Let me start by saying that I was flying to California for my grandmother’s funeral. So my plans were in no way flexible and it was imperative that I get there on time. In addition, I couldn’t have planned my travel differently, because obviously travel to a funeral is last minute and basically everything but the flights I was taking were already sold out.

My mom, dad and I got to the airport, sleepy, at 5 AM for a 6:50 flight – I’m quite anal retentive about getting to the airport early, even at this awful hour of the morning. The airline represetnative checking in our bag was talking on the phone the whole time, clearly not paying attention, and when we asked her a question, she put her hand up to us to silence us and turned away. We weren’t happy, but our bag appeared to be checked. We boarded and pushed back from the gate on time – a virtual miracle, as anyone that’s every taken a flight from Philadelphia International knows. The only connection we could get was 55 minutes in Phoenix, which made me sweat a little but I hoped that at this hour, we wouldn’t have too much delay. My hopes were, to say the least, dashed.

As we got ready to take off, the pilot came over the loud speaker and said that there’s a technical problem and we have to go back to the gate. We did, they “fixed” it, and we pulled back out. We got ready to take off again, and the pilot told us that it appeared the issue wasn’t fixed, and we went back to the gate again. The pilot actually came over the loud speaker and said, and I quote “looks like we got a lemon”. Just what you want to hear about your plane that is to spend the next four hours at 35,000 feet. After a wait, they told us to deplane. We knew that at this point, we’d missed our connection and I wipped out my iphone to start looking for the next potential flights to Santa Ana once we got to Phoenix. This, I’ll admit was a mistake on my part – I thought we might still at least get to Phoenix.

We got back on the plane, assured that “this is a working plane” (phew). We sat there. And sat there. The pilot informed us that the mechanics were still there (I thought it was a working plane!) and that he thought actually it was a more serious issue than the mechanics believed it was (oh, goody). After a few more minutes wait, we were told that the plane was going to be sent for servicing – basically, it’s broken – and deplaned, again.

We waited in line at the gate counter to see what our options were, while I went online on my phone to look for other flight options. Basically, everything was sold out. I finally found a Southwest flight (this was not our original airline) that would get my dad there by 6 PM – we needed to get him there for the viewing that night, as it was his mother who’d passed. I called Southwest directly and got him on that, and we sent him off to gate E  (all the way across the airport) for his flight. My mom and I continued to stand in a long line. There is one person assigned to help the 100+ people that were on this cancelled flight. Good emergency planning on the part of the airline, don’t you think? No one from the airline was in the area that was willing/able to answer any questions while we waited in line. They had one “customer service” representative milling around there to “help” us, but basically it seems the only phrases he knew were the un-helpful “no” and “I don’t know what to tell you”. We were then sent to another gate where we were assured there was no wait for service.

We got to that gate, and there are two people ahead of us. They take about 30 minutes. While waiting in line, we and everyone else waiting were told that the bags we’ve checked will be sent to our final destination – how, they don’t specify. We were not able to go get them. Some people had to stay overnight in Philly, and would like at least a change of underwear from their bags and to re-check their bags the next day. They were told no. Many people had to check their bags at the gate, so had things in there that weren’t supposed to be checked (ie medication). They were reprimanded for not keeping these items on their person and told more or less “tough luck”.  While I personally try to keep medications in my purse when traveling, these people had done what they thought was the right thing – put them in their carry-on, except that this carry on had to be checked… why we’re not sure since there was plenty of overhead room on the original flight. Upon requesting further details about our bags, we were told that our bags would either be sent along to the final location or be “dumped” in Philly (I don’t even know what this means) and if we didn’t get them, we’d have to write a complaint and hopefully they’d be shipped to us. Delightful!

We finally got to the front of the line and upon speaking to the representative, found out that basically there was nothing available, but we’re given phone number to call. While I called the phone number and finally got a flight on another airline, the representative we’d spoken with, Troy, did everything he could to figure out where our bags were.  Troy was the only person so far that was at all worthwhile to speak with, other than whoever I spoke to at Southwest that booked my dad’s flight. Still, he’s unable to find our bags. Apparently, the dedicated check-in employee that was too busy on the phone with her friend to check our bag properly never actually inputted our bag into the computer, so our PNR showed no checked bags attached to any of us.  Our bag had basically disappeared into thin air, as far as the airline was concerned.

