Do You Have Your Passport Yet?

Okay, so you have an opportunity to take a vacation to Europe, Cancun, or any non-U.S. vacation spot, but you can't because you don't have a passport...

Yes, you need a passport.

And if you already have one, check to make sure it hasn't expired or that it won't expire soon. Every country has different rules - some require the passport to be valid for at least 6 months from the date you return to the U.S.

This site has all the information regarding passports

http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html

Some countries require visas to visit. Check here to see if you need one http://travel.state.gov/visa/visa_1750.html

To get a passport in a hurry you can use this site http://www.passportexpress.com/?affid=52442375"+target="_blank"

You will need your birth certificate to obtain a passport. But beware - there are some cities such as Jersey City, NJ, where the birth certificate from the city is not enough. You need to obtain your birth certificate directly from the State of NJ at the offices in Trenton. Take the time to check before you go.

If you do not have a passport and are returning to the U.S. by air after 1/23/07, you will be out of luck. Even if you are taking a cruise and don't need a passport for the cruise (make sure you check which foreign ports of call require a passport), it is still advisable to have a passport. Should you need to return home by air due to an emergency, you will not be able to re-enter the U.S. without a passport.

So please do yourself a favor and apply for your passport now. You never know when a great opportunity will come up for a vacation and you won't be able to go because you didn't think you would need one!

Here are the new requirements under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI)

The proposed implementation timeline has two phases:

Beginning January 23, 2007, ALL persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling by air between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda will be required to present a valid passport, Air NEXUS card, or U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document, or an Alien Registration Card, Form I-551, if applicable.

As early as January 1, 2008, ALL persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda by land or sea (including ferries), may be required to present a valid passport or other documents as determined by the Department of Homeland Security. While recent legislative changes permit a later deadline, the Departments of State and Homeland Security are working to meet all requirements as soon as possible. Ample advance notice will be provided to enable the public to obtain passports or passport cards for land/sea entries.

The passport requirement does NOT apply to U.S. citizens traveling to or returning directly from a U.S. territory. U.S. citizens returning directly from a U.S. territory are not considered to have left the United States and do not need to present a passport. U.S. territories include the following: Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Swains Island, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Safety Tips for Women

It is important for both men and women to be aware of their surroundings. This blog emphasizes this particularly for women.

This excerpt is taken from Mary Beth Bond, author "Gutsy Women". A group of imprisoned rapists were interviewed and told what they look for when scoping out a woman. Here are some interesting facts from Ms. Bond:

The #1 thing men look for in a potential victim is hairstyle. They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun, braid or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed. They are also likely to go after a woman with long hair. Women with short hair are not common targets.

They also look for women on their cell phone, searching through their purse or doing other activities while walking because they are off guard and can be easily overpowered.

The time of day men are most likely to attack and rape a woman is in the early morning, between 5 and 8:30 a.m.

The number one place women are abducted from/attacked at is grocery store parking lots. Number two is office parking lots/garages and number three is public restrooms. These men are looking to grab a woman and quickly move her to a second, secluded location where they don't have to worry about getting caught.

Only 2% of the rapists interviewed said they carried weapons because rape carries a 3-5 year sentence but rape with a weapon is 15-20 years.
Therefore, if you put up any kind of a fight at all, they get discouraged because it only takes a minute or two for them to realize that going after you isn't worth it because it will be time-consuming. These men said they will not pick on women who have umbrellas, or other similar objects in their hands that can be used from a distance. Keys are not a deterrent because you have to get really close to the attacker to use them as a weapon. So, the idea is to convince these guys you're not worth it.

Several defense mechanisms:

If someone is following you on the street or in a garage or with you in an elevator or stairwell and if you feel they are suspicious, look them in the face and ask them a question, like what time is it, or make general small talk: "I can't believe it is so cold out here, we're in for a bad winter." Now you've seen their face and could identify them in a lineup, so you lose appeal as a target.

If someone is coming toward you, hold out your hands in front of you and yell "Stop" or "Stay back!" Most of the rapists said they'd leave a woman alone if she yelled or showed that she would not be afraid to fight back. Again, they are looking for an EASY target. If you carry pepper spray (the instructor was a huge advocate of it and carries it with him wherever he goes) yelling "I HAVE PEPPER SPRAY" and holding it out will be a deterrent.

