TSA Pre (Nexus part trois)

Another perk for Nexus cardholders is in the works. The TSA is starting a program where certain travelers may be able to go through security checkpoints with less hassle. This means they can keep their coats, belts, and shoes on as well as leaving their laptops and liquids inside their carry-ons while going through the checkpoint. Of course the TSA can make any of them go through the regular check.

Currently this is available to certain frequent fliers of Delta and American (and soon Alaska! ) at a handful of airports. Ultimately people in trusted traveler programs such as Nexus and Global Entry will be able to participate. This feature will eventually be available at many more airports (including SeaTac! )
You can find out more at the TSA website:

http://www.tsa.gov/what_we_do/escreening.shtm

Bad Jet Lag Advice



I get very jet lagged when I fly Eastbound. When I lived in Spokane, WA I used to joke that I got jet lagged just driving to Montana (90 miles to the East). I have unsucessfully tried many of the recommended ways to avoid jet lag, but haven't found one that really works for me. On a recent trip to Dubai, I ignored most of the advice I have heard and it really worked out well for me.

I flew overnight from SeaTac to Amsterdam and arrived there early in the morning. I was meeting up with the rest of my group there and we had booked some day-rooms at the Park Plaza hotel near the airport. It would be about three hours before the rest of the group arrived and another 10 hours after that before our flight to Dubai would depart, so I decided to sleep the day away. I typically do not sleep on airplane flights, so I was ready for some shuteye. The hotel was comfortable and very quiet. It had room-darkening shades so the daylight didn't illuminate the room. Most of the jet lag advice would have me staying awake during the day to help my body clock adjust to the new time zone, but my desire for slumber was overwhelming.



Park Plaza Hotel Room

I slept for a few hours then met up with the group for lunch. Afterward, I was contemplating taking a walk and exploring the area around the hotel, but the lure of the comfortable, quiet room was too much and I bedded down for another 5 hours.

We had another overnight flight to Dubai and, of course, I was jet lagged. I recovered in a couple of days like I normally do. I don't remember how bad I felt while for those first few days in Dubai, but I do remember that nice day of sleep I got in Amsterdam!

Monsoon Season In Scottsdale

 

One of the things we learned when we went to the Phoenix Botanical Garden last year was that the Sonoran Desert is unique. It is the only desert in the world to have two rainy seasons. During our visit in July, we witnessed what they call "Monsoon Season". One of my friends from the area assured us that it was a small monsoon. I recorded this short video on my Droid. It is mostly dark but occasionally the lightning illuminates Crescent Peak and the surrounding area.

Our annual pilgrimage to Scottsdale

Once again we are in Scottsdale in late July, aka monsoon season. We are attending a Ministry Insights conference to enhance Judy's coaching ministry. We are once again staying at the Four Seasons at Troon resort. This is a fabulous resort (and we get a fantastic price through the conference.)
I will be blogging about some of our adventures and feasting over the next few days.
This blog entry is the first one using my Droid. It is very handy.  I just have to watch out for typpos :-)

MS Amsterdam in the Panama Canal

MS Amsterdam at Miraflores

My mother is taking a repositioning cruise from Fort Lauderdale, FL to Seattle, WA on Holland America's MS Amsterdam. Today they cruised through the Panama Canal. I was able to track her on http://www.marinetraffic.com/ and capture a picture as the ship was going through the Miraflores Lock with a live webcam at http://www.pancanal.com/ .

On Marine Traffic you can see what ships are in a particular port or you can locate and track a specific ship. Not every ship is trackable and there are many areas that are out of range, but it appears to cover most of the US ports. You can even receive email updates on your favorite ships. I have ejoyed tracking the Amsterdam on this voyage.

The Panama Canal website has live webcams at the Miraflores locks as well as the Gatun locks.

NEXUS Part Deux

I flew through Atlanta on the way home from a recent trip overseas and saw