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William Mungall Travel Photo | Valpolicella Winery Villa

William Mungall Travel Photo | Rome Maxxi Museum

Travel: Keeping Your Identity Safe

When you’re traveling there are always dangers.  Identity theft has risen as one of those dangers.  In a recent USA Today article, it gives an extensive report of ways to look out for potential thieves and keep your identity safe.  Below are some highlights from the article written by Dara Continenza, a writer for SmarterTravel.com.

Public computers = danger

While many travelers travel with all sorts of personal technology, there are instances where you may need to use a public computer to print your boarding pass, make a reservation, or something else.  Continenza states that public computers are a “hotbed for identity theft.”  There will be plenty of websites that ask to autosave your information onto the computer itself and sometimes you aren’t even asked.  Always delete your history after you have used a public computer and if the public computer is using Google Chrome, you can use an incognito window by pressing “Ctrl + Shift + N.”  The last tip seems fairly obvious.  Avoid checking anything regarding your finances like bank accounts or credit card information.

Use cash

If you have the option to use cash, use it.  If the cash is stolen it is gone, of course, but you won’t be in danger of losing your identity along with it.  If you have to use a card, avoid situations that put it at extreme risk.  Never let someone take your card to a different room.  If the card leaves your sight it is more likely to be used to steal your identity and Continenza points out that overdraft fees could hit you before you even know your identity has been stolen.

ATMs

Many people have had their identity stolen through street side ATMs.  Be wary of non-descript ATMs as it is not all that difficult for hackers to purchase the machine and hack the system to store your information.  Stick with bank branch ATMs and make sure that no one is looking over your shoulder while you input your information.  It is also wise to cover your hand when inputting your PIN.

For more information on the other tips provided, check out the link above.

William Mungall Travel Photo | Antwerp Villa

William Mungall Travel Photo | Bruges Canal

William Mungall Travel Photo | Antwerp Main Square

William Mungall Travel Photo | Yerevan

William Mungall Travel Photo | Musical Fountain

William Mungall Travel Photo | Mount Ararat

Travel Destinations in New England

The Boston Globe Magazine is the foremost authority on all things Boston and the New England area.  Recently, Patricia Harris and David Lyon wrote an article that gives some of the best travel destinations to see in the New England area entitled New England travel guide: 12 classic destinations.  Below are some of the highlights from the list provided by Lyon and Harris.

Lenox, MA

A paradise for the theater and arts crowd, Lenox is considered “the nerve center” for arts in the summer.  While the majority of performances happen in the evening, Lenox provides patrons with a day full of perusing crafts and other art galleries.  It is also a lovely place to get a good cup of coffee and admire the cottage-style architecture throughout the city.

Tanglewood

Fancy the symphony?  Tanglewood is home to the Boston Symphony Orchestra.  You can tour the grounds with many of the Orchestra’s volunteers for free and come back to the main hall and sit on the lawn to hear one of the best “summer music programs in the country.”

Shakespeare & Company

This summer you’ll be able to see the famous Shakespeare & Company put on three plays (Henry IV, Parts I & II, Julius Caesar, and A Midsummer’s Night Dream).  If you fancy the classic Romeo & Juliet, you can head down to The Dell at the Mount to see a 90 minute version.

Lenox Farmer’s Market

And while you are getting your taste for Shakespeare, you will be very close to the Lenox Farmer’s Market—this is farm country after all.  At night all of the cheese makers and local area farmers visit the market to provide visitors with all they would need for a night picnic, which many people do.

For more on great places to visit in the New England area.  Check out the rest of the article by clicking the link above.

William Mungall Travel Photo | Burj Khalifa

William Mungall Travel Photo | Dubai

Amtrak Encouraging a Different Type of Travel

Amtrak is launching a new project called Amtrak Writer’s Residency which will try and connect writers with the flowing countryside and hoping that the clack of the train hitting the tracks will be resonated in the keys being pressed on a laptop.  A Chicago Tribune article explains that Amtrak is “borrowing a page from ivory-tower universities” which typically give designated space in libraries or offices to authors and poets.  However, in that realm you are stuck in a single place.  Amtrak is hoping to provide “an inspirational space for writing” and that inspiration with stem from the beautiful surroundings that are always changing as the train barrels down the track.

So how will this work?

