Airfare Bargains

Again today, a customer called to remind me that an online website selling air reservations had a bargain airfare she wanted me, as a travel agent, to look at. But then the woman also added, then it said the airfare was no longer available when she went to the purchase page.

Do clients call often and "remind" other travel agents about discounts they see, but cannot book?

I have also noticed another curious trend with airfares. It seems that the low "bargain" airfares are primarily only available on the very early flights at the crack of dawn, or very late at night. I realize the economic standpoint that people will often pay more to fly at a more reasonable hour of day.

It becomes very frustrating, when watching for lower airfares for clients, that they have to take these less desirable flights, often for a better airfare.

Has anyone else noticed this trend? Possibly it is just something that seems more conspicuous to me lately in my work. What are your thoughts?

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State Department issues worldwide Sept. 11 travel advisory

By Melanie Mason, Los Angeles Times

7:52 p.m. CDT, September 2, 2011

Marking the upcoming 10th anniversary of Sept. 11, the State Department on Friday issued a worldwide travel alert, noting the continued possibility of terrorist threats for U.S. citizens traveling and living abroad.

So what kind of impact might the alert have on travelers?

"None whatsoever," said Michael McCarron, a spokesman for San Francisco International Airport, in an interview. "There should be no impact on traffic."

McCarron and LAX spokesman Albert Rodriguez both said they anticipated no extended waiting times or other logistical complications at their respective airports as a result of the alert.

The State Department said in a release that the alert was not pegged to any specific threats. But, it said: "U.S. citizens should be aware that Al Qaeda affiliates and allies have demonstrated the intent and capability to carry out attacks against the United States and our interests around the world. In the past, terrorist organizations have on occasion planned their attacks to coincide with significant dates on the calendar."

According to the State Department's website, travel alerts provide information about "short-term conditions, either transnational or within a particular country, that pose significant risks to the security of U.S. citizens." Friday's alert did not mention specific countries.

The alert expires Jan. 2, 2012, and supplements a similar advisory the department released in July.

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Southwest Airlines-No Longer Low Cost

Southwest Airlines used to be the airline travelers could fall back on to obtain a low priced flight when other airlines were much higher. That is not so true any longer.

For example, one advantage for travelers and travel agents changing tickets, was that anyone could use a credit on a ticket that was not used. This was great for companies that had infrequent travelers, therefore they could just apply the unused credit to another traveler. Not anymore. Only the person named originally on the ticket can use the credit.

Southwest's Rapid Reward frequent flier program has evolved from travelers being able to book a flight as long as practically any seat was available on the flight. Then it changed to only a limited number of seats being available for frequent flier seats. Now they have revamped the entire program, giving points depending on the price paid for the flight. They advertise that any seat is now available for the program, however, a flier must often use a lot of their points to obtain many of the flights.

Well, as we all know, change is inevitable. Even though they use to have some quirks that agents did not care for, overall, Southwest used to be a great airline to work with. Then again, the world has changed much since they started out in Love Field in Dallas many years ago. I suppose they may still be great, that is up to each individual opinion.

What is your opinion, agents? What do your clients think?

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Learn something by going on vacation

I am not a good lounger. I don't like to waste a vacation doing something that passes itself off as an activity just because it's a verb, like "sunning." I prefer to strap on a backpack and disappear into the woods for a few days, covering enough miles before pitching a tent so I'm too exhausted to think about the vulnerability of my situation and whether the chupacabra actually exists.

My fiance also is an uneasy lounger, so when I learned about the five-day apprenticeship program at Thos. Moser Cabinetmakers in Auburn, Maine, I thought it had best-gift-ever potential and reserved two spots. The company's Customer in Residence program pairs amateur woodworkers with master cabinetmakers to build heirloom-quality furniture.

My fiance, an optometrist, had built furniture in the past as a hobby, which turned into an accidental side job. I have whittled sticks to roast marshmallows.

Our instructor, Dick Guite, was just as prepared to work with a novice as an experienced hobbyist. Participants need not have experience or even know the difference between a band saw and a miter saw. But it helps to have an appreciation for woodworking, or at least craftsmanship, because the program includes 30 hours of hands-on shop time.

"I would say for those of us who drive a desk for a living, it's a lot of time on your feet," said fellow apprentice Gregg Child, a yacht broker from Newport, R.I.

