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Washington DC Taxi Fare Estimator

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 23:10:32 +0000

The Washington Post has a very good tool to estimate taxi fares in the Washington DC area. I have used it several times and the ranges they give have been pretty accurate all times I’ve compared with my cab rides. Link: District Taxi Fare Estimator Tool

Please note that the estimator does not include extra fees the taxis charge for each piece of luggage and additional passengers. So have in mind that the fare will likely be a couple of dollars more if you’re coming/going to the airport or train station for example. The list below can give you a reference in what extra charges you should expect.

photo credit: Max Klingensmith

Fare Rates (last updated: March 2010)
Metered Rates (Set by Washington DC Taxicab Commission

•$3.00 First 1/6 mile
•$0.25 Each additional 1/6 mile
•$1.00 Emergency Fuel Surcharge per trip within District of Columbia
•$15.00 Wait rate per hour (begins 5 minutes after arrival, or if stopped in traffic or below 10 mph for 60 seconds or more)
•$1.50 Additional Passenger (age 6 and older)
•$19.00 Maximum fare in the District of Columbia (not including other surcharges)

Extra Charges
•Rate for hire: (1st hour or any fraction thereof): $25.00
•After first hour – each 15 minutes thereafter: $6.25
•Large Luggage in trunk (per piece): $2.00
•Large Luggage handled by drivers (per piece): $0.50
•Telephone dispatch fee: $2.00
•Dismissal of dispatched cab without use: $3.00
•Fare during declared Snow Emergency: 125%
•Personal service (driver leaves cab vicinity): $2.00
•Animal (excludes securely-enclosed or service animals): $1.00

For other cities, you may want to try the Taxi Fare Finder

Washington DC Taxi Fare Estimator is a post from: www.kristraveler.com

This post was submitted by Kris.

airfarewatchdog – Get answers to all your airline related questions!

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:57:59 +0000

I found out about airfarewatchdog a couple of years ago when I was searching for airfare deals, and since then I became a huge fan of these guys. Their search engine is not really that different from many others I typically use, though their fare alerts typically show unadvertised deals, based on the departure airport(s) and destination you choose in your profile.

Nonetheless, the big value-add of airfarewatchdog is in the Q&A section. There you’ll find all the answers that you once had and and didn’t know who to ask. By subscribing to their newsletter you can get those Q&As directly in your inbox and if have stepped on a plane recently, you will find at least one of their tips quite useful.

For you to have an idea, these are some topics I’ve learned from them:
- How Bereavement fees work in airlines
- Best time of the year to book your next vacation
- Information on Baggage Fees
- What to do when the airlines lose your luggage
- Compensation when they sell out or cancel your flight
- and many many more….

Check out their website and let me know what you think or how it was useful for you!

airfarewatchdog – Get answers to all your airline related questions! is a post from: www.kristraveler.com

This post was submitted by Kris.

Booking an Award Trip? Here are some tools!

admin — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 02:14:16 +0000

I had mentioned about Expert Flyer here on kristraveler.com before. Here’s another article from the WSJ that gives more details of how it works and also mentions another tool – MileageManager.

——————–

Have Miles but Can’t Get a Seat? How to Snare One

JANUARY 14, 2010 By SCOTT MCCARTNEY

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Even though recession-weary consumers may want to cash in frequent-flier miles to get free trips and upgrades more than ever these days, it’s gotten harder to snare those awards.

Continental Airlines, the only U.S. airline to report award redemptions monthly, says awards and upgrades claimed in its frequent-flier program were down 20% in the first 10 months of 2009 compared to the same months of 2008.

And this year may be even tougher. Since airlines aggressively reduced capacity through the economic downturn, they’ve filled flights fuller with paying customers and appear to have reduced availability of award seats and upgrades. As the economy picks up, passenger demand for seats will get tighter.

“Awards and upgrades will be harder to find, unless you are constantly looking,” said Chris Lopinto, president of ExpertFlyer.com, a service used by road warriors that focuses on airline inventory and seat availability.

Landing the free seat you want using frequent-flier miles has long been one of the biggest frustrations for travelers. The prizes offered by airlines are enticing, but the seats never seem to be available on the flights and routes you want. Some people try to call airlines at midnight 11 months before the date they plan to travel—typically when booking opens for a flight—to be first in line for frequent-flier award seats. Some know to check repeatedly because airlines change inventory daily. And many give up the search, letting miles accumulate and cursing airlines for selling false hope.

