Aitutaki...where?

Aitutaki - Cook Islands 

I bet you're wondering where this came from...well, you need look no further than the Cook Islands to find this particular location (yes, part of the group that Captain James Cook discovered, but not directly discovered by him - this location was found by William Bligh).  A 30-mile protective reef surrounds the island, but you can still explore it on foot and is a perfect destination for a picnic or snorkeling in the clear water.

It's just another fun place to visit while you're on your way through the south pacific.  You're probably better off flying into nearby Rarotonga (RAR) and catching a transport over.  Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand offer flights from Auckland or via greater Australia if you're in the neighborhood and want to check this place out!

Geirangerfjord...can you pronounce it?

I'm not sure I can pronounce it myself...but I think it's fun to try. 

Geirangerfjord - Oye, Norway

Time for another 'place of the day' to highlight - and it's in Norway which has been on my list of places to visit not just for fun (but also for genealogy purposes).  The fjords of Norway are always talked about as one of the things to do when you finally get to the country, and this is no exception.  You can get to this location by boat, cruise, hike, road, or even bicycle if you're so inclined.  The cliff wall itself is over 10 miles long, and is a site to take in.  If you do get there and plan ahead, the Union Hotel is a recommended place to stay - Room 12 is where Kaiser Wilhelm stayed no fewer than 25 times in his lifetime.  For a map view, click here.

You'll most likely fly into Oslo and then take the 7 hour trip via the Serpentine Road to reach the fjord.  

Flights to Oslo can be found via Europe or direct through SAS or United from the US.  British Airways and Delta also connect to there via partners.  Mid-August flights from JFK are averaging about $1000 in economy.  If you want to use points or miles, business seats can be had in mid-August for 50,000 miles O/W on United via Lufthansa and SAS (in lieu of a ticket price of $2400).  It's not tremendous value, but could save you if you're short on cash. 

Special Southwest Sale: Today only!

Wanted to pass this along, since it's a ONE DAY SALE for specific dates at 35% off - check out the link below for more info:

http://www.southwest.com/html/promotions/fs-35off.html?int=HOMEHEROFARSAV120515

Make sure to use this promo code:  SUMMER12

Some routing pairs are excluded, but most are good.  This offer only applies to round-trip Wanna Get Away fares.

Good luck!

how does your budget affect travel?

Normally I'm not one to share the doom and gloom of things, but I ask this question above seriously as this news report discusses how bad the state of CA is right now financially:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/13/us/huge-new-shortfall-predicted-in-california-budget.html?smid=tw-share

It's becoming more and more critical to take advantage of point opportunities and free travel as it becomes available, given everyone's dollar being stretched to the brink.  The issues talked about above will continue to affect my area within higher education, and I hope that they figure out a solution to the problem fast.

What kinds of strategies have you employed to make your travel plans a reality? 

Zurich on a layover

Sure, just when I think that I won't have a lot of time to make a travel post, I discover one today!  And in my preferred city no less...


http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/11/travel/zurich-stopover-hurry/index.html?hpt=tr_c1