The Rules of Punch Bug

You know you’ve been there and done that. One moment, you’re minding your own business driving down the road, and before you realize it, you are sporting an unfashionable bruise on your upper arm. PUNCH BUG! You’ve been hit and you didn’t even catch a glimpse of the vehicle in question.
RebBug
There are many variations of this road game. I know, as my children make up their own rules. So here is a list of rules you can refer to when playing Punch Bug.
1. You can make up your own rules.
2. The vehicle must be a VW Beetle, either vintage or new.
3. The vehicle must be driving on the road, parked bugs do not count.
4. A punch can be saved, but must be used by the end of the road trip and cannot carry over.
5. Punches are like boomerangs (and Karma). It will come back to you. Be careful how hard you punch.
6. There are various ways to be exempt from a punch, but it must be announced out loud, such as: If you are wearing flowered underwear, then you can’t get punched. So then, if you happen to be wearing flowered underwear, then the punch will be served to someone else in the vehicle.
7. Mamas can always trump the rules.
8. If you are paying a note on a bug, then you are exempt from getting punched. If in doubt, refer to Rule #1.

There are a few places on the internet that list their own rules of Punch Bug, and it is even referred to as Slug Bug or Punch Buggy. Many of these sites list point values for various VWs. I prefer the Traveling Mamas version.

No matter what type of road trip game you play, the most important aspect is to have fun.

  • Share/Bookmark

March 31, 2008 | Filed Under Family Travel, The Cookie Jar | 8 Comments 

Cafe Brulot

Cafe Brulot is a New Orleans favorite. It is an after dinner coffee drink with a little flair. Here is a video of this potent libation being prepared tableside at Galatoire’s Restaurant in New Orleans. It was taken with my Kodak Easyshare, so please excuse the quality.

Click Here to See Video

  • Share/Bookmark

March 30, 2008 | Filed Under Destinations, The Cookie Jar | Leave a Comment 

Destination Golf in Kauai

I’ve written about the amazing, award-winning golf courses on Kauai before; now, theKiahuna Golf Course Kauai Golf Challenge and Kauai Ultimate Golf Challenge cooperative allow golfers to play on several of the island’s top greens in one day. Those award winners are Princeville’s Prince and Makai courses, Poipu Bay’s golf course, Kauai Lagoon’s Kiele and Mokihana courses, and the Puakea golf course.

A new destination golf course has just been added to the Ultimate Island Green cooperative. The Kiahuna Golf Club, designed by golf course architect Robert Trent Jones Jr., is is a perfect fit with the others. In fact, Robert Trent Jones Jr designed both Princeville and Poipu Bay’s courses, creatively matching the need for challenging games with the desire for scenic vistas. Kiahuna is no exception: The par 70 championship course takes golfers around still-standing relics of ancient Hawaii, adding a sense of history and spirituality to the fairway. Sounds like the Kauai golf cooperative just got even better!

  • Share/Bookmark

March 29, 2008 | Filed Under Destinations, Luxury Travel, Romantic Getaways, The Cookie Jar | 1 Comment 

Name That Airport Voice

17_jpg.jpgA couple of months ago when my parents flew from Denver to Tucson for a visit my dad thought I would get a kick out of the fact that the voice on the Denver International Airport (DIA) train was that of Denver’s Mayor John Hickenlooper and apparently, a lot of Denver residents recognize the voice. Being that I once worked at DIA for Frontier Airlines I did find it funny.

It just so happens Denver isn’t the only airport using a famous voice at the airport. In fact, it’s been going on for quite sometime. Last month in USA Today columnist Harriet Baskas wrote an article about familiar voices on airport moving walkway PA systems. According to Baskas’ article, Lee Ann Womack greets passengers in Nashville and the Las Vegas McCarran Airport has been featuring entertainers over the moving-walkway PA system since the 70’s.

So, the next time you’re killing time in the airport, tune in and see if you recognize the voice. You might just be able to name that voice.

  • Share/Bookmark

March 28, 2008 | Filed Under Flying High, The Cookie Jar, Travel News | 2 Comments 

Contest Giveaway – Houmas House Gift Pack

Houmas House

I’m so proud to be from, and live in Louisiana. One of the things I love about my state is the preservation of history and the gentility of the South. One place that is preserving the history of my state is Houmas House. It is a River Road Plantation that was purchased about five years ago by Kevin Kelly, a true southern gentleman. He took this old grande damme and gave her a facelift and love and turned her back into the great beauty she once was.

Houmas House is the site of numerous films including Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte, Fletch Lives, and television shows like All My Children and K’Ville. It is also reportedly haunted by a few ghosts of days gone by.

I like to start each visit to Houmas House with a stop at the Turtle Bar for either a mimosa or a mint julep. The Turtle Bar is located in a garconniere, which in Antebellum days housed the single males of the household. It was a place for cards and raucousness, so it is fitting that this historical building is now a cozy place to sip libations.

Apple Gallette from Houmas House

The resident chef, Jeremy Langlois, creates Nouveaux Creole dishes that are “to die for”. On my last visit, Chef Jeremy prepared a multi-course meal consisting of Bisque of Curried Pumpkin, Crawfish, and Corn, a Cosmopolitan Sorbet, a Community Coffee marinated rack of lamb served on top of potatoes, and dessert of Apple Gallette topped with Vanilla Ice Cream. Mmmm!

