Getting Cultured with Airport Artwork

You all know by now that I love the airport. I find it fun and as part of my next adventure. I research the food and activities at each one I'll be visiting like I do the rest of my trip. Sometimes you get stuck at an airport for longer than you expect. Things happen: flights get cancelled or delayed. Flights get missed. You can't control everything in life. Of course, I've once purposely chose a four-hour layover in DFW, because it was the best way to get to my destination and I enjoy what DFW has to offer. 

When you find yourself with some extra time on your hands before your flight, instead of sitting at the gate or bar grumbling about how you hate flying, why not take advantage of what's available to you? All airports have some sort of art program. Many even have their own galleries for travelers to pop into. They know that people have places to go and may not have time to visit a stationary location, so they sprinkle artwork throughout the airport, so everyone can enjoy a bit of culture as they run from gate to gate.

Las Vegas' McCarran airport has an aviation museum before security. It's not big and it doesn't even have walls. It's just set up in the middle of the aisle, so you can view pieces of aviation history and learn a bit more about how flight travel has evolved. I was thrilled to find that they also have a mini museum after security so travelers can still get a bit-size version of history. They have informational plaques as well as tiny exhibits set up around columns. Cute, right? I also like that it's right next to the children's play area, so you can peruse while the kids get out their energy.

Phoenix has tons of artwork around the airport with signs letting you know you can find more at the gallery in the terminal. Obviously, they hope that this will entice people into visiting if they have time. I wish I did, but I was running to catch my flight after finally making it though the long security line and only had time to snap this pic.

Salt Lake City is full of historical stuff, and their airport wants to extend the museum feel with local artists' work along the walls everywhere you look. This gallery wall was in the hallway between terminals and the moving walkways. 

Portland loves their locals and all the awesome work they do. Between photography, sculpture and paintings, every inch of bare wall has been covered with something interesting to look at. I'm a bit surprised that we don't have a mini museum/gallery yet, perhaps an offshoot of OMSI or Portland Art Museum, but we don't really have extra space with all the dining and shopping. I won't stop hoping, as we finally got food carts into the terminals as well as a little version of our Hollywood Theater that will show short films for those that have 15-20 minutes to spare.

I'm not sure why I had to fly through Denver to get to Phoenix from Portland, but I did, and they had some large art pieces, including this awesome plane. It's great, because you can't miss it, meaning everyone has the chance to admire it and appreciate the finer details when walking through the terminal. 

When we flew into Washington DC a few years ago, they had this fun exhibit down by baggage claim that was on loan from the local design school. It featured a ton of textiles, from clothing to furniture and wallpaper. Even though I was quickly on my way to get my rental car, I had time to stop and check out some of the pieces that were on display.

Here's another fun piece that was at Portland last time I was flying out. There were several marine-centric "sculptures" in the middle of the walkway, which was pretty fun to check out as we were headed to our gate.

Las Vegas even has cool stuff to see if you are arriving for your vacation. The monorail dumps you out at this gorgeous underground station that always has different artwork displayed. It's really colorful and fun.

Next time you're flying, slow down and take the time to appreciate some of the artwork that's on display for you. Of course, if you have a long layover, you can really just wander and get more of a feel for the city you're in. It's like being in a museum, just with a lot of people who have someplace else to be. You also get some exercise by walking the terminal, so you can stretch your legs before you have to sit one the plane for hours.

Do you make time to enjoy the art when you visit the airport?

Traveling Cheaper with Coupons

Even as oil prices have fallen radically--some 40% since 2011--airlines have not passed their savings on to their customers.  Consumers have one of two choices: accept the current rates for what they are or, the savvier choice, to strike back as effectively as possible to try to recoup some hard-earned money.  

When you think of coupons, you might think of standing behind a little old lady in the supermarket, waiting not-so-patiently for her redeem several dozen coupons at a snail's pace but coupons have come a long way.  In addition to getting a more digital-age appropriate name, promotion codes or keycodes, most stores will offer a box on their checkout page asking if you have one and if you do then you'll get some bonus savings.  Do a search for, as an example, "Apple Vacations promotion code" and see what options pop up.  There are a lot of results to comb through but knowing where to look helps.  In addition to perennial favorite RetailMeNot, other sites have sprung up with fewer stores but better-curated offers.  Two of these are Groupon (not just for daily deals anymore) and PromotionCode.org, a site devoted originally to travel offers.  

