Are you on Spring Break? Are you wanting to head out this spring? The below link will take you a recent radio interview I did with WMMN in Grand Rapids regarding Spring Break Travel and tips on where to go.

WMMN Spring Travel Tips

Also, I am excited to report that I will be creating a weekly update to the Hotels.com blog with lots of great travel insight, advice and how-tos. It’s the http://www.travelsmartblog.com and I am really excited for it’s launch next week. Please add it to your Blog Roll and let me know how I can help you with your travels.

I’ve been doing hours of radio interviews all morning long discussing the newly releases Hotel Price Index report from Hotels.com.

http://www.news-record.com/content/2010/01/14/article/govt_web_site_lets_passengers_air_complaints#

Still, it’s all in the name of safety, right? I am going to try to be more patient and more prepared as I galavant around the world this year. I appreciate the efforts that are being made to make sure that we all can travel without consequence. However, I do wish that everyone would take time, ahead of time, to understand the do’s and don’ts of air travel… Aha – another blog topic. Until then….

http://rachaelrayshow.com/show/segments/view/holiday-travel-tips/

Nicole’s Holiday Travel Tips for your Flight

• Book Now. It’s not about price this season, it’s about getting a seat! Airlines are cutting capacity so book early. Don’t wait for prices to be lower because then your seat will be gone. Prices will be down @ 20% on average over last year.
• Holiday Surcharges. Major airlines are charging $10 surcharges each way this year for travel on peak travel days.
• If you have a short layover, book your seats to the front of the airline so you are one of the first off the plane to ensure that you make your connection.
• Car seats don’t count as checked luggage – you won’t be charged.
• Don’t carry on wrapped gifts in carry-on luggage, as gifts may need to be inspected at security check points and in some instances they will be unwrapped. Either check gifts or leave them unwrapped or best yet, send them in advance to your destination.
• Travel with a rested child, not a child who needs rest. Don’t book your flights during nap time and expect your kids to sleep. Flying on a plane is exciting for children so even if they sleep at 1 PM at home every day – they won’t do it on the plane. Travel first thing in the morning or after nap time to have a better chance at happy, well behaved traveling children.

Tips for Where to Stay

• Forget Grandma’s air mattress, check into a hotel! Holiday hotel deals are too good to pass up.
• Ask for an upgrade at check-in. If there’s room – most hotels will do it because then they can sell that standard room more quickly than an upgraded room. Some may do it for a minimal fee but it can make a huge difference in the comfort of your stay.
• Make friends with the Concierge. One of my best secrets all year and especially at the holidays! Generally, the concierge often has tickets (often free or discounted) to clubs and events; they can get restaurant reservations when no one else can. And are incredible resources for your vacation. At the holidays – they can help “Santa” deliver those presents Christmas morning.
• Pack your decorations. It’s amazing what a string or two of lights, some tinseled garland and maybe even a little tree can do to make a hotel feel like home at the holidays.
• And your dirty laundry. One of my favorite and most useful travel must haves is the travel laundry bag from Rojeti.com. Not only does it keep your dirty clothes away from your clean clothes but if you’re visiting family, it also keeps things out the way. These travel laundry bags are great gifts for frequent travelers and can even be personalized. Prices are 2 for $18.49.

Where to Go

• Roosevelt Hotel, NYC Let’s kick off the holiday season with the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade. If you want to take it in curbside – stay at the famous, celeb-favorite, Roosevelt Hotel. The hotel has complimentary hot apple cider during the holidays, too. There are so many great places to stay in NYC this time of year and when you book with Hotels.com you can save 25% at great restaurants throughout the city. The offer can be use multiple times and you can redeem the coupon easily when you book at hotels.com.

• Sheraton Denver Downtown. Ski season is upon us, and it pays to get in before the New Year. You can get all the benefits of a ski vacation without the expense when you stay in Denver. You have your choice of the slopes – Winter Park, Keystone, Breckenridge, etc. but hotel prices are @ $81 during the holiday season for a weekend stay. The newly renovated Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel, located on the famous 16th street pedestrian mall will capture the attention for all of Denver’s holiday action. And what’s nice about booking with a site like hotels.com is that should CO have weather that causes flights to cancel, etc. There are no hotels.com change or cancel fees. Less then 2 minutes away, the Denver Broncos will play Thanksgiving Day and those visiting Downtown for Football action can also enjoy Denver’s best shopping and dining just by walking out our front doors.. Enjoy carriage rides Downtown while you take in the Parade of Lights and if you’re here for New Years, the downtown fireworks display should not be missed.

• Gaylord Texan Resort, Grapevine, TX. (Dallas) The Gaylord Texan brings to life a brand new show featuring the 1957 Dr. Seuss holiday classic -“How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Transforming 5,000 blocks of ice weighing TWO MILLION POUNDS into the city of Who-ville. From the Grinch’s frozen mountaintop lair and 20-foot high slides to a variety of family photo opportunities and the picturesque Who-ville. Holiday décor galore includes 1.5 million holiday lights and 30 seven-foot tall ornaments strung from the top of its glass roof; a 50-foot tall rotating Christmas tree; multiple miniature train sets; 14-foot tall decorated cowboys boots; and a life-size gingerbread house.

