What is it that keeps you from making plans to travel? There are the obvious reasons that it can be expensive, or that you really prefer to stay home, or you just don't know how?   Lots of people have commented to me that they really want to travel but just don't know how to get started.   Well, help is officially on the way!

Travel with Teri B. was designed not only to share some unique insights of my personal travels but also to encourage you to take that next step and actually see something not in your everyday life.  Remember that not every journey has to break the bank; there are lots of ways to see this incredible planet even as it seems like we all have less time, money, or both with which to do so.   

Brand new and exclusively offered to loyal readers of Travel with Teri B. is my Client Questionnaire (right side of this blog entry). Whenever you are ready to go, I am ready to help...

But here is something to think about:  If that big journey just isn't in the cards this month or even this year, why not make the time to take a day trip to somewhere not more than a couple of hours away where maybe you haven't been in a long time.  For those of us who live California, the possibilities are endless.  I have no doubt you can find somewhere you've always wanted to go but just never have ...     

The point is to get out of your comfort zone and see what unfolds.  What's the worst that can happen?  You get lost?  That's what GPS is all about!  How about going on the website of Guy Fieri, host of the Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, and find somewhere to check out?  (Full disclosure:  I just surprised myself with how many local haunts I've yet to try!)

And following up on the poll posted about where we should meet our college-age kids for Thanksgiving this year (past locations were NYC, Chicago and New Orleans), Nashville got the nod.  Turns out it is not that easy to get to Memphis from LAX so a visit to Graceland will just have to wait.  Since the King and I share the same birthday, I know that visit will have special meaning!


But back to Nashville, some of the sites we'll be seeing are The Hermitage (Home of President Andrew Jackson), Grand Old Opry, Jack Daniels Distillery, and the Country Music Hall of Fame!

Travel blogging with no immediate trips coming up?  Mon Dieu! (or "oy vey" more likely ...)  Well, one cannot be on the road all the time, as great as that sounds.   The reality is a ton of time is spent in the planning and research phase so that when the actual time comes, things go smoothly and uneventfully -- barring any acts of God, of course. 


And as thorough as I am, there are the blips.  On the recent trip to Napa, I am at the airport Avis counter when they kindly point out that yes, I do have reserved a car in Oakland ... Oakland somewhere in Michigan, that is, and not Oakland, CA.  Ooopsie.  Of course now the rate being offered is not what I had anticipated, but managed to get it to an acceptable place.  Stuff like that happens to all of us....

Notwithstanding the previous info, I am a plan-ahead person.  I don't particularly like surprises.  I want to know that the accommodations and yes, even some meals, are what I expect and want them to be.  Here are some of my go-to tips for travel planning: 

I love Excel.  That might sound like over-kill, but it's so easy to set up an Excel file and great to edit as you go.   An example of what I'm doing for the big post-tax-season trip next spring is below.   Plus with this type of file, I can give the hubby the bone-chilling costs so he can manage the foreign currency issues.  And, yes, we always arrive with the relevant currency in hand ...

 

DATE	CITY	FLIGHT INFO	HOTEL/ROOM DETAILS	TOTAL	ACTUAL
				Local	USD
				Currency	Currency
15-Apr		Cathay Flight 883
		depart LAX 11:50 p.m.
17-Apr		arr. Hong Kong 5:40 am
17,18,19,20	Hong Kong
21-Apr		Flight to next city
		Seoul or Beijing
21,22,23,24
25-Apr		Flight to next city
25,26,27,28
4/29/2012		Flight to Shanghai
29/30/1/2	Shanghai
2-May		AA #182
		depart Shanghai 9:30pm
2-May		arrive LAX 6:10pm

I immediately read Travel and Leisure and Conde Nast Traveler magazines when they arrive, and tear out articles that are relevant now or regarding my list of places to go.  Being organized when collecting info is key to actually being able to find it when you need it! 

So labelled folders are my friends (ie., mileage info, airlines, cities, etc.) I also keep another Excel file of countries where I've been and my wish list for future travel destinations.  

Lastly since taking and sharing gorgeous pix is a huge part of the travel experience -- both online and in the Shutterfly book I do after each trip -- a new camera was in order.   Off I went to my fave, Samy's Camera, where everyone behind the counter is extremely knowledgeable.  My older Nikon Coolpix S60 had a few minor issues so I am now the proud owner of the next generation -- a  Nikon Coolpix S100.  Best of all is the larger screen (for the fading eyes)!  Here are a few random shots, plus the last frame is a brief video(!) from the new acquisition ...

 Gerbera daisy popping up

Tomatoes finally ripening in my garden ...

and a Japanese cucumber "unfurling"

Pre-Star Spangled Banner

Napa Valley is one of the best destinations around -- often referred to as Disneyland for adults -- and the site of a very recent journey.  Remember all you newbies to Travel with Teri B., click on any text in bright colors for informational links.

