Travel Apps :: SkyMall

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Don't lie, I know you look forward to flipping through the weird and wonderful pages of the SkyMall catalogue each time you fly. Even if you've just read it on the way there, it's still just as interesting a few days later on the way home. Oh SkyMall, your gadgets and gizmos not only provide incredible reading entertainment, but some are not half-bad: like the swirl 'n go smoothie maker or telescoping gutter cleaning tool!  On the other hand, some items are just plain weird, like this zombie head that sticks out of your garden (26 people have even reviewed it, wow) or this great white shark sculpture.

Now you can get access to all these things, at 0 versus 35,000 feet with SkyMall's mobile app!

SkyMall App Details

• free
• works with iPhone, iTouch, iPad and blackberry
• you don't need an internet connection to browse, you just put items in your 'cart' and checkout next time you have a wifi connection
• entire catalogue available
  • search by product name or catalog number
  • category list helps you browse through thousands of items
  • creative gift finder makes shopping fun
  • read detailed product descriptions
  • view product star ratings

PS - if you want to read a REALLY funny weekly column about SkyMall products, find it each Monday on Gadling.

Other Travel Apps we’ve Reviewed

• OnTheFly
• Photoshop Express Mobile
• Happy Hour Apps
• Fairmont Hotels & Resorts App
• Disneyland Apps
• Ultraviolet Rays
• Wine Touring in BC
• Air Canada
• BC Ferries Tracker
• 6 Free Camping Apps
• Epicurious
• BorderWait
• OpenWays
• TripIt
• Trip Advisor
• StayHIP
• Trip Journal
• Bug Spray
• CameraBag
• Convert Everything
• GateGuru
• Kindle for iPhone
• Packing Pro
• Skype
• World Fact Book
• AAA/CAA Savings
• Royal Caribbean
• Medical Concierge
• Near Me BC
• Postman Postcard
• 2010 Guide
• Nat’l Geo World Atlas
• hostelworld.com
• kayak first class
• flight control (game)

Q&A :: Code-Share Flights

Question If you book a code share-flight, where do you check-in? [Have travel questions you want answered? Send us an email and your question could be answered in our Q&A series!]

Answer Checking in If you're on a code-sharing flight, check-in at the operating airline's desk! If you check-in online, do so with the carrier from which you purchased your ticket.

Code-Sharing Code-sharing is ultimately a revenue-sharing agreement allowing airlines to extend their reach into cities outside of their regular routes by selling tickets on a partner's flight. Therefore, there's always an operating and selling/partner carrier(s). For example, let's say there's a flight from Vancouver to San Francisco operated by United, yet Air Canada and Air New Zealand (also Star Alliance members) are also selling tickets under their own flight codes for that flight. This triple code-share flight would have flight codes looking something like: UA102 for United (operating carrier), AC105 for Air Canada and ANZ 229 for Air New Zealand (partner/selling carriers).

Code Sharing Facts

• airlines don't typically code-share outside of their alliance, for example, Star Alliance or One World
• the selling and operating airline are required to be disclosed during the purchase process, as well as on your ticket and boarding pass
• the selling/partner carriers should always be identified on the terminal's status boards and at the gate
• need to change your itinerary or seat on your code-share flight? This is where things get tricky. Most airlines will suggest you contact the carrier that sold you the ticket, which may or may not be the operator.

Last year when flying from Milan to New York, I booked an Alitalia flight, checked-in at an Alitalia desk, and boarded an Alitalia plane, in other words, Alitalia was the operating airline. I learned after, this flight was apparently a Delta code-share. Upon arriving into JFK, customs would not accept that I was on an Alitalia flight, they wanted me to say Delta, so after a few words, I told them I was on a "Delta" flight. Trip Styler Tip: take note if you see if your flight is a code-share, in case you're asked.

