Posted by David Porter on October 16, 2015 · Leave a Comment
Passport Services Announces the Launch of a New Online Tool for Stolen Passports
Until now, customers have had to either call the National Passport Information Center or submit a paper form to Passport Services (either separately through the mail or in conjunction with a new passport application) to report the loss or theft of their passport.
Because of this tedious process, most passport bearers normally waited until they applied for replacement passports to report their previous ones lost or stolen.
With a new convenient online reporting feature created by the U.S. State Department, customers will be more likely to report the loss or theft of a passport as soon as it is noticed. The Online Lost or Stolen Passport Tool can be found on the Lost or Stolen Passports information page at Travel.State.Gov.
Source: American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA)
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Posted by David Porter on October 16, 2015 · 1 Comment
REAL ID Required to Board Nation’s Aircraft in 2016
In 2005, Congress passed the REAL ID Act which set Federal standards for the issuance of identification for our nation’s citizens, such as driver’s licenses.
The Act established minimum security standards for license issuance and production and prohibits Federal agencies from accepting for certain purposes driver’s licenses and identification cards from states not meeting the Act’s minimum standards. The purposes covered by the Act are: accessing Federal facilities, entering nuclear power plants, and, no sooner than 2016, boarding federally regulated commercial aircraft.
American Samoa, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Hampshire and New York not Compliant!
Now, for most of you reading this article, you’re good to go as your state is compliant with the REAL ID Act. However, if you live in American Samoa, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Hampshire and New York, you need to pay attention to this issue. Your states are NOT compliant. And, without your state’s compliance, you will not be able to board an aircraft with your driver’s license. Until your state is compliant, you will need a passport to board an airplane in the U.S.
According to the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA), “the good news is that in the past week, DHS granted Real ID extensions to Louisiana, New Hampshire and New York through October 20, 2016. However, residents of American Samoa and Minnesota still face potential travel disruptions starting in 2016. Wednesday, Minnesota’s Department of Public Safety told CNNMoney “As soon as January 2016, Minnesotans may not be allowed to board federally regulated commercial aircraft using a Minnesota driver’s license or ID card.”
If you live in Minnesota, you had better start contacting your state representatives to get this issue resolved. If not, come 2016, you’re going to need a passport to board a federally regulated aircraft.
If you know someone is these affected states, you may want to share this article with them.
For more information on REAL ID requirements, see https://www.dhs.gov/real-id-enforcement-brief.
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Posted by David Porter on October 13, 2015 · Leave a Comment
Let me introduce you to our clients Bruce, Donna, David, & Susan. They just sent us this photo from Santa Margherita Ligure, just north of Positano in Italy.
We helped them design a fabulous trip that started in Paris, included a river cruise of the Burgundy wine country with AmaWaterways, ending with an unbelievable road trip from the south of France and up the western coast of Italy. Wow! Truly the trip of a lifetime. We’ve been getting a few text messages from them and they’re having a blast!
You know, Carol and I really enjoy helping folks put together these trips of a lifetime. We’ve got all the connections, and we’ve become quite the experts at putting all of the pieces together for a complicated trip like this one.
If you’d like us to help you design the trip of a lifetime, anywhere in the world, give us a call at (480) 550-1235, or use our handy online information request by clicking here. The call is complimentary, there’s no obligation, and we’d be honored to be helpful to you as well.
Like we say, “Life’s a trip. Let’s go have fun!”
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Posted by David Porter on October 13, 2015 · Leave a Comment
When we first started our Roaming Boomers website in 2010, our focus was predominantly to share luxury travel destinations and experiences with our readers.
However, one niche of the travel experience that has always had a fond place in our hearts are the many historic hotels and resorts that dot our nation’s landscape.
In fact, in 2012, Carol and I did a Historic Hotels of America Tour: Arizona Edition touring 6 of the historic hotels here in Arizona.
Growing up in Michigan, I suppose my love of grand historic hotels grew from my impressionable first visit to the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. That first visit left me wide-eyed with wonder and it has never left.
Let us help you plan a Historic Hotel Getaway!
I share all of this because the Historic Hotels of America have just announced their 2015 Awards of Excellence Winners. Historic Hotels of America is the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and we highly recommend that you consider a visit to one of the 275 member hotels and resorts.
For the best of the best in the list, take a peek at this year’s winners…
Historic Hotels of America 2015 Awards of Excellence Winners
Historic Hotels of America 2015 Awards of Excellence winners were announced at West Baden Springs Hotel (1902) at French Lick Resort in West Baden Springs, Indiana on Thursday, October 8. Awards were presented before an audience of more than 200 owners, senior management, invited media, industry leaders, and representatives from the finest historic hotels across America. Honors were given in multiple categories ranging from Hotelier of the Year and Hotel Historian of the Year to Best Historic Resort, Historic Hotelier of the Year, and others.
Each year, these awards honor, encourage, and recognize the most exemplary historic hotels, hoteliers, and leadership practices. The Awards of Excellence are presented to historic hotels demonstrating the highest contribution to furthering the celebration of history and demonstrating leadership and innovation.
