Gallagher's Travels: Letter From the Editor: January 2008

Letter from the Editor

January 2008
Goodbye 2007…Hello New year 2008

Dear Friends,

I am happy to have landed at home for a few weeks after a goodly amount of time away. "On the Road Again" is a great song and most of the time a great lifestyle. Now if we could just get the airlines to be responsible for something…anything and then eliminate the disastrous joke called security.

You do know that the reason you have to take off your shoes is not because of any danger of a shoe blowing up but because some government official decided we'd all "feel" safer having our shoes x-rayed. Direct from the lips of a Homeland Security person as well as the unsurprising news that they keep a list of the US and international airlines they personally won't fly on.

I believe it was decided the two Russian women did have explosives in their bras but so far we haven't had to take off our undies.

Although the two foot titanium rod that runs through my right leg seldom rings anymore. Apparently nothing dangerous is made out of titanium.

Lessons learned from recent travels of mine and others.

Advice #1: Try to book non-stop flights. When I absolutely couldn't get my connecting flight to Jacksonville, Florida from Atlanta I asked how close can I get? "Savannah, and you can get on a flight in thirty minutes." Well I was actually going to Amelia Island and renting a car at the Jacksonville airport and happened to know that it would be a 130-mile drive from Savannah, which sounded better than a night sleeping in the Atlanta airport. Another thing, when you've been bumped or delayed through no fault of your own, ask (strongly) for a meal voucher. They may squirm but you should get one if the delay will be over two or three hours. Don't believe what anyone says about your luggage. It has gone on and in my case was at least delivered that evening to my hotel in Amelia Island.

Celtic Clover

Advice #2: Airlines do not always post flight delays in a timely manner nor do they update them. Not on the internet, not on the airport boards, ticket counters, etc. Have a plan "B" if friends and relatives are picking you up, or tell them to bring sandwiches and a book to the airport. My Aer Lingus flight from Dublin was delayed in departing about 1 ½ hours. Unfortunately, no one at Dulles knew that. We later circled Dulles for approximately 40 minutes, but no one at the Aer Lingus counter knew that either. The customs section was so poorly staffed that three international flights arrived close together and it took another hour to get through customs. My ride waited 4 hours, most of it without any or correct knowledge of why from Aer Lingus. In spite of these problems, the flight attendants were wonderful and Aer Lingus is offering super vacation packages and fares out of their many US gateways with non-stop flights to Dublin and I would fly them again. www.aerlingus.com

Advice #3. On international travel, do everything possible to avoid jet lag. This time I tried a new EFT technique, which I believe worked. Although, I need more practice to learn the routine better. It's quite simple and you can read about it at www.JetLagPassport.com, as well as participate in their money back guarantee on purchasing the e-book.

Some road warriors put on their eye mask, position a pillow or two and cover up with a blanket, telling the flight attendants not to bother them. I've tried wine, sleeping pills, and other jet lag formulas to reset my body clock. Sometimes one will work and other times another, but universally booze is not the recommended solution. The nice thing about the Jetlag Passport technique is it requires no tools, gadgets, or anything else to fill up your carryon. Nor will it disturb the person sitting next to you.

City Bus

Advice #4. Going to another currency? Acquaint yourself with and understand the exchange rate and what the various coins look like. Generally, bills have a number printed on them. A fellow traveler recently asked me if there were 6 euros to a dollar. Well wouldn't that be nice, but it's virtually the other way around. I think she had been planning on doing her Christmas shopping with all those "bargains." The same reason half of Europe is shopping in New York and the other half buying homes in Florida, with an exchange rate totally in their favor.

Advice #5. Almost every city bus in the world requires exact change. Occasionally, even in NYC, other passengers came up with the change for me. In Dublin, a nice elderly lady gave me one euro for the bus, figuring I didn't have one. Actually, I had a 20 but no change and here I thought I dressed so upscale!

Advice #6. Bring lots of warm clothes or layers if traveling in Europe in the winter, including things to sleep in. I'm generally cold and if my hotel room heat doesn't go up to 80° F (a frequent problem at 1-star or 5-star hotels) after a day in the wind and cold rain, it's a hot shower and every blanket I can find. Wearing all my clothes to bed is not unheard of either.

Advice #7. Bring lots of batteries for your camera. I like rechargeable batteries and bring an extra set so one can charge while I'm out and about that day. Know how to use your camera and if you can, bring an extra for disastrous occurrences. Take lots and lots of pictures including multiples of the same scenes. You can eliminate the worst when you get home. Have a large memory card or bring an extra. Bring your own charger and if your hotel doesn't feature an American outlet in your room, the desk will be able to handle the situation for you.

National Museum in Dublin

That's enough advice from me for awhile.

The holidays are a great time to visit new places. Everything is cheery and bright with fantastic decorations, sometimes new ideas one hasn't seen before. I spent a good portion of December in Malaysia a few years ago and they celebrated and decorated for every religion in the country.

Driving through the smaller towns in Ireland this year was like a Disney movie set. And Dublin goes all out with streets mobbed by shoppers.

This was my third trip to Ireland and I need to remind you it's time to book those walking, biking, riding, and other tours for this spring and summer. We spent a week traveling with Go Ireland based in Killorglin, County Kerry (www.govisitireland.com; e-mail: info@govisitireland) on one of their many walking tours and although I'm one of the slowest walkers on the face of the earth it was great fun and some days (like when they climbed MOUNTAINS) I did alternate sightseeing tours. So if your partner isn't quite as rigorous as you want to be, it can still work out fine. They can put together a variety of packages and offer early booking discounts for whatever you'd like to do.

Hiking in Ireland

Ireland currently has the second best economy in the world with loads of helicopter- owning millionaires and all that success makes them a fun and happy crowd. The bars and restaurants are overflowing night after night and for many of you the ban on smoking everywhere including pubs is welcome. 2008 also marks the end of smoking in public places in Northern Ireland and can you believe it France! We'll be following up with lots of detailed stories on new hotels, dining and old favorites in the next few weeks.

Another recent week was my first and a great visit to Amelia Island, Florida. There is no question why this is such a fast growing area. The charm of the large historic district, wonderful new Ritz Carlton and Amelia Island Plantation with its 1350 acres, and dozens of attractive B & B's and seaside inns made everyday a pleasure. Watch our Food Talk and Places to Stay sections for these updates too.

Salt at the Ritz Carlton

The dining on Amelia Island was spectacular, whether at the new Salt at the Ritz Carlton, the Ocean Grill at The Plantation, or in town where we had a great dinner at a local's favorite, Joe's 2nd Street Bistro (reviewed in my food section). Some B & B's offer gourmet dinners although after their breakfasts it's hard to believe anyone wants to eat anymore that day. Check out www.ameliaisland.org and realize that not only is this a great vacation spot, but many are now choosing to live here fulltime.

As you can guess, add this to a few days in Savannah and my culinary tour of Pittsburgh, it's time to think about a juice fast for a week or two. But oh…it is all so good!

Happy trails! It's time to start getting those detailed stories out for your perusal.