We were now at least booked on a flight though, thanks to my phone call. We went down to baggage to try to get some further information on the fate of our checked luggage. We are told it can’t be pulled and re-checked on our new airline, but it would be sent to Santa Ana on the next flight so we should have it in California. We then went to check in for our new flight. We waited at least 20 minutes. We got up to the desk and were told that my mom’s ticket wass all set but I was never ticketed – and I was the one that spoke with the rep on the phone! The nice representative at the counter pulls some strings and got me ticketed, thank goodness, because our flight was scheduled to take off in about 40 minutes at this point.

It’s 2 PM and we’re boarding our flight finally. Oh but wait – no we weren’t! Our boarding passes weren’t valid and we were pulled out of line to get them “corrected”. After a few minutes, we finally got on our flight. Luckily, the rest of our flight went smoothly, other than the fact that boarding passes for our connecting flight also didn’t work, and again we had to get out of the boarding line to have them corrected. We landed in Santa Ana at 7 PM. Our bag was arriving at 8:15 PM on a flight from Phoenix. Miraculously, it actually did. We looked at the tag that the airline has put on our bag. It had big print that said “Rush! Expedited Bag!”. My mom and I burst out laughing. It took a mere 17 hours since we checked it. How long, exactly, does it take for the airline to send a bag that’s not expedited?

We missed my grandmother’s viewing all together (though luckily my dad, thanks to Southwest, was able to attend). I understand that planes break. I understand that when you’re trying to get a last minute flight, that there’s little availability and prices are at a premium. I understand sometimes you just can’t get there in time. What I mind is this:

1. We were told a plane was fixed when it wasn’t, and they knew that it wasn’t. This wasted valuable time, getting back on a broken plane to sit there only to be told it was in fact broken and deplaning again.

2. The “customer service rep” didn’t want to answer questions or help anyone out at all. Basically, it “wasn’t his job”.

3. The the check-in employee was too busy being social to do her job, and that basically no one cared about this.

4. Basically, only three people in this entire scenario were actually doing their jobs properly – Troy, the woman who helped us check-in on the second flight, by getting us properly ticketed when the original woman I’d spoken to on the phone had messed up, and the reservations agent from Southwest.

I’m not naming airlines, other than Southwest who did a wonderful job. I’m not writing this to badmouth a particular airline or several. I’m writing this as what I believe is an example of why people are so frustrated with the airline industry in general these days.  I now truly understand why people hate airlines.

I find it helps to have a plan. Of course, being a planner, I might be a little biased, but I believe can assist in diffusing what can sometimes be an almost overwhelming decision. I’m not gearing this article towards those who plan to buy a Eurail multi-country pass and see where it takes them. The appeal of those types of trips is spontaneity, and a precise plan would, quite frankly, ruin that.  That being said, if you are looking to take that type of vacation, you can add that in to your overall travel plan to make sure you do, in fact, get to take that trip.

So how do you make a travel plan? Here are some steps to at least narrowing down your options. A travel professional can certainly help you in this process, especially since they are familiar with up-to-date destination information (exchange rates, destination news, travel trends, etc), which might affect your decisions.

• Make a rough draft list of your desired destinations. If there are too many to count, pick the top 10, or even 20 (depending on how often you plan to travel each year and how far out you want to plan).

• Examine this list and arrange them in order of “priority” – where you’re dying to see versus where you’d like to get to if you can.

• Look at this list again and arrange with respect to time and budget. If you’d like to spend a month exploring Australia but know that won’t be a possibility this year, move it down a few places on the list.

Once you’re here, it’s time to start formulating a more precise plan. This is where a travel planner can particularly be helpful, as the next steps allow you to create a more concrete, yet flexible, timeline and it’s important to know which times of year are best to visit which destinations, visa requirements (which can affect timing), and other factors that may influence your plan.

• Take your list reorganized list and divide it into years (if you’re lucky enough to travel more than 4 times per year, divide it into seasons or months as applicable).

