This month we’ll be heading to Texas to check out Austin and San Antonio. It’s not exactly tropical, but it should be warmer than it is here in the Northeast!

Check out Will’s video from our zeppelin ride with Airship Ventures!

The video is in HD so if your computer can handle it, switch to 720p or 1080p once you hit play for the best picture.

Read about our trip to Sintra, Portugal over in My Adventures and check out pictures on my Photos page or by clicking into the album through one of the images posted.

If you are an avid collector of frequent flier miles, and you really should be with the way airfares are right now, a good mileage calculator is essential. Airlines aren’t always clear about what your going to earn for a flight so I like to use MileCalc. It lets me enter my itinerary, including multi-stops, and calculates the mileage I’ll earn based on the airline I’m flying, any bonuses or promotions and my booking class. It’s particularly helpful if you are chasing elite status or trying to earn a specific number of miles for a trip you’re planning.

People sometimes laugh at me when I say I have a bucket list (list of things I want to do before I die). I know I’m only in my 30s, but life is short and my list is long! One thing I’ve long wanted to do is ride on a blimp. I did some research several years ago and learned that it was highly unlikely I would get my wish without knowing a person that had access to one. I pretty much put that dream on a back burner until I got an e-mail from my sister about Airship Ventures, a company that began offering zeppelin rides in San Francisco and Los Angeles last year. The difference between a blimp and a zeppelin is that a zeppelin has a rigid skeleton which makes it easier to steer and allows the engine to be carried away from the gondola making it much quieter. Suddenly, the impossible was possible and we signed up for a ride.

We decided to ride the zeppelin, Eureka, in Los Angeles and it turned out to be a good decision as weather in San Francisco can be unpredictable and often causes cancelled flights. Eureka holds 12 passengers at a time, as well as a driver and a flight attendant. Although we had to sit during takeoff and landing, we were free to walk about the gondola during the flight and enjoy the view from the huge windows. We even got to stick our heads out of the two windows that open! The ride was smooth and quiet and truly unlike anything we’ve ever experienced.

Thanks to Airship Ventures for making one of my dreams come true!

Airship Ventures

I am not one to spend a lot of money on a suitcase. They get thrown around, are placed on dirty belts and racks and pricey pieces can attract thieves. Still, I have to admit that I am loving the new Britto Collection from Heys. The bags are like works of art and their hard-shelled exteriors look quite durable. I’m feeling tempted!

From $200 heysusa.com

There are a lot of different luggage tags on the market these days, but I think these Bag Buddies are particularly cute. ID info is listed on the buddy’s tummy and Velcro straps attach him to any bag. They are perfect to get kids excited about travelling and great to make luggage stand out on a conveyor belt. They are also machine washable so you can easily clean them after getting dragged around germ filled airports and hotels. Bag Buddies come in five different animal varieties so you can collect them all and take a different buddy on every trip!

$7.85 Magellan’s

Before a recent trip to Las Vegas, Will received an e-mail with a great offer to stay at the Aria hotel in the brand new City Center complex. Although we all know that staying at a new hotel can be dicey, we figured a luxury property would have to be running relatively smoothly.

Date: December 2009

Parking: Since construction continues on City Center, parking was a mess. There was no back entrance to the self parking lot and we missed the entrance twice forcing us to circle back around the strip. Eventually we used the valet which we stumbled upon by accident. We figured this would make life easier, but the pickup is in a different location so getting our car back was as much a hassle as dropping it off had been.

Check-in/Check-out: We had no wait at the front desk and the woman who helped us was very nice. Although she didn’t have a record of the promotion we had booked, she called a manager over who was able to correct our account. Although it took longer than average, we were satisfied and were given a room on a high floor as requested. Check-out went smoothly and our bill was accurate.

Room: We stayed in a standard room and since we were the first or second guest to stay there it was very clean. Our view was not of the strip, but it was still nice from the floor to ceiling windows. Everything in the room was controlled via a small computer screen on the night table which was somewhat tricky to figure out. I knocked it over during the night causing the curtains to fly open and all the lights to turn on. Overall the room was decent and the bed was comfortable but it seemed unfinished. Wires dangled from the TV, our heat didn’t work, a handle fell off a bathroom drawer and one of the lights above the bed was dangerously loose. I was not impressed at all with the bathroom. The connected shower and bath were strange, the water pressure was horrible, and the sinks had little counter space and splashed water everywhere when used.

Overall Impression: It seemed like a lot of things were thrown together to get the Aria open ASAP even though it’s not really ready. Although all of the employees were very nice, many of them didn’t yet know how things work at the hotel. Hopefully, it will improve with time but I don’t think there should be such a steep learning curve at a 5 star accommodation.

Grade: D+

Visit My Adventures to read about our trip to Lisbon, Portugal and check out pictures on my Photos page or by clicking into the album through one of the images posted.

Wishing everyone a happy and safe end to 2009 and looking forward to many great adventures in 2010!!