Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Travel Tip #60 - Should you Buy the Travel Insurance?

     Typically, I don't purchase warranties, product insurance or travel insurance. I figure that the people offering the warranty are making money off of the deal, so you would be much better off saving the money in your own little emergency fund that over time will more than cover any benefits you would have gotten from a successful claim or two.
     Last fall, my mother needed a travel companion for a tour she wanted to take in Israel. I agreed to go with her and we purchased the tickets 6 months ahead of time. Since my mother felt strongly about buying the travel insurance, we did it. A few months later, the CO-VID 19 virus started spreading in China. Our tour guide monitored the situation closely and finally decided to cancel the tour about a month before we were supposed to go. We immediately filed a claim, feeling lucky that we purchased the insurance. It was the start of a 3 1/2 month headache.
     Within a couple of weeks, we got a notice from AIG (the company who sold us the insurance) saying that our claim had been denied because it didn't exactly fit the description of what was covered as specified in the fine print. By the time we received notice of the denial, additional factors had occurred that we felt strengthened our case: Israel had issued a mandatory 2-week quarantine of all visitors; Israel then shut their doors to all foreigners; Austria (where we were supposed to have a layover) was closing its borders to foreign visitors; and then our flight was cancelled. Armed with all these additional factors, we resubmitted our claim. Again it was denied, citing their very specific fine print of which cases would covered and claiming that our situation didn't qualify.
     I was incensed. This time I called the company and voiced my complaints. The lady I talked to said that I shouldn't worry about it because the airlines would grant us credit for the cancelled flight. I explained that we didn't want the credit because we weren't sure when or if we would have the opportunity to use it within their time frame and that because we had purchased the insurance we deserved a complete refund. When she informed me that she wasn't authorized to grant our claim, I asked to speak to her supervisor. I was placed on hold for an hour without any indication that the call would ever be continued and finally hung up.
     We filed a third claim, submitting additional documentation that showed that our situation did indeed meet the conditions in the fine print, but this time, we got the runaround. The different people assigned to our case kept requesting documentation that we had already submitted and took weeks to respond to our e-mails despite their company's assurance that most requests receive answers within 10-15 days. We decided to recruit help by filing a complaint with the California Department of Insurance. Finally, 3 1/2 months later, we got an e-mail saying that our claim had been granted. I'm not sure what eventually coerced the company to finally grant our claim; but we were pleasantly surprised, having already given up any hope of seeing the money again.
     Should you buy the travel insurance? That's up to you. All I know is that I will never again purchase travel insurance that is conditional upon the fine print.
   

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Spotlight: Houston - The Johnson Space Center & Space Center Houston (NASA)

Spotlight: Fifty years ago (July 20, 1969) was one of those landmark dates in history - the day man walked on the moon. Neil Armstrong, the first human being to step on a extraterrestrial landmass, stated, "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind."
Apollo 11 crew
     The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was founded in 1958 as an independent organization of the U.S. Federal Government. The new agency was given the directive to pursue peaceful applications in space scienceincluding the Apollo Moon Landing missions, the Skylab space station, the Space Shuttlesupporting the International Space Station, overseeing the development of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, the Space Launch System and Commercial Crew vehicles.
     The Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas is the central hub of NASA operations, but is just one of several facilities run by the organization throughout the nation.

Location: The Johnson Space Center is located at 2101 E. NASA Parkway in Houston, TX - about a 30-minute drive from downtown Houston.

Cost: Space Center Houston ticket prices: adults - $29.95, children (4-11) - $24.95, seniors (65+) - $27.95. An audio tour option is available for an additional $6/ticket.

Time: The Space Center is open from 10am - 5pm on weekdays and 9am - 6pm on weekends. During the summer, it stays open an extra hour on weekdays. Plan on spending at least a half-day there. Space geeks could spend a full day there and still want more.

Description: The Johnson Space Center has a variety of fun activities. When we went in 2014, they had a Mars exhibit with different activities that simulated the Martian environment. We did the Mars Walk, a Freefall, a glider ride simulation, etc.
Mars Walk

Glider simulation

Freefall
     There were lots of hands on displays that allowed you to perform several tasks that astronauts had to perform remotely or in the confines of their space suits. The girls also got to experience a blastoff simulation.