• Look at the countries in each year (quarter) starting with year one and proceed chronologically. Discuss features such as climate, time desired at the destination, price points, and overall feasibility. Rearrange the destinations/trips as needed according to these factors adding potential time frams (month, seasons) to each.

• You should now have a solid, yet flexible plan. Take one final look. Is there anything that slipped through the cracks – a destination on your must see list that should be of highest priority yet somehow isn’t? Adjust as needed.

• If you have trips you plan to take in the next quarter, or even the next six months, it’s time to start planning.

• Your plan should be a living document that can be rearranged as needed. If you get the opportunity for travel that you weren’t expecting, rearrange the list as needed/desired. The plan should be a guideline to help make your travels more of a reality instead of a lofty goal. A travel plan that ties you down, however, would pretty much defeat the purpose.

Your plan may, and most likely will, change slightly as you go, but you now have a solid idea of your travels.  Of course, you should adjust for major life events that come along the way. Still, this makes the destination decision more manageable, and allows you the excitement of looking forward to future travels without the anxiousness that can often come during the early stages of the planning process. Need help creating your travel plan? Send me an email!

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I’m a hotel connoisseur, if there is such a thing. I love hotels. One of my favorite aspects of  traveling is finding a great place to stay. I thoroughly enjoy exploring the property – however large or small it may be, dropping down on the bed to feel how cushiony the mattress is, playing with fancy bathroom accessories (whirlpool tubs, fancy shower heads), looking through the room service menu. I feel very at home in a good hotel. Naturally, when I am planning travel for myself or others, choosing accommodations is key. I’m an upscale hotel person. 3.5 stars is about the lowest I go and many of my clients are the same way. I sell luxury travel after all.  So here, from around the world, are some of my top picks among those I’ve stayed in, along their pros and cons. These aren’t the only good hotels I’ve found by any means, just some of my favorites. I’m dividing my hotel suggestions up into two categories – this blog will focus on the larger hotels with parent companies. The next will focus on more stand-alone properties.

Ambassador Hotel, Vienna

Pros: Ideal location, on a pedestrian street with shops, restaurants and beer gardens literally as you step out of your hotel. Beautiful hotel in every possible respect; spacious rooms including some two room suites which do not cost any extra; attentive service and though I was entirely not upscale enough to stay there, I didn’t feel looked down upon. Above all, the location is key.

Cons: Vienna is an expensive city. You pay for quality. This isn’t really a con, just an acknowledgement.

Castille Hotel, Paris

Pros: Around the corner from the Champs Elysees, but on a quieter street so it’s the best of both words location wise; helpful, friendly, attentive service; for Europe, decent sized rooms.  The hotel seems to have a lot of good sales (discounts, free room nights, packages, etc) – take advantage of these!

Cons: The restaurant is quite expensive, especially for dinner, and you aren’t stuffed when you leave. I’d suggest dining elsewhere for dinner. Their breakfast buffet is quite tasty and expansive though also pricey.

Radisson SAS, Edinburgh (formerly Crown Plaza)

Pros:  Located directly on the Royal Mile, close to basically everything: shops, restaurants, bars, within walking distance of Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace. Good service and good-sized rooms for Europe.

Cons: Location equals higher price tag, but worth it in my opinion. Also, in the summer, make sure your room as air conditioning if the weather requires it.

La Blanc Palace, Cancun

Pros: adult-only, all-inclusive, impeccable service, modern design, delicious food for an all-inclusive, swim up bars, jacuzzi/hot tub in each room.

Cons: Obviously this type of place comes with a high price tag. That’s basically the only “con” I found.

Intercontinental, Tahiti (Papeete)

Pros: very personalized service: they arranged a half-room-rate so that we could stay in our room until our 10 PM flight out which meant basically that we were depriving them of a guest in that room for the following night.  Plentiful grounds with amazing sunset views, spacious rooms with a tropical feel (it’s Tahiti).

Cons: Other than price, I couldn’t find any. It is more appealing on the inside than the outside (unless it’s been redone since I was there). When you arrive at night, it might not look as impressive as it actually is.