From more than 200 nominees, the following Historic Hotels of America hotels and hoteliers were honored with these prestigious awards:
Historic Hotels of America New Member of the Year
• Hilton Chicago (1927) Chicago, Illinois
Best Small Historic Inn/Hotel (Under 75 Guestrooms)
• Green Park Inn (1891) Blowing Rock, North Carolina
Best Historic Hotel (75-200 Guestrooms)
• The Jefferson, Washington, DC (1923) Washington, DC
Best Historic Hotel (201-400 Guestrooms)
• Loews Don CeSar Hotel (1928) St. Pete Beach, Florida
Best City Center Historic Hotel
• Hawthorne Hotel (1925) Salem, Massachusetts
Best Historic Hotel (Over 400 Guestrooms)
• The Peabody Memphis (1869) Memphis, Tennessee
Best Historic Resort
• Grand Hotel (1887) Mackinac Island, Michigan
Hotel Historian of the Year
• Michaelene Lusk Norton, The Lancaster Hotel (1926) Houston, Texas
Legendary Family Historic Hoteliers of the Year
• The Lusk Family, The Lancaster Hotel (1926) Houston, Texas
Best Historic Restaurant in Conjunction with a Historic Hotel
• Plume, The Jefferson, Washington, DC (1923) Washington, DC
Best Social Media of a Historic Hotel
• French Lick Resort (1845) French Lick, Indiana
Historic Hotels of America Sustainability Champion
• Xanterra Parks & Resorts
Historic Hotels of America Ambassador of the Year (Quarter Century Service)
• Bill Ott, 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa (1886) Eureka Springs, Arkansas
2015 Historic Hotelier of the Year
• Dean Lane, Palmer House®, A Hilton Hotel (1871) Chicago, Illinois
2015 Lifetime Achievement Award
• Gayle Cook
2015 Historic Hotels of America Historian of the Year Award
• Stanley Turkel, Author and Consultant
2016 Historic Hotels of America Journalist of the Year Award
• Peter Greenberg, Travel Editor for CBS News
“Historic Hotels of America is proud to congratulate the 2015 Awards of Excellence winners,” said Lawrence Horwitz, Executive Director of Historic Hotels of America and Historic Hotels Worldwide. “These historic hotels and hoteliers represent the pinnacle in historic hotels and their achievements from Portland, Oregon to St. Pete Beach, Florida.”
The hotels were nominated by fellow members, past award recipients, and honorees. A panel of experts judged and weighed the nominees in each category in order to determine a winner. As the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Historic Hotels of America provides the recognition to travelers, civic leaders, and the global cultural, heritage and historic travel market that the members’ hotels are among the finest historic hotels across America.
About Historic Hotels of America™
Historic Hotels of America is the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation for recognizing and celebrating the finest Historic Hotels. Historic Hotels of America was founded in 1989 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation with 32 charter members. Today, Historic Hotels of America has more than 275 historic hotels. These historic hotels have all faithfully maintained their authenticity, sense of place, and architectural integrity in the United States of America, including 44 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Historic Hotels of America is comprised of mostly independently owned and operated properties. More than 30 of the world’s finest hospitality brands, chains, and collections are represented in Historic Hotels of America. To be nominated and selected for membership into this prestigious program, a hotel must be at least 50 years old; has been designated by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior as a National Historic Landmark or listed in or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places; and recognized as having historic significance. For more information, please visit HistoricHotels.org.
If you would like our help planning a fun getaway at one of the 275 historic hotels that dot our nation’s landscape, then give us a call at (480) 550-1235, or use our convenient online information request form by clicking here, and we’ll reach out to you. Thanks!
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Posted by David Porter on October 12, 2015 · Leave a Comment
When you’re flying with connecting flights, it’s important to know your airline’s performance in on-time arrivals. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself constantly missing connecting flights, or continually running through the airport to catch your next flight.
Neither of these options are fun. Right? :O
So, how does one determine which of the airlines does the best job of getting you to your destination on time? Answer: FlightStats.
FlightStats provides data services and solutions to customers serving the global travel industry. The company has established a leadership position as a provider of real-time global flight information, servicing airlines, airports, travel agencies, developers, consumers, and more.
The company delivers global flight data and airport data that powers many of the world’s most popular travel applications. The company also provides web and mobile applications to the FlightStats community, helping travelers to better manage their travel day. FlightStats’ data is viewed by millions of people each month, and the company is constantly evolving to offer the best worldwide communication and tracking services to travelers, including the airlines, agencies and developers who serve them.
The FlightStats website will give you information about individual flights, important airport information, and statistics on individual airlines’ on-time performance. Plus, if you’re really geeky, there’s an App for your Apple Watch. Also, you might want to peek at the annual on-time performance awards.
One of the great mistakes we see folks making in their travel decisions is to predominantly base everything on price. Well, the lowest priced and the best are never bedfellows. If that were true, we’d all be driving a Yugo. Right?
When you study these on-time statistics, you’re going to find great disparity between the airlines. And, you’re also going to find that the deep-discounted airlines are the one’s most likely to have you running through the airport or missing your connection.
Travel Tip: take some time to study your particular airline’s performance in getting you to your destination on time. If you’re traveling overseas, don’t be seduced by price. Take a peek to see which of the international airlines are likely to get you to your destination on time. After all, you don’t want to miss that river cruise. Right?
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