So by now you have probably heard about United’s much publicized new policy on larger passengers. This new policy stems from 700 complaints United Airlines received last year about overweight passengers taking up a portion of their neighbor’s seat.

Basically the policy states that (and this is taken directly from United’s website):

“For the comfort and well-being of all customers aboard United flights, we have aligned with other major airlines’ seating policies relating to passengers who:

• are unable to fit into a single seat in the ticketed cabin;
• are unable to properly buckle the seatbelt using a single seatbelt extender; and/or
• are unable to put the seat’s armrests down when seated.

If unused seats are available on the ticketed United or United Express flight, then a customer meeting any of the above criteria will be reaccommodated next to an empty seat.

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The rental car- depending on where you go- can be an integral part of your vacation. For example- we lived in our rental car on our recent trip to the Oregon Coast, and without it we wouldn’t have been able to see and experience nearly as much as we did.

However, most drama that we run into on our vacations is dealing with the rental car. There are so many decisions you have to make including whether or not you have insurance, which company to go with, what size car you want, whether or not you want to prepay for gas and so on. It’s just a hassle and a headache but a necessary evil.

Some things you may want to consider when choosing a company:

* Obviously rates are a huge aspect. Always compare and contrast rates by going to many different sites. If you have a preference on a rental car company or use a rewards program that it’s probably beneficial to stick with them no matter the rates because you are getting value in other places.
* Do they have a grace period? Rental car companies for the most part do not charge an hourly rate but rather charge per 24 hour use. Often things come up and you end up being late. Some grace periods range from 30 minutes to 2 hours before they charge extra (never assume on this one, make sure to ask).
* Do they have any crazy hidden fees you weren’t aware about? Last time we rented a car we were told that there were fees for bringing your car back late (understandable) and bringing your car back early (what?). So be careful because sometimes rental cars end up being more than you thought.
* If you are going to priceline.com a car (using the bid feature)- remember you only pay Priceline not the rental car company. This has caused us a few troubles because we have gotten good deals on cars but gotten confused with the pay structure and ended up paying twice. The only reason you would pay the rental car company is if you used their insurance, prepaid your gas, or used the car longer. So be careful.

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Las Vegas is well known as the ultimate getaway and has some of the world’s best shopping, world’s best dining, world’s best accommodations and of course some of the world’s best entertainment. The shows come in a large variety with magicians, legendary performers, Broadway musicals and plays and of course the many different Cirque du Soleil shows.

In our most recent getaway to Las Vegas for the weekend we had the privilege of attending Mystere, a world class Cirque du Soleil show that is permanently located at the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino. It’s no doubt that this was the highlight of our trip and we looked forward to it all weekend.

Mystere is actually a groundbreaking show because it paved the way for the rest of the Cirque du Soleil shows being that it was the first of its kind to be permanently set in Las Vegas. Mystere provides a mixture of acrobats, gymnastics, dance, opera, new age music and comedy all wrapped up nicely into a circus style of entertainment with it’s own unique flair.

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Every so often we get to stay in a hotel that is a break from the traditional chain brand over-nighter. Last weekend in Portland we were able to stay in one of those hotels, the Hotel Lucia, located directly downtown. From the moment we had the door opened for us and were greeted by the friendly front desk staff we knew it was different. What is this strange feeling? Could it be the good customer service that my parents told me of when I was a child? All the way up to our room, which happened to be a corner with an excellent view of the city streets, we noticed these differences. The lobby that was modern and inviting, the hallways were lined with classy black and white photographs, personally unique room keycards, and the list goes on and on.

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A trip to New York wouldn’t be official without seeing at least one Broadway show! Prior to going to NYC, we heard about many ways to get cheap Broadway tickets, but upon arriving we realized everybody was lying.

That’s not to say there aren’t ways to get cheap tickets; it’s just that most people I talked to have never tried them out. So we set out to discover the secret of saving a few bucks while seeing Broadway. These are our findings:

1. One of the most popular ways to get discount tickets is by going to TKTS. TKTS sells discount tickets to Broadway shows the day of the performance. Discounts can be as high as 50% and the plus is that you can select from a wide range of tickets. This is good because if they sell out of “Mama Mia” tickets, you can still get “Jersey Boys” tickets. There are three locations (we went to the one in Times Square). Tickets go on sale at 3:00 p.m. but I recommend you arrive at least an hour early. Once we got to the front of the line, we realized they weren’t selling tickets to any shows we actually wanted to see, so if you decide to go through TKTS, check the display to see what tickets are available that day.

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