It’s a new year and you are making your resolutions to lose that extra weight, lay off the soda, and finally become organized. Maybe you should consider making a resolution to take that trip you have been dreaming for years to take! Why not? Close your eyes and imagine you are on the beach in the south of France, or skiing down the Swiss Alps! What is stopping this from becoming a reality? Most likely your own inhibitions. If you are scoffing at me and saying money is the issue- then I scoff back at you- because when there is a will there is a way. Just do it! Book it now! Traveling and vacationing is not for a select few- it’s for everyone! It makes me sad when my friends don’t travel and take some time off for themselves. You don’t want to make me sad right?

Hilarye’s 2009 Travel Resolutions:

* Go on a cruise!

*Go back to Alaska!

* Go to Paris!

*Travel to the Northwest!

*Go to a summer MLB game!

See- it’s really just that easy! Now let me hear some of your travel resolutions!

Ok…. I know I am all about living life on the budget and traveling for as cheaply as possible- but I don’t even think I would consider staying in Switzerland’s first zero star hotel. Now if you haven’t heard of a zero star hotel before- imagine in your head for a moment what you think the hotel would consist of. Perhaps you would sleep on old gym mats on the floor. Perhaps you would be sleeping in an old hospital’s triage unit. Maybe there would be one bathroom for twenty people.

Well I bet you didn’t think it could you would be staying in an old nuclear bunker converted into a hotel! For only £6 (which would be the equivalent to almost $9.00) you can sleep underground in a bunker. Ok it does sound a little cool- and really I might be willing to try it out except there is no heating (mind you it is underground) so you are provided rubber water bottles for your bed. Also because the ventilation system is so dang loud you are provided earplugs. A lottery is held to see who gets the hot water in their morning shower and there are no windows. Basically you are sleeping in a prison cell.

If this is starting to sound horrid, it’s ok-you can always upgrade to a luxury room for £11. Now you get an antique bed from a condemned hotel. Wow- sounds….luxurious? I know it’s cheap but really? I mean you’ve got to have standards people! It would be kind of cool to say you stayed in an underground nuclear bunker in Switzerland, and it is pretty cheap, I could see how there could be some benefits… Ok I retract my previous statement I might actually stay in this hotel.

Check out the YouTube video on the Null Stern Hotel!

Staying at hostels are a great way to save some money while also receiving a unique traveling experience. It’s also the adventure of the unknown that can be quite exciting. Some hostels are so nice, some are in unique buildings, and some are a little scary. The people you will meet will be different then those you would run into at a hotel- and I would challenge you to interact and learn from those individuals.

There are plenty of websites out there that can help you locate a hostel to stay at- one including hostels.com which also helps you book online as well.

Here are some things to consider when determining whether or not staying at a hostel is right for you:

1) Are you ok without having a private bathroom and sharing with complete strangers?

2) Are you ok to live without luxury for a few days in sacrifice to visit somewhere amazing?

3) Do weird people creep you out?

Putting that aside my first stay at a hostel I was scared. I had no idea what to expect except for what I had seen on TV. But it was fun, clean and more importantly cheap. For more adventurous travelers I would definitely recommend it, however I do offer this advice:

Bring your own towel and in some cases you might have to provide your own bedding so find that out ahead of time

Don’t expect HBO in your bedroom (although I have stayed in hostels with cable tv before)

And finally just in case bring flip flops to wear in the shower- because you just never know!

If you have ever visited San Diego then you know that there is something different about this mildly tempered California metropolis. San Diego, which is located 125 miles south of Los Angeles, is a haven for city-dwellers who want to get away and relax, has miles of sandy beaches, and where the average weather ranges from mid sixties to high seventies all year long. No wonder this is a hot spot for tourists.

