Getting to Hawaii..And the World. Best Values!

Hawaiian Sunset
Photo By  Arvind Balaraman

     Barbi and I have been feeling sticker SHOCK at airline prices from Salt Lake City to Honolulu lately.  Fuel prices continue to drive up the cost of Jet-A, and thus flights from here to there.  I have a work associate who has a son serving as a missionary in Hawaii (I Know! Tough gig, huh?), and they would like to return there with him, after he is finished with his service time.  I mentioned to him that airfare from Utah is running between $939 and over $1,200 per person. GAG...Gulp!  Then he stated something I have always known.  "For that kind of money, I might as well cruise there and back."  Uh, YEAH!

     I know this might not be for everyone, especially those who don't have to penny pinch.  But if you have 2 weeks, why not consider a round trip Los Angeles cruise to Hawaii?  Right now, in April 2013, published fares on Princess.com range from $1,695 for an inside to $2,595 for a balcony cabin.  you catch a quick $250 flight to LA, board the ship, and relax.  Two weeks of pure bliss!  No 6 hour flights (Both ways), in a cramped coach seat, where the comfort was left in the terminal.  Here, you can drink a Mai Tai. Get a Tan.  Catch a show.  Watch a movie on the big screen outside.  Visit 4 of the Hawaiian Islands and Ensenada Mexico.  I am telling you, there is no more comfortable and value based way to visit Hawaii!

     Fly to Hawaii ($1,000), Stay in a 4 star resort ($200 per person/per day), Rental Car ($40 per person/per day), and $50.00 for meals per person/per day for 7 days, and stay ONLY on Oahu (Honolulu).   You would EASILY spend $3,000 per person for the trip.  No entertainment. GAS for the rental car is expensive. That is an average of $428 per person/per day.

     Fly to Los Angeles ($250), Board the Golden Princess (4 Star Resort all by itself) and unpack in your balcony stateroom $2,595. Cost would be $2,845 per person. That's $203 per person/per day (Half the price).  And you are not limited to just 1 island, but 4.  A total of 44 hours spend between all the islands port time.  Minimum 9 hours. You can do about anything while you are there.

     So, when considering travelling to a distant land, consider cruising there.  I have a friend who does not like to fly, so they are boarding a cruise ship this month in Australia and cruising to Vancouver, British Columbia.  Travel between New York and London in 6 days. (No Jet Lag There)  Ft. Lauderdale and Rome in 14 days. Ft. Lauderdale and Manaus Brasil.  Los Angeles to Santiago Chile.  Vancouver to Beijing China. No matter the destination, a cruise ship can get you pretty dang close.

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There's a vacation just around every corner

     I find myself daydreaming each day about what my next vacation will be.  Cruise, Disneyland, Seaworld, San Francisco, Yellowstone.  Interesting how these are all on the western side of the U.S..  I guess I always think close to where I live....cruising being the exception...sometimes.  I have lamented before about hating to fly.  The airlines know that people will still fly to get across the country, so their attitude is, they'll pay to get there.  They'll deal with it and we'll get more money.  Well, this is America, so I know that the American dream is all about being successful.  I also know that competition spurs reform and innovation, which benefits the consumer more than the company vieing (Did I spell that right?) for market share.  I have not said it in a while, so I'll restate my challenge to those looking to have the American dream.  Come up with a new way to get people from one side of the country to the other, either in a timely fashion, or in a slower way, providing comfort and value for their money.

     Cruising is an awesome way to travel across oceans, if you have the time.  Other than Amtrak, which has limited routes, there really is not another viable alternative to traveling comfortably on land.  The long haul bus system is too cramped.  I have often found myself wondering if it would be possible to have a cruise ship size vehicle, traveling down I10 from Long Beach to Jacksonville, Fl, at 25 miles per hour, Non-stop, it would only take a little more than 4 days. With Port stops in Phoenix, El Paso, Houston, New Orleans, Pensacola, you could stretch it into 8 days. All along the way, enjoying comfortable sleeping cabins, all you can eat meals, room service, and entertainment.  How would it be powered you ask?  Wind power...sails you know.  If there is no wind..how 'bout solar?  Combination of both?  Dream it and it'll happen.

     We really need a high speed rail system in this country.  Unfortunately, our American government has spent the cost of building it on other frivolous things, so I guess we'll just have to wait until someone comes along to finance it privately.  Then those who need to get from here to yonder there can do it in 10 hours non-stop from San Francisco to New York City.  10 hours...hmm, that's at least how long it takes me to get from Salt Lake City to Miami Fl, with 2 or 3 plane changes.  What a lavatory full of waste!  I used to be able to fly from Phoenix to Atlanta in 4 hours. That's darn near impossible these days.  So I say, if it takes me 10 hours, I would rather do it in style for a few days, with lots of leg room, WiFi, Walking around communicating with people, playing blackjack, having a drink by the pool, soaking up the sun!