If someone grabs you, you can't beat them with strength but you can by outsmarting them. If they grab your wrist, pull your wrist back so your hand is in waving position (palm facing forward) and twist it toward yourself and pull your arm away. It is hard to hold onto wrist bones that are moving in that way. They stumble toward you and you stumble back, so you can use that momentum to backhand them with your knuckles in the forehead, nose or teeth. If you are grabbed around the waist from behind, pinch the attacker either under the arm between the elbow and armpit or in the upper inner thigh HARD. Try pinching yourself in those places as hard as you can stand it; it hurts.

After the initial hit, always go for the groin. It is extremely painful if you slap a guy's testicles (do not be afraid, your life may be at stake!). You might think that you'll make the potential rapist really mad and make him want to hurt you more, but the rapists who were interviewed reported that they want a woman who will not cause a lot of trouble. Start causing trouble, and he'll take off.
If he puts his hands up to grab you, grab his first two fingers and bend them back as far as possible with as much pressure pushing down on them as possible. I saw the instructor do this to another man, without using much pressure, and he ended up on his knees and both knuckles cracked audibly. It works!

Of course the advice we always hear still applies. Always be aware of your surroundings, take someone with you if you can and if you see any odd behavior, don't dismiss it, go with your instincts. You may feel a little silly at the time, but you'd feel much worse if the guy really was trouble.

These are all wonderful tips to keep women safe. Once you have read this, do someone a favor and pass it along to them. Even if the recipient is not a woman, that person can pass it along to a woman he knows. You may help someone.

Mary McGrath
The Travel Bug Vacation Planners

Travel tips

I have some tips that I have accumulated for my clients. Some of them may not apply and some are humorous and should be taken lightly, so here goes:

Tips for travelers

General travel advice

• Make a note of where you parked your car at the airport. After a long trip, your memory will almost always fail you.

• Dump that hard-sided carry-on. A soft-sided bag has some give, so it can be crammed into tight spaces, but a too-big hard case will have to be checked.

• Forget the locks ~ the airlines randomly check the contents of luggage. If it is locked, they will break the lock (it has happened to me). Instead, I put a bright orange luggage strap around my luggage. This keeps it from opening unexpectedly and it also makes it easier to spot on the carousel.

• Stock up on zip-lock bags. You can use them for snacks, as doggy bags and as leak-tight carriers, and to protect important documents. I put all my lotions, cologne, etc. that may leak into zip-lock bags. This way, if they leak, they won't get on anything else.

• Join the airline’s frequent traveler club even if you don’t plan to fly on that airline ever again.

• Cross-pack with your travel companion. This way, if a piece of your luggage is lost you will still have clothes to wear.

• Never place any important document in the front seat pocket — especially not your passport!

• Always check that the airline personnel has your luggage tagged. My daughter saw her luggage going on the belt without the tag marking the plane # and destination. If she hadn't seen this who knows where her luggage would have ended up!

• Watch your bags. More bags are lost on the ground than in the air, so keep a close eye on your luggage, especially at the airport, in the hotel lobby, and at the curb. If you ever have a dispute with your taxi driver, make sure you get your bags out of the car before voicing your displeasure. And remember the number of the taxi in case you do forget something in it.

•Board last. The number-one hot spot is the jetway. There’s no air conditioning, and most of the time you’re stuck in a long line that barely moves. If you don’t need to board early to grab an overhead bin, stay in the cool gate area and wait until the gate agent announces the final boarding call.

Health

• Visit the restroom before boarding the plane.

• Drink plenty of water, and bring your own bottled water if you prefer it. You might also want to bring your own food since airlines are getting away from offering food on their flights (except the long ones).

• Dab a little antibacterial ointment in your nose, use Airborne or saline sprayto help protect you from the myriad airborne contaminants circulating in the cabin.

• Take sanitary wipes or wet towels with you. You will always need to clean or disinfect something onboard.

• Match each alcoholic beverage with at least two glasses of water.

• Exercise and stretch. ( If you exercise and stretch, you will have more energy, and you won’t feel as beaten up after a long flight.)

• If you are allergic to cats, bring allergy medication. Passengers often bring cats onboard or carry dander on their clothes.