Blastoff
     Naturally, we went on a tour of the space station, which included the Astronaut Gallery, the Mission Control Center, and several buildings that housed outdated space equipment at Rocket Park. By inspecting them up close, you get a good idea of how massive some of these vehicles are.
Saturn Rocket

Mission Control Center

cockpit of Space Shuttle Independence
Rating: 5 stars (out of 5)

Things You Should Know: - In order to visit the Johnson Space Center, you must book a tour through Space Center Houston.
- The Zero-G Diner is available if you are there through lunch time.
- The grounds are huge, and you probably won't have time to do everything. The top attractions at Space Center Houston include: 1) The Orion Simulator and Starship Gallery; 2) The Moon Rock Gallery; 3) Independence Plaza; 4) The Neutral Buoyancy Lab; 5) Mission Control; 6) Space Vehicle Mockup Facility; and 7) Rocket Park.
- Keep tabs on the time so that you don't miss out on your timed Independence Plaza tour of the space shuttle as well as your tour of the Johnson Space Center.
- The Johnson Space Center is still actively used to prepare astronauts for space exploration. The Orion program is currently preparing to send humans to the Moon, Mars and beyond.
- For a detailed itinerary of how to spend your day, click here.

Nearby: Downtown Aquarium, Dolphin Excursion, Minute Maid Park, Nolan Ryan Museum

Sunday, December 2, 2018

Spotlight: Anchorage - Tony Knowles Coastal Trail

Spotlight: The Tony Knowles Coastal Trail is one of the most beautiful coastal trails in the nation. The eleven mile trail goes from Elderberry Park to Kincaid Park and only has slight elevation changes along its course. Open all year, the trail is popular for a wide variety of activities: hiking, biking, rollerblading, jogging and even skiing. Keep your eyes open along the trail and you might spot moose, whales, eagles, or even a wolf. The Trail features a portion of the Anchorage Light Speed Planet Walk, designed to show to scale the size of the planets and their relative distance to the sun. Each step is roughly equivalent to the distance light travels in one second.

Location: The Tony Knowles Coastal Trail begins at Elderberry Park at 1297 W. 5th Avenue (in the northwest section of Anchorage), and winds its way 11 miles along the coast to Kincaid Park at 9401 Raspberry Road on the western part of the city (just southwest of the airport).

Cost: The trail is free, but I would recommend renting a bike since there are a couple of bike rental shops nearby.

Time: You can spend as little or as much time as you like exploring the trail and the parks along the way, but most people will probably spend 2-4 hours. To walk the entire distance of the Anchorage Light Speed Planet Walk (see link above) will take you about 5 1/2 hours (each way).

Description: After renting bikes, we made our way to the trailhead at Elderberry Park. We then continued along the paved trail through the mud flats along the northern side of the trail (by the bay). It was nice, but I wasn't overly impressed. We stopped to look at the salmon run at Chester Creek, then continued on, admiring the mansions along the southern side of the trail. Soon it entered a forested section of the trail which was stunning. At that point, you would have no clue that Alaska's largest city was only a couple of miles away. We took the turnoff to explore Earthquake Park, which revisits the devastating earthquake of 1964 which reached a magnitude of 9.2 the largest quake ever recorded in North America. From there the trail went around the airport to Kincaid Park, but we turned around because the rain was picking up and we were wet and cold.



Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)

Things You Should Know: - Be prepared for precipitation or cold. The weather can change suddenly, so you should dress in layers and have a poncho handy.
- Although Pablo's Bike shop is closer, we found better prices at another shop just north of the train station.
- Anchorage is decked out in beautiful wild flowers during the summer months.
Resolution Park (statue of Captain James Cook)

wild flowers
Nearby: Westchester Lagoon, Alaska Aviation Museum, Lake Hood Seaplane Base, Resolution Park
Lake Hood Seaplane Base

Sunday, October 28, 2018

Spotlight: Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center

Spotlight: "The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center is a nonprofit organization that takes in orphaned and injured animals from the wild and provides refuge for them. With the purchase of an admission ticket, you can choose between driving the 1.5-mile loop or enjoy your time and walk through the beautiful landscape. Our resident animals include brown bear, black bear, moose, muskox, caribou, wolves, birds, porcupine, wood bison, elk and more! Free to all visitors is the daily animal programs that show an in-depth interaction between animal care staff and our resident animals." The Center is located on about 700 acres at the head of the Turnagain Arm at the entrance to Portage Valley along the Seward Highway. Originally opened in 1993 as Big Game Alaska, it became a non-profit organization in 1999 and renamed itself the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center.