     That was some serious digression!  Sorry!  Vacations are so vitally important to health these days, it is right there with the full nutrition of the Moringa Oliefera tree in Zija.  Healthy body, Healthy mind.  These things come with relaxation, good food, good sleep, and socialization with our fellow human beings.  Some sun doesn't hurt, though my eyes are sensitive.  So literally, there are vacation opportunities everywhere you look.  I am finishing scuba certification this week.  Now I cannot stop thinking about exploring the underwater world with Scuba.  How about a submarine cruise?  How cool would that be?   Cruise to 6,000 feet down to see the daytime activities of the six gill shark off the coast of Seattle. Do a transpolar cruise under the north pole, under the ice, and come up to see polar bears hunting for seals.  Cruise by and see the remains of the Titanic!  I am raising my hand with developing this!!!  ohh, ohh, pick me!  Pick Me!  Let's explore more of our world before heading off to the moon again..or Mars.

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Into The Wild Blue Yonder - Air Travel

     I have to admit that I am very disgruntled in air travel these days.  No longer is flying an exciting event.  My mother still will dress up to fly by air, even though security now requires you to remove almost everything.  Gone are the meals, replaced by at best, peanuts, or;  present your credit card and you can get a TV dinner warmed up.  Now, there is so much talk about paying to use the lavatory or even to sit down...seriously!

     What really discourages me, and everyone else who now finds air travel almost as necessary as breathing air, is the volitility of airfare.  Fares really make no sense to me.  I understand that oil prices have a great deal to do with the cost of flying people here and there.  But why does it cost me more money to fly from Salt Lake City to Ft. Lauderdale, than it does from San Francisco to Paris?  Thousands fly to both locations every week, from all over the U.S., so popularity cannot have everything to do with it.  Supply and Demand?

     So now, we are relegated to checking every search engine available on the net, along with subscribing to each airlines daily and weekly travels ads, just to hopefully save $100 on a fare that will cost me $1,400.  But if that is what we have to do, then we do it.  If we don't, then we fall victim to the whims of the airlines raising and lowering their fare, when just one of them makes a move.

     So, I rant about the airlines.  But I will admit an appreciation for one carrier that, for many years, and it continues today, to break the rules and buck the trends.  They buy their fuel by strategically using the futures market, thus stabilizing their cost of Jet A.  Many think they are an airline to be avoided, so people don't feel like cattle going to market.  I for one think they are genious!  No baggage fees. Fares that are more consistant.  A fun experience when flying with them.  I speak of Southwest Airlines.  And with their merger with AirTran in the second quarter expected, they will no longer be fenced in to the U.S. border.  Those who want to enjoy the warm sunny beaches of the Caribbean and Mexico, they will go there. Woo Hoo!

     But until they go worldwide, here are a couple tricks I learned a couple years ago.  This info has recently been published in the USAToday, so the airlines will probably find a way to squash it.

• Begin your searches on a Monday.  Make note of the fares you find.  Then, start watching the fares on Tuesday.  Usually, at 3pm eastern on Tuesday, any great deals will show up on the booking engines available to you on the internet. 
• If you can, start pricing at least 30 days in advance and try to travel in the middle of the week to get the lowest fare.  If you buy within 2 weeks of the travel, expect to pay a much higher price.
• I like to get airfares from 3 different sites to insure I am not being taken advantage of by one site.
• Make sure to add in (Manually...I know...what a pain) baggage fees, so that you get an apples to apples comparison on what it'll cost you.  Be aware that some airlines are even talking about starting to charge you to carry on baggage. OH BROTHER!!!
• If you have a lot of airline miles with Delta, but United is $20 cheaper, I would still take Delta, because the addional miles to my account are worth something too.

     You might ask, what options do we have to air travel?  Do you say, "We have no choice!"?  If you need to get there (1,000 miles) by tomorrow, then you really have no choice.  Star Trek transporters are not here yet.  If you have extra time, consider Rail travel.  Or drive a car.  Considering that I used to be able to get from Phoenix to Atlanta in 4 hours on Eastern Airlines, today, it will take me 9 hours, because I have to change planes in Minneapolis.  How Lame!!!

     If you are traveling overseas.  Here is what I suggest.  Give youselves 3 weeks.  Take a cruise ship to get there and back.  It is relaxing getting there.  You change time zones once a day, instead of 7 of them in one day (No jet lag).  You are not cramped in an 18" seat for 10 hours, where you will need copious amounts of petrolium jelly to get yourself out.  Instead, you sleep in a comfortable bed and eat daily meals made for the next King of England.

     I encourage all to start coming up with alternative modes of transportation domestically, other than train, plane, and automobile.  I have seen amazing plans to bring back balloon travel.  Luxury travel.  I would be happy to travel from Denver to Atlanta, at 90 miles per hour, where I could enjoy the same luxuries as cruise ship travel.  A meal, A bed, An incredible view, and be able to walk around and enjoy myself all the way there.

     What are your ideas?



The Dining room at the back of the Holland America Amsterdam - Glacier Bay Alaska



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