Park Hyatt, Mendoza, Argentina

Pros: Luxury from every angle, and it looks the part. Modern, well-sized rooms, outdoor dining terrace, proximity to wine region (15 minutes to some wineries) are all big pluses.

Cons: While not necessarily a con, it definitely feels like a luxury hotel – meaning that if you like to stay high end but don’t want to feel like it’s an exclusive hotel, you might feel a bit out of place here. If you don’t mind walking around in jeans when you feel like you should be dressed up, you’ll be fine. No one made us feel out of place at all, nor did they talk down to us. We just felt a little under-dressed and under-salaried.

*Note: not all of the pictures here are of the hotel or hotel grounds. Many are from the surrounding areas, to highlight the location.  Scroll over each photo to see the description. 

Seat Selection

• Choose a seat when you book (or if you’re booking through a planner, let them know your seat preference.) Some airlines automatically assign you. Some do not and you may end up in a middle seat near the bathroom, away from your traveling companions. You generally cannot reserve the bulkhead or exit rows far in advance. You may be able to reserve exit rows when you check in online 24 hours before, though the bulkhead usually isn’t available. Airlines do vary slightly on the availability of these.

• The seats in front of the exit row usually do not recline. Basically, if there’s an emergency, they don’t want the evacuation space in the exit row to be smaller than it already is. Some airlines won’t let you store anything under your seat in the exit row. If you’re a fan of needing your personal belongings within arms length, the exit row may not be for you. The seats in the last row also often do not recline much or at all.

• If you fly Southwest, they have an option to pay $10 per person per way and they’ll automatically check you in. This means no sitting at the computer and stalking the SWA website exactly 24 hours before your flight in hopes of getting an A boarding. In my opinion, it’s well worth the extra $20 round trip. Better yet, it’s good for all legs of the trip – it’s not $10 per leg, it’s $10 per way, total, as long as you’ve booked all legs as part of the same flight.

Luggage and Boarding Pass Check-In

• You must arrive and check in your luggage 30 minutes before a domestic flight and 45 minutes before an international flight (I suggest way more than this). By “you must”, I mean literally, you must. They will give away your seat to a standby passenger. This is a rule of the airline. And if you’re banking on no standby passengers, you’ll be disappointed. With the consolidation of flights recently, there are nearly always standbys.

• This rule generally goes for connections as well. The airlines need to make a call at a certain point as to whether or not you and your luggage will make the plane. You may be able to sprint for it, but you are not allowed on a flight that your luggage is not on (and vice versa, for security reasons) so if they don’t think they’ll have time to transfer your luggage, you’ll get bumped. There are plenty of hopeful standby passengers that will fill that seat. I can’t stress enough, if you have a choice of layovers and one option is an hour or less, go for the longer layovers. It sucks to wait 3 hours in an airport. It sucks more to have to spend the night because you missed your flight and there is no room available on later flights.

Food and Beverage

• Some airlines take cash only for purchasing food and drinks on board. Some airlines take credit card. This seems to continually be changing. Best option – have both on you just in case. If you need to get cash, do so prior to coming to the airport to avoid the outrageous service fee charges on airport ATMs. Better option, bring something on board, though you’ll have to buy drinks at the airport, since they can’t go through the security checkpoint.

Flight Change Notifications

• Most airlines offer an option to be notified of flight changes/delays/cancellations via phone, email or text. The default setting is often email. If you will have access to email up until the time of your flight (even at the airport) this might be the best option. If not, you may opt for phone or text. Be warned, the phone almost certainly won’t be a live person- imagine the staff needed for that – but a recording about the change in your flight, so it won’t necessarily help you in getting any issues resolved quicker in the event of a flight change.

Seat Selection:

• Choose a seat when you book (or if you’re booking through a planner, let them know your seat preference.) Some airlines automatically assign you. Some do not and you may end up in a middle seat near the bathroom, away from your traveling companions. You generally cannot reserve the bulkhead or exit rows far in advance. You may be able to reserve exit rows when you check in online 24 hours before, though the bulkhead usually isn’t available. Airlines do vary slightly on the availability of these.

