One Travel Editor Says Don't Book A Hawaii Trip...Yet!

Above, the battleship USS Missouri docked in Pearl Harbor. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Last summer, my "honorary sister's" daughter was going to get married in Hawaii. But due to the lockdown of the state because of the pandemic, she ended up getting married in Idaho instead.

So, instead of rice being tossed at the bride and groom, potatoes were thrown.

Just kidding!

Right now, Hawaii is opening up to tourists from the mainland and Japan. But there's one prominent travel editor who cautions against booking a Hawaiian trip now. He feels it is better to book in 2021.

Hawaii News Now reported:

HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - More of Hawaii’s economy is slowly reopening with the return of tourism. But at least one top travel editor is cautioning his followers against booking a trip too soon.

CBS Travel Editor Peter Greenberg acknowledged most of the early kinks of the state’s pre-travel testing program have been worked out. The program allows tran-Pacific travelers to forgo a mandatory quarantine if they test negative for COVID-19 no more than 72 hours before departure.

But he noted that the visitor experience isn’t what many might expect.

“Remember not every store’s open, not every restaurant is open. Not every hotel is open,” he said.

“My guess is, and I’ve told you this before, is the Hawaii tourism folks think I’m anti-Hawaii tourism and I’m not. Book in January and February. Don’t rush over there now. Let them figure this out.”

To read more, go here. 

Camping For Moms Who Don't Like To Camp

Above, The Beast at Manzanita Lake Campground in Lassen Volcanic National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Some women don't like to tent camp. For many of them, "roughing it" is not having electricity to run their blow dryers. I know this to be true because I used to be married to one.

However, there is a way to coax the little woman into the wilderness and Margot Black has an article on this topic at PeterGreenberg.com.

She starts it with:

I love the outdoors, and as an outdoor family travel writer I endeavor to take myself and my family all over the country as often as I can to experience our beautiful nature and wildlife. 

There’s no better way to do that than by camping, but as a busy working mom I also want to enjoy my vacation. I don’t want to work harder than I work at home, and I personally do not enjoy the idea of packing up my entire house just to relocate to a tent for a few days. As one of my mom friends said to me when I mentioned it to her, why would you want to go on vacation and work harder than you do at home but with cold water? 

Addressing this family travel conundrum, this is the first in a series of articles about camping for moms who don’t like to camp. 

Here’s how it happened. My son had asked my husband and I if we could go camping so I decided that renting an RV would be the perfect compromise. The RV ticked many boxes because, in fairness, I know my kid wants to camp but I also know he currently dislikes spiders and bugs. 

This was a trial expedition for us all and we now plan to try out campers, yurts and cabins. But for this first trip in an RV we’d have a roof over our heads, proper beds and a good shot of enjoying the ‘not sleeping at home’ thrill of life in a top-of-the-range touring vehicle.

To read more, go here. 

Peter Greenberg's "Hidden Gems of Memphis"

Above, artifacts on display at Sun Studio. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

One of the nation's top travel writers, Peter Greenberg, has posted an article on the "Hidden Gems of Memphis, Tennessee".

Here he lists the places in Memphis that people should see.

He begins with:

Named after the ancient city of Memphis in Egypt—Memphis, Tennessee is located in the southwestern part of the state, on the Mississippi River. 

Memphis, or The Bluff City, is filled with hot restaurants, trendy neighborhoods, and a pedigree in musical and civil rights history. But you might be surprised to find out that it’s also a perfect place to experience the great outdoors.

To read more, go here. 

April 5 Blog Post Pick-ups

The good folks at The Japan Daily picked up several blog posts for sharing with their readers.

They include:

To read The Japan Daily, go here.

Peter Greenberg.com: Your Checklist For International Travel

Above, Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Whether you're going to Japan or any other international destination, it is best to be prepared before heading off so that your trip will go smoothly.

PeterGreenberg.com has a checklist of five things to do before heading off to your international destination.

The article begins with:

Preparing for a big international trip means getting credit cards and foreign money in order. But smart travelers know you also need to prepare for anything. Contributing writer Margaret Magnus has been traveling internationally since the 1970s and has visited 24 countries. She’s been delayed by a volcanic eruption, foiled by an Arctic freeze, and even fell off a camel in the Sahara Desert.  

While she and her husband prepare for a hiking trip through the Czech Republic, Hungary, and the Balkans, she narrowed down the top five things smart travelers must do when planning for a trip abroad. 

To see the checklist, go here.

A multiple Emmy-winning investigative reporter and producer, Peter Greenberg is America’s most recognized, honored and respected front-line travel news journalist. Known in the industry as “The Travel Detective,” he is the travel editor for CBS News, appearing on CBS This Morning, CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley, and Sunday Morning, among other broadcast platforms.