From the first day, "We were really thrown into the flow of the woodshop and were allowed to be part of every step of the furniture-making process," said Ted Everett, a former investment manager and stay-at-home dad from Westport, Conn. "One day I was even mistaken for a cabinetmaker."

I was never mistaken for someone who would ever get the hang of power sanding, let alone being a professional cabinetmaker.

The Customer in Residence program is offered eight months of the year, from April through November, and costs $3,500 for individuals and $4,500 for couples. Thos. Moser customers are given priority, but first-time buyers like me are cheerfully accommodated when there's room. The session ends with a ceremony during which participants, their mentors and Thomas Moser himself all sign the pieces they built. "It's not unusual for people to tear up during the signing ceremony," said program director Steve Wyman. "This is a life-changing experience for people."

The price includes lodging at the historic Harraseeket Inn in nearby Freeport; daily transportation to and from the workshop (a scenic 30-minute drive on country roads); and most meals, including group dinners at fine restaurants with members of the Moser family and the company's management team. On top of tuition, participants also must pay retail price for what they build.

"Seeing the progression from raw wood to finished product and the multiple steps and care taken was an eye-opener," said fellow apprentice Marshall Goldman, an electrical company president from Sunnyvale, Calif. "I have a new appreciation for woodworking in general."

Goldman feels the way I do about vacations: "The Customer in Residence program engaged me in such an intense manner that I couldn't think about business and my other affairs. This type of vacation gives me a mental respite from the day-to-day grind and a fresh perspective when I return."

Knowing I'm a writer, Guite told me on Day 1 that "every piece of wood has its own story." Little did we know that one of the gorgeous pieces of cherry hardwood we picked out for our dining table had a surprise ending for us.

To be honest, my fiance did most of the work under Guite's constant tutelage while I spectated (one of those passive acts, like sunning, that qualifies as a verb if not an activity). But near the end of the week, I was solely responsible for spraying linseed oil on our "finished" dining table, a process that revealed a crack in the wood that had been invisible. Guite was more upset than we were. Such a final-stage fiasco had never befallen an apprentice; however, it happens to cabinetmakers quite often, and because Thos. Moser guarantees its furniture for life, any piece found to have a flaw is scrapped and hours of labor repeated.

Such being the case, I felt grateful for the defect and the surprise ending to our working vacation. Child said it best: "The experience is as much about learning to respect the skills and abilities of the craftsmen as it is about the furniture you're building."

Guite rebuilt that section of the table after our departure, so the story about the solid cherry wood table my fiance and I handcrafted "by ourselves" will forever have an asterisk.

But there were happy endings all the way around. We six alumni who completed the apprenticeship in May still keep in touch. Everett wrote in an email that the bench, hall table and stools he built have become conversation pieces: "Having this beautiful furniture in my home is a pleasant reminder of the wonderful experience I had in Maine, the people I met and the things I learned. They also give me a unique story to share with friends who come to my home, many of whom have commented on the furniture before knowing about its background."

As for me, I didn't waste any time breaking our table in with some marathon sessions of wining and dining.

Call me inconsistent, but those qualify as activities.

If you go

We flew into Boston's Logan International Airport on a Saturday, rented a car and drove 120 miles up the Atlantic coast to Freeport, Maine, spending one night in witchy Salem, Mass., and eating lobster bisque wherever we could. You also can fly into Portland, Maine, just 20 miles from Freeport.

Three out of five evenings are free for touring the area, if you're not too tired. The Harraseeket Inn is within walking distance of restaurants and shops, including the flagship L.L. Bean complex of stores, open 24 hours.

Other working vacations

Don't like lounging? There are plenty of vacation destinations that invite you to pay for the privilege of working. Here are two opportunities to expend some elbow grease and come away with a sense of accomplishment. And muscle fatigue.