Visiting San Diego was something I had been wanting to do for a long time. I had been there once as a kid but didn’t really remember what it was like or didn’t even have clear memories of the visit. So the excitement I felt was a bit of an understatement. We had some issues with our flight- we weren’t able to land in San Diego due to the wind and so we were re-routed to LAX for a couple of hours. Then when we finally managed to get into San Diego, but it was so late that the rental car company was closed. Arghhhh. While it was a rough start, the rest of our trip definitely made up for it.

One of the great things about San Diego is there is so much to do and so much to see. Of course you have SeaWorld which is always an awesome time and the San Diego Zoo however these places can be a little costly but for sure worthwhile. We first ventured to Coronado because we had heard great things about the city. It was cool and fun to see- the hotel is beautiful and looks like it would be a great place to stay and vacation. The beaches are beautiful as well.

Other things I would definitely recommend to do during your visit to San Diego would be to journey to Point Loma, which is a hilly peninsula in the pacific ocean. Point Loma in and of itself has a few things to explore, Old Point Loma Lighthouse is kind of fun and you can actually go in it and see how the keeper lived, a museum, some bunkers from World War two days and some really fun tidal pools that kids (and adults) would love. The view you get of San Diego is breathtaking- but as a warning there is walking uphill associated, although it’s pretty accessible by car. Plus its pretty cheap admittance- about $5 that covers parking and is good for a week.

Gas Lamp Quarter is gorgeous. I would recommend plan to eat at least one dinner in the Gas Lamp Quarter. The small restaurants are a little pricey but it’s romantic and the food is worth the money. We drove a little north and went to mission beach. We rented bikes and rode along the board walk (it was about $30 to rent two bikes for a couple of hours). It’s more of a surf beach that is a lot of fun. It also was gorgeous.

Old Town San Diego is also worth checking out- as is Balboa Park (where San Diego Zoo is located). Also the waterfront is a fun place to explore old ships, and learn about San Diego’s history. Ours was a short weekend trip where we crammed in as much as we could. I would recommend a week long vacation so as you could relax and maybe enjoy a Padres game, SeaWorld, San Diego Zoo and all the great things San Diego has to offer.

The airlines are a hot topic of discussion these days. I know I have already written a few posts about it this month. I was reading this article today about flying and surviving, but it almost seems like the flight crews are the one that need help surviving! Read a few of the cases that this article listed as examples of passengers that got out of hand:

• Christina Szele of Queens, N.Y., who reportedly lit a cigarette on a flight between New York and San Francisco, punched a flight attendant and broke through the flex cuffs the crew used to restrain her. (Ms. Szele was indicted by a Denver grand jury last week.)
• Zoltan Lensky of Slovakia, who apparently got drunk on a flight between Atlanta and Vienna, slapped a flight attendant’s hand and tried to set an onboard curtain on fire.
• Jacob Kline of New Mexico, who allegedly overindulged on a flight between Dallas and Charlotte, N.C., pinched a flight attendant’s bottom and threw ice at his fellow passengers

Holy cow people! There is an interesting correlation that you will notice in these cases that all of them had something to do with intoxication and cigarettes. Something to be aware of- in case you aren’t already- that if you are drunk when you show up for your flight- the gate agent/flight attendant have the right to not let you get on the plane. Now you can see why! Travel is stressful and especially when you are dealing with long security lines (and lets be honest TSA agents aren’t always peaches), extra fees, and flight delays, so take some time to unwind and remember why you go through all that pain- because traveling is fun!

Have a horror story and need to vent? The article mentioned flightsfromhell.com, this website allows you to submit entries of your awful flight experience. However, after reading some of the entries- I wonder why would people take such the time to write such long entries? I’m talking long, and most aren’t even that bad and some seem highly exaggerated. You can also check out AirRage.org if flightsfromhell doesn’t meet your fancy.

* I know it must look like I’m an advocate for airlines- but I promise I’m not. I do have a sister-in-law who is a flight attendant and another brother-in-law who is a pilot- it just helps me gain perspective that flight crews are human with real feelings