• Nickelodeon Suites Resort, Orlando, FL. Deck the halls in slime green and Nick orange this holiday season. Celebrate with a lineup of holiday events that includes: Visit with Santa, Candy Cane Stroll, Holiday Karaoke inside Studio Nick, Nick After Dark Holiday Style which is where kids play while the parents are away! This fully-supervised program includes dinner, VIP seats for a Studio Nick show, a hands-on slime experience, and a winter-themed workshop; and Gingerbread House Workshop. Don’t forget the New Years Eve Annual Slime Drop.

I hear it all the time: “I can’t work out on vacation” or “I don’t have room in my suitcase for my sneakers” or best yet “I can eat whatever I want on vacation” but should we? Because I also hear that after vacation sometimes we feel worse. We over-ate, didn’t exercise and that makes getting back into our normal routines that much harder for ourselves.

When you travel – whether to visit family, for fun, or for business, it’s important to keep your body moving and still make healthy food decisions. I always try to pack my sneakers and a pair of walking shorts even on an overnight business trip. I know that I feel better when I can get up and get my body moving. But beyond that, it’s a great way to see a city. I like to get off the airplane, check into my hotel and then lace up my sneakers for a little exploring time. Whether it’s a walk around NYC or a visit to a nearby park in Orange County, CA, getting outside gets those endorphins going and even helps prevent jet lag.

A hotel room can very easily become a great make-shift gym with or without your sneakers. Arm dips on a chair, a few push-ups, lunges back and forth across the room are just a few ways to get the blood pumping while traveling. And don’t you know that you’ll feel a little less guilty about that fabulous dinner you will have on vacation when you’ve put a little effort into keeping yourself in shape.

So as we head into to that Holiday Feast season, remember to keep moving and enjoy without over-indulging.

Playing in the leaves is one of the childhood moments that shouldn't be overlooked

Last week, we got our first snowfall. It wasn’t much but it was enough to make the beautiful golden leaves of my crabapple tree plummet like rocks to the grass below. Yes, I saw (and still do) the task before me: to rake and bag them all. But to answer my previous question, wouldn’t it be better to pile them up and let the kids run amuck? I mean really play in the leaves. That’s how we slow down! It’s not about getting to every ride at Disney World. It’s about taking in the magic and wonder that Disney creates. And there’s magic in the fallen leaves, and in carving the pumpkin not just in the completion of the task. As my favorite season passes me by, I’m reminded why I love it and to enjoy it before another one zips away.

As parents we have a responsibility to help our children slow down and experience life’s little wonders, too. Taking the time to make those cookies together, or take a nature hike around the neighborhood if not for the exercise but for the chance to talk, connect and take in the wonder of your everyday life. And it is the little things that count the most. For example, as your child learns to buckle his car seat by himself or to get dressed by himself – be patient – sure, you can do it faster but would it be nearly as rewarding for you? It’s a big deal for children to experience those independent moments.

Now, I have to get out there and rake. It’s supposed to snow again Wednesday.

Now we are entering ski season, too. The snow experience of Breckenridge, Vail, Keystone, Winter Park, Arapahoe Basin and more is a mix of beauty and excitement. If you haven’t made plans to see the Rocky Mountains in it’s frosted glory then get booking. There certainly should be a flight available!

Before I return to this story, let me digress about a mother’s pain or illness. Is it just my household or do things seem to get more messy and chaotic when mom is a bit out of commission? I just can’t seem to get clothes off the floor in the bathroom, or dinner just like I would like it, or the kitchen cleaned up afterward. And because a sick or hurt mom doesn’t have it in her to clean while under the weather the mounting mess is also a mounting mess of things-to-do when you do feel better. Aaagh! I know what’s wait for me when I get home.

Back to my story! Sunday I had a phone call with a producer from The Rachael Ray Show who invited me to come on the show for a Holiday Travel segment. What tooth pain? Of course, I can make it! So with that, the root canal is pushed to Thursday and I am in New York City. I’m taping the segment tomorrow which will air in a few weeks for Rachael’s holiday week of shows.

What tips will I be sharing? Well, you’ll have to watch to find out. And I will say that I never thought that I would ever be looking forward to a root canal but I am. Never say never.

Ok, maybe one tip but I’ve said it before. If you are planning to travel this holiday season and you haven’t booked your flights – BOOK YOUR FLIGHT! What are you waiting for? The prices are not going to be better than they are today. And with it being a Tuesday, they really won’t be better any time this week so get booking! You run the risk of not getting a seat at all because airlines are cutting capacity NOT price. Airlines will also be charging surcharges this season, some @ $10 each way on peak holiday travel days.

There you go.