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February 2006
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8.
This is
Kaleel Sakakeeny with your XM Go Travel Update
Did you hear
the story about the couple in
Rome who had their plane tickets stolen?
Because they had paper tickets, the couple’s vacation turned into a
nightmare as they pursued all kinds of solutions and finally had to buy
new tickets…and hope for a reimbursement.
What to do?
If your ticket is missing, alert the airline immediately and fill out a
form called “a lost ticket indemnity bond.”
It guarantees that you will pay the carrier in full if your ticket is
used by someone else, which is very unlikely.
The airline will then issue you a new ticket… for a fee.
If they can’t issue you a new ticket for whatever convoluted reason,
they’ll ask you to buy one… and apply for a reimbursement…which could
take up to a year to receive.
If at all.
Best bet? Use an eticket, and know your rights by reading the fine print
of the airline’s
“conditions of carriage”
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7.
This is
Kaleel Sakakeeny with your XM Go Travel Update
The
House Of Blues Hotel in Chicago has come out with a Heart-Burned
package… which has nothing to do with indigestion.
It’s for those who have been burned by romance and want to forget their
blues
.
The package includes a couple of blue martinis presumably to cry into.
And if they don’t help, there’s a session with a psychic…followed by an
in-room massage.
Von Fabella a Blues hotel executive says it’s a good thing for the new
year
(Please download the audio version of this broadcast to listen to Von
Fabella’s comments and hear the entire segment)
In case you find another squeeze, the package also includes a manicure
and pedicure for two.
Maybe the best part of the deal is a copy of the book Be Honest-You’re
Not That Into Him Either by Ian Kerner.
Certainly gives new meaning to the concept of Heartbreak Hotel
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6.
This is
Kaleel Sakakeeny with your XM Go Travel Update
It’s a
compelling image.
A sweet looking seeing eye dog stands on a mountain ledge, head tipped
upwards. He ‘s anxious but loving.
We can tell from the ropes dangling from the mountain that his master is
climbing the rock face while the dog sits patiently waiting.
Say “disabled traveler” and the first thought is likely “how?”
But today’s “disabled travelers” are climbing mountains, skiing, and
hiking. For them, travel is a necessity, not a “luxury.”
The National Sports
Center for the Disabled arranges travel for the child with cerebral
palsy who rides a horse for the first time to the teenager with a
quadruple amputation whose goal is to snowboard.
Beth Fox of the organization says, “why not!”
Please download the audio version of this broadcast to hear Ms. Fox’s
comments and listen to the entire segment.)
And that’s what travel should be all about. No barriers.
www.nscd.org
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5.
Visit Spain
now! Download the sound-rich
audio version of this Audio Postcard from Andalusia.
 When Europe was
groping its way through the Dark Ages, 10th century Islamic Spain,
Andalusia, was considered the jewel of the world.
Christianity and Judaism mixed easily with Islam, and no where else in
Europe were the arts and sciences as brilliant as they were in
Cordova, the capital of Andalusia in southern Spain
The land is arid, but the cities of Cordova, Grenada and Seville vibrate
with color and resonate with Flamenco and Gypsy music.
Cobblestone streets lead past elegant arches and medieval walls.
And In Seville the magic of the
Al
Hambra with its intricate fountains and elegant courtyards has a
beauty and grace that Europe only achieved in the later Renaissance.
Contact us for a personalized itinerary to Andalusia
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4.
This is
Kaleel Sakakeeny with your XM Go Travel Update
 Travel
has gotten sexier, and we mean that literally.
The hotel mini bar is not what it used to be. Some Hotels like
60 Thompson in
New York and James
in Arizona now stock their mini bars with condoms,
cinnamon mints, scented cloths, and even personal
lubricants and feather ticklers.
No, these are not your parents’ hotels. Maybe we can understand pleasure
rings and blind folds at the hotel
Montalembert
in gay Paris, but in middle-America Arizona?
Mark Violante of James Hotel in Scottsdale says the Intimacy Kits are a
great marketing device….and not all risqué.
(Please download the
audio
to hear Mark Violante’s comments about the Intimacy Kits and to enjoy
the complete broadcast)
The kits sell for $19.50.
Not a lot to pay for intimacy, we guess.
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3.
This is
Kaleel Sakakeeny with your XM Go Travel Update
Picking the top
ten of anything is a disaster and it’s bound to make someone unhappy
But when it comes to family travel, we think naming the best is a
service to those intrepid families that hit the road together.
Especially if the
list comes from
familytravelforum.com the widely respected family travel web site.
The top honors for Resort Chains for Families go to
Beaches Family Resorts
in the Caribbean… and the
Hyatt Regency New Mexico wins for Family Cultural Getaways.
How does site editor Kyle McCarthy chose the best?
(Please download the
audio version to hear Kyle McCarthy’s comments and the entire
broadcast)
McCarthy’s web site offers helpful advice to all kinds of families from
teens to those with special needs
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2.
This is
Kaleel Sakakeeny with your XM Go Travel Update
There’s a lot
of talk about travel and the
bird flu.
The UN World
Tourism Organization has told the travel industry not to
underestimate the threat of bird flu following the outbreak in Turkey.
But the organization’s secretary general, Francesco Frangialli, says
that the situation does not warrant travel restrictions, not does it
intend to discourage travel because of the disease.
Encouraged by the fact that no transmission between humans has yet been
reported and no tourists been affected, Frangialli says it may be enough
for travelers to avoid bird farms and follow basic, good hygenine.
A random check with travel agents, tour operators and the Turkish
Tourism Office shows no cancellations… or increase in anxiety levels for
Turkey-bound travelers. “Sure we have questions,” an agent said “but no
more than usual.”
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1.
This is
Kaleel Sakakeeny With Your XM Go Travel Update
OK, you have
your boarding pass and found your seat. Then you notice a flurry of
activity in the front of the plane.
Something’s up.
The flight’s overbooked, as usual, but this time all the passengers have
shown up and someone has to be bumped so the plane can take off.
If you give up your seat voluntarily, you’ll likely get a voucher good
for a flight petty much anywhere on the same airline. Not bad.
If you don’t go willingly, the airline owes you nothing… if they can get
you on another flight within an hour.
If it’s a two-hour delay, typically they’ll give you the equivalent of a
one-way fare. Free.
If it’s more than two hours to the next flight, you can probably count
on a 200 % reimbursement, up to $400.00 bucks.
Truth is bumping is at its lowest rate in a decade. It’s about 12% of
ticketed passengers, and that’s down from the 20% in the late 1990s.
As we say, the fewer the bumps, the better.
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