Ah, but back to Napa, one of my favorite spots on the planet.  To think that I, a resident of the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles, need only board the one-hour  Southwest flight from Burbank to Oakland, rent a car, and be in Napa within two hours after landing makes me wonder why I don't do this more often!   If only the hotel prices hadn't skyrocketed (along with the number of wineries) ...

This trip has special meaning ... my mom (a fabulous 83-year-old) and I are visiting cousins at their place in Silverado.   But Gaga (as my mom is known to mostly everyone) hasn't been on a plane in about 3 years so I had to adjust my normal take-no-prisoners attitude with flying and airports in general and ratchet it down several notches, meaning going at a slower pace.   And that was just fine! 

 

Gaga, Me, Ryan Cobb & Jen Bialosky

 While it's virtually impossible NOT to eat well in Napa, we regrettably skipped the requisite stop en route at the gastronomic haven long located in Berkeley-- Chez Panisse.  I momentarily digress from the current trip to say it is worth a special journey there to sample Alice Waters' incredible cuisine.  Enough said.  We did have a fun lunch while enjoying the incredible view at the Berkeley Marina eating fresh goodies at Skates on the Bay with my niece and her hubby.

With Cousin Mary Rabb

And on to Silverado where we enjoyed family on the first night.  Monday was the grand tour of Napa, starting with a new fave -- Oxbow Public Market.

  Separate from the fact that our cousins and hosts had a major involvement in the development of this food emporium, I just loved it.  It reminded me very much of the Ferry Building in downtown San Francisco with all the fun eateries.  Had THE MOST AMAZING pizza margherita at Ca' Momi; could have closed my eyes and been right back in Italy!

Making our way up Highway 29, we made a brief stop at the newly reopened Oakville Grocery, which has great picnic tables outside.  We continued with a stop at Dean & Deluca and finally for cookies and coffee at the wonderful Model Bakery in St.Helena.  Love browsing in the shops.  

Fruit tarts - yum!

Barely a cookie crumb was left!

 

Dinner was at Mustards Grill, a Napa go-to for 27 years.  Many of these great restaurants have their own kitchen gardens so it's literally straight-to-your-plate goodness.   

Pole beans at Mustards

Dave Rabb, our other host  ~~

French Laundry hothouse tomatoes ...

and strawberries

After dinner we made a stop by the world-class French Laundry to pick up tips at their amazing garden that feeds the various Yountville kitchens of Chef Thomas Keller.  Have eaten there a few times and it is incomparable. 

 

Holly and Bob in Petaluma

On to Petaluma the next day, a wonderful smallish town about an hour from Napa, to visit another cousin and catch up over lunch.   

From another table -- amazing charcuterie, etc.

Our lamb sausage pizza

 For dinner that night, it was downtown Napa for patio dining at Oenotri.

Chocolate panna cotta and olive oil cake with cherries and lemon gelato

Alas, home the next day to savor the great food and special company of this fun trip... now I must go to the gym!

International traveling and maximizing miles is not for the faint of heart or those inept at calculating numbers ... I'll just start this blog with that realization.   Remember for you newbies to Travel with Teri B., please click on any text in bright colors for informational links!

As I was saying, one must be very ambitious and aware of how airlines work to snag those precious award seats.   I am proud to announce I am the new "possessor" of two business class seats on Cathay Pacific to Hong Kong for next year's trip using my American miles.   Unfortunately, American does not allow the purchase of economy seats and using miles for upgrading on their partner airlines.  But I've flown Cathay before and loved it.

The other long leg of this trip is obviously the return journey from one of the 3 other locations we'll be visiting (Shanghai, Beijing and Seoul).   While exploring options again with the folks at American Advantage (many of whom are very good), and studying closely a map of Asia, it turns out a  bit of crisscrossing is necessary instead of going from Hong Kong in some logical direction of north and then west.

                                                                    

I finally found out that I can fly non-stop from Shanghai to LAX on American; the flight leaves in the evening allowing for an additional full day of sightseeing, and the miles are less than from either Seoul or Beijing, both of which involve an additional stop.  So as soon as the Starwood miles I transferred to American kick in, I'll finalize my business class seats for the flight home and then wait until the fall to book the couple of internal flights and start looking at hotels.  So love Starwood -- they actually award bonus miles when transferring points to American (am I special or is this offered to everyone ...?)  The hubby accuses me of spending way too much time on this endeavor (miles/points that is), but to me these are real savings and not  "mystery" savings as he is so fond of saying!  Plus award seats are few and far between so one must be a bit aggressive to get them ...

No, I am not an expert on miles.  For that, I have been relying on a daily blog from  The Points Guy -- you know, one of those obsessive flyers who will get on a plane just to bulk up his mileage account.  I, for one, have both a day job and a life so that is over the top in my world.   Having said that, his information has been very useful in earning/maximizing miles for these big journeys.  And for all of you who are interested in the nitty-gritty of airline operations and why it's so expensive to fly, read this current edition of The Middle Seat, a regular column in the Wall Street Journal.  The article goes a long way to explain how difficult it is for the airlines to make a buck ...

