Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

This was my second time to the Australian Open so I was quite familiar with Melbourne.  Lots seemed to have changed though.

My flight landed on time and it took me about 30 minutes to clear the Immigration and Customs formalities even though I did not enter my middle name in my online visa (20 USD).  An official updated the record before I left the airport.

Outside the terminal, I asked by the hotels are for some local pricing.  The best she found was 185 AUD so I decided to try on my own in the city.  I had already checked out some hostels and also places on airbnb.com and the Hostels was 42 AUD while airbnb.com was 41 AUD.

The lady at the counter wanted to get me in the city for 15 AUD, so I asked if there was another way and she told me about the SkyBus which actually worked out better as it was 16 AUD one way and 26 AUD return; so I purchased the return as its good for a month.

They leave every 10 minutes and the route is well traveled.  Within 20 minutes I was at the Southern Cross Station in the heart of the city.  I looked up the Hostel using free WiFi from Hungry Jacks.  Burger King for the Americans .  I felt obliged to buy some fries so I did.

In about 30 minutes of leisurely walking I arrived at the Nomad Hostel found a room for two nights at about 50 AUD per night.  I got settled in and then headed out to the  Rod Lever Arena at the Open.

It was rather late now about 4p and people were already leaving the stadium.  I did meet two people who were quite cool so I snapped a photo with them.  I pressed on and joined a short queue for tickets.  I was told they were 25-32 AUD for ground passes which is all I wanted.  There was a guy selling two 66 AUD tickets for 100 AUD for a match in the Rod Laver Arena that night, but I had no interest.  As I waited, a guy came by and said he had two free gowned passes, did I want them; Why Yes I responded and gave one to a girl who was in a party of four next to me.

I scanned in and voila I was at the AUstralian Tennis Open 2012; what luck!

It was electric, there are people everywhere, booths and players.  I was able to see Kim Clijsters, Tomic and Andy Roddick practice which were all epic .

I just spent the rest of the time popping into matches in the various courts and left at about 7:05p as I was totally exhausted.  Here’s what I saw in pictures.

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Welcome to another episode of Travel Tip Tuesday.

This is Kerwin with Cruisinaltitude.com.

When you’re booking a…

Today’s Travel Tip is about booking hotels.

When you’re booking hotels, one of the key thing is to ensure that its actually close to where you want to get to or at least have transportation that will get you to where you want to go.

So for example, I was in Bordeaux once and booked a, I think it was Holiday Inn and they said that they were downtown, except they weren’t really downtown, they were near the main train station but they were actually on the other side of town.

So lots of hotels will put information that they are so far from the city. Just get their address, get to Google Maps put it in so you can be familiar with exactly where they are. This way when you get to your destination, you are not surprised and have to pay like a mega cab fare just to get back downtown.

Sometimes it’s even worth it just to stay downtown if you are going to have to do a lot of things in the city, the downtown area ‘cause going with a cab back and forth to your hotel will actually be quite costly.

So that’s your travel tip for today, this is Kerwin with Cruisinaltitude.com, Have a great trip.

First, let me say that I understand that you have a job to do and I’m glad its your job and not mine.  Thank you for performing it.  However, as a traveler, I’d love to just go the airport and get to my flight in a timely and professional manner; I know that you and your agents can make this dream a reality despite the things that the average person tries to take with them through security as well as your challenges.

I ask travelers everyday what is the most frustrating part of the travel experience and they always say “going through airport security with the TSA.”  Let me say that I’ve met some of your most excellent agents and others where I wished they had stayed home that morning.  The folks in the Midwest are super pleasant.

The sad thing is that this initial experience transcend throughout the journey and this makes the entire trip a drag for travelers.

With that said, I’d like to draw your attention to the top 10 reasons why myself and other travelers are uber frustrated when we fly due to your procedures:

1. You have zero provisions for customers running late; create some.
• We are humans and the world over, we run late. Sometimes its our fault, other times, its not.  So, please devise a method for those customers to get through the process if they are running late. Explaining this to your agents always ends up in shrugging shoulders as we are talking to a stone wall.
2. Take a trip to a foreign country such as Germany or Japan and see how their procedure is done. We can always learn from each other.
• I can easily tell the U.S. customers when I travel as they are the ones taking off belts and shoes, taking out computers, etc. without being requested to do so.  I suggest you and your agents taking trips abroad and learning how other countries, with just as much at stake, process customers through security.  Its so much more pleasant there; no one yells at me and I can actually have a conversation with the agents without being eyed for extra screening.
3. Listen to your customers. You assume I’m a terrorist, just because I dare to ask you a question about the process; whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty?
• I still have some rights, so if I ask a question about a process to which I’m subjected, please give me the courtesy of an answer, without the attitude. Its really the attitude, that gets everyone.
4. Your definition of random does not correlate to the Oxford dictionary’s definition
• I’m always selected for the extra radiation screening when I travel due to being randomly selected.  But I’m “randomly” selected in every airport I use.  Seriously?  I once challenged your officer as I realized he was profiling me, he then allowed myself and some others to go through the normal magnetometer.
• When you select me for extra screening, I’m put in a ‘holding cell’ and someone shouts out some kind of command and everyone then looks my way.  How embarrassing.  Please device a more customer friendly method to accomplish this task.
5. Don’t shout at me
• You do not have to shout at me to get me to take off my shoes, take out my computer, take off my belt and take all the crap out of my pockets.  A normal tone does suffice.
6. You make me take out all the crap from my pockets and then rush me to put them all back after I get through your machine
• How about figuring out a better way to process me than have me take everything out of my pocket?  And don’t rush me after I’ve taken out all the stuff from my pocket and tell me Im holding up the line.  its not my fault that I had to take them out in the first place.
7. Treat passengers with dignity and respect
• Not everyone flies everyday and many people are not familiar with the procedure.
• Also, if I say good morning to one of your agents, I expect the same in return.  This does not happen as often as it should.
8. You have a terrible job to do, but please use common sense; it can be done.
9. Use your better agents to teach the others
• I’ll have one good experience for every 8 or so flight I take.
10. Don’t make the terrorist win.

Thank you for listening.

Readers: what are your suggestions for the TSA Administrator?  Please leave a comment below and/or share with your fellow travelers.

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It’s Tuesday, so it must be time for Travel Tip Tuesday from Cruisinaltitude.com.

This is Kerwin and I’m up here in Portland, OR.  Behind me, you can see I-84 and also those mountains you see in the back is actually Washington state and I’m actually in Oregon state.

That river I think is the Columbia River that separates the two.

Well when you travel and you meet other people and if they are taking pictures of each other such as a couple and ones taking pictures of the other, just offer to take the picture of them together.

Now people are going to be skeptical ‘cause you know, there are stories of people running off with other people’s camera.  But usually if you have a camera over your shoulder or your friendly enough, people will allow you to take a picture of them.  Just be nice, say hello, say hey you know do you mind if I take the picture or would you like me to take a picture of you both.

And usually, they’ll say Yes if you don’t look threatening.

That’s another travel tip from Cruisinaltitude.com for Travel Tip Tuesday.

Click here to view the embedded video.

This is Kerwin with Cruisinaltitude.com and welcome to another episode of Travel Tip Tuesday.

Today’s episode is about “Getting a seat assignment when you book an airline ticket.”

So one of the things about travel is that people oftentimes complain about the seats that they receive.

Now to get the seats you want, you have to make sure that when you book your ticket you try to get a seat assignment.

Now if you book your ticket way in advance, you’re probably not going to be able to get a seat assignment, so what you should do is about 60 days in check the airline’s Web site to see if you can get a seat assignment.

If that doesn’t work, try again about 30 days in and keep trying until you get a seat assignment.

The reason is that when you get to the airport if you don’t have a seat assignment you’re probably going to be one of those that will get bumped if the flight is overbooked.

Now bumping is not a bad thing as you usually get a seat on a different flight (sometimes in First class) as well as a travel voucher.

But if you want to make sure that you and your family sit together when you buy your ticket try to get a seat.

That’s your Travel Tip for today. This is Kerwin with Cruisinaltitude.com.

Have a great flight.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Welcome to another episode of Travel Tip Tuesday.  This is Kerwin with Cruisinaltitude.com.

And as you can see, its Christmas, so Merry Christmas, Happy New Year when it comes and today’s Travel Tip talks about “Getting a Designated Driver.”

So when you go out partying for Christmas no matter where you’re traveling, make sure you have someone who’s going to drive for you if you drink.  No drinking and driving and if you don’t have anyone to drive for you, call a cab.

That’s your travel tip from Kerwin with Cruisinaltitude.com.

Have a Great Trip.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Welcome to another episode of Travel Tip Tuesday.

This is Kerwin with Cruisinaltitude.com.

Today’s tip is going to be about Hotels. (Join the hotels Loyalty Programs).

So, when you travel, its always good that you are a member of the Frequent Stayer Programs of the hotels.

And the reason for this is tantamount. Let’s say you were arriving in a destination first thing in the morning for example.  Most hotels will charge you an extra amount to check-in early or they won’t allow you to check-in until 3:00p that day.  Well usually, if you are a member of the frequent stayer program, they’ll let you check-in early (subject to availability of course).

Another thing too is that they’ll let you check out late which is sometimes very key if you have a late afternoon flight from say an international destination or just from anywhere.

Another thing they will let you do is that some of the hotels have these Clubs and you can get complimentary breakfasts at the clubs, cocktail hour at the clubs in the afternoons, and complimentary WiFi.

So when you think about it, the rates that you pay might not be so much as you get all these little amenities added to it.  So the key is when you travel, make sure you become a member of the hotel programs.

Now there’s lots of them out there, see the list below this video.  There’s the Starwood program, Marriott Rewards, Hyatt Regency program and the list goes on and on.

