relate. When traveling I will book hotels near great food establishments.
* Being Too Stringent With Itineraries
* When the CEO and I travel for pleasure we have a loose itinerary. If it’s a road trip we know we have to be in certain places at certain times for our hotel reservations, but it’s never we’ll be at the Atlanta Aquarium from 10 - 12 and then the World of Coke from 12:15 to 3.
* Checking Your Work Email
* I’m connected 24/7, but it’s by my choice. I look at it like this - I set me out of office to include “with limited access to email & voicemail”. But if it’s something that I can resolve in just a few minutes I’ll do it…. The reason it is one less thing that I have to do once I get back to work.
* Comparing Your Trip To Other People’s Travels
* Not looking to be a travel snob, but none of my friends have ever made Tallahasse Florida a travel destination. In addition, the comparison is the thief of joy.
* Ditching Your Self-Care Habits
* Whatever current self-care habits I’m attempting to accomplish, I will try to hold true while traveling.
* Only Booking The Cheapest Options and Not Understanding Your Budget
* In life, most things come down to money, and travel is no different. Even when traveling on points, I still weigh the value of cashing in points against the cost of a hotel room. The exception is that I will normally use points for flights.
* Setting Unrealistic Expectations
* Thank you Instagram and Facebook. The travel posts we often see are staged, they take time, multiple shots, and often involve Photoshop. As corny as it sounds….. Just be in the moment, hike your own hike, or you be you…. Pick your own mantra…… and honestly, 5 minutes after someone looks at pictures from your last exotic trip… they won’t remember it.
Another HuffPost article focused on this - Mistakes At The Airport That Are Costing You Money.
They selected these as their top 9 mistakes -
* Paying For Expensive Parking
* Airport parking isn’t cheap, I’ve seen expense reports where the daily parking fee was over $40.00 per day. If you have time and want to save some dollars try Park & Fly or the Parking Spot.
* Spending Too Much On Checked Bags
* Airlines charge for baggage, it’s a revenue stream. Your credit card may provide one of two free bags, but if you’re flying a discount airline baggage fees is where they narrow that gap on the P&L.
* Going Shopping
* Short of a shot glass or a t-shirt the airport is a very expensive place to buy that last-minute birthday gift.
* Packing The Wrong Things In Your Carry-On
* If you don’t know what you don’t know…… visit TSA.gov.
* Not Being Strategic About Snack Purchases
* Again visit TSA.gov for guidelines.
* Missing Out On Free Amenities
* Possibly your credit card might give you some freebies, but short of the bathrooms and a meditation room there’s little else free at the airport.
* Booking A More Expensive Rental Car
* Why why why would you ever book an expensive rental? All they can do is downgrade you. If you book middle of the road you just might get an upgrade.
* Overlooking Free Or Cheap Public Transportation
* If you’re in a major city you can always weigh the value/hassle of taking a bus, train, or rideshare to the airport.
* Not Budgeting For Unexpected Costs
* We’ve talked about this before…. The unexpected costs of getting everyone back home due to weather, COVID, or flight cancellations.
Here’s a quick one from View From The Wing - You Should Inspect That Airline Blanket Before Using It
The post was accompanied by a 9-second video from Jamari Traylor in which his blanket showed evidence of…. Who knows what. Never ever do you use an airline blanket, even if it’s wrapped in plastic. So here’s a tip if you tend to get cold while flying drop $20.00 on a packable blanket.
This next story requires a bit of setup.
Last week in the mail, the actual mail we received the Disney Rewards Insider newsletter.
On page (4) there’s an article “Become Part of the Story on Star Wares: Galactic Starcruiser.
The article describes this first-of-its-kind experience where you can interface with characters as you’re immersed in a different world. And of course, the article finished up with Disney letting me know I could save 10% on purchases of $50.00 or more if I used my Disney Visa Card.
In episode 147 What Else Is There To Do In Florida?
We talked about the Disney Star Wars-themed Galactic Starcruiser hotel pricing.
For a two-night stay, prices ranch from $4,809 for two guests in a cabin to $5,999 for four guests (three adults, one child). I’m still perplexed by three adults and one child, maybe someone from the Mouse House can give me a call and clear that up.
That is a ton of money for a 2-night stay, even for the Star Wars Nerds…..
Earlier in the month Live And Let’s Fly posted - DISNEY WORLD ROASTED OVER ASTRONOMICAL STAR WARS HOTEL
Galaxy’s Edge is treated as an immersive experience where there are no mentions of the rest of the park, prices for goods are referred to as “credits” and Disney cast members refer to being “on” or “off-planet.” Oh boy
It seems that the immersive part of the stay even goes as far as to transport visitors to the Galactic Starcruiser.
Seems cool right? Well, it seems that the transport mode is a converted box truck. And as you can well imagine the internet responded with pictures of box trucks mocked up with graphics proclaiming Galactic Starcruiser sponsored by U-Haul.
In case you didn’t know Universal Studios is less than 10 miles away from Disney and they posted a great tweet -
A picture of a Univeral Studios box truck with the caption - Get in, folks. We're goin' to Universal!
I know that Disney is much smarter than I am, but this seems to be narrow-casting when it comes to the market, especially for a two-day stay at a single park.
I’ve said it in the past, I didn’t get the Star Wars chips when I was born, I’ve never seen any of the movies and I don’t understand the passion that people have for Star Wars.
I guess this is in a galaxy far, far away….…from reality.
Let's finish up by spending a few minutes talking about Southwest Airlines.
On the day of this episode's release, February 16th Beer, wine, and hard liquor will once again be offered during Southwest flights longer than 176 miles. For all you hoarders out there Southwest added, “Customers may redeem any Southwest Drink Coupon that was set to expire in 2020 or 2021 for an alcohol beverage through Dec. 31, 2022.” Not a bad deal.
View From The Wing posted Nearly 1 In 6 Southwest Passengers Are Flying Using Points
This makes sense since no one has really been flying over the past 24 months, yet almost every one of us is still using the Southwest credit card so we’re still earning points.
And speaking of the Southwest credit card this grinds my gears. For the past 5 years, I’ve been a Southwest Chase cardholder and companion pass member. Enter 2022 and I no longer have the companion pass but plan to keep the Southwest Chase card.
But here’s the latest Southwest Chase credit card offer I received -
Headline -
New Southwest Credit Card Offers Companion Pass For All
This is a promotion for all of its consumer credit cards (not their business cards) that requires $5,000 in spending within three months of opening any Southwest Airlines branded cards.
If you hit that gate, you receive the Companion Pass through February 28th, 2023 plus an award of 30,000 bonus points deposited into your Rapid Rewards account.
Ahhhhhh, what about all your loyal existing customers? I pay my bill off every month so Chase isn’t making bank on the interest rate from me. Seriously, I’m already your customer.
We talked about having the CEO take a new card out in her name, but then I’ve got the hassle of using her card to book travel and all the points ending up in her account and not mine. It’s still on the table, but I wish that Southwest would drop the companion pass requirements based on the length of time you’ve had the companion pass.
That’s it for this edition of the random show, next episode on the docket is the February Crazy Travel Roundup.
If you want detailed show notes, links and pictures head over to podpage.com/travel-stories/
Leave a message onAnchor, or shoot me an email atTravelFrick@gmail.com.
As I always say, travel safe, stay safe, and thanks for listening.