Keep them dogies rollin': Montana Bunkhouses Working Ranch Vacations sends serious horseback riders as well as fun-seeking families to more than 20 cattle ranches in Big Sky Country. Take part in daily ranch chores and seasonal activities such as cattle drives, roundups and calving. Prices include meals and accommodations and start at $1,500 for six- or seven-day trips, with discounted family packages available. 406-222-6101, montanaworkingranches.com

Make a mean guitar: What's "mean" is you can't take it home. But if you're serious about perfecting your luthiery techniques (if you have to look that up, you're probably not a big enough guitar enthusiast), you'll feel rewarded nonetheless after completing the five-day, 40-hour acoustic-guitar-building workshop at Everett Guitars in Atlanta. Four students work together on one "class guitar," learning alongside Kent Everett. The class costs $1,295 (not inclusive) and is offered twice a year, in spring and fall. everettguitars.com

ctc-travel@tribune.com

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Wisconsin food on the road

"This ain't a Weight Watchers trip," warned a colleague, as she scribbled down stops I absolutely must make between getting off the S.S. Badger ferry in Manitowoc, Wis., and arriving in Door County two hours north. She plotted an itinerary that would include the major food groups of the Badger State: smoked fish, cheese curds, chocolate, hamburgers and summer sausage.

And when I got off the boat, I followed it:

Late's: The tiny, unimposing restaurant in a quiet Manitowoc neighborhood features an undulating counter with red stools. A hamburger ($2.50) with the works comes wrapped completely in white paper like a little present. The bun was crispy after being grilled with plenty of butter. The meat was only millimeters thick, its edges crisp, too. Delicious. 1924 S. 9th St., Manitowoc, Wis.; 920-682-1539

Beerntsen's Confectionery: Beerntsen's has been there since 1932 and still has the walnut booths and art deco interior. It was crowded with shoppers snapping up chocolate bark, chocolate truffles and chocolate meltaways. I bought two boxes of chocolates for gifts, plus one little snack bag with three chocolates for myself. Are you kidding? That bag was gone by the time I drove out of town. 108 N. 8th St., Manitowoc, Wis.; 920-684-9616, beerntsens.com

Suzy Q's Fish Market: Local smoked whitefish is their specialty. They also had smoked salmon, salmon dip, whitefish dip and all kinds of other smoked things in the dinky shop. I had no cooler, but I bought some whitefish dip ($4.50). I drove out of town with the bag on the car floor near the air conditioner. 1810 East St., Two Rivers, Wis.; 920-793-5240, susieqfishmarket.com

Konop's Meat Market: Local men in the store were talking about whatever happened to Czechoslovakia, anyway? I ordered the picnic summer sausage, no spices (half-pound, $2.50). I added it to my stash near the air conditioner. N2062 County Road Ab, Stangelville/Denmark, Wis.; 920-388-3892

Krohn's Dairy: Up the road a couple miles from Konop's is this venerable dairy (N2915 County Road Ab, Luxemburg), now part of Trega Foods. The gift shop sells all kinds of cheeses, but my colleague had been specific. Cheese curds. Get the cheese curds.

"I'll have some cheese curds," I said, following orders to get fresh curds that "squeak in your mouth and when you bite down you can squeeze the milk out of them."

"Sorry, we're out," the clerk replied. "We only make them Sundays and Fridays."

What could I do? I bought some Swiss cheese instead and bagel chips, and when I got to my Door County hotel room (which had a refrigerator, thank goodness), I made myself a whole spread: crackers with whitefish dip, crackers with sausage and Swiss cheese, chocolate for dessert, and thought, wow, what a nourishing state.

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Disney's new luxury Hawaiian resort 'Aulani' opens

KAPOLEI, Hawaii (AP) — Aloha, Disney!

The Walt Disney Co.'s new upscale, beachside Hawaiian resort Aulani opens Monday, thousands of miles from the nearest Disney theme park. And while Mickey Mouse and friends can be found on the property, Hawaii's culture, history and natural beauty are the biggest stars.

"The resort is not a replication of any of our theme parks. We know if guests want to go toDisneyland, they'll go to Disneyland," said Djuan Rivers, a Disney vice president who oversees the resort. "Our guests are coming here first and foremost for Hawaii and everything Hawaii has to offer."

Joe Rohde, head of Aulani's creative team, grew up in Honolulu and said "we made a choice early on to really, really focus on Hawaiian culture as a defining element of Aulani."

Aulani is located on the west side of Oahu, about an hour's drive from Waikiki. The sprawling 840-unit resort is the first major Disney property to offer a mix of regular hotel rooms and Disney Vacation Club time shares away from a theme park. (Disney's smaller resorts in Hilton Head, Ga., and Vero Beach, Fla., are time shares.)

