Keeping in Contact While You're Away

New web technology has made it much easier to keep everyone back home up to date with your travels and any changes in your travel plans. In addition to an email message addressed to all your friends and family back home, you can keep in contact by:

• Creating a blog -- you can create a blog (on blogspot, of course) and periodically enter updates on where you've been, what you're doing and anything else you like. 
• Uploading pictures to the web -- you can use a blog to post pictures from your travels or create a shared photo album on picassa or an equivalent website
• Update your status on Facebook and/or other social media sites. 

Not only will you keep everyone up to date, but, you may find that someone has a suggestion for you that will save time and/or money or just make your travels more fun.

What to Do When Your Flight has been Canceled Due to Weather

During one of my business stops at our office in Denver, Colorado, I found out that one of my flights headed to Tulsa Oklahoma was canceled due to bad weather. While trying to rebook my flight for the following day, I discovered that most major airlines are able to defray some unexpected expenses.

When bad weather causes a flight cancellation or a delay stretches overnight, yu may be able to get a "distressed-passenger rate" voucher from your airline. The voucher, good for a discounted rate at an approved local hotel, may be available through customer service agents to help you with overnight accommodations. The discounted room charge and incidental charges (such as meals, telephone calls, transportation, etc) are not covered by the airline and are at the traveler's expense.

Many travelers find trip insurance to be an affordable way to offset expenses associated with delayed or canceled flights. If you have purchased such coverage for a canceled flight, contact your insurance provider as soon as you realize that you are going to incur additional expenses.

Reduce the Risk of Deep Vein Thrombosis

What is DVT?
A deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a blood clot that develops in a deep vein, usually in a leg. This is a serious condition. Sometimes these clots can break away and travel through the blood stream to vital organs and can cause severe injury or death.

Possible Ways to Reduce the Risk of DVT
American encourages all passengers to consult with their doctors about DVT and other personal health issues before flying. Because the cause of a DVT is often not known, the best methods of preventing DVTs are still uncertain.
to try to reduce the risk of DVT, many passengers may be advised by their doctors to take the following measures in flight:
Regularly change leg position, and periodically move and stretch your legs and feet while seated. Your doctor may suggest leg exercises such as those described in the box below at regular intervals (at least every hour or so)

If conditions allow and the aisles are clear, you may want to occasionally get up and walk around. But remember that you must remain seated when the seat belt light is on and should remain in your seat with your seat belt fastened whenever possible, because of the possibility of turbulence. And all passengers are required to comply with crew member and/or FAA instructions, especially those relating to remaining seated.

Avoid crossing the legs at the ankles or knees

Stay hydrated; drink adequate nondiuretic fluids such as water, juice and milk and minimize alcohol and caffeine intake

Wear loose fitting clothing

Wear graduated compression stockings

It is possible that no measure intended to prevent DVT will be effective. It is also possible that some of the measures listed above may not be recommended for some passengers, depending on their health situations as assessed by their doctors.

Lodging Underwater

Over the past holiday season, one of our company's test engineers vacationed in Key Largo, Florida with his family to ring in the new year. One of his most entertaining discoveries was learning that he and his family were staying less than a mile from the world's first underwater lodge.

Now I have always heard of potential hotels being built underwater and have kind of shied away from the thought of the experience; however I was delighted to learn about Jules' Undersea Lodge.

Jules’ Undersea Lodge, named after the author of the famed maritime tale 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, is the world’s first underwater hotel. Originally built in the early 1970s as a groundbreaking research lab off the coast of Puerto Rico, the Lodge has been in business in Key Largo, Florida since relocating there and opening its hatch to the public in 1986.

Truly an innovative concept, Jules’ Undersea Lodge claimed status as the world’s only underwater lodging available to the public until recent years when ecotourism has become all the rage. Many celebrities have enjoyed a stay including Steve Tyler of Aerosmith, John Fishman of Phish (of course) and former Canadian Prime Minister, Pierre Trudeau.

Visitors to Jules who are not certified divers will go through a 3-hour crash course in scuba diving before shacking up in their room for the night. After all, the entrance to the hotel is 21 feet underwater on the sea floor. If you are a diving enthusiast, the Undersea Park is your Mecca. In addition to the scuba crash course, the staff of Jules’ Undersea Lodge offers extensive scuba certification courses and diving excursions.

After learning more about this underwater getaway, I've suddenly taken a big interest in considering a future weekend getaway.

For more information about Jules Undersea Lodge visit http://www.jul.com

Unusual Hotel -- Hotel de Glace in Quebec, Canada

After meeting with one of our company's Canadian respresentatives, I suddenly learned that while planning her visit to one of our best customers in Quebec next month, she is seriously condsidering staying two nights at a unique ice hotel!! Yes, you are reading this correctly!!!

I was intrigued by the concept of an ice hotel, so I went to its website and learned a little about it.  The Hôtel de Glace is a unique ice hotel in North America. It is located just 10 minutes from downtown Quebec City.

A sub-zero experience!

With its arches of snow of more than five meters tall and its crystalline ice sculptures, the Hôtel de Glace impresses with its dazzling décor. Between nature and urbanity, this must-see attraction has already welcomed over half a million visitors since 2001. Intended as an expression of the north life, the Hôtel de Glace is an unforgettable experience!

Visit Hôtel de Glace official website.  http://www.icehotel-canada.com/index.php

Keeping in Touch While You Travel

I often spend a lot of time answering business email while I am traveling.  I also have used email to let my family and friends know what I’ve been up to while out of town.  I found myself sending the same information out a number of times.  An option to reduce the number of e-mails you send is to set up a blog and then send out one email  to everyone letting them know how to follow your blog.   You should be sure to take a minute to preview your posts before publishing them to make sure that your blog post is appropriate for the audience.

Everyone wins with the blog – you can keep in touch with more people in less time during your trip and your family and friends will hear from you more often than if you sent out individual emails.  You can save the individual email messages for private info.

You could do the same thing (although in shorter bursts) by setting up a Twitter account, or constantly updating your status on Facebook.

In-Flight Excercises

During long flights I strongly recommend the following exercises to become more comfortable during flying and to avoid the dangerous adverse effects of DVT or Deep Vein Thrombosis

Ankle Circles: lift your foot off the floor and draw a circle in the air with your toes pointed, altering direction. Continue for 30 seconds. Repeat with your other foot.

Foot Pumps: While keeping your heels on the floor, point your feet up as high as possible toward your head. Put both feet back flat on the floor. While keeping the balls of your feet on the floor, lift both heels high. Continue for 30 seconds.

Knee Lifts: While seated, march slowly in place by contracting each thigh muscle. Continue for 30 seconds.

Knee to Chest: hold your left knee and pull up toward your chest. Hold for 10 to 15 seconds. Slowly return to floor. Alternate legs for 10 minutes.

These exercises should not be performed if they cause pain or discomfort or if they are not recommended by your doctor.