InsureMyTrip Blog

Ed. Note: Today we welcome back our friend Johnny Jet, who has some simple but effective tips to share if you need to travel during the holiday season and want to do so like a pro.

Image courtesy BBC News/Getty Images

Most business travelers avoid traveling during the holidays because that’s when all the “rookies” come out. The lines are long, flights and hotels are not only packed but crazy expensive and of course traffic is a nightmare. However, with a few simple tricks it doesn’t have to be! 

1.     Use the right airport hubs. When booking flights don’t fly through airports that get big snowstorms like Detroit, Chicago, Minneapolis, or Denver, which are known to have weather delays during the holidays. Instead, look to make connections at southern hubs like Phoenix, Los Angeles, Memphis, Dallas, Houston, and Miami.

2.     Best times to book? Obviously, the most expensive time to travel is when everyone else is on holiday too. This year’s Thanksgiving is on Thursday November 22 so the peak days will be Wednesday the 21^st and Sunday November 25^th. If you want to save money avoid flying on those days. The cheapest day will be Friday the 23^rd and the planes should be empty.

Christmas falls on a Tuesday so if you want to save money fly on Christmas Day and return on New Year’s Eve. Otherwise prepare to shell out the big bucks and have no chance of getting an open seat next to you. The key to getting the cheapest ticket is to be flexible with either your times, days, destinations or even airports.

3.     Alternate airports. For example if you are going to South Florida, rather than flying into Miami, fly into Fort Lauderdale. It’s 25 miles away and usually much cheaper. I created a website called AlternateAirports.com that lists all the major U.S. airports with the surrounding airports (by actual driving miles) that might just save you a lot of money by flying into or out of.

4.     Pick the right time to fly. The time of day that you travel is important. The most expensive times are peak business travel hours (8 to 10 am and 5 to 7 pm). Cheaper seats tend to depart early in the morning (5 to 7 am) or late in the evening (after 8 pm). Also try mid-day (11 am to 4 pm). But I prefer leaving early morning in the since you have the best chance of not getting delayed.

Now that you should’ve secured a relatively cheap and safe ticket here are my 10 Ways to Travel like a Frequent Flier which should make your holiday travel season as peaceful and pleasant as possible.

John E. DiScala (a.k.a. Johnny Jet) travels around 150,000 miles and visits over 20 countries each year. He and his website JohnnyJet.com have been featured over 2,000 times in major publications, including USA Today, Time, Fortune and The New York Times, and he has appeared on ABC, CBS, CNBC, CNN, MSNBC, NBC, FOX News Channel and PBS.  JohnnyJet.com has been named “one of the top best money-saving web sites for travel” by Budget Travel Magazine, while  the L.A. Times calls it “one of the top 10 essential travel resources on the internet.” Outside Magazine touted Johnny for having one of the world’s best “dream jobs”. He writes for Frommers.com, The Huffington Post, LAX Magazine and has written for USAToday and ABC News.  Sign up today for Johnny Jet’s free weekly travel newsletter at JohnnyJet.com.

Ed. Note: We’re pleased to welcome back to the InsureMyTrip blog a great friend of ours, travel writer and icon Johnny Jet!  This week, Johnny is sharing his thoughts on cruising, a very popular travel choice among InsureMyTrip’s clients.  Next week, stay tuned for Johnny’s post about navigating the sometimes stressful experience of holiday travel.

Image courtesy of John DiScala, JohnnyJet.com

In 2008 I went on my first cruise (Celebrity Solstice) in almost 10 years. The previous two I barely remember since they were both weekend bachelor party trips. I wasn’t sure how I would like cruising because I don’t like being confined to one place, which is likely why I travel every week. My cruise fears were probably similar to yours (if you have them). The idea of being trapped on a rocking ship in close quarters for days on end with people you don’t know, sitting at the same table and eating a never-ending stream of sub-par buffet food is just not appealing.

On top of that, there’s the fear of being seasick beyond control and not being able to feed our internet addictions without paying an unseemly amount of money. Well, that used to be enough to keep my feet on the ground or in the air. But after my last ten cruises I’ve become hooked. Seriously.

What do I love about cruising? First of all, it’s the best value out there. Not only is your lodging included but so is all the food (including room service), non-alcoholic drinks and entertainment. There’s so much to do (and not to do, if you prefer) and you get to see a number of destinations without schlepping your bags all over the place. You pack and unpack just once.

It’s no secret that my favorite cruise line is Seabourn. They have six small ships with just 104 or 225 suites, depending on the ship, and they are consistently ranked among the world’s top by travel publications such as Travel + Leisure and Condé Nast Traveler.

Why Seabourn is So Great
Seabourn’s big appeal is that they only have capacity for 220 passengers or 450, depending on what ship you are on. The three newer ships, part of their Odyssey Class, are the ones with 225 suites. Seabourn is known for their five-star service, their unique itineraries visiting must-see cities and hidden gems where most larger ships cannot go, spacious cabins – many with verandas -, gourmet dining experiences as fine as the best restaurants anywhere in the world, open bars throughout the ship and fine wines poured with lunch and dinner.

Past Seabourn Cruises

I’ve now been on five of Seabourn ships. Most of the cruises were all on their brand spanking new, and as-plush-as-you-can-get ships. My past itineraries were: 7-day Istanbul, Turkey to Athens, Greece; 12-day Baltic and St. Petersburg, Russia; and a 3-night Rome, Italy to Monaco (a preview cruise with my dad). I also spent a night on their ship, Sojourn in the middle of the Thames River after its christening party. Just this past summer my fiancée Natalie and I took one of Seabourn’s older ships, Spirit. Spirit wasn’t as nice as their new ships but we still enjoyed it immensely as there were just 220 people and we spent 10 days cruising the Adriatic.