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[image by rocksee]

Euro Month :: Tuscany's Lucca

[trip style = sightseeing + wine tasting]

For our second installment of Euro Month, we're heading about an hour inland from the Cinque Terre to Tuscany. Tagging along with friends to the fortified city of Lucca, we discovered the joys of strolling through antique markets, winding our way into magnificent piazzas, eating out and trying our hand at cooking the region's cuisine and trying to burn off the calories biking!

For us, Lucca was all about activity and eating: biking and walking, followed by wining and dining. Even with the activity, I left a little plumper---not sure how Italian women stay so slender with croissants and pasta cat-calling them on every street corner. To compliment our immersive eating adventures, I wish I could say we actually went to wineries, which was actually part of the plan, but we didn't. After a long journey cycling along a busy road with huge big rigs passing us just a little too close, we opted for a safe type of wine tasting: with our meals at restaurants.

Biking {Lucca is a fortified city with a unique feature: you can bike, walk or run for approximately 4km along the top of the walls around the city}

{Looking into the city from the outer walls ~ the towers are left over from days of old and used to be where prosperous silk-trading families took up residence}

{More biking along the base of the 12ft fortified walls}

{Typical scene from the top of the walls looking in}

{Biking outside the fortification checking out the old aqueducts}

Eating {One of the most fun lunches while in Lucca: after biking for a few hours---and a fruitless non-encounter with wineries---we found a restaurant on top of the city's outer walls. There we enjoyed a long lunch with pasta, salad and wine, then got back on our bikes and kept on riding! In this pic: our friends and fellow prosecco-lovers.}

{I had to take a picture of this menu ~ see if you can spot the reference to "carpet-shells." I have no idea what those are, but perhaps the joke's on me?}

{Enamored by the throngs of fresh food shops, we decided to make use of our accommodation's mini kitchen and eat in one night. In this pic: naked ravioli awaiting its sauce. Soooo good.}

{After our "home"-cooked meal, we went out to this picturesque locale for some prosecco...}

{Open-air drinks in a restaurant mid-piazza ~ there were so many I don't remember which one this was...I think it was Piazza dell'Anfiteatro}

Out & About in Lucca {Walking into a Piazza}

{Tall, colourful buildings tightly hugged all the walkways}

{Love Tuscany's version of a garage, it's like art}

{Just another day aimlessly walking in the beautiful and cozy streets in Lucca}

Related Content Euro Month :: Italian Riviera

Travel Trends :: Low Season Pep Talk

I love this time of year! Autumn colours and showers prompt most people to cozy-up and prep for the coming cold. Not me. The turning leaves remind me of low season travel deals, and the falling rain motivates me to plot---or trip style---my fall and winter escapes!

Why Every year at this time, destinations like Hawaii, the Caribbean and sunny US states like Florida, Arizona and California pine for visitors. Why? Summer has hopefully provided a steady supply of vitamin D, and the back-to-school or getting-back-into-the-swing-of-things culture---whether you have kids or not---seems to be embedded in all of us. Places to be and people to see rings true in the fall, making travel a far-fetched reality for most.

Low Season Inspiration But, it doesn't always have to be that way. Be part of the trend of smarty pants who travel in low season. There's value in zigging when others zag. Prices usually drop up to 70% off highs, you get the added benefit of more attention from hotel staff and encounter fewer crowds. Win, win, win. If kids aren't in the picture, the bazillions of mouth-watering travel deals are yours for the picking, and if they are: babysitter + extended weekend + paying less to travel = relaxation!