• Always, always check that there is a “barf bag” in the pocket in front of you. You might not get sick, but you never know about your seatmate.

Kids

• Pack a small toy or a bag of Goldfish or cookies in your carry-on — not for yourself or your kids to eat, but to quiet the screaming kid three rows back. Works every time and costs only pennies.
• Schedule your flight for the kids’ naptime, and keep the kids awake by any means possible until you get on the plane. The flight is so much more relaxing for everyone when the kids sleep through it.

• When kids are howling or staring at you from the seat in front of you, hand them a crayon and the sick bag with instructions to make a hand puppet.

Comfort

• Wear comfortable slip-on shoes.

• Unless you are traveling with children, always ask for an exit-row seat. You’ll get more legroom. When choosing your seat, ask the customer service agent where she would sit.

•Wear noise-canceling headphones.

Mental health

• Arrive early. You may end up going through extra security clearance. (We are almost always searched)

• Practice patience, and be prepared to test it abundantly.

• Remember that people are people: They have feelings just like you. They come from very different walks of life. Some don’t like to talk, while others need someone to listen.

• Bring or form a mental picture of your “happy place,” be it that perfect sunset on your trip to the Bahamas or your special loved one. It will serve as a reminder of the good things in life.

• Be the person you would most like to fly with.

Entertainment

• Bring a pen and paper. Write letters, keep a journal or jot down ideas or to-do lists.

• Listen to an audio book. It takes up more time than the in-flight movie, and is better exercise for your imagination.

• Bring a good novel or puzzle book - Sudoku!


And here is a site with great travel tips:
http://www.freetraveltips.com/Before/Before05.htm
Please contact The Travel Bug Vacation Planners for your next vacation!
732-747-8187
www.TheTravelBugOnline.com

Welcome to Atlanta!

Well, here is my first attempt at publishing a blog. Last weekend we spent 4 days in Atlanta at the Intercontinental Hotel, Buckhead. Buckhead is just one section of Atlanta and it is very upscale (okay, you ask if it is upscale what were we doing there?) The Robb Report rated Buckhead as one of the USA's 10 "Top Affluent Communities" for "some of the most beautiful mansions, best shopping and finest restaurants in the southeastern United States."

So we went to Atlanta to check out somewhere you can go for a quick getaway. Back to the hotel. It is a new hotel, with the friendliest staff who always greet you with a smile. The lobby has a beautiful marble floor and columns and afternoon tea is served at your request. The hotel is located next to the Atlanta Financial building and a short walk from the MARTA. The MARTA is the best way to get around the city, and you can use the MARTA to go to/from the airport. The rooms in the hotel are large, with feathertop beds and more marble in the bathrooms. There is a great spa (for those who know me, of course, I had a massage). The gym had several ellipticals, treadmills, bikes, free weights, and weight machines and it is open 24 hours. The pool is located on the rooftop. There is a restaurant, Au Pied de Cochon, which is fashioned after the original restaurant in Paris. It is also open 24 hours with a full menu. The origin of the name comes from the days when the night workmen in Paris would get off work in the middle of the night. They would come to Au Pied de Cochon to get something to eat before going home and going to sleep. Since they were tired and didn't want to wait long they said they were "au pied de cochon", a saying that means at the foot of the pig (or in a hurry). E voila ~ hence the name of the restaurant. Their signature dish? But of course, roasted pigs foot with bearnaise sauce! There are also 3 private "lovers booths" which have curtains to protect your privacy and can accommodate one or two couples.

There is also a separate bar which houses ages-old cognac, the largest collection in the country. The bottles on the top shelf are worth $9000 each and a shot will cost you $350! They also have the world's only remaining bottle of Pierre Ferrand Domaine.

Outdoors there is a 25,000 square foot garden, beautifully laid out. There are limousines available, as well as floral, photo, and courier service.