Aulani is a Hawaiian term for messenger of a chief or higher authority. Showcasing the host culture as Aulani's main theme is a departure from other Disney properties where the iconic mouse and other Disney references are visible at every turn. True, visitors will find a surfer Mickey lamp in each Aulani guest room, with his image subtly blended in the bedding design, and Disney cast members portraying Mickey, Minnie, Donald and the rest of the crew can be found strolling around in bright aloha shirts and shorts. But the spotlight here is definitely on Hawaii.

"This story is about this place, that you came to see, experience and want to take away memories from that are different than the memories if you went to Idaho," Rohde said.

Tom Staggs, chairman ofWalt Disney Parks and Resorts and the company's former chief financial officer, said Aulani "captures the very best of the rich Hawaiian storytelling and culture with a touch of Disney."

Designers have incorporated historical and contemporary island scenes, artwork, values, designs, textures, colors, language and traditions in nearly every aspect of the place, from taro fields and native foliage in the landscaping, to the Olelo Room lounge, where everything is labeled in the Hawaiian language, including the chairs (noho) and the floor (papahele). Olelo's staff, including servers and bartenders, is fluent in Hawaiian and will speak to each other in the island's native tongue while sharing the language with guests. Other employees have also undergone some language and cultural training.

"Here you are in Hawaii. You will meet people who are Hawaiian. You will meet people who speak Hawaiian. I think that's cool," Rohde said.

The resort's two main towers have 359 hotel rooms, 481 time-share condo units, two main restaurants, conference rooms, an 18,000-square-foot spa, a fire pit for storytelling and a vast water play area.

Hotel rooms range from $399 a night for a 420-square-foot room to $2,449 a night for the Ahu Ulu Suite (two bedrooms, 1,910 square feet). An ocean view room runs $549 a night, which rivals prices at Hawaii's most posh resorts.

Disney would not comment on the cost of building Aulani, which has been reported at more than $800 million. But behind the scenes, the resort has not always been the happiest place on earth. Disney broke ground on the project in November 2008 during the recession and temporarily suspended sales of time-share units in July amid concerns that it underpriced annual fees, including maintenance costs for the units. The Orlando Sentinel first reported that Disney fired three executives over the financial mistake including Jim Lewis, president of Disney Vacation Club. Disney said it recalculated the annual fee and was taking deposit reservations from prospective buyers, but not executing contracts until modifications are made in the registration materials.

Besides an 8,200-square-foot pool, there is a 950-foot-long lazy river where kids can glide along in a tube through forests and caverns, a saltwater snorkel lagoon filled with tropical fish, a rock formation with lava tube slides and an aquatic jungle gym called Menehune Bridge. Pay an extra $45 to visit a water preserve where you can feed stingrays and see starfish and anemones. A portion of proceeds will be donated to conservation efforts in Hawaii.

A supervised kid's club for children ages 3 to 12 called Aunty's Beach House was inspired by Rohde's aunt's beach home in Punaluu. With the exception of a fireplace, which most Hawaiian homes don't have, it's designed to look like a traditional home, decorated with old trophies, photos and a garage filled with tools and tins. The high-tech windows are digital portals depicting scenes from around Hawaii.

Kids can watch Disney movies, play dress-up or video games, or participate in activities such as learning hula while parents play golf, hit the spa or beach or enjoy a quiet meal. Tweens and teens have a separate hangout where they can listen to music, eat frozen yogurt and surf the Internet.

The landscaping is inspired by an ahupuaa, an ancient Hawaiian land division system that extended from the mountain to the sea. Situated between the towers is a lush tropical forest that serves as a make-believe hideout for Hawaiian trolls, or menehune. Closer to the ocean, coconut trees sway in the Pacific breeze.

A canoe and maritime theme inspired by the legendary Hawaiian voyaging canoe Hokulea is found throughout Aulani, from artwork to handmade lashings on signs and structures. High arches in the architecture evoke traditional Hawaiian canoe houses.

"We return again and again to this canoe idea because of this whole sense of arrival, journey and also because the canoes are this sort of this quintessential Hawaiian art form," Rohde said.

Aulani is expected to attract many of its visitors from the West Coast and Asia. With Japanese guests in mind, time share units are equipped with rice cookers, chopsticks and a tea drawer.

