Plan A Family Surf Vacation – And Bring Your DOG!

Ever wonder who could learn to surf faster – you or your frisky pup?  Bring the whole family (plus the dog) on vacation to the Loews Coronado Beach Resort in San Diego California and find out! The Loews family of hotels loves pets and has developed imaginative vacation opportunities for travelers who want to bring their beloved dog or cat along on vacation.

The Coronado Beach Resort offers Su’Ruff Camp at Coronado’s Dog Beach where dogie surf instructors treat your favorite pooch to a one hour surfing lesson. But first they’ll need to look the part…. shake on a pair of complementary brightly colored board shorts and a designer surf bandanna – and don’t forget the camera!!  VIPs (Very Important Pets) are treated to gourmet room service, including a Surf & Turf dinner for surfer dogs and rawhide bones, catnip and scratch poles for your favorite felines.  Loews hotels customarily offer a special room service menu for cats and dogs, specialized bedding, leashes, collars, litter boxes and pooper scoopers.  You’ll also find pet-walking trails and pet-sitting services available at many properties as well.

And if your favorite 4 legged champ turns out to be a real surfing superstar, you may want to return in May for the 5th annual Surf Dog Competition that takes place on May 22, 1020.  This fun event attracts big crowds with proceeds going to a local charity.  Your dog doesn’t like water? – No worries, check out the Pumped Up Pets program and exercise along with your pet instead.

All the amenities are not just for the pets.  Your family will find lots of space to play in the sprawling ocean front resort spread over 15 acres.  You’ll find 3 swimming pools, an 80 slip marina, tennis courts, whirlpools, bike and rollerblade paths, and paddle boat rentals to name a few of the family friendly offerings.  Check out the hotel and all the special packages at LoewsHotels.com.

(Photos are from Loews Hotels’ website)

New Airline Just For Pets – They May Have A Better Flight Than you!

Pet Airways a new airline dedicated to flying ‘your best friend’ across the country in style has just launched.  With prices starting at $149 each way, I’m thinking that flying your beloved pet on a private aircraft may cost no more than paying the outrageous extra fees charged by major airlines.  American Airlines for example charges a $150 fee each way for a pet housed in the baggage compartment and $100 each way for a pet flying in the cabin – and you have to supply the pet carrier .  With Pet Airways your pet will fly in temperature controlled comfort, in a pet carrier supplied by Pet Airways, and with a trained animal attendant monitoring their welfare throughout the flight.

Currently Pet Airways flies routes between New York, Washington DC/Baltimore, Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles.  They are equipped to transport dogs and cats, and in the future will be accepting birds, reptiles and other pets.  Pets are dropped off and picked up at ‘paws lounges’ 2 hours prior to flight time and attendants make sure all your pet’s needs are taken care of prior to the flight.  Likewise, your pet will be given a potty break as soon as the flight lands, and you will be able to track their whereabouts throughout their journey.  I’m beginning to think this airline cares more about their passengers’ well being than the airlines that fly us!!!  Visit PetAirways.com to read about all their services, (pet care product discounts), and flight schedules.  It’s nice to see an airline who is dedicated to the care and comfort of their passengers – even if they do have four legs.

Choose The Right Credit Card When You Travel

Having just returned from a lengthy trip to a foreign country, I had the opportunity to access my ‘every day’ credit cards to be sure we were bringing cards that would save us the most money while providing the best coverages.  Let’s be honest, all cards are not created equal – some are good for auto insurance coverage, some for currency conversions and others for their frequent flyer points.  For a fast, convenient way to compare which credit cards offer what services, visit a site like CreditCardFlyers.com where you can compare card services side by side.

Here are my tips for making sure you bring the best credit card on your next trip.

#1 Let’s discuss Chip and Pin authorizations.  About 2 years ago Europe changed from signature verifications to pin authorizations for credit card transactions.  Unfortunately the USA did not follow suit, so our credit cards are not fully compatible with the European system.  In most instances you won’t have a problem, but we did encounter some difficulties when buying from smaller merchants.  Plan ahead, and be sure your card has a four digit pin assigned to it.  Read more

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