Its Always the Fine Print

I booked an airline/hotel package this morning for a June conference in the Big Apple (NYC).  Checked Expedia and Travelocity and found identical flights and an identical hotel. Expedia was $743 and Travelocity was $734, a $9 difference.  (And, by the way, an amazing deal - far better than I could have gotten had I booked airfare and hotel separately.)  So did I go with Travelocity?  Not so fast.  I checked the change and cancellation rules on both sites and, to my surprise, they were substantially different!  To cancel my package with Travelocity was going to cost a minumum of $345 and could go up  from there depending on when I cancelled, while at Expedia, the cancelation fee was $100 as long as it was done 24 hours prior to departure!  So, Expedia won. 

But wait, there's more.  Expedia offered an insurance plan, for $35, that would allow one change or cancellation without further penalty.  But in digging deeper, there was a caveat that any airfare involved would not be refunded but be fully credited again a future flight on the same airline.  I concluded that the $100 cancellation fee with full refund of the package was actually the better deal in this instance. In either case, the Expedia deal was clearly better than Travelocity.  That doesn't mean it was be the same next time I (or you) book a trip.  Always check the "fine print" and go with what you think is the better deal in your circumstances.

Vacation Photography Registration Form Now Posted

I'm getting really excited about the Vacation Photography workshop that I'm leading here on Bainbridge Island in April.  We'll discuss how to prepare for the trip (from a photo standpoint), how to take great photos while on the trip, and then how to share them with friends, family and co-workers without boring them to death!!  The registration form is now available for printing - see the link under "Pages" on the right side of this blog.  You can then send it into the Traveler or drop it by their store on Winslow Way.  You can also call The Traveler (206-842-4578) and register by phone.  Details under "Upcoming Workshops" on the right side as well.

Its All About Creativity

Whether you are traveling, taking photos, or just living life, the way to end the same-old, same-old is through creativity.  Do something a bit different, whether its eating sashimi for the first time (which I did and lived to tell about it), zip-lining over and through the jungle canopy (not yet) or getting married on a beach in the South Pacific (highly recommended!).  I came across a Youtube video last evening (already seen apparently by millions - I'm a bit behind) that shows how you can take a special event (a wedding) and, with a little creativity (even without a beach!), make it a truly special and memorable event.  Get the creative juices flowing.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-94JhLEiN0

Video on Coaching, Spring Break and Websites

I'm making my TV and YouTube debut today!  I was fortunately enough to be interviewed by the wonderful folks at Bainbridge Island Television (BITV for short) about travel planning and coaching.  We discussed spring break travel opportunities, some great websites to check out, and what travel coaching is all about.  And its already on YouTube!  It will also be broadcast on BITV channels 12 and 22 at various times over the next 2 weeks as part of their weekly newscast and is archived on their website: http://www.bitv.org/.  Check it out!  And, as always, Journey On!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9EE3NSJqe0

Incentives to Travel

I came upon several great quotes yesterday as I searched the web and looked at the day's "tweets."  Maybe they will provide an additional incentive for YOU to travel!

"Full day today: eat, wander, take photos, eat, massage, nap, wander, eat, beer, sleep."  (by Johnnyvagabond as quoted by David Lee via Twitter 3/9/10)

"Procrastinators put off pleasurable things as well as the un-pleasurable, according to marketing professor Susann Chiu at UCLA Anderson’s School of Management who cites the outstanding hundreds of millions of frequent flier miles that we let expire or unused vacation time collected each year." (from http://yoursabbatical.com/)

I've known folks who have let their vacation time lapse, not because of overwork or tons of pending deadlines but because their work was their life.  Time to expand your horizons and see the world  - or at least your hammock!  An ideal candidate for travel coaching!  Contact me at chuck@chuckkirchner.com.

Event Photos - Its All in the Position

Yesterday was the annual Chilly Hilly bicycle tour on Bainbridge Island.  Considered one of the 4 classic bike tours in the country, the Chilly Hilly draws around 4000 cyclists from all over to ride the 33 mile course.  The "chilly" part was more than a tad absent this year, with temps around 50 degree (F) under partly to mostly sunny skies.  But the "hilly" part remained, with an estimated elevation gain of nearly 2700 feet over the 33 mile course (even more amazing when you consider that you start at sealevel, end at sealevel and pass along the shore several times during the course of the tour.

For a photographer, the event offers lots of options.  One of my favorite spots in the past has been the ferry terminal, taking photos as the cyclists get off the ferry (en masse) and reboard the ferry (again, en masse).  The great spot for this is the overhead passenger boarding area at the terminal (assuming the ferry is using slip 1).  Another spot is on the ferry itself looking down on the riders as they embark or disembark.

Since the tour is all about the hills, I focused my work this year on the granddaddy of all the island's
hills - Baker Hill.  The first place I went was the top of another section of Baker Hill (actually anothjer hill) to get a "full context" shot, showing the cyclists as they slowly (some VERY slowly) made there way up the long hill.  Then I headed to the bottom of the next hill to get the riders as they (kinda) slowed down to make the turn onto Crystal Springs Drive.

Being at a corner provides a great opportunity for head-on shots (and, possibly, head-on collisions which I managed to avoid!), as well as detailed shots as the cyclists turned the corner.  As I am accustomed to do, I like showing motion in my photos as well as context, so getting riders as they turn and others as they still are heading down the straight-away has particular appeal. 

The same thoughts concerning positioning yourself at corners applies to parades, processions and other "linear" events.  Practicing those skills at events near you will pay off when you're traveling elsewhere in the world.