If you do cruise follow these five tips and you will have a great time.

Cruise Tips

1. My number one cruise tip is if you’re traveling from out of town, it’s always a good idea to fly in to your departure city at least a day before your ship sails, just in case there are flight delays, cancellations or anything else that might hold you up.
2. Remember to put the bag tags that the cruise line sends in advance onto the bags you are checking, and always carry onboard all your valuables/medicines…. I always thought you had to check your bags, but if you are a light packer (like me) there’s no need to. Just carry them on and off the ship so you don’t have to worry or wait.
3. I’ve now been on over a dozen cruises and I’ve only been seasick twice and they weren’t that bad since I just felt queasy and had to skip dinner. And I’m not some seafarer person either. I’m usually prone to seasickness, but I actually was able to trick my mind into finding the rough water soothing instead of a nuisance while I was in bed (that’s when its always been the worst). While cruising on Crown Princess I met with one of the ship’s doctors and he said the only medicine that really works is Promethazine Teoclate. It’s by prescription and they carry a ton of it on board (I’m sure the other cruise lines do too). Unfortunately, he said all those other gadgets like patches and wristbands are really just gimmicks. A doctor on Seabourn recommended Stugeron pills (15 tablets for $8.10), it’s available for purchase on the ship and no prescription is necessary. Note: Each restaurant on Seabourn has dried ginger at the entranceway, as this is supposed to be a great remedy.
4. Try and pace yourself at the buffet. Don’t over eat otherwise you will feel sick. When I cruise on large ships I won’t take the elevator except on arrival and departure with my suitcase. Instead I take the stairs—even when it’s 15 flights up. It’s a good way to counter all the food. I also try and hit the ship’s gym every other day.
5. Book shore excursions as early as possible since the popular ones fill up quick. If you are too late then see if there are any independent tour operators offering a similar excursion (many times cheaper) and sign up with them. Just note that if your guide’s car breaks down or you get stuck in traffic and you didn’t book it through the cruise line the ship won’t wait for you and you will be responsible to find your way to the next port.

Hopefully, my past cruises will help you decide to try one out if you are new to cruising. If you aren’t then hopefully some of the tips will help make your next cruise go a lot smoother.

 John E. DiScala (a.k.a. Johnny Jet) travels around 150,000 miles and visits over 20 countries each year. He and his website JohnnyJet.com have been featured over 2,000 times in major publications, including USA Today, Time, Fortune and The New York Times, and he has appeared on ABC, CBS, CNBC, CNN, MSNBC, NBC, FOX News Channel and PBS.  JohnnyJet.com has been named “one of the top best money-saving web sites for travel” by Budget Travel Magazine, while  the L.A. Times calls it “one of the top 10 essential travel resources on the internet.” Outside Magazine touted Johnny for having one of the world’s best “dream jobs”. He writes for Frommers.com, The Huffington Post, LAX Magazine and has written for USAToday and ABC News.  Sign up today for Johnny Jet’s free weekly travel newsletter at JohnnyJet.com.

Facebook: /Johnny.Jet

Twitter: @JohnnyJet

Ed. Note: Today’s blog post is contributed by our good friend, traveler and writer extraordinaire Sherry Ott of Ottsworld.  We sent Sherry on the road with our new Lytro camera to capture some images of her adventures.  In her first Lytro post, Sherry showed us the wonders of the Istanbul Grand Bazaar.  Today, she’s showing us the culinary delights of Costa Brava, Spain. Thanks again, Sherry, for taking us with you!

Food glorious food – it’s one of the best things about discovering new countries and cultures.  I spent 4 months in Europe this Spring and ate my way through 6 countries – Malta, Italy, Austria, Germany, France, and Spain.  Each had their own specialty foods that are synonymous with their country; however, my 6 weeks in Costa Brava, Spain provided the biggest culinary surprises.

In addition to learning that the world’s best chefs and restaurants hail from Costa Brava, Spain, I also learned that the Lytro camera loves to take food photos.  Insure My Trip kindly loaned me the new Lytro camera to use as I ate my way through Costa Brava and it turned out to be a great way to photograph food.  Food photography requires you to get close – and that’s what the Lytro does best – close up shots.

I took the Lytro with me to an outdoor fisherman’s lunch.   The fishermen in Costa Brava have fishing huts along the coast which have been passed down through generations.  It’s a place they can store their boats and supplies right on the sea for easy access.  Plus – the huts and surrounding area is also a great place to congregate with friends near the sea and have a huge fresh seafood lunch!  Local fisherman and their families hosted me and a few friends at this picture-perfect afternoon lunch.  It started with homemade Aioli (the famous Catalonia garlic mayonnaise)…

…and soon we were digging into plates of fresh gambas (large shrimp), crabs, clams, and various other local dishes and of course cold beer.  After lunch we all hung out and listened to the retired fisherman sing old fishing songs and enjoyed the view!

The Lytro camera also accompanied me to a place where few get to go – Celler de Can Roca – the 2^nd best restaurant in the world, located in Girona.  I was able to go inside the world famous kitchen and see the 30 some chefs at work creating a fusion of science and food.  When I got out the Lytro it seemed as if the well trained and focused chefs got distracted as they started asking me questions about the funny looking little camera!

I shot away enjoying this special behind the scenes look that few get to experience before we sat down for our 4 hour, 17 course lunch.  The food at Celler de Can Roca was like a work of art – which made photographing it and playing around with the ‘live focus’ on the Lytro even that much more fun!

But the best part about photographing and focusing on food in Costa Brava – someone had to eat it of course!