• The seats in front of the exit row usually do not recline. Basically, if there’s an emergency, they don’t want the evacuation space in the exit row to be smaller than it already is. Some airlines won’t let you store anything under your seat in the exit row. If you’re a fan of needing your personal belongings within arms length, the exit row may not be for you. The seats in the last row also often do not recline, either much, or at all.

• If you fly Southwest, they have an option to pay $10 per person per way and they’ll automatically check you in. This means no sitting at the computer and stalking the SWA website exactly 24 hours before your flight in hopes of getting an A boarding. In my opinion, it’s well worth the extra $20 round trip. Better yet, it’s good for all legs of the trip – it’s not $10 per leg, it’s $10 per way, total as long as you’ve booked all legs as part of the same flight.

Luggage and boarding pass check in

• You must arrive and check in your luggage 30 minutes before a domestic flight and 45 minutes before an international flight (I suggest way more than this). By you must, I mean literally, you must. They will give away your seat to a standby passenger. This is a rule of the airline. And if you’re banking on no standby passengers, you’ll be disappointed. With the consolidation of flights recently, there are nearly always standbys.

• This rule generally goes for connections as well. The airlines need to make a call at a certain point to whether or not you and your luggage will make the plane. You may be able to sprint for it, but you are not allowed on a flight that your luggage is not on (and vice versa, for safety reasons) so if they don’t think they’ll have time to transfer your luggage, you get bumped. There are plenty of hopeful standby passengers that will fill that seat. I can’t stress enough, if you have a choice of layovers and one is an hour or less, go for the longer layovers. It sucks to wait 3 hours in an airport. It sucks more to have to spend the night because you missed your flight and there is no room available on later flights.

Food and Beverage

• Some airlines take cash only. Some airlines take credit card only (this seems to continually be changing). Best option – have both on you just in case. If you need to get cash, do so prior to coming to the airport to avoid the outrageous service fee charges on airport ATMs. Better option, bring something on board, though you’ll have to buy drinks at the airport, since they can’t go through the security checkpoint.

1. Plan your next vacation! I’m a travel planner – did you expect anything else to be number one on the list? In all seriousness though, fuel prices are expected to continue to increase the cost of airline tickets. If you are planning a trip, or think you may want to, start looking now. The sooner you book, the more you’re going to save. I also notice that the longer people wait to book a vacation, the less likely they are to actually take it. Life gets in the way and the next thing you know, your weeks are booked up or there is little availability or you don’t have the time left to book. Planning can be a process, so if you can’t book this week, at least start the process and be committed to taking that much deserved break.

2. Find something local, or at least relatively local, that you’ve wanted to do/see but never have gotten around to. Or, find something you never knew existed that piques your interest. By local, I mean something that you could do in a day trip or less. Enjoy it. Share it with others. Make an outing out of it instead of squeezing it in somewhere. It’s amazing what we can find in our own backyards!

3. Create your travel bucket list. Research shows that writing down goals helps people commit to them. If writing them down isn’t enough to keep you motivated, tell others (facebook, twitter anyone). Start with the big picture and then make it more realistic, more manageable. Where do you want to go this year, next year, in the next 5 years, etc? This takes your hopes and starts to formulate them into something you could actually do.

4. Learn about a new destination. You can use the “throw a dart at the map” theory or choose a place you’ve always wanted to learn about. Pick up a travel magazine that has information on areas you’ve never visited. Basically, expand your travel knowledge in a way you normally might not think to.

5. Share, share, share! Taken a recent trip or had a memorable travel experience? Blog about it, put up pictures online, create a photo album (there are multiple options for ordering albums created with digital photos. If you need resources, feel free to ask.)  Sharing your experiences serves several key purposes. First, it helps you relive a pleasant experience. And who wouldn’t want that? Second, it helps get others excited about that destination, activity, etc. Finally, it will most likely give you the “travel bug” all over again, and you’ll be more inspired to start taking action on planning your next trip instead of just dreaming about it.

Have other ideas to help get people excited about travel during this week? That’s part of the sharing, so please do!  Happy Travel & Tourism Week!

10.  I will start taking off my metal items before I get to the metal detectors at the airport so that I don’t slow down the whole line.