Location: The Conservation Center is located at Mile 79 Seward Highway near Girdwood south of Anchorage.

Cost: $15/adult (18-64), $12/seniors & active military, $10/youth (7-17); The Walk on the Wildside Tour costs $100/person (includes price of admission)

Time: Open daily, but hours of operation vary from month to month. Plan on spending about 2 hours.

Description: The Conservation Center was a last-minute addition to our trip, yet one of the neatest things we did. The enclosures are much larger than most zoos, allowing the animals to roam freely within their habitats. Boardwalks and high fences allow visitors to get close up views of the massive animals that include grizzly bears, black bears, moose, elk, bison, caribou, wolves and more than a dozen other creatures. Although you can drive the 1.5 mile loop, we decided to walk it so as to go at our own pace without worrying about who was behind us or trying to find a parking spot at the designated areas.
Elk

Muskox

Black Bear
     My favorite habitat was the grizzly bears. As we walked along the raised boardwalk we spotted one of the grizzlies lounging in the stream. Suddenly, the other grizzly came around a bend in the hill about ten meters away. The first grizzly hopped up and the two stared at each other for about five seconds before the second one started chasing the first one. When he caught up with the first one, they wrestled for a bit before resuming their own separate activities.
Grizzlies sizing each other up


     We also really enjoyed watching the wolves getting fed. When we first walked by the wolf enclosure, we couldn't see any wolves; which apparently were hiding in the tall grass. As soon as the workers showed up, so did the wolves. As the workers tossed dead rats over the fence, they answered our questions and pointed out the dynamics of the pack. At the end, they led us in a wolf howl, and one of the four wolves even joined in. We also got to see a young black bear being fed. The trainer actually went into the enclosure and interacted with the bear as she fed him right from the palm of her hand.
Leader of the pack

Wolf Howl

Feeding Time
     My daughter preferred the herbivores. Her favorite was the caribou. One of them had the largest rack I've ever seen on any deer.
Caribou
Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)

Things You Should Know: - Guests are encouraged to dress appropriately: solid, comfortable footwear, hats, rain gear, sun block, etc.
- Be sure to check the daily schedule for feeding times of different animals.
- The Walk on the Wildside Tour is a 90 minute walking tour available for guests 10 and up. The tour is offered daily from May 1 - Sept. 30 at 10:00 am and 3:30 pm (rain or shine). During the remainder of the year it is offered at noon. Although I'm sure the tour is great, you can take your own self-guided tour for the price of admission.

Nearby: Portage Valley Cabins & RV Park, Alyeska Resort & Hotel Alyeska, Seven Glaciers Restaurant, Double Musky Inn

Sunday, September 2, 2018

Spotlight: Salt Lake City - The Leonardo

Spotlight: The Leonardo is a museum dedicated to open your mind to new possibilities and discover your inner genius. The museum opened its doors in 2011 with the goal to open visitors' minds to explore possibilities in the fields of science, math, technology and art. Its educational philosophy is based on the methods of its namesake - Leonardo da Vinci who continually allowed his curiosity to guide his experiments. Unfortunately, the museum has been plagued by financial woes since opening its doors, and may be forced to close unless it can find a way to improve its fortunes.

Location: The Leonardo Museum is located in Library Square at 209 E 500 S, Salt Lake City, UT. 

Cost: $12.95/adult, $8.95/child (3-12), $9.95/senior, student or military

Time: Open daily from 10:00 am - 5:00 pm. Plan on spending from 1-3 hours.

Description: The Leonardo hosts a variety of different exhibits. FLIGHT is an interactive exhibit that allows visitors to learn about different human experiments with flight over the years, with successes and failures documented in film. Visitors can explore a massive C-131 aircraft that helps them discover the secrets of flight. Two flight simulators allow visitors to experience what it is like to pilot one of these massive vehicles.

     Perception: The Illusion of Reality helps visitors explore how their brains work - distorting, adding or subtracting elements from reality in order to make sense of what their senses (particularly hearing, sight and touch) are telling them. My daughter was fascinated by the optical illusions.


