Tips on Budget Travel This Week on Get Packin'

Russell Hannon on vacation.
(Probably got there really cheaply)

If the cost of travel is keeping you from seeing the world, our guest this week on Get Packin' has some money-saving travel tips.  Russell Hannon (@Russellhannon) is a self-described ultra-economical travel expert and the author of "Stop Dreaming, Start Traveling".  From things to do in preparation for travel to money-savers at your destination, Russell will share some of his best suggestions when he joins us this Saturday afternoon at 4:00 on Freedom 95 (95.9 FM & 950 AM and streaming at freedom95.us).

No, not even The Rock makes
a fanny pack cool.

Our Top Ten list this week is How to Spot an American Abroad.  Spoiler Alert: fanny packs are involved.  You might as well wear an American flag t-shirt and a 'Make America Great Again' hat. Tune in to hear the other nine.  Long lines at TSA checkpoints at U.S. airports are making headlines. We'll have the latest.  And once you get through those lines, which airline has the best frequent flier program?  You'll want to know the answer.

Royal Caribbean is about to launch the world's largest cruise ship, the Harmony of the Seas.  This thing is HUGE!  We'll give you the dimensions and what you'll find on-board.  Finally, a Memphis-based flight attendant has been indicted for stealing from her workplace.  But wait til you hear exactly what she stole.  All that and more this week on Get Packin' on Freedom 95.

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This Week on 'Get Packin'

In more than 30 years of broadcasting, this Saturday's edition of Get Packin' may be the first time we've had the phrase "Full Pig Experience" used in an on-air interview.  It comes courtesy of Mark Newman, Executive Director of Visit Indiana, during a discussion of Fair Oaks Farms, just one of the great places to visit around the state of Indiana.  Mark will explain that and touch on many other Indiana highlights on our show this Saturday afternoon at 4:00 on Freedom 95 (95.9 FM & 950 AM in Indianapolis and streaming worldwide at www.freedom95.us).  Did you know "landlocked" Indiana boasts one of the best beaches in America? Mark gives us the lowdown on that, too.

Full Pig Experience.  Mmmmm, experience.

This summer is expected to have the lowest airfares in more than five years.  We'll have the Top Ten best airfare deals to destinations around the world.  To haggle or not to haggle? That is the question. Or what about giving to panhandlers?  These are just a couple of common moral dilemmas we face as tourists to foreign lands.  We'll have advice on what to do when confronted with these potentially uncomfortable situations.

DON'T BE UNCOMFORTABLE IN A RENTAL CAR. CLICK HERE TO READ WHY SIZE MATTERS IN EUROPEAN RENTAL CARS.

You'll be surprised to find out how the TSA made more than $765,000 last year.  You may have contributed to their windfall.  And speaking of falling, a tourist in Lisbon, Portugal climbed a building facade in an attempt to take a selfie with a 126-year-old statue.  Spoiler alert!  It didn't end well.  All that and more on this week's edition of Get Packin'. Tune in Saturday afternoon at 4:00 on Freedom 95.

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When it Comes to Rental Cars, Size Matters

What might have been.  (That's NOT us.)

As told by John.

When people who have never been outside the U.S. ask me where they should go as an introduction to international travel, I always suggest England.  The common language, familiarity with British history and highly recognizable landmarks like Big Ben, the Tower Bridge and the queen's ever-present purse make it fairly easy to acclimate to their culture.  Then they ask about the driving.  Yes, that whole driving-on-the-other-side-of-the-road thing does take some getting used to.  But you also have to be careful what kind of rental car you're getting.

My first time to Europe was a trip with Ann to France and England in 1996 for our first anniversary.  After a few days in Paris - sans auto - we made our way to London.  First stop: the car rental counter at Heathrow Airport.  Like the good travelers we are, we had already made our rental car reservation well in advance.  But in an effort to save a few pence, and since it was just the two of us, we reserved a compact car.  We approached the rental agent - a good-natured young Brit - and handed him our reservation.  Without a word, he gave us the once-over; looking at our two oversize suitcases, two carry-ons and my substantial six-foot three-inch frame.  Moving his gaze back to the reservation and spotting the word "compact", a wry smile came across his face.  Still looking at the paper, and with a chuckle in his Monty Python-esque voice, he said, "Oh, one of THOSE."

     CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT ANOTHER RENTAL CAR MISADVENTURE

Much the way clothing sizes vary from country to country, a "compact" car in the U.K. isn't what you know as a "compact" car in America.  If you attached a telescoping handle to the front bumper of a British compact, it would make a perfectly suitable carry-on and fit quite nicely in the overhead compartment.  The rental agent immediately realized there was no way I was going to fit into the four-cylinder Samsonite, much less all our luggage, and was nice enough to give us an upgrade.