9. I will opt for either the pat down or the scanner, or not to fly. I will make my crusade against these at a time other than while at the security check point, once again delaying everyone.

8.  I will plan my small trips at least two to three months in advance, and my large trips (think two weeks through Europe, honeymoon) at least five to six months in advance, so that I don’t give my travel planner a heart attack.

7. I will not try to pass off items that really should be checked luggage as carry-ons, taking up all the room in the overhead bins and forcing others to check their bags that really shouldn’t need to be.

6.  I will travel to a new destination, even if just for a long weekend (for pleasure – business trips don’t count!).

5.  I will try a new type of local food when traveling (ethnic food, not just something off the local chain menu that you’ve never ordered before).

4.  I will budget for inflated prices, particularly on flights, and be flexible in adjusting my plans to fit these new prices. Varying from the norm might even make for a more enjoyable vacation!

3.  I will take pictures and videos when traveling and more regularly share my thoughts and photos through my preferred social media outlets.

2.  I will make a new friend in a destination that I travel to, and keep up with the friend after I return (again, this is where social media comes in handy).

1. I will take place in some type of immersion experience when I travel, and keep an open mind when doing so. This could be attending a local sporting or music event, a food and/or wine tasting, a non-traditional tour by a local guide, a lesson on creating a local craft, or any other type of activity that gets me off the beaten path and truly gets me involved with the culture.

I’m not going to tell people to stop complaining about the TSA, the flight delays or the traffic. They are no fun, and I completely understand the frustration.  (I’m going to steer away from my stance on the TSA here, it’s not the point of this post.) What I do want to say though is that despite all of this, we’re lucky to even have the possibility of travel delays and frustrations. Think about the last time you started your day in the U.S. and ended your day in Paris (insert your favorite foreign city here). Isn’t it wonderful to be able to travel from New York to Seattle to visit your family for the holidays in under six hours? I have a friend who’s spending her holidays traveling the world – literally – which she’s wanted to do for a long time. Some people get their family together at the holidays by taking a family cruise – and instead of it taking weeks or months to see the Caribbean, they can visit three or four islands in as many days.

So yes, all of the issues surrounding holiday travel, especially here in the U.S., can cause troubles, irritation, and are actually causing some people to avoid travel all together for the holidays. But, if the frustration starts to get to you, try to be thankful (it’s Thanksgiving after all) that you have the ability to go visit your family, take that much needed holiday vacation, or get home to your loved ones after being away. I know it might not be much, but we’ve come a long way with our advancements in travel and to me, it’s amazing what it allows us to do.

When planning your trip, you want to cover all basis – plan for the worst, in hopes that if you do, you’re trip will go flawlessly! First, buy travel insurance. I have had several clients who have fallen ill on vacation, and each has said they are incredibly glad they had bought the insurance. If you need to cancel ahead of time or while traveling or if you need to seek medical treatment while traveling, insurance can help you recoup financial losses. Not all health insurances cover medical costs while traveling (or it may depend on the circumstance), so your regular health insurance isn’t always a guarantee, especially if you’re out of the country. Every travel insurance differs, so carefully inspect (or have your travel planner discuss with you) exactly what is covered by your plan.

If you are going on a tour, you also want to contact the tour operator beforehand and discuss what happens in the case of illness or injury which prevents you from completing the trip. They should be able to make alternative arrangements for you, but you want to know exactly what these would be and what costs you (or hopefully your insurance) would be responsible for.

When it comes to preventing illness and injury, there are some simple precautions you can take. Bring some basic first aid and health care, and if you take any daily medications, vitamins or supplements, bring those with you. You don’t want to alter your body’s routine more than you have to, as this can leave you vulnerable to illness. If you start to feel ill while traveling, don’t take it too lightly. If you’re on a tour, let your guides know and they should be able to make accommodations for you. If you are on an independent trip, give yourself some time to rest. This may require altering your routine or missing an activity, but it could prevent you from worsening and missing a larger portion of the trip. If you must be active, take it easy. You might have planned for that leg’s bike or walking trip to take three hours, but if it takes four it won’t be the end of the world.

