Adventure travel comes with risks. It is your responsibility to research before you travel:

1-      What equipment you will need?

2-      What the precautions are that you should take?

3-      What safety measures should the tour provider  take?

4-      Be properly insured

5-      Have pertinent personal medical information with you

6-      Have contact information with you

7-      Wear an ID bracelet and a medical ID bracelet if appropriate

8-      Think safety of yourself and others before vacation exhilaration

What is your best tips for adventure travel?

Boomer & Senior Travel TV presents this video show focusing on Hollywood Blvd in Los Angeles California. Join Debbie and learn how celebrities get their star on the Walk of Fame, what the symbols in the stars stand for and who picks the winners. Find out if you can get in Jimmy Kimmel if you are in the standby line. Like Vietnamese check out the Pho café review. Follow a Gerber tradition and share a sundae at the Disney Soda Fountain. Debbie Gerber meets Charlie Chaplin on Hollywood Blvd, gets pictures of star imitators outside the Kodak Theater and the Grauman Theater. This is episode #34.

Having trouble viewing this video? Try the Quicktime Version.

Before you book a hotel or resort be sure that you know what the price quote includes. You want to know the total that your stay will cost before making a decision on which property to book for your vacation. Extra fees and charges can make one hotel cost substantially more than another. Sometimes you can’t tell by just the basic quote given.  Here are some questions you will want the answer to before booking your hotel or resort.

What Amenities does it include? Amenities can be anything from a microwave, coffee maker, hair blower, refrigerator, air conditioning, spa, exercise facility, breakfast, shuttle service, or swimming pool just to name a few.

 Does it include all taxes? Local, State, Government, Tax Recovery Charge

Does it include resort fees? Resort fees and hotel service fees are mandatory at many hotels even if you do not use any of the amenities. These are often charged at the hotel or resort and cannot be prepaid and are not listed as a cost on the hotel room quote. You have to ask the travel agent or check with the hotel directly to be sure if these will be added to your bill later.

What is the number of people included in the rate? Most times the quoted price is for only two guests and they charge an additional fee for each additional guest with a cap on the total number allowed per room.

Other fees to watch for are – booking fee, transactions fee, processing service fee, facilitation fee, extra person fee, extra bed fee, parking fee, energy surcharge, telephone fees, internet fee, room service, mini-bar use, In room safe, movies and games, gratuities, shuttle fee, bellman, concierges, use of amenities such as workout facilities or the spa, housekeeping charge, air conditioning or heating fee, short stay fee, snack bar, business center, over time stay, breakfast, snacks, etc.

What are the change and cancellation charges? Most hotels have a specific time that you must cancel before or you will be charged a minimum of one night and even up to the full reservation time depending on their policy. You may also be charged for changing your reservation in any way. This is something that you should know before booking.

Extra fees, charges and taxes can be hidden and can add up to a substantial amount. It is important to be informed as to the total amount so that you don’t get a rude, financial slap in the face when you see the total charged to your bill by the end of your stay. Knowledge is power and you want the power to be in your hands.

There are different hotel room categories or hotel room types. Hotel rooms come in a variety of bed configurations. Each category of bed configuration or category of accommodation is charged at a different room rate. You may see a deal, special or rate quote that appeals to you but it is best to check to see that the rate quoted is for bed arrangement, number of people and category of accommodation that you want. It wouldn’t do to book that rate and then find out it was a single bed if there were more than one person supposed to be staying in the room.

Here are some of the bed configurations hotels and resort accommodations come in:

• Single – One bed
• Double – May be 2 single beds, 2 double beds, or 2 queen beds
• Twin – 2 single beds
• Triple – May be 3 single beds or 2 double or queen beds with one single bed, roll away bed, or sleeper sofa
• Quad – Bed arrangements that will accommodate 4 people, usually 2 to a bed
• Suites – Larger Rooms that may include another room, sitting area, kitchenette, Jacuzzi or Deck. Depending on the accommodations the number and size of beds may vary.

Categories – Hotel rooms and resort room categories differ as well. The more prestigious the category the larger or more amenities it may come with. Some types of categories are standard, deluxe, jr. suite, suite, executive suite, presidential suite, two bedroom suite, view or balcony, kitchenette or apartment.

The room position – What area of the hotel it is located in, whether it has views, is it near elevator or amenities like the pool or restaurant.

Amenities – Jacuzzi, bathtub, shuttle service, balcony, Mini bar use, breakfast, snacks, gym, swimming pool, restaurant or hair salon. The list is endless and different with each hotel or resort.

Before booking a hotel, resort or other accommodation make a list of your requirements:

Number of people in your group:

Number of rooms, beds and sleeping arrangement:

Room category:

Where in the hotel you want the room:

Amenities:

If you have this when you book your room or consult with a travel agent you will get what you want in your accommodation. Even though you book online or with a travel agent always check directly with the hotel to see that they have your reservation correct and that it includes everything that you had requested or believed was to be included in the price. Be sure to check if there are any undisclosed charges or fees that are not included in the rate that you have been quoted. Pre-planning and requesting what you require will reduce your travel frustrations and you won’t be shocked, disappointed or upset when you arrive at your hotel or resort.

My first clue that I had antiquated luggage was on a trip to Holland. We took my mother-in-with us. We bought her new luggage because hers didn’t have wheels.

The luggage salesperson showed us the wheeled luggage we asked about. We like them because they were like ours and they had done well for us over the years. I told the salesperson we were upgrading my mother-in-law’s luggage. I told him that she was in her 80’s whereupon he said, “she should have spinning wheel luggage.” After walking a spinning wheeled suitcase around the aisles we bought those for her.

As we drug our two wheeled suitcases and she merrily rolled her suitcases around on and off trains, down streets and around hotels for 10 days we understood why dragging a suitcase is nothing compared to rolling along with no drag or weight on your arm. That introduction to spinning wheeled suitcases changed our traveling with luggage experience forever.

If you are still dragging around the two wheeled version or lugging around the no wheeled version of suitcase I encourage you to update to the spinning wheel suitcases. Then you can go merrily rolling along your luggage on your next trip. Here is one example of the many that are available.

Are you a lugging suitcase traveler, a drag along behind suitcase traveler or a rolling merrily along suitcase traveler? Until they make an air levitated suitcase, I am firmly a roll along on spinning wheel luggage traveler. Which one are you? Do you need a change? American Tourister Spring Ranch 3-Piece Spinner Set (21″/25″/29″) (Navy)