Extra! Extra! I'm a guest poster on Spa Travel Gal!!!

Exciting news!

As most of you are aware, I'm fairly new to blogging.  So I was super excited to be asked to guest post on a fellow travel writer's site.

I met Ava, the mastermind behind "Spa Travel Gal", at an lounge in EWR last April.  My one hour flight was delayed four hours and I was considered what exactly you do in a domestic United lounge for that length of time.

She was in the same boat.

We started chatting and traded stories.  Turns out I had met a kindred spirit!

I started writing this blog a couple months after that and it's been a wonderful journey thus far.  So here's one more adventure to report, this one about a spa I visited in Bali.  Hope you like it!

Check it out! 

Where am I?

Update: Zoe got it right!  The Reed Flute Cave in Guilin, China.  An absolutely gorgeous stop, especially for photographers obsessed with light.  They illuminate the rock formations with different colors, some of the ceilings soaring far overhead while others you could reach out and brush with your fingertips.  The part of the cave below is an ending point, but a spectacular one.

Bring your camera and have some fun, then head down the river to Yangshou for an adorably rural town that gives you a true sense of the charms of China.

***

This week we're trying an indoor scene.  Just a very famous cave... but do you know where it is?

Booking flights: A bit of a treasure hunt

Last night I was laying on my sofa.  The TV was on mute, images flashing by in quasi-meaningful ways, my laptop perched on my knees while I investigated what wonders the internet had on offer.  In the process, I reran an old search on kayak that I had been eyeing about a week ago.

Sometimes I like to check flight prices or routings; see where I can go and how much it's going to set me back.  Sometimes I'm lucky and a truly ridiculous route pops up, one of the ones you just have to shake your head at because no one in their right mind would ever book it.

For example, did you know you can go from Toronto to Belize via London, U.K.?

Really!  Thank you British Airways!

Of course these crazy options come with equally crazy price tags, but they're useful to know about when it comes to booking an award flight where cost is less an issue and crazy routings make for cool layovers.

When I reran my search, I took a quick glance at the cities and dates but didn't look at much else.

The flights came up.  The lowest cost was $868 CAD from YYZ to BZE with one connection in IAH.

I was a bit disappointed.  You see, two weeks ago I could have gotten that flight for just shy of $600 CAD.  The Avianca option via SAL had been $622 CAD just the other day.  Now I was looking at over $200 CAD more.  I could argue that the flight with Avianca wasn't really an option for me, that I was looking at the United flight which had jumped to $741 CAD earlier in the week, but a 50% increase in price over a  two week interval was pretty stunning.

Then I noticed the booking class.

$868 CAD was the price for business class.

Well!

Well, well, well!  Not bad!  My $741 CAD United flight wasn't gone, but for $127 CAD more I could take that same flight in business class.  Of course it's only North American business class so it's nothing spectacular, but there is food involved, larger seats, and 50% more qualifying miles which will push me into their next tier.  Definitely worth it for me!

As it turned out, the friend joining me from the west coast was able to book the sale prices and we are set to meet in IAH.  A beautiful solution to a girl's getaway!

So my advice is this: play with your flight options before you make your choice.  You would expect that the results will be consistent, but sometimes you'll be surprised.  It's a bit of a treasure hunt, but if you strike gold you won't regret the time spent.

Where am I?

Update: Here I thought this was a hard one!  Good guess!

Poas Volcano is a gorgeous site a short drive outside of San Jose.  A private driver can be arranged for a nominal price, and it can be done in a half day.

A caveat to note is that seeing the volcano is weather and patience dependent.  Mist will cover the face for most of the time, but if you wait it might clear and you'll see the crater.  When it isn't clear, you'll see about five feet out before hitting a wall of white (think "The Nothing" from the Neverending Story).

***

Try this one out for size!  Not the country, the place!

Hint: It's in a  country famous for jungle excursions.

What is the most devalued airline frequent flyer program in north america?

Travel enough and you're bound to sign up for a loyalty program or two.  It might be for an airline or a hotel chain, something that offers free upgrades or even free travel if you visit often enough.

Over the last several years quite a few airlines have been hit hard by the global recession.  This has especially been the case in North America, where competition has become tougher than ever with the introduction of low-cost carriers like Spirit Airways.  This has resulted in scaling back on the offerings of many frequent flyer programs, and begs the question: what is the most devalued program out there?

I can't say that I know the answer, but an article recently went up on boardingarea.com that does.  The lucky winner?

Air Canada!

So perhaps all those flyers out there still clinging to their program might look elsewhere soon, because this program is starting to smell pretty bad.

Check it out!

Where am I?

Update: Seems this was a difficult one given no one got it!  Buenos Aires, Argentina.  Good luck next time :)

***

Because last week's was a bit easy for some, here's one that's a bit tougher.  Go for it!

Hint: This is a well-known area of a major city.

A guidebook that's just for fun

Sometimes choosing a guidebook is a difficult balance of pretty pictures and useful content.  There seem to be dozens of options, all jammed with information.

• Lonely Plant
• Frommers
• Rough Guide
• Let's Go
• Footprint
• DK
• Timeout
• Bradt

The list goes on.

Most of these I'm sure you're well able to track down, but for a bit of fun have a look at Jetlag Travel Guides.  Not useful for travel, but endlessly useful for entertainment.  Why?  Because they are guides to places that don't exist, and even if they did you can be certain you wouldn't want to visit them.
Leave one on your coffee table the next time you have guests over.  If someone asks, tell them you're considering it for your next vacation.  See what happens next.