The transportation news is not promising for those heading to Europe anytime soon.  Will this be the season of the ‘perfect travel storm’ for vacationers?  Will the crumbling economies in Europe bring a spring and summer  full of protests and general strikes?   Only time will tell -  but if you are planning to travel to Europe in the coming weeks and months,  you should be following the above volatile situations.  It’s a good idea to watch the online newspapers in the area that you will be traveling to (find them at OnlineNewspapers.com) or another good resources is TimesOnline.com.

Wishing you speedy travels!

Back to Sir Richard – when asked if he could explain how Virgin Atlantic (Virgin Blue & Virgin America) manage to be continually successful in a era when most other airlines (US airlines in particular) are running huge losses, he smiled and said, ‘if you treat people right, give them a good flying experience and do all the small things very well – you will have loyal customers and a successful company’.  (paraphrased)

Brilliant!  Meanwhile our airlines beat us over the head with ridiculous fees, grumpy staff, and policies that simply fly in the face of common sense.  I’m sorry to say, they remind me of our legislators!!!

By the way – there are way too many airline fees for anyone to keep track of.  Here’s a wonderful chart by USA Today that spells out all the absurdity.

Roundtrip airfare starts at $780, and well priced packages are available for hotel stays in Auckland.  In anticipation of the buzz and curiosity about this new concept in blind dating, a social networking site has been created at TheMatchMakingFlight.com - check it out for all the romantic details.

This promises to be the most blind dating fun Downunder since the Aussie favorite “Desperate and Dateless Ball” ended last year!  And if you’re wondering just how cheeky the Kiwis are – you’ve got to see their filming of the “Nothing To Hide” video ad.

Can’t you just hear the deep purrrring roar of your vintage italian sports car as you burst into a medieval hillside hamlet, sun glasses on, hair blowing in the breeze, and don’t forget the long flowing silk scarf!  This vision of sophisticated abandon can be yours when you travel with the Italy By Vintage Car tour company.  This luxe tour operator specializes in planning flexible driving itineraries through Italy’s most spectacular scenery by wonderful vintage automobiles.

Each carefully planned “Grand Tour” itinerary includes suggested daily touring with stops at extraordinary places including wineries, markets and historical sites.  Tour participants (no more than eight) can choose to “follow the leader” or strike out on their own.  A worry free vacation is assured as each tour group is accompanied by a “valet-mechanic” who checks the tires, tunes the engines, pumps the gas, and keeps everyone rolling merrily along, and everyone stays in contact by cell phone.  You don’t even need to bother loading your luggage in the boot – just leave your packed bags in your room, and they will magically appear at your next evening’s destination.   This company promises travel with style, comfort and service to surpass expectations.  Read up on all the touring details at their website VintageCarTour.com

#1. Do Your Homework. Before venturing off to a new city, check to see how much cab fares should be. There’s a terrific internet site built just for this purpose. WorldTaxiMeter.com makes it easy to enter a destination, then two prominent points within the city (Logan Airport to City Hall Plaza for instance), and the time of day. The site will deliver an estimated fare, the amount of time it should take to make the trip, and a map of the suggested route. It even makes allowances for traffic, airport surcharges, and calculates an average gratuity. And there’s more, the names and phone numbers of reputable taxi companies are listed. This is an awesome site. If you’re at an airport and can’t check online, stop by the Travelers Information Desk and ask them how much an average fare into the city should be.

#2. Whenever possible call ahead for a cab so you’ll have control over which cab company will be driving you and have contact information if something goes wrong. If you need to flag a taxi in the city, walk to the nearest hotel and have the doorman secure a cab for you.

#3. Ask “how much?” BEFORE you get into the cab. This can be accomplished by opening the front passenger door, and asking how much is it from here to there. If the price seems too high, you can say “no, that’s too much, I was expecting it to be $____, and go from there.

#4. Make sure the meter gets reset to ’0′, so you’re not paying for extra money on the meter. Some cities have a basic pick up fee on the meter – ask about it before the cab departs.

#5. Ask for a receipt before exiting of the cab. Take a moment to jot down the cab ID number and the driver’s name. This way you’ll have the company information and the cab ID in case you need to file a complaint – or if you’ve inadvertently left something behind.

Do you have some taxi tips you always use? Share them with us in the comments!

Hertz: Known as “The Green Collection”, Hertz has over 268,000 vehicles that average 28 mpg or better, which represents 64% of its total fleet. Additionally, 43% of its fleet achieves 34 mpg or better. They seem to be stocking up on the Toyota Prius, which number over 3,400 vehicles at the moment, and they rent hybrid vehicles throughout the European market as well. 

Avis/Budget Group: Dubbed “The Cool Cars”, this group has brought in a number of Nissan Altima Hybrids and the Toyota Prius to stock its fleet. They are available by guaranteed reservations in select cities. (Just ignore the more politically incorrect offerings of Hummers and the like). Avis also offers Flex-Fuel vehicles in a few cities that use E-85 ethanol fuel – just be sure you get a map of where to find gas stations selling this type of fuel!

Enterprise/National/Alamo Group: This group has over 237,000 Hybrids fleetwide that average 32 mpg or better. Additionally 264,000 vehicles qualify as “SmartWay” vehicles as certified by the Environmental Protection Agency for their relatively low levels of regulated pollutants and greenhouse gases. More than 73,000 cars and trucks are Flex-Fuel vehicles that burn E-85 ethanol fuel. And they have approximately 4,000 gas/electric vehicles – an impressive array of fuel efficient choices!!

Dollar/Thrifty Group: Although Dollars wants you to “Drive With Attitude” I’m sorry to say not too much is going on here in the Hybrid arena.

And as an extra bonus, ask your hotel if they offer a parking discount for hybrid vehicles. Several hotel companies have introduced overnight parking saving incentives for customers driving hybrid cars.

The regulatory process and transition to the new alliance will take up to a year to complete, so there’s plenty of time to think about how best to use your One Pass frequent flyer miles. At present you can redeem Continental miles for flights on CO, DL & NW. In the future you’ll be able to redeem for flights on CO, UA & US, as well as a variety of international carriers in each alliance.

It will be interesting to see how this change effects Continental’s participation in the American Express Membership Rewards Program. Currently miles from Amex can be transferred to Continental Airlines frequent flyer accounts, (as is the case with Delta and Northwest). Since United and US Airways do not participate in the American Express Memberships Rewards Program, it will be interesting to see if Continental drops out in the coming year.

I’m off to a wedding in New York soon, so I did a quick calculation on gas cost from Boston to New York City (roundtrip). The form asks you to enter the beginning and ending cities and the make, year, and model of your vehicle. I found the drive will take about 15 gallons of gas, and at current rates, cost about $56. Certainly a lot less than an airline or train ticket. So it’s on a road trip I’ll go.

Now to find the lowest prices for that gas. Here are some great websites for finding the cheapest gas prices wherever you are:

MapQuest – Gas Map
MSN – Gas Finder
Gas Buddy
Gas Mobio (downloadable software for cell phones)

Happy motoring!!!