New Tools

Still, there are several new tools available to help you find that elusive award. Some airlines have made it easier to find award seats—when they are available—and several Web sites have tools to help you search. ExpertFlyer and another site called MileageManager.com have award alerts that send you an email when a frequent-flier seat or upgrade opens up on a flight you want.

Airlines often hold back frequent-flier award seats or upgrades on popular flights, hoping that bookings by fare-paying passengers will be strong. But if seats don’t sell as briskly as predicted, awards can be made available for booking in reservation systems at anytime.

ExpertFlyer’s award alert feature works on 22 airlines worldwide, including Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines, a unit of Hawaiian Holdings Inc., in the U.S., plus Air Canada, Air China, Air France, which is a unit of the Air France KLM Group, Qantas Airways and others. ExpertFlyer says that more than 50% of customers who look for an award actually find one that works for them.

Using the alert system, it takes about 25 days on average for travelers to find the award they want, says Mr. Lopinto. His customers typically look for seats about 10 weeks in advance, and the most-searched-for award is a business-class upgrade. “More and more business travelers book into economy and then try to use their own miles to upgrade into business,” he said.

MileageManager’s AwardPlanner function lets you put in up to five different itineraries and when availability is found, AwardPlanner alerts you by email so you can book it. The award alert service works with 10 different airlines: American, British Airways, Continental, Delta, Deutsche Lufthansa, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines and US Airways.

MileageManager requires you to register your frequent flier accounts with the service, turning over your airline account number and password, before its AwardPlanner function can be used. Both MileageManager and ExpertFlyer offer free trial periods, but after that MileageManager is $14.95 per year and ExpertFlyer costs $9.99 a month.

Checking Alliances

On the airline side, road warriors suggest checking alliance Web sites—StarAlliance.com, oneWorld.com and SkyTeam.com—that show flights on partner airlines that may not be displayed on your own airline’s booking site. Those partner airlines may have award seats available, but you’ll need to call to find out. LOT Polish, for example, might offer something that doesn’t automatically show up on UAL Corp.’s United Airlines’ Web site, but you can often use your United miles to book it if you know what to ask for.

Sharon Adcock, a publicist for the entertainment industry and elite-level member of United’s program, says she usually has success using StarAlliance.com to get free tickets or upgrades even when United’s Web site says nothing is available.

“They tell me they don’t have anything and then I say, What about this one? What about that one? I manage to get award tickets the way I want,” she said.

Charles Witt, a facilities planner who travels the world, has the same kind of success using alliance Web sites.

“If you lead the airline, it can work out. That’s part of the game, too. You know the answer before you ask the question,” he said.

More Options

Airlines have long told customers that flexibility is the key to booking awards—a willingness to travel on different days or even to different cities increases your chances of finding an award. But now airlines are also becoming more flexible and giving customers more options to redeem their miles. That’s because it is actually in the airlines interest to encourage fliers to use miles.

A change in accounting rules has made it more expensive for airlines to carry unredeemed miles on their balance sheets. And miles have become a huge cash generator for airlines, primarily by selling them to credit card companies that give them out as customer rewards. If the miles lose their shine by being difficult to use, credit card companies may curb their purchases. Last year, American pre-sold $1 billion worth of AAdvantage miles to Citicorp, propping up the airline financially and showcasing the importance of miles.

In an effort to spur mileage redemption, Alaska Airlines began offering one-way awards in 2007, allowing customers to use miles for just a one-way ticket, or mix-and-match different mileage levels into one round-trip. The result has been a sharp rise in award redemption for that airline. In 2008, the number of awards redeemed with frequent- flier miles jumped 26% and mileage balances in accounts declined, according to Alaska, a unit of Alaska Air Group Inc. (The airline hasn’t yet reported 2009 redemptions.)

AMR Corp.’s American and Delta now offer one-way award pricing as well. Continental and US Airways Group Inc. also allow different award levels to be combined. A flight at the cheapest award level, typically 25,000 miles round-trip for domestic itineraries, might be available for the outbound part of a trip, but not available for the return the customer wants. Book the return at the 50,000-mile level, and you get the seats you want for a total of 12,500 outbound plus 25,000 for the return, or 37,500 miles total.