If you must seek medical attention while traveling, try to choose your doctor or hospital wisely. Not all medical facilities are created equal, and this is especially true if you are in a foreign country. Standards for care are not the same world wide, and you want to be confident you have the best care possible. Unless it’s a true emergency, it may be worth it to travel a small distance to a better facility than to just choose the nearest option sight unseen. If you are at a hotel, speak to the concierge or front desk – they should be able to arrange a transport or ambulance and make recommendations for the most appropriate facility. If it is not an emergency, returning home may be the best option. Not only will you be familiar with the options and their reputations, but if you need follow up or prolonged care, you’ll be close to home.

Every time I take my dog for a walk, it takes it takes 15 minutes to go two blocks because she’s sniffing every pole, stopping to stand guard at any noise and watching every person that passes with supreme interest/fear. While this can get repetitive on a daily walk to the park, in reality she’s doing what most of us forget to do regularly – making full use of her senses.

I often watch her wondering what it would be like if I had her acute senses of hearing and smell, and her vigilant vision. On an average commute to work, this might be sensory overload. On the other hand, this could transform the way I travel – assuming that the majority of sights, sounds, smells and tastes are those that I want to experience. If I was able to use my senses as keenly as she is, I might be able to understand destinations on a much deeper level. Take Paris, for example. Sit in the Tuilleries Gardens and listen to the French being spoken in every direction. Don’t try to interpret, just listen and let it surround you. Relax at a cafe and smell the freshly baked bread, sip a cup of coffee and watch the Parisians bustle about their daily lives. Feel the sun beat down on you as you walk along the banks of the Seine. More than the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and Champs Elysees combined, these sensory experiences allow one to fully take in Paris.

Why is this? Think abut your home city. Here in Philadelphia, I walk past the Liberty Bell several times a week. I’ve seen people run up the “Rocky Steps” more times that I care to count (sorry Rocky!). What makes me feel Philadelphia is sitting in Washington Square Park watching people picnic with their loved ones, taking a walk along the river while runners and bicyclists wizz by, sipping a margarita outside at my favorite Mexican Restaurant (yes, Mexican, not cheesesteak). Once you’ve been somewhere for a while, you tend to virtually forget about the big landmarks. Instead, you focus on how a city feels, looks, sounds, smells and tastes. That’s what truly distinguishes the city from any other and what lets you experience it on a level other than obvious tourist. To me, that’s one of the primary reasons for traveling – to truly feel part of the destination.

There are several easy ways to start traveling more with your senses. If you’ve ever meditated, you may be familiar with the first. Closer your eyes. Yes, you are blocking out the sense of sight and I realize that seems counter-intuitive, but you are enabling yourself to better observe the other senses. Pick one sense and focus on it. See what you notice. Spend a few minutes this way. Repeat this with your other senses throughout your trip. As you learn to isolate each sense, you’ll probably become more aware of it in your every day actions. Basically, you are fine tuning your senses.

Another option is to record your sensory observations. Keep a small notepad with you and when something piques your interest, write it down. It could be the aromas at a local restaurant, the sound of cathedral bells ringing in the square, the taste of a deep red wine at dinner. It’s a rather well-known phenomenon that when you have to put something in writing, you pay more attention to it (remember that diet where you had to write down everything you ate?). After a day or two of recording, you’ll most likely notice that your senses seem more acute, even when you aren’t recording them.

Since I like to practice what I preach, here are a few of my favorite sensory experiences from traveling:

• Watching the steam rise from warm roasted chestnuts being sold on the street in Slovenia in on a chilly November day, and smelling the sweet aroma as the wind carries it those passing by.

• The sight of the local food vendors setting up their stalls along the narrow streets of Split before the rest of the city is awake, and the smell of the fresh fruits, vegetables, breads and fish mixing together in the empty streets.

• Stepping out of my A-frame in Botswana, being greeted by the sun rising over the Chobe river and shining through the trees, as a warthog quietly grazes on the lawn outside of my patio.

And with those nostalgic thoughts, have a wonderful, sensory-filled weekend and if you’re lucky enough to be traveling right now… happy travels!