So when you go make sure that you sign up for the hotel frequent stayer programs and ensure that you get credit for every stay.

This is Kerwin with Cruisinaltitude.com, have a great trip and its the Holiday season so have a great Holiday.

Happy Hanukkah.

Happy Kwanza

and have a Merry Christmas.

Hotel Loyalty Programs

• Accor Hotels A|Club
• Best Western Reward Points
• Choice Privileges
• Hilton HHonors
• Hyatt Gold Passport
• IHG Priority Club Rewards
• La Quinta Returns
• Marriott Rewards
• SPG
• Starwood
• Wyndham By Request

Although Hong Kong was handed over to China a few years back, a visa is not required if you are a U.S. citizen, so that makes it really easy to get to since there are several nonstop flights from the U.S. Including Continental Airlines (now United) from Newark, Chicago and San Francisco as well as Cathay Pacific from New York-JFK, Chicago and Los Angeles plus nonstop from Vancouver, BC Canada.  Air Canada (AC) also flies from Vancouver as well.

The likes of Air France (AF), British Airways (BA), KLM (KL), Lufthansa (LH) and Virgin Atlantic Airways (VS) will get you there from Europe.  So you can throw out the excuse you were cooking up.  This coupled with many connections out of Asia gives you no reason not to check out this great city.

You can decide to head east or west it does not matter you’ll get there about the same time on Sunday a.m. if you leave the U.S. Friday p.m.  The eastbound option allows you to work a full day while the westbound option have you working 1/2 a day or possibly taking the entire Friday off depending on where you live in the U.S.  If you are in Europe, you get even more time in Hong Kong.

Its very easy to get around the city, either by ferry or subway is the cheapest.  Getting from the airport to the city works well as you can take the train.  Once in the city, you can get to all parts of the city.

My favorite place to hang out is Stanley Market as the bargains are fantastic if you know what you are looking for.  Next stop would be to get some suits made from the many tailors around the city.  If you had time you could do a side trip to either Macau like I did (visa on arrival) via a CAT complete with airplane seats , or head to Shenzen on mainland China for more shopping.  You can also get to mainland China easily from the trains stations in Hong Kong.

I’ve not done Shenzen as yet, but have flown in one morning, had breakfast, went shopping, visited Macau, came back to Hong Kong, had dinner at my friend’s hotel, then headed back to the airport and caught a Cathay Pacific flight to Los Angeles, CA (LAX).  All in a weekend i.e. Friday to Sunday p.m. arriving at work on Monday a.m. on the red eye from LAX.

One of my favorite memories of Hong Kong are the landings at the old Kai Tak airport.  The planes used to come over the city so low, you could read the registration information under the airplane.  If you jumped high enough you could almost touch them.  The noise was immense, but everyone loved it.  Today, the new airport Chep Lap Kok sits on a bay some distance from the city.  I had the pleasure of flying in on the second to last day of Kai Tak and flying out on the first day of Chep Lap Kok, but that’s for another post.

Here’s what my friend did with two of her girlfriends on her weekend extravaganza from the U.S. doing the eastbound route via London-Heathrow with British Airways (BA), then returning via Los Angeles, CA on Cathay Pacific (CX).

For this weekend trip we had about 10 hours to explore the city and do a quick foodie trip as well. Chep Lap Kok, Hong Kong (HKG) is a great airport in which to have a layover as there’s great shopping and restaurants to occupy your time.

Once we arrived, we took the train into the city (100 HKD).  From the train station in the city, we grabbed a quick bite at a bakery and then took a bus to our first stop, Victoria Peak, it was a beautiful clear day so there were alot of people there. I’d advise you to get there early to avoid long lines.  The view there was amazing, it’s one of the places from where you can see almost all of Hong Kong.

After that we waved down a taxi and asked the driver to take us to the nearest Dim Sum and shopping place. He took us to Soho where we had the authentic local Dim Sum experience at Lin Heung. We had to fight for an open table as well as food with the other customers.

After what some would call a stressful brunch we walked around Soho and stumbled upon Mak’s Noodle, they had freshly made egg noodles with wantons (this place Anthony Bourdain had visited before).

Then we shopped around the street markets and decided to take the subway to the gaint Buddha (Tian Tan Buddha) on Lan Tau Island. When we got there we decided to pay a little extra for the crystal gondola (its the gondolas with the clear bottoms) it is worth it as the lines back were about 15-30mins longer for the regular gondolas.  The ride took about 30mins to reach Ngong Ping the village near the giant Buddha.

As we were limited on time we ran past all the shopping and restaurants in that village to get to the monastery (about a 15 min walk but with all the crowds about 10 mins longer). Once inside you can take a tour inside the Buddha and walk up all the stairs. Be sure to watch the times and the lines because the gondola rides end at 5:30 p.m. and you will have to take a bus into the city if you miss the last gondola.

From there we headed back to the airport, it was a short 15 min ride and cost about 4 HKD.

Have you been to Hong Kong? What was it like for you?