After being home for several weeks (except brief trip to Long Island to bring daughter Hannah home for the summer where at least I researched the top-rated pizza in the area!), it's time to think about the recent trip and some upcoming travels.  

I consider traveling pretty much anywhere a great privilege.  Just getting on an airplane -- even with all the hassles -- has the air of expectation and excitement.  Can't remember ever not looking forward to an upcoming trip. 

But ... how to come home without the fatigue??? After 11 hours from Frankfurt to Dallas, a couple hours there and then 3 more home, it's virtually impossible to lose the restorative powers of relaxing on a trip. My solution:  stay up as close to my normal bedtime as possible, take some melatonin or a sleeping pill and get back on a regular schedule!   Day 3 seems to be the hardest when traveling east to west.  Would love to hear other people's remedies so email me.

So what's next??? Well, Napa later this month, then Tampa and New York in August, Cleveland in November and Thanksgiving where I need some input.  Instead of bringing the kids home from their schools (Ohio and NY), we meet up with them somewhere -- past locations have been New York City, Chicago and New Orleans.   But where should we go this year??  We are considering Memphis, Nashville, Charleston and ??  Let me know!  More later on planning next year's big trip to Asia and other info!

 

Warmly,

Teri B.

Continuing on with Geneva, our last day there was spent walking on both sides of "Lac Leman" as Lake Geneva is called. 

View at La Reserve

 We lunched at La Reserve which is a beautiful hotel/spa in the area where many HQ's of worldwide organizations (such as UNICEF, etc.) are located together with some gorgeous private homes.  I've included pix from the sensational terrace view where we lunched.  More window shopping and browsing around this wonderful city followed.

Lunch companion

That evening was another trip highlight with dinner at
Auberge d'Onex, a very authentic Italian restaurant a short drive from the hotel.  What made the evening special -- as much as the wonderful food -- was Valentino, the owner/chef and his staff.  These guys know how to run a restaurant.  So engaging, so friendly, so much "what more can we do for you?" that it was both delicious and a blast.  The place was packed that night and we're told is all the time.  When you look at the pix, you'll see bowls of fruit served at the end (among many other things) -- mounds of strawberries and cherries.  When we were done, they simply passed the bowl to another table.  Can you even imagine such a thing at home?  It encouraged much camaraderie among the diners.

 

Our last real destination (other than one night in Frankfurt prior to departure from that city) is Baden-Baden in Germany's Black Forest, an easy drive from Geneva.  People have been coming here for centuries to cure whatever ails them in this gorgeous place and it has been a great way to revitalize prior to the journey back.

Baden-Baden

Two things remain to do:  utilize my advanced degree in packing to organize what was both brought and acquired; and decide "high point/low point" which is something I make my family do after a vacation and which none of them likes.  For me, maybe getting lost in Lake Como would be a low point but brief and not a big deal; high points were everything Geneva and the Sound of Music tour while seeing the sights in Salzburg.  Thanks to everyone for following along and, Mom, I'll call you when we stop in Dallas! 

Warmly,

Teri B.

As we travel along on this journey, our next stop is Lake Como.  The inevitable "oopsie" finally occurred.  Blame should be squarely placed on Tim, our mostly accurate GPS voice, who has ably guided us along.  But he just blew it. 

After an easy ride from Zurich to Lugano, which is just north of the border between Switzerland and Italy's lake district, we stopped at the outlet mall.   That part was fine and who knows if our perceived "discounts" were really that, but it always seems more fun to shop when on vacation (at least for me). 

We left there for what we remember was a relatively short ride to Lake Como (Cernobbio to be exact) and that turned into a two-hour journey on narrow roads, in the rain no less -- think California's Highway 1 but with Italian drivers.   At one point we were so lost we ended up on what we thought was a road but probably more like a dead-end alley that was so narrow we couldn't have gotten out on either side of the car even if we wanted to.  Did I mention it was raining? 

So put the car in reverse gear to attempt backing our way out and the warning sensors are going crazy -- too close on the left, then too close on the right; Bruce finally gets out and is directing me, a lot of hand-waving and various gestures ... Obviously the story ended well but couldn't wait to crack open a bottle of wine, for sure!

Can't complain too much; after all, this is Lake Como  -- surely one of the most beautiful places on the planet.  No George Clooney sightings in answer to your next question; of course we (George and I)  have both resided in Studio City for 20 or so years, and no encounters there either.

 

Jet D' Eau

So after a couple of rainy and lazy days in Lake Como, we are now in Geneva.  Where Zurich is much more of a German influence, Geneva is a very French atmosphere (it is almost totally surrounded by France). This is an incredibly elegant city with a lot to do! We went barely 20 minutes outside the city to Domaine de Chateauvieux, a two-star restaurant worth EVERY calorie.  All you foodies, look at the pix of the amazing food ... one more day here and on to Baden-Baden the day after. 

Warmly,

Teri B.