Most airlines also now offer calendars on their Web sites that quickly show customers what dates have awards available, and at what mileage levels.

Still, many consumers find using miles frustrating, especially when they focus on scarce awards like summertime trips to Europe. That’s an area where there’s huge variation in availability at different airlines.

IdeaWorks, a Wisconsin-based loyalty-program consulting firm, did 6,400 booking queries last year to rank airlines by award availability on trans-Atlantic flights. The study looked for flights between April and November and found that Iberia had the most liberal offering among 10 U.S. and European airlines, with 83% of the Iberia queries offering award seats. Lufthansa’s program was second at 66% and British Airways third at 63%.

American out-distanced U.S. airlines with 58% of queries successful. United offered awards on only 18% of queries made and US Airways, which has far fewer flights to Europe than larger rivals, offered award seats on only 4% of the queries IdeaWorks made.

The study reinforces the importance of checking partner airlines: Iberia is a partner of American, for example, but American’s Web site doesn’t automatically display all available awards on its partners, IdeaWorks noted.

Booking an Award Trip? Here are some tools! is a post from: www.kristraveler.com

NewYorkology

admin — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 04:07:05 +0000

Going to New York in the near future? Then you have to check this website: NewYorkology

Sure, there are many (and many!) books and online guides to New York, but few are as fun or up-to-date with everything that’s going on in the city as NewYorkology is.

I’ve been following their tweets for a couple of months now, and even without any travel plans to Manhattan in the near future, I feel like I just ”can’t” unfollow them, as I’d be loosing all the great information they share on a daily basis. After this time just reading their tweets, this week I decided to check their website and was amazed with the wealth of information they offer, that could please basically any audience.

Why I like them and why they are different? See it for yourself. Here are a couple of examples taken from their website:

“New York is big and fast and overwhelming until you realize it’s on a grid, very logical and that most people are nice and willing to help as long as you’re quick about it.

Rule No.1 — walk to the right. If you need to meander or stop, step to the side. Don’t walk three or four abreast unless the sidewalk’s huge and no one’s around. You must share.

Rule No. 2 — speed it up. This goes for everything, including having your MetroCard out before you reach the turnstile, knowing what show you want to see when you get to the TKTS window, and just moving out of the way when you get off the elevator or to the top of the stairs. Got a question? Be concise. People are a) busy, b) don’t want to get sucked into a scam, and c) irritated with slow tourists.

If you go to the Statue of Liberty, reserve a monument pass in advance. If you go up the Empire State Building, spend the extra $15 to get to the 102nd floor (in addition to the 86th like everyone else.)

A cab is for hire only if his numbered/lettered lights are lit on his roof. Let people exit the subway car before you push your way on. Be careful with your umbrellas, don’t stand in the doorway letting cold air in while you decide whether you’re coming or going, and fight the urge to eat and shop at the same dull chain restaurants and stores you’ve got at home. Spend your money at the interesting places so Manhattan doesn’t turn into a generic Disneyfied strip mall. Thank you.”

So anyone can tell you how and where to get tickets for the Subway, but NewYorkology also tells you how not to be run over then taking the train!

Putting the fun stuff aside, the same page that gives the tips above also has a list of current prices for the basics, such as MetroCard, Broadway shows, the cost of a cab from the airport to downtown, tickets for the Empire State building and a cupcake…. all things you are likely to do in your first (or 100th!) visit to the city. Similarly, a list of free museums as well as links to tours in different neighborhoods and much more. All this just in the one page I mentioned, so you can have an idea of the rest of the site.

Too much information on the wesbite and don’t know where to start? That’s natural, that’s how NYC is. Start little by little, reading the basics or looking for espefic topics so you don’t get overwhelmed. Or maybe you prefer use the search box with some random keyword - you may actually many other interesting and valuable tips beyond what you’re looking for!

And don’t forget to check Cami’s posts regularly on kristraveler’s Guest Blogger section as well for great reviews and recommendations of places in Manhattan!

NewYorkology is a post from: www.kristraveler.com

Expert Flyer – How to upgrade your seats

admin — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 04:01:28 +0000

I’ve used Expert Flyer’s service before, and while I’m still not convinced it was worth my $9.99 a month for finding upgradeable seats - as with other free tools such as SeatCounter (which I talk about in this post) I can track the flights I need myself – I found it useful for other features, such as the ‘Fare Information’ that would give me more options for itineraries and carriers that a typical search engine wouldn’t find.