Around the corner from the resort, farther up the Waianae Coast are unspoiled beaches and mountainsides, a stark contrast to the blight from the deep poverty and homelessness that has long plagued this part of Oahu. Some locals have voiced concern about preserving the area's rural character, but with an expected workforce of 1,200, Aulani is bringing in much-needed jobs.

Aulani sits on 21 acres of a larger property, the Ko Olina Resort, which also houses a golf course with waterfalls, luxury homes, a public beach park, and the J.W. Marriott Ihilani Resort and Spa. The Marriott resort houses theNFL's Pro Bowlers and for years was the biggest building in the area, but it's now dwarfed by Aulani.

Staggs said a key component of Disney's business strategy is to figure out where families like to vacation. "Our guests told us that Hawaii is one of their favorite vacation destinations," he said, "and we created Aulani in response to that feedback."

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Online:

Aulani: http://resorts.disney.go.com/aulani-hawaii-resort/

___

Follow Jaymes Song at http://twitter.com/JaymesSong

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Patagonia's massive glaciers inspire awe, reflection

LOS GLACIARES NATIONAL PARK, Argentina (AP) — The face of Perito Moreno Glacier resembles a colossal fortress, its jagged spires of ice towering about 200 feet (60 meters) above a lake dotted with icebergs.

It is Patagonia's most-photographed glacier, yet as we stand before it I realize that images can only begin to capture its grandeur: the panorama of ice that fills our field of vision, the thunderous cracking sounds that echo from within the glacier as it slowly shifts and advances.

My wife and I have come with our two children to southern Argentina to see and experience its glaciers and mountain landscapes. We are among hundreds of visitors who stand watching from a network of raised walkways on a slope facing the glacier.

Suddenly, the cracking sound grows louder and a cascade of ice tumbles down the sheer snout of the glacier. A column the size of a 20-story building slowly begins to tip away and collapses in a giant splash about 500 yards (meters) from where we are standing.

Then other pieces break off and fall in a series lasting more than a minute, leaving a dozen new icebergs floating away.

"Woo-hoo!," my 6-year-old son shouts. "It's just like sand."

The calving glacier reminds him of sand cascading down a steep dune he had climbed a few days before on the Argentine coast.

Perito Moreno is among the most accessible large glaciers and remains relatively intact even as glaciers all over Patagonia have been retreating in the past few decades.

During that trip earlier this year, we all stood gazing at the glacier, leaning on the wooden railing and silently waiting for the next ice fall. Some people lifted cameras now and then, while others sat quietly on benches taking in the view.

Along the section of glacier that had just calved, the newly revealed wall glowed deep blue, indicating the ice had been tightly compressed during its long journey down the mountain slope.

We had heard and read that waiting for a big ice collapse could require patience, so we felt fortunate to have witnessed the spectacle within minutes of arriving. We lingered on the walkways, enjoying the cool air and seeing the glacier from different angles.

Light rain began to fall, and we retreated to a snack bar for hot chocolate.

The next day, we took a boat tour of the glaciers that border Lake Argentino.

There are dozens of glaciers in the area fed by the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, which blankets a wide swath of the Andes between Chile and Argentina. Huge quantities of meltwater flow into Lake Argentino, and then down the Santa Cruz River to the Atlantic.

We started at the port of Punta Bandera and set out aboard a catamaran carrying nearly 200 people. The wind was very cold, so we started out inside the cabin, then put on wool hats and scarves and went out on deck for a better view as we approached several icebergs glistening in the sun.

The icebergs were a gemlike radiant blue, contrasting with the charcoal-colored mountainsides behind them. The ice had been sculpted by sun and lake water into fantastic shapes topped with spikes and curves.

As we headed toward Upsala Glacier we encountered more and larger icebergs, and the boat stopped once we faced a barrier of floating ice. Some passengers posed for photos at the boat's railing with craggy masses of ice floating behind them. I wished I could get a glimpse from the air of the many icebergs floating between our boat and the glacier.

Guides announced over the loudspeaker in Spanish,English and French that Upsala Glacier could be seen in the distance. They didn't mention that it has shrunk dramatically over the past century, nor did they discuss how the glaciers have fared overall in the face of global warming. I wondered how quickly climate change might eat away at these majestic giants.

I later learned that according to a recent study by British and Swedish scientists who analyzed about 350 Patagonian glaciers, all but two of the glaciers have receded significantly since the late 1800s, and have been shrinking at a faster rate during the past three decades.

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