An after lunch stroll through the gardens and walkways is a nice prelude to the tour of the house itself. I could imagine myself living in grandeur once upon a time. It’s a good thing I keep my bookshelves stocked with romance novels. I can see Houmas House as the setting for a few of them.

This week’s giveaway is a gift pack from Houmas House. The pack consists of a nice crystal paperweight, coffee mug, and silver-plated sugar pack holder in the shape of a garconniere. These come in a handy reusable logo bag.

Houmas House Gift Pack

So how do you win this fantabulous gift pack? Post a comment telling us where you live and why you like to live there. Contest is open to US residents only and immediate family members of Traveling Mamas are ineligible. Contest will close at midnight EST April 1, 2008. Yes, this is April fool’s day, but we’ll announce the winning comment on April 2, so there’ll be no fooling around.

Good Luck!

  • Share/Bookmark

March 27, 2008 | Filed Under Destinations, Family Travel, Girlfriend Getaways, Luxury Travel, Romantic Getaways, The Cookie Jar | 215 Comments 

Best Ways to Kill Time in Any Airport

If you find yourself twiddling your thumbs while a flight is delayed, or just have a long layover at an unfamiliar airport, you may be drawn to the overpriced bar and grill (really, I don’t think this is too horrible a way to pass time–striking up conversations with other stranded travelers can be entertaining) or those mega-huge cinnamon rolls (only bad if you think 10,000 high-glycemic calories in one sitting are a problem).

But if you want to change up the ways you kill time in any airport, consider these tips:

Log onto the airport website(s) before your travels. Most airport websites have a directory of stores, restaurants and services. Get the scoop on which terminal or concourse you’ll likely land in, and familiarize yourself with what’s available.

If you’re traveling with kids, find the children’s attractions. Some airports have lame play areas (DIA’s goofy rabbit on on the Mezzanine level of Concourse B comes to mind), but Boston’s Logan International Airport has a branch of Beantown’s fabulous Children’s Museum. And little ones can pretend to be air traffic controllers and load luggage at the “Kids on the Fly” interactive play area designed by the Chicago Children’s Museum in O’Hare’s Terminal 2.

Consider a day pass to an airline’s lounge. If you don’t belong to a the Delta Crown Club or United’s Red Carpet Club, ask about day passes to the facilities, which might include showers, computers or complimentary snacks and drinks. Day passes range from about $30 to $60.

See what amenities you can use at an airport hotel. Again, it helps if you’ve done your research online ahead of time. But if you’re faced with a super-long layover, you just might be able to exercise at a hotel gym, shower, and make it to your flight in time.

Get rubbed. I always seek out the little chair-massage places in airports. Even just 10 minutes having the kinks worked out of my neck puts me in a much better mood before my next flight. I know exactly where the “A Massage” storefront is at DIA (that would be just across the way from the lame kids’ area in Concourse B). And I give huge props to the sleek Xpres Spa at the Raleigh-Durham International Airport

Enjoy some art. Most airports have some sort of public art display. Ask at the information center where you might find history, photography or fine-art exhibits.

  • Share/Bookmark

March 26, 2008 | Filed Under Flying High, The Cookie Jar | 3 Comments 

10 Reasons to Go Green for the Travel Industry

Wind Farm, by Charles CookNativeEnergy helps travelers purchase legitimate carbon offsets, to make vacations more carbon neutral. Community based, Native American, farmer-owned renewable energy projects are supported through NativeEnergy. The benefits are not just environmental, but economic and social as well. With sponsors like Ben & Jerry’s, Aveda and Clif Bars, Native Energy works to both end global warming and build positive businesses for family farmers and Native Americans.

The United Nations World Tourism Organization reports that the travel industry alone produces 5% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. Megan Epler Wood, a partner at NativeEnergy, says that travel-related carbon dioxide emissions will grow by 75% in the next decade unless people do something about it. And really, with the ice caps melting, droughts, and new record high temperatures every summer, how much more global warming can we responsibly allow to happen? On the other hand, vacations and travel are one of life’s joys.

NativeEnergy’s “10 Reasons to Go Green” for the travel industry are interesting. Not every reason is feasible. I agree with the philosophy behind this list, at least!

  1. Green companies save money by reducing their energy outputs.
  2. Global warming is threatening travel destinations all over the world.
  3. Over 50% of potential customers are more likely to choose travel packages that show a commitment to environmental responsibility.
  4. Preparing reports that include carbon footprints (and reductions thereof) and click-through carbon offset purchase options online can position travel companies as being innovative leaders.
  5. Green designs are cost efficient and will attract more environmentally aware customers.
  6. Providing more responsible transportation options will also attract travelers who are concerned about the carbon impact of their vacations.
  7. Plans for more environmentally responsible transportation and lodging are in the works, and will become essential in the future for green travel.
  8. The travel industry must prepare to report on industry-wide green policies and how it’s responding to environmental issues as legislative efforts become more common.
  9. Finding strategic environmental partners will help the travel industry respond to global warming.
  10. An environmentally responsible travel policy for the industry shows concern for the world as a whole, and the people most affected by the climate crisis.
  • Share/Bookmark

March 25, 2008 | Filed Under Adventure Travel, Budget Travel, Eco Travel, The Cookie Jar, Travel News | 1 Comment 

Tan Fat Looks Better

Schmooze

There’s a saying among the women in my family, “Tan fat looks better than white fat.” Well, tanning season is upon us and there are a few things to remember when tanning your fat.