Amtrak has already opened up the gates for applications to come in and applications will be accepted until March 2015.  Selected applicants will be able to take part in the writer’s residency and will be able to travel for free round trip on any of the long-distance routes that Amtrak has to offer.  Each trip includes it’s own private sleeper and meals are also included.

After announcing the residency on March 8, there have been over 10,000 applications to date.  The appeal is an experience like no other and to which the Tribune says isn’t “available at 35,000 feet.”

The writer’s residency is not limited to only published authors though.  Amtrak says that they are looking for individuals who are creative and passionate about working on their craft as well as train travel.  In fact Amtrak is looking for “a good mix of people” and are hoping to find novelists, short-story writers, writers just getting on their feet in college and freelance writers from around the world.

Amtrak states that there are very few strings attached and they will be selecting 24 participants each year for the next two years.

William Mungall Travel Photos

Here is another video from William Mungall. Take a trip with William to the many scenic landscapes and take in the beautiful structures that William Mungall has seen on his travels!  

William Mungall Travel Photos from William Mungall on Vimeo.

William Mungall's Travels

Check out this new video from William Mungall on his travels throughout the world.  There have been many exciting places that William has visited and you will see them in the backdrops of this video. Hope you enjoy!

Travel and Common Sense

Cristopher Elliot with USA Today wrote an interesting article called Is Common Sense in Travel Dead? that sheds light on the average worldly traveler.  Elliot found the necessity to write the article because a reader sent him a photograph of a hotel door sitting ajar.  The man who sent the photograph was Robert Welch, who works for security in a major New Orleans hotel.  Welch also told Elliot that on any given night he would see 25 to 30 doors ajar which accounts for 6% of the hotels rooms.  Whenever he has had to investigate it, doors being ajar have been the number one reason a theft has occurred, Welch said.

So has the common traveler lost their common sense?  Elliot says maybe.

Elliot has investigated more and asked many people in the travel and hospitality business to back up his claims.  He brings up that it doesn’t stop with doors ajar in the hotel hallways.  Many hotel patrons leave expensive electronics by pools and common areas as if they have lost their sense of responsibility once they are in vacation mode. 

After getting in touch with someone who works at a major airline, Elliot discovered that many people who fly have asked where the window seats are on the plane diagram or if they can take hair dryers and flat irons on board.  Many people also appear to have an issue with information kiosks saying that they don’t understand them.

Travelers to exotic landscapes have been known trying to pick up snakes and feeding alligators or crocodiles by hand.

Elliot also spoke from personal experience with such instances as someone asking for a refund for a non-refundable ticket or getting upset that they can’t get their expired frequent flier miles back.

So why are we getting worse at the common sense travel thing?  Elliot believes it is because we have become to reliant upon technology to guide us every step of the way.  Many people Google a destination and believe that they know how to travel in it.  Elliot also goes so far as to claim a “lack of adversity” from our ancestors claiming that this adversity gave our ancestors a wealth of common sense to pass on or killed them off because they didn’t have it either.

So is the common sense traveler dead?  Maybe just dwindling.

What to Expect When Changing a Flight

So it’s time for you to take that well deserved vacation.  You can picture it in your mind.  You’ll be sitting on a beach with a drink in your hand soon or maybe warming up to a cup of coffee with nothing planned for the day.  But, as Sonia Gil from The Huffington Post mentions, life sometimes gets in the way.

You may find out that the date just won’t work for you to fly to your paradise and it must be changed.  The article written by Gil has plenty of tips that you should know if you end up having to change your plans.

Refundable Tickets

As Gil mentions these are exactly as they sound.  If your plans don’t necessarily stand on solid ground this is the safest way to go.  The problem with refundable tickets is you have to pay for your flexibility.  Tickets like these often cost double or triple from that of a normal flight.

Non-Refundable Tickets

Once again you are getting exactly what it sounds like here.  Of course these are locked in however.  If you for some reason cannot make your flight you will get nothing back.  Change the date on the ticket and you’ll also have to pay a penalty to switch.

What happens if you need to change a Non-Refundable Ticket?

The cost rises in this situation significantly.  Keep in mind that simply for changing the ticket you will have to pay a penalty anywhere from $50 to $200, Gil states, and that is only for domestic flights.  Change an international flight and you are looking at anywhere from $200 to $400 in penalties. 