As I said, I’m still debating if it’s worth it or not, so I may give it a try again in the future.

For those that haven’t heard of their service, here’s a recent article on the Wall Street Journal with more details.

Stuck in a middle seat? Here’s a trick for upgrading

Source: The Wall Street Journal, Nov 16 2009 | By Scott McCartney

Can’t get the seat you want on an upcoming flight? Now there’s a waiting list, of sorts.

ExpertFlyer.com, a subscription service popular with hard-core road warriors, has added a feature that will alert you when a currently occupied seat you want opens up for a flight. If you want a specific seat, such as a bulkhead or exit row, you can get notice if it becomes available. If you are stuck in a middle seat, for example, you can sign up for alerts for any aisle or window seat.

ExpertFlyer.com

A screen shot from ExpertFlyerLike fares, seat inventory jumps around a lot before a flight departs. Sometimes airlines block seats and then open them. Other times people with reserved seats cancel or change flights. Seats open up as premium customers get upgraded. But unless you keep checking the seat map for your flight, it’s hard to follow. ExpertFlyer can now check for you on 84 different airlines around the world.

ExpertFlyer costs $4.99 a month for basic service, or $9.99 a month (or $99.99 for one year) for premium service. The seat alert function is available only with premium service. Two other nifty features that alert you when specific frequent flier award tickets and upgrades become available, or when a specific fare class such as discounted business class opens up, are also available only with premium service. The fare class and upgrade/award alert features work on only 22 airlines, but include Delta, American, Alaska and Hawaii in the U.S.

ExpertFlyer’s bread-and-butter service for heavy duty travelers allows users to peer into the booking inventory of airlines. ExpertFlyer lets you hunt for a specific fare class that may come with upgrade privileges, for example, but you have to immerse yourself in the arcane world of airline booking codes.

The growing number of alert tools available to frequent fliers can really help cut through the complexity of airline tickets. Yapta.com offers alerts on fares for specific flights you may be shopping, or specific hotels. FlightStats.com offers alerts on flight delays and cancellations. Airlines and larger booking sites are offering more and more, and savvy travelers are finding they can help. Share some of your favorites with other travelers in comments.

Expert Flyer – How to upgrade your seats is a post from: www.kristraveler.com

Finding number of seats available in a flight

admin — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:58:53 +0000

I was trying to get an upgrade for my next flight to Hawaii, though upgrade seats were sold out. And since there’s no waitlist for upgrades, I have to check on a daily basis to see if anything opens, otherwise try my luck 2 hours before the flight at the airport.

SeatCounter is a simple website, though makes the process much easier to check number of open seats available under each booking class on several airlines at once. While I could still find that information through other ways, I like that I can get the info I need in one step and even compare with other airlines if I’m comparing flights before booking. No spending 15 mins on phone with customer service anymore… now I just have to cross my fingers for two seats to open up on class U for Hawaii and vacation here I go!

Finding number of seats available in a flight is a post from: www.kristraveler.com

Save miles when booking your award trip

admin — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 21:44:43 +0000

Gary Leff, from the View from the Wing blog, launched a service for booking award trips – something I hadn’t heard so far though long needed. While his service is not cheap, and you may not see the value for a simple round trip domestic travel, his customized and detailed work can come in handy for those with complex itineraries, international trips, and other, especially when trying to combine miles and points from different programs and/or for many passengers.

For more information on this service, go to BookYourAward

Save miles when booking your award trip is a post from: www.kristraveler.com

Travel Insurance – the peace of mind that airlines can’t offer anymore….

admin — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:11:34 +0000

As airlines change their policies daily and add fees or restrictions to every step of yours from the buying process until you land back home, travel insurance may be the only alternative left for you to have some flexibility and peace of mind in your trip.

InsureMyTrip is a ‘travel insurance aggregator’, basically a one-stop-shop site that allows you to quote different types of insurances, compare policies and buy the one that best fits to your need.

I haven’t used their services yet, but I’m guessing that in a situation where you need help (with your luggage, ticket refund, etc), any third party customer service will be better than of the airlines these days…..