     Woman/Women celebrates the achievements of women through the course of history including several contemporary women who are helping to shape the world today. It includes a film entitled 50/50 by Emmy-nominated filmmaker Tiffany Shlain.
     The Innovation Showcase highlights inventions that have changed the world, focusing particularly on inventions by Utahns - such as the Frisbee, the artificial heart and television.
     The Young Inventors Garden allows young inventors to explore their own creativity through Legos, puzzles and a variety of other interactive experiences.

far away view

close up view
     Other attractions include: the O.C. Tanner Atrium, Leonardo's Workshop, Leonardo's Studio and Leonardo's Laboratory.

Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)

Things You Should Know: - You need to provide ID to get the student or military discount.
- Entrance fees to the Leonardo are covered if you have an active Salt Lake Pass.
-Parking is available below Library Square.

Nearby: Salt Palace Convention Center, Clark Planetarium, Gilgal Sculpture Garden, Tracy Aviary

Sunday, August 12, 2018

Spotlight: Kenai Fjords National Park

Spotlight: Kenai Fjords National Park was established in 1980 to protect the Harding Icefield and the animals that live there. The Harding Icefield contains almost 40 glaciers. In the frigid waters of the bay, and the pristine forests of the peninsula and nearby islands, a delicate ecosystem thrives. Some of the animals that live here are: orcas, humpback whales, seals, sea lions, otters, puffins, ducks, geese, porpoises, herring, salmon, bears, moose, mountain goats, wolverines, marmots, beavers, rabbits and myriad fish and birds. The only road in the park goes from Seward to the Exit Glacier Nature Center, located at the northeastern edge of the park. The best way to explore the park is on one of the many boat tours departing out of Seward and Whittier daily. Some of these tours have a park ranger directing your attention to points of interest - such as animals and glaciers - and provide a wealth of knowledge about the park.
cliffs with waterfalls

islands poking up from the sea

Location: Kenai Fjords National Park is located on the Kenai Peninsula in near the town of Seward.

Cost: Free - no entrance fee or charge for camping at Exit Glacier campground. Public use cabins are available for $75/night. Commercial boat tours can range anywhere from $75/adult to $250/adult. 

Time: Although the park is open all year, the vast majority of visitors come between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Minimal services are available the rest of the year. During the summer, the Kenai Fjords National Park Visitor Center (in Seward) is open from 9:00 am - 7:00 pm. The Exit Glacier Nature Center is open from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm. Plan on spending 1-2 hours at Exit Glacier. Boat or kayaking tours can be a few hours or all day.

Description: The Exit Glacier Nature Center has several different displays on glaciers, climate change and the animals that live within the park boundaries. From there, a wheelchair-accessible loop trail lead to the Glacier Overlook. There are other more rugged trails that lead to the edge of Exit Glacier as well as other points in the Harding Icefield. Exit Glacier is shrinking, and signposts along the way show where the edge of the glacier was at various years since the late 1800's, helping visitors realize how quickly it is actually shrinking. As the ice field shrinks, a lush, temperate rainforest has grown in the fertile soil left behind.

Exit Glacier

Exit Glacier Nature Center

Signpost of where the glacier was in 2005 (to get perspective, look at the people on the far right)
     We took a boat tour of the fjords with Major Marine Tours. We took the 7 1/2 hour tour. Even though it was long, it exceeded our expectations. We saw several glaciers including close up views of Holgate Glacier and Aialik Glacier. At both glaciers we were able to witness ice calving from the glacier and dropping into the water. Although we were the mandated quarter mile away from the ice, we could clearly hear the ice crack, which was usually followed by chunks of ice dropping into the water. Although most of the chunks didn't look very big, the fact that we could clearly see them from a quarter mile away indicate that they were much bigger than we realized. One time in particular stands out - on that particular occasion, the cracking ice sounded like thunder, which was followed by a large sheet of ice crashing into the bay with a loud splash. 
Bear Glacier (the largest in the Harding Icefield)

Holgate Glacier

Aialik Glacier "calving"
     From there, we sailed among the island looking for sea life. We saw a handful of humpback whales, dozens of Steller Sea Lions, Harbor Seals and puffins, otters, eagles, kittiwakes and a porpoise.
whale

sea lions

puffin eating a fish

seals
Rating: 5 stars (out of 5)

Things You Should Know: - The road to the Exit Glacier Nature Center isn't plowed during winter months.
- Accommodations are available in nearby Seward. There is also a walk-in summer-use campground at Exit Glacier. Click here for more information on public use cabins.
- Ranger Programs are available between Memorial Day Weekend and Labor Day Weekend.