Zig When Others Zag :: Fall Travel Ideas

• Cruises
  • Technically the hurricane season lasts until mid-November, but the weather-monitoring systems and gps aboard cruise ships allow your captain to re-route at the first hint of trouble.
  • Just yesterday I saw a 4-day Miami-Bahamas-Miami NCL cruise from $129/person leaving on various dates!
• Caribbean
  • Again, most of the Caribbean is susceptible to hurricanes during the fall, but some resorts offer hurricane guarantees, in addition to certain areas having less propensity to be hit by a disaster (more on those areas next week!). Note, hurricane guarantees can be tricky so make sure, you a) find out if the resort has one before you leave, and b) read the fine print!
  • Also yesterday I saw a flight to St. Lucia (from various ports of departure in Canada) & accommodation for $574 (incl taxes)--not the nicest hotel, but hey, you're in St. Lucia for 'pennies' (relatively speaking). Enough said.
• Hawaii
  • Two years ago at this time my husband and I booked a last-min trip to Maui a few days before we left, and last year we got even crazier and booked a Saturday morning departure on Friday night!  In one instance, we booked our accommodation by phone on the way to the airport. In low season you can take risks like this because supply outweighs demand. Encountering fewer people on every inch of available sand, and getting seats in restaurants right away helped soothe my soul deeper into the Aloha culture.
  • At this time of year, it is not uncommon to find return, direct flights from Seattle to Honolulu or Maui for less than $400 per person. If you fly out of Vancouver, finding a WestJet or AirCanada seat sale can get you there an back in the $400 - $700 range.
  • Note that WestJet has a Autumn Getaway Sale ending tonight and so does Air Canada.
• Continental US
  • Snowbirds haven't flown South, kids are back in school and most people are (or think they are) too busy to jet-set below the 49th parallel. Too bad really, because this time of year offers enjoyable temperatures in places like Palm Springs, Scottsdale and Vegas. Fewer people visiting = more incentive for airlines, hotels and tourism boards to taunt you with reduced rates.

If you can't make a vacation work this fall, why not schedule one for next fall and join the smarty pants who pay less for travel success!

Travel Medicine Trip Prep

Ever taken a trip abroad, fallen ill and didn't have your preferred medication? I have, many times. Searching for the correct medication in a foreign country can be daunting, frustrating and fruitless, sometimes resulting in the purchase of a wrong or ineffective med. In the spirit of easy preventative measures, here are some basic pre-trip preparations that can save time, money, and physical and emotional well-being while abroad:

Prep

• Eat yogurt
  • For up to a month before you leave, eating yogurt is an effective way to encourage good bacteria in your system and guard against a sudden and continued need to sit on the 'throne'
• Get lots of sleep
  • Whether you're traveling in your own time zone or across multiple, preparing for your trip with the right amount of sleep will help your immune system's natural defenses to run at full-throttle
• Vitamin C is your friend
  • Prior to and during a trip I always take at least one Emergen-C (or Redoxin-B or C) a day to naturally boost my immunity and energy
  • Trip Styler Tip: next time you're in the US, stock up on Emergen-C, it's about $8 there and $22 in Canada
• Pack
  • Bring a medical kit that's custom-tailored to your needs
• Insurance
  • Make sure you have appropriate insurance coverage for your age, number of days away, etc...
  • Trip Styler Tip: Check your medical plan's fine print, I just found out mine offers travel medical for up to 6 months away

Hit me with your Big Shot Most trips outside your continent usually involve making an appointment at your local travel medical clinic to become informed about the potential hazards of the countries you're visiting, learn how to minimize health risks and inquire about preventative vacinations or medications. This visit should take place approximately 1 - 3 months prior to your departure. While there, the nurse practitioner or Doctor will suggest the precautions you should take based on the threats in the area you're traveling to, find out what vaccinations you already have, and suggest a list of medications and vaccinations you'll need. Just like any experience with a Doctor, some will have different opinions than others.

Mini Medi Kit Consider including the following in your travel medical kit:

• All the regular suspects like antiseptic wound cleanser, adhesive bandages (even just for blisters), eye drops, medical tape, scissors and safety pins, antihistamines
• Hand sanitizer
• Insect repellent
• Insect bite treatment
• Personal medications
• Meds you think you might need given past experiences like pepto tablets, cold & flu pills, ibuprofen or acetaminophen, allergy pills, etc...

[source emedicine]

Additional Resources BC Centre for Disease Control ~ Travel & Health US Center for Disease Control & Prevention ~ CDC Yellow Book

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