Another thing, if the ticket you are changing to is somehow more expensive, you will be paying the difference in addition to the fee.  Be sure to run the numbers in your head.  Sometimes it is cheaper to purchase a brand new ticket.

So what can you do?

While fees change here and there (and you should check before you consider changing) there are a couple of things you can do.  First, you can compare airfares.  Comparing airfares doesn’t force you to buy a refundable ticket every time to feel flexible.  There are many offers available at any given time that will allow you to change the date and avoid the fee.

Vouchers

You can always purchase a ticket voucher.  This is especially handy if you’re not 100% sure of the dates you will need to be traveling.  Vouchers only cost the difference and fee once you have finally decided to leave.

Tips for Healthier Roadtrips

Road trips are great ways to see the country closeup and personal.  They can be a less expensive alternative to paying for airfare, especially abroad.  Hopping in the car and cruising down the highway for vacation is an American tradition.  Unfortunately, they can also be an obstacle to sticking with a healthy diet.

Road trip snacks are all part of the experience, but as a recent article from Health.com notes, being in the car for hours can encourage eating foods you would normally stay miles away from.  Chips, packaged pastries, and fast food, make up only a small part of the junk food mine field that travelers find themselves indulging in.

So how do you take an authentic road trip without feeling like you spent all your vacation calories just getting to your destination?  It can be difficult, especially depending where you are, but there are ways to at least mitigate the damage.

The easiest way to avoid highway rest stops and gas station fare is to stock up on delicious, healthy snacks before you even hit the road.  Bring fruit, granola, or vegetables and hummus to help satisfy your munchies without eating a ton of unnecessary fat or calories.  High fiber foods like grapes and apples will help keep you refreshed during long hours of driving while avoiding that lethargic feeling that often accompanies sugary snacks.

If you don’t have time to pack and find yourself at a gas station or fast food joint, there are still ways to keep things in check.  A good pro tip for grabbing snacks at gas stations or convenience stores is to check the refrigerated section first.  Here you’ll often find yogurt, string cheese, hummus, and other less processed foods.  If you don’t trust your gas station’s refrigerated fare look for whole wheat bagged snacks.

Anyone who has taken a long roadtrip knows that try as you might, it’s almost impossible to avoid fast food stops.  When you do finally end up at McDonald’s or Burger King don’t assume you have to pig out.  They do offer salads, grilled chicken options, and sides of fruit.

All in all, if you make an effort to be conscious of what you’re eating, you can avoid totally diet decimation on the road.

Five New Apps Attempt to Make Travel Easier

As new apps continue to roll out, everyone is looking for the next “disruptive” technology.  Almost every industry has changed in some way due to the era of smartphones, but some have changed more than others.

The travel industry for example is almost unrecognizable from 20 or even 10 years ago.  Explaining the concept of a travel agent to a 20 year-old would probably prove difficult and traveling with a hard copy of a travel itinerary sounds almost ludicrous.  

Skift.com recently published an article about five of the newest travel technologies and their merits in the crowded world of travel apps.

Spottible is a new app that allows users to create virtual itineraries complete with collections of places they would like to visit in a given city.  It helps travelers decide which landmarks they most want to visit before arriving in a new city.  The interactive itineraries can either be used privately or shared publicly with your friends.  Spottible sounds like it may have potential but seems suspiciously like Pinterest’s new feature that allows you to create collaborative travel boards with friends to help you plan trips.  

TripSource is a new release from BCD, one of the larger corporate travel companies in the United States.  The app allows you to track your flight status, gate changes, get directions and more.  While it could be useful, it may be too little too late.  Corporate travel continues to be behind the eight ball and odds are apps that have been doing this for years for independent travelers are probably smoother to use.

MetroMile is the one app on the list that could potentially gain some traction.  MetroMile offers a flash drive-sized device that plugs directly into your car.  It then pulls data about your cars performance and helps you make money and gas saving decisions based on your driving patterns.  It shows you how one route to work affects fuel usage and time spent in the car and can make recommendations based on that data.  It can also recommend the best times to leave for work or a road trip.  It may turn out that sticking around the office for an extra fifteen minutes might actually get you home faster.  An added feature never forgetting where you parked your car.  The device allows you to track your car’s location using your smartphone.