Nearby: Kachemak Bay State Park, Chugach State Park, Alaska SeaLife Center, Tustumena Lake

Wednesday, August 1, 2018

Spotlight: Denali National Park

Spotlight: Denali National Park and Preserve is centered around Denali (formerly known as Mount McKinley), the highest peak in North America. Denali means "The High One" in the native Athabaskan language. If you are lucky enough to see it, you'll understand why - it towers over most of the neighboring mountains. Mount McKinley National Park was originally established in 1917, after plans were drawn up by the Boone and Crockett Club and submitted to Congress Alaskan delegate James Wickersham. Visitation to the park was extremely sparse until the completion of Highway 3, which allowed motor vehicles access to the park from either Anchorage or Fairbanks. The park currently covers more than 6 million acres (larger than the entire state of New Hampshire), but is only serviced by the 91-mile long Denali Park Road (only a small portion of which is paved) extending from the park entrance to Kantishna.

Location: Denali National Park is located about halfway between Anchorage and Fairbanks. The easiest ways to get there are by taking Highway 3 or taking one of the trains that run between the two cities.
Train from Anchorage to Denali
Cost: A $10/person fee is collected year round. All day tours run about $180/person.

Time: Depending on the type of tour you wish to take, you can spend anywhere from 2 hours (self-guided tour) to 13+ hours (Kantishna bus tour) inside the park.

Description: Private vehicles are only permitted on the first fifteen miles of the Denali Park Road. If you wish to explore further, you may take a tour, use the transit bus service (for a fee), or obtain a backcountry permit.
     We took the Kantishna bus tour. This 13-hour tour took us along the entire stretch of road from the park entrance to the Kantishna Roadhouse. Along the way, our bus driver/tour guide gave us detailed information on the flora and fauna as well as historical background about the park. Anytime someone spotted wildlife, we stopped so that everyone could take pictures. It was an uncommonly good day to spot grizzly bears (we saw 13) but not moose (zero). We also saw six caribou, a handful of Dahl sheep (way up on a slope), several falcons, ptarmigans (Alaska's state bird), marmots and several ground squirrels.
Mother grizzly with her two cubs

caribou

Dahl sheep

falcon

ptarmigan

marmot
      We stopped at the Eielson Visitor Center where we had a great view of Denali (simply referred to as "the mountain"). We were lucky enough to be there on a day where we could actually see it. Evidently, only about 30% of tourists to Alaska even see part of the mountain. The entire mountain is only visible a few days a month on average.
Denali

The High One

Eielson Visitor Center
     The final stage of our journey took us past Wonder Lake to the Kantishna Roadhouse. There, we had a two hour break which included a nice lunch and an activity - either panning for gold or watching a sled dog presentation. We chose to see the sled dogs. Since there was no snow, they practice during the summer by pulling a four-wheeler around the ranch.



Rating: 5 stars (out of 5)

Things You Should Know: - No food service is offered beyond the park entrance area. Know how long you will be gone and be prepared with the appropriate food, drink, clothing and gear: hat, gloves, raingear, proper footgear, insect repellent, binoculars and camera.
- Summers in Denali are usually cool, wet and windy with occasional snow. In winter, the weather is more predictable - dark and snowy. From mid-September to mid-May, services are limited. The park road is only kept plowed to Park Headquarters (Mile 3.4). The backcountry can only be reached on snowshoes, skis or dogsled.
- If you plan on hiking, be aware that Denali is a true wilderness. Encounters with grizzly bears and/or moose can be extremely dangerous so be prepared by knowing how to respond.
- A free courtesy shuttle takes visitors from the Visitor Center to the Savage River (15 mile mark). For a fee, the transit bus service runs from mid-May to mid-September from the Wilderness Access Center to Toklat River (six hour round trip), Eielson Visitor Center (8 hours) and Wonder Lake (11 hours).
- Overnight backpacking trips require careful planning and a backcountry permit which is only available after an in-person orientation with a ranger at the Backcountry Information Center.
- Denali and Mount Foraker climbers must register 60 days prior to the start of their ascent and pay a special use fee. Contact the Talkeetna Ranger Station (907-733-2231).

"Somewhat" Nearby: Denali State Park, Susitna River, Chugach State Park, Nelchina Public Use Area