Our first vehicular tragedy averted, it was time to tackle the left-side driving... with a manual transmission!  Oh great.  Not only do I have to sit on the right side of the car, drive on the left side of the road and navigate the crowded, narrow, unfamiliar streets of London, but I have to do it with the gear shift in my left hand.  Sheesh!  Why didn't they just give me a paper cut and pour lemon juice in it?  OK, it wasn't that bad.  Ultimately, we got the hang of it and soon were enjoying the freedom of being able to travel around southern England at our own pace.  That's probably the best part of having your own transportation; not being beholden to train schedules, not having to tip a cabbie, not having to walk to the nearest public transit station.  Just get in the car and go.

And go we did.  Across the nearly-deserted country roads of the Salisbury plain where Stonehenge appeared on the horizon like a rocky mirage.  To Anne Hathaway's house (that's Shakespeare's squeeze, not the Hollywood actress) in the town of Stratford-Upon-Avon where William may have found inspiration for his love stories. And to Dover on the southeast coast, where we stumbled upon the unexpected gem of Dover Castle, on our way to view the magnificent white cliffs.  You never know what you'll find when you're able to get yourself off the beaten path driving through a new land.  Just don't get yourself stuck with "one of THOSE."

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The Dangers of Just Sitting There

Imagine a trip that included white water rafting in the Colorado River, horseback riding in New Mexico and hiking the trails near Mt. Rushmore and the steep plateaus of Mesa Verde.  You wouldn’t think that the most dangerous part of said trip was just sitting in the car.  But that’s exactly what put me in an Oklahoma City hospital for three days in the summer of 2008. 

(l-r) George, Ann, John, Abe (not pictured: Tom, Ted)

First, the back story.  Ann & I decided to take a “see America” drive out west.  Our route would take us from our home in Greenwood, IN to Sioux Falls, SD, through Badlands National Park with a stop at Mt. Rushmore.  Then south to Denver, eventually making our way to Mesa Verde in southwest Colorado near the town of Cortez.  From there, it was a brief side trip to Four Corners for the obligatory picture (“Look at me.  I’m standing in four states at once.”) and Monument Valley in Utah, before reaching our next stop, a rural real estate development south of Albuquerque, NM.  (We were offered a free stay in a beautiful prairie home if we listened to a sales pitch.  How could we say no?).

Monument Valley (Is this inappropriate?)

The homestretch would take us through Santa Fe (for lunch), with an overnight in Oklahoma City.  But this is where things got a little squirrely.  About two hours outside Santa Fe, I started to get what at first seemed like heartburn… the burritos and refried beans for lunch in Santa Fe may not have been the best choice.  But as the pain became more intense and my breathing more labored somewhere in the Texas panhandle, I thought it best that I hand the driving duties over to Ann.  Finally, as we crossed the Texas/Oklahoma border I decided this wasn’t heartburn, but potentially something worse.  Considering my family history of heart trouble (a heart attack took my mom, one brother survived a heart attack and another brother required a stent for a heart blockage), I was sure I was having a heart attack. 

We found an emergency room at a small hospital just outside Oklahoma City.  After a battery of tests, we got the good news: no heart attack.  The bad news: pulmonary embolism.  Three blood clots in my lungs were causing the pain and the trouble breathing.  The emergency room personnel thought I should be transferred a larger hospital in Oklahoma City for more specialized care.  That’s where I spent the next three days undergoing more tests and getting pumped full of blood thinners.  The diagnosis was deep vein thrombosis - clots that had formed in my legs because of the cramped quarters of being in a car for a week had broken loose and moved to my lungs.  Despite all the activity along the way - hiking, rafting, horseback riding – it was the relative inactivity of sitting in the car for 2500 miles that really took its toll.    This is the kind of ailment that is often referred to as Economy Class Syndrome because of its common occurrence during long-distance plane trips.  It was also a DVT and pulmonary embolism that took the life of NBC reporter David Bloom while covering the war in Iraq in 2003.

Luxurious accommodations in Oklahoma City

Our plan was to spend one night in an Oklahoma City hotel.  Instead, it was three days in a hospital gown enjoying typical hospital cuisine.  I spent the next year on a regular regimen of blood thinners.  And to this day I still take special care on our long, international flights (and long car trips), making sure to drink plenty of water, walk around every couple of hours and wear knee-high compression socks.  One fashion tip: don’t wear the compression socks with shorts.


John 

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