In addition to saving with coupons, another great option is calling airline agent directly to book your flight.  Ask specifically about a "positioning flight"; an option where the airline is simply moving the plane from one port to another and the cargo isn't the priority.  If you have some flexibility in your itinerary you can save several hundred dollars off the cost of the flight if you don't mind leaving at the airline's preferred date and time.

Do you use coupons to make your travels more affordable?

Author: Steve Pame, Sources: PromotionCode.org, Groupon.com, RetailMeNot.com

Surviving a Cruise with Kids

You might be weighing your options on how to plan a vacation that your whole family will love. Kids have short attention spans sometimes and want instant gratification, so perhaps a cruise where there's always something going on and you have a finite amount of time in each port to get off the boat, do something fun and then get back on to get ready for the next stop.

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Do Your Research on Ships

All cruise ships are different and offer things that other ships don't. Also, smaller ships don't have tons of options for entertainment (duh, right?). Make sure you look at what ships have and don't have and do some research on what other cruisers have said about it. You don't want to spend 5 days on a ship that only has cool stuff for adults to do and your kids want to kill themselves.

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Scope Out the Foods

Almost everyone has a picky eater in their family. Sure, cruise ships have many different dining venues, but you're going to want to do your research here, too, even before you climb onboard. Make a list of what they have and match them up with what you know your kid(s) will eat. Who knows, maybe they will feel adventurous and try something new, but don't count on it. Once you get on the ship, take them around to all the different eateries and make sure you (and they) know where they can eat and how to get there. If the ship doesn't have enough variety to keep the kiddos happy, perhaps you need to find a new one.

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Entertain Them

What do your kids like to do? Does your chosen ship have the things that will keep them from hating life while stuck at sea? Many cruises have a teen dance club and kids-only activities they can do, but if you're spending time as a family, look for things that you will all like. The rule is: If the kids are happy, everyone's happy. Also, make sure that those activities they will enjoy won't cause you to go broke. There can be a lot of things on a ship that cost extra. If there are tons of activities, but they all cost extra, either you're going to have some bummed kids on your hands or you're going to be sad when you end up paying the bill at the end of the cruise.

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Plan Each Day

With all the activities onboard, make sure you don't end up with those dreaded summer words "I'm bored," or "There's nothing to do!" You'll get a schedule of events each night for the next day. Have your family look it over, either that evening or at breakfast and schedule what you're going to do while at sea that day. That way they have an expectation of how they'll be spending their time and you won't have to deal with sulkers (for that, anyway).

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Let Them Do Their Own Thing

Give your kids a bit of space and time away from you. You can probably both use it. There's no place for them to go, so eventually they'll show up for food or clothes or something. Allow them time to be on their own and make some new friends or hang out with their siblings without you. It'll give you time to hit the spa or have some romantic times.

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Have Them Pack a Bag

Kids should always know how to pack a bag, but this will give them some practice in packing light, because there's not a huge amount of room in a cruise cabin. Give them a bag and tell them that's the limit of what they can bring. Maybe make a list of the things that must be in there, like swimsuit, sandals, three pair of shorts, etc. 

Also, know that when you first board the ship, unless you have carry-ons that you're willing to drag around, your bags will be taken from you to your room and you may not see them for hours, so pack a must-have bag that includes everyone's swimsuits, sunscreen, games and whatever else you can't live without. Think of what you'd pack for the airplane, if it also had a pool.

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A cruise can make for an amazing family vacation. Just make sure everyone is happy and they all know the rules. A ship that has WiFi can be a great benefit to your kids, so they know they can keep in touch with friends while they're away and not feel like they're cut off from the world. Of course, it's possible that they'll be having too much fun to jump on Facebook or tweet about how awesome their parents are, but you can't count on that. Even if they don't end up using their phone incessantly, you can use it to keep in touch with each other when you're apart and plan where to meet up or to check and send important emails throughout. 

Consider uploading Voxer and you can send texts, photos or voice messages for free over a WiFi connection. This works easily on a WiFi-enabled ship, but also saves you tons of texting fees while out of the country. It's free, so your whole family and all your friends can download it easily. 

Have you ever been on a cruise with your kids? Would you do it again?