The sun can dry you up and make you look like a prune.

Old tan skin looks like leather. Didn’t you see There’s Something About Mary?

Sun damage can cause skin cancer in your later years.

The sun can dry out your hair, too.

Exfoliate BEFORE tanning, not AFTER. Trust me, it really hurts after.

A good self-tanner is worth its weight in gold.

    Spray tanning can be a good thing. See your dermatologist for a recommendation.

    Be sure to wear a good sunblock if you do go out in the sun. Don’t forget about the kids’ skin, too. Be sure to cover their lips, ears, and underarms with sunscreen, not just the obvious places. And, if you are really ticked off at your husband, make some nice artwork with sunscreen on his back. It sure will give you a chuckle later when the rest of his back gets pink.

    • Share/Bookmark

    March 24, 2008 | Filed Under The Cookie Jar | Leave a Comment 

    Oberammergau 2010 & Travel Planning

    Ever heard of Oberammergau? Know how to pronounce Oberammergau? (It’s “OH-burr-am-er-gow”)

    It is a tiny village in Bavaria, Germany, whose residents who have been performing a day-long Passion Play every 10 years since 1634. After months of suffering from the plague, Oberammergauers made an oath to God that they would perform the “Play of the Suffering, Death and Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ” as long as they were further spared from the plague. Indeed, after the vow was made, the plague took no other victims from the small town.

    The elaborate staging of the Passion of Christ, from his entry into Jerusalem to the Resurrection, is up to seven hours long, with an intermission for a mid-day meal. It is held in a magnificent open-air theatre that seats more than 5,000.

    The only reason I’ve heard of this play is through my work at the travel company Globus & Cosmos, where I was on staff in the mid 1990s. The Globus Family of Brands operates escorted tours to the event that draws hundreds of thousands of tourists from across the globe. Really, the only way an Average Joe is likely to see the world-famous play is to book a vacation with a tour company.

    Tickets to Oberammergau performances, which will run May to October 2010, sell out quickly. So do rooms at the local hotels. But the escorted tour operators have already booked accommodations and tickets in bulk. Still, visitors who want to see the performance, in which 2,000 actors, singers, musicians and technicians take part, have to secure their spots on trips sooner than later.

    Which brings me to my question of the day. How far out do you book your vacations? Typically, I have a hard enough time thinking about next week, let alone two years from now. Indeed, most of my family’s trips are planned just a few months in advance; we have a rough idea, “We’re going to visit Grammie in August,” but I usually don’t set the dates and book plane tickets until a few months out.

    While I’ve thought plenty about how I want to celebrate my 40th birthday and 10th wedding anniversary in 2009 (ideally on a Windjammer cruise, if the company gets its financial act together), I haven’t booked a thing. With young children, I need to plan around school vacations, start and end dates, and extra-curricular activities and sports, and sometimes I just don’t know those dates til closer to the events.

    How about you?

    • Share/Bookmark

    March 23, 2008 | Filed Under Budget Travel, Destinations, The Cookie Jar, Travel News | 5 Comments 

    A Traveling Mama Tries a Ski Vacation

    Heavenly Resort at Lake Tahoe, by Jennifer Miner

    Some people have a hard time understanding why anyone would choose a ski vacation over a tropical one – and by “some people,” I mean, “me.” Preference for poolside mixed drinks aside, the cold weather, extreme physical exertion, cold weather, lack of snorkeling opportunities, and cold weather all seem like remarkable vacation turn-offs. Or so I thought, until my recent family ski trip to Lake Tahoe. Yes, a ski trip. Yes, in the winter. Yes, me, alright already!

    The kids and their cousins had such a blast, and didn’t complain once about the physical exertion or cold weather. Well, one kid complained a little, but she’ll remain unidentified for the sake of future therapy bills. The joy of the five children learning to ski and really enjoying each others company was heartwarming enough to make up – almost – for the 20 degree weather.

    Now, Lake Tahoe is considered an excellent ski resort area, one of the best in North America; it certainly is child-friendly.MudslideMama accidentally plows into her daughter Our hotel, Embassy Suites, seemed to be 80% family ski travelers. I learned how to ski, kind of, and my kids love to talk about how I spent a lot of time with my rear end in the snow. Thanks, kids! Now that we know we don’t completely hate ski vacations, maybe we’ll actually make it up to Whistler next year. Maybe. I hear that 20 degrees is considered relatively balmy up there.

    • Share/Bookmark

    March 22, 2008 | Filed Under Adventure Travel, Destinations, Family Travel, Luxury Travel, The Cookie Jar | 3 Comments 

    Next Page »