About Atlanta: " 'The Capital of the New South', Atlanta is a city celebrating change and growth. Though a fascinating history keeps locals and visitors looking back, the modern, sophisticated city has no problem looking ahead. Its gracious, sprawling plantations inspired "Gone With the Wind, and while you can still find antebellum mansions and towering oaks draped with Spanish moss, you're just as likely to find multinational corporations and global banks. The headquarters of companies like CNN and Coca-Cola. With one of the busiest airports in the world, Atlanta offers visitors numerous shops, restaurants and nightlife pursuits to suit every taste. Diversity is the name of the game in this city, the birthplace of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the home of Braves baseball. Its cultural experiences come in all shapes, sizes and sounds. Still surging since rising from the ashes after the Civil War, Atlanta has shown an ability to adapt and prosper, and that forward-driving spirit continues unabated today."

Other things to do include taking in a Braves game at Turner Field, visiting Olympic Centennial Park, the Fox Theatre (currently Cathy Rigby is appearing in Peter Pan), the Museum of Art in Midtown, and the Cyclorama (where you will learn about the complete history of the Civil War).
There is also the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the comedy improv, the Zoo Atlanta, and the list goes on...

By the way, I now know why the South lost the war. Every street in Atlanta is named Peachtree or Lenox (road, street, lane, NE, etc). So when the soldiers were told to meet at the corner of Peachtree and Lenox, they all showed up at different corners and there was no one to fight off the Union soldiers! This also explains why Atlanta burned down to the ground - the firemen couldn't find where the fire was!

We visited the Margaret Mitchell home (in case you don't know, she wrote Gone With the Wind). After getting lost when we left the MARTA station - we took the wrong Peachtree - we found the museum. It turns out she never thought the book would be published because her earlier stories were turned down. Good thing she tried once more or we would never hear those words, "I don't know nothin' 'bout birthin' babies, Miz Scarlett!"

The same day we went to the Atlanta Underground (sort of a mall located underground) and took in the Coca Cola museum. We actually spent three hours in the museum. It was fun tasting the different sodas from around the world, and we learned a lot about the history of Coke. Just an aside - we saw a kid wearing a shirt with this on it:
Choke
the official soda of the NY Yankees

I didn't think it was very funny.

We went to Pitty Pat's Porch for dinner. It is right across the street from the Omni Hotel. As the name would indicate, it is a tourist attraction (Aunt Pitty Pat is Scarlet O'Hara's aunt whom she visited whenever she went to Atlanta). I had a delicious meal there.

Highlight of the day: watching a black man (around 25 years old) march down the street in a bright pink leotard with spangles on it, wearing marching boots and a drum majorette's hat, holding a baton, and blowing a whistle. Unfortunately for him, no one was marching behind him.

The next day we went to Stone Mountain. This is a large attraction which in addition to the mountain, has a railroad ride, a quarry, stores, duck rides, the Carillon from the 1964 World's Fair, paddlewheel riverboat ride, and peddle boats, etc. There was an animal show, and if you are old enough to remember Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, Jim Fowler presented the show. He also used to appear regularly on Johnny Carson, and did a bit on Seinfeld (for those too young to remember the other shows). Well, when we went to dinner at Miss Katie's Sideboard Restaurant (in the park), we got to meet and talk with Jim Fowler. That was Tommy's highlight of the day. Something we never ate before: fried dill pickles (actually very good), fried sweet potatoes with cinnamon-sugar on them, and fried corn bread (tasted like doritos). We took the gondola ride up to the top of the mountain, and overall had a wonderful day. I almost forgot- there is a laser show every night at 9:30. It was about 45 minutes long, and it was set to music, which told a story through the lasers. On the side of the mountain is a carving featuring Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee, and Jefferson Davis. There were four different people commissioned to do the work. The first one quit, but ended up overseeing the work at Mount Rushmore.

I would highly recommend a trip to Atlanta. There is a lot to do and I didn't even mention the shopping and the place where we found the best coffee in the world. That was at Caribou Coffee and it is just a short walk from the hotel. Not far from that is a great place to either eat or take-out. It is called eatZi's. It is like a market but you can buy hot or cold food, sandwiches, or meals, and if you want to eat there, you just bring it over to the microwave, heat it up, and eat at the tables they provide. One of the guys working there is from Red Bank, and his father works at Riverview. Small world!

So, if anyone is interested in a quick getaway, or has plans to visit Atlanta, just give me a call (732-747-8187) or e-mail me at TheTravelBug@comcast.net . I will be happy to put a trip together for you!

The Travel Bug