Peter Greenberg: How To Check The Weather Before Your Flight

Above, the San Gabriel Mountains with the Mojave Desert in the distance. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Many people are afraid of flying. Some are more fearful than others and this fear is made even worse if the flight they're on happens to run into some turbulence.

The worst flight I ever been on was an hour-long flight from Los Angeles to Las Vegas in a Boeing 737 in April 1976. I was headed there for a wedding and as we flew near the San Gabriel Mountains and the Mojave Desert, it became an extremely bumpy ride.

Peter Greenberg, "The Travel Detective," has posted an article on how to "prepare for a flight during a storm and put your mind at rest."

It begins with:

If you’re a regular traveler, you know that weather can have a big impact on your flight. Events such as storms and lightning can cause turbulence, but the truth is that pilots are equipped to handle any situation. To help you prepare for a flight during a storm or to simply put your mind at rest, Captain Tom Bunn explains why you should check the weather before a flight. 

To read the full article, go here.

How to Travel to Japan With a Small Child

Many people who want to visit Japan also may have small children. They may fear that taking a small child to Japan would cause unnecessary problems.

Not so.

Travel expert Peter Greenberg posted an article, "How to Travel to Japan With a Small Child," on one California family's trip to Japan with their six-year-old son. The article includes five tips on how to make such a trip an enjoyable one for the whole family.

The article starts with:

Traveling to a new country is always tricky, but there are lots of logistics to figure out if you’re bringing small children along. Contributing writer and family travel expert Margot Black shares her experience of traveling through Japan with her son, and gives five tips on how to travel to Japan with a small child. 

With the information the article provides, you won't have to deprive yourselves a trip to Japan just because you have a child.

To read the article, go here. 

How Taxes and Fees Impact Airfares

Above, a commuter jet being readied at Cleveland International Airport. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The government is making moves about increasing taxes on increasing taxes and fees. They are already high, but they doesn't seem to satiate the government's apppetite to get more money out of travelers.

Peter Greenberg, known as the "travel detective", has posted an article on what the government is already charging in taxes and fees on the traveler.

He begins with:

We all talk a lot about airlines charging extra for services, but do you know how much of your ticket price goes toward airline tax and fees? The answer might surprise you. Right now, when you buy a plane ticket, you’re also paying government taxes and fees, airport charges, and surcharges imposed by the carriers themselves.

Earlier this month, I posted a blog about the taxes and fees I was charged on my round-trip airfare to Japan. What began as a $160 ticket price, ended up over $800. We can thank Uncle Sam for this. Greenberg's article focuses on domestic airfare taxes and fees.

To read the article, go here.

Peter Greenberg's "How To Archive Your Photos On The Road"

Above, Kyoto's Kinkaku-ji "Golden Pavilion."  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

"The Travel Detective" Peter Greenberg has some tips on archiving your photographs while on the road.

He posted:

As a pro photographer and Sony Artisan, Andy Katz always travels with two hard drives to archive his pictures on the road. But there are other more economical options for storing your photographs. Here is how to archive your photos when you’re traveling.

To find out how to make sure you'll have your travel photographs long after you've returned home, go here.

Getting A U.S. Passport

Before you can even go to Japan to visit Godzilla's stomping grounds, you
will need a valid passport. In this blog post, I am only addressing Americans.

If you've never had a U.S. Passport, you may ask, How do I get one?

Travel writer Peter Greenberg has an article and video on just how to get yourself a U.S. Passport. All the essential information is provided.

To view the article and video, go here.

What You Can Do to Survive a Plane Crash

Above, flying over the San Gabriel Mountains and headed to the Mojave Desert.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Over the years, the topic of where is/are the safest place(s) to sit in a plane to reduce your risk of injury or death in a crash has come up. Topic of fear if flying came up between a friend and I just the other day.

She wrote:

If there is turbulence, I'm convinced the plane will fall out of the sky and we're done for.  I wish they would just authorize the stewardesses to shoot a tranquilizer dart into people like me so that we wake up at the final destination. 

Some fears are a bit extreme (although I've been on a couple of "white-knuckle" flights, most notably one in 1976 while flying to Las Vegas and I likely turned green) and although the fact that flying is considered the safest mode of transportation, those people won't be dissuaded from their fears.

Some say that the safest places to be seated are the rows even with the wings, while others say the seats in the tail section are the safest.  Who is right?

Peter Greenberg has an article of reducing your risk of injury or death and what to do to survive a plane crash.

Greenberg starts it with:

Even though plane crashes are statistically uncommon, they are widely feared. Take comfort in the numbers, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reports that only 1 in 1.2 million flights resulting in an accident. For additional reassurance, the NTSB noted that there was a 95 percent survival rate in plane crashes from 1983 to 2000. Even though the odds are in your favor, it is good to be prepared. You can even take a few measures to ensure your safety. Choosing a seat, staying alert, and being informed are all steps to ensuring survival.

To view the full article, go here.