Travel Insurance – the peace of mind that airlines can’t offer anymore…. is a post from: www.kristraveler.com

When in Doubt, Barter

admin — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:06:34 +0000

Short on cash, people are offering to paint houses and balance books in exchange for a free room or flight. Here’s how three creative travelers pulled it off.

Bunny Wong | Budget Travel Magazine | May 2009 issue

Barterer #1
Jesse Larson, 22, housepainter in Rohnert Park, Calif.

What he offered To paint one room at a bed-and-breakfast—a job that usually brings in $200 to $300.

What he got A weekend in the best room at the inn, which normally runs $300 per night.

How he did it Last summer, Larson was hired by the owners of a three-room bed-and-breakfast in Napa, Calif., to paint the exterior of the building. Once the job was finished, they asked if he would paint the inside, too. Larson saw an opportunity and leapt: He offered to paint all but one of the rooms at his standard rate; for the last room he asked for payment in the form of a free two-night stay so he could take his new girlfriend away for a weekend. The owners were happy to trade (though they didn’t want us to name them for tax reasons). “Nowadays, people will do anything not to have to pay you cash,” Larson says. They were so pleased with his work, they gave him the largest room, too. “My girlfriend totally loved it!” he says.

What he learned Independently owned hotels are more game for making a deal than the major chains. “You can get the actual owners on the phone—they’re the ones who are going to be able to agree to a trade,” says Larson.

Barterer #2
Miriam Brown, 56, accountant in Gretna, La.

What she offered Her work as a bookkeeper and her husband’s construction skills—about 48 hours of total labor, worth $2,700.

What she got A week at a Cape Cod, Mass., vacation home, which the owner normally rents out for $5,500 per week in the summer.

How she did it After researching hotels on Cape Cod last summer and finding nothing under $200 per night, Brown posted an ad on craigslist.org, looking to barter instead. The owner of a three-bedroom house on Nantucket Sound wrote back, and the two of them struck a deal: Brown would do the owner’s bookkeeping for the year, and her husband, Andres, who owns a home-renovation business, would tackle odd jobs around the house, such as touching up the trim paint. In return, the couple would get a week’s stay for free. Forced to postpone their trip by a year because of Hurricane Gustav, they are planning to take to the Cape this August.

What she learned When looking to swap, be specific. “I was very clear about where I wanted to go—Cape Cod—instead of just saying the Northeast,” says Brown. “And I proposed doing accounting work, rather than something vague. I think that’s why I got such a quick response.”

Barterer #3
James Cocose, 44, consultant in Las Vegas

What he offered His BlackBerry Curve, valued at roughly $150.

What he got 38,000 United Airlines frequent-flier miles.

How he did it In February, Cocose found a Craigslist ad from a woman selling her airline miles to the highest bidder. He got in touch and proposed trading his used BlackBerry instead of paying cash—and she accepted.

What he learned Each airline sets its own limit on how many miles a traveler can transfer to another person annually. United, for instance, allows customers to hand over 15,000 miles each year. Since the woman’s offer was over the limit, she agreed to buy a ticket in Cocose’s name.

Source: Budget Travel Magazine

When in Doubt, Barter is a post from: www.kristraveler.com

Forbes Traveler – “Best Of” 2009 Lists

admin — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:26:47 +0000

America’s Prettiest Towns:

Dillon, Montana

Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Annapolis, Maryland

Union, Washington

Guttenberg, Iowa

Marfa, Texas

Savannah, Georgia

Aspen, Colorado

Santa Fe, New Mexico

Deadwood, South Dakota

Spring City, Utah

Crescent City, California

Lanesboro, Minnesota

Rockport, Maine

Cape May, New Jersey

Lake Placid, New York

Sedona, Arizona

America’s Loveliest Lakes:

Lake Tahoe, California

Lake O’hara, Canada

Crater Lake, Oregon

Holland Lake, Montana

Caddo Lake, Texas/Lousiana Border

Rainy Lake, Minnesota

Lake Champlain, NY, Vermont and Canada

kristraveler.com note: we’d add Lake Louise, Canada to this list

———–

Click on the titles for pictures and more information about each destination.

For other Forbes Traveler Best of Lists, click here

Forbes Traveler – “Best Of” 2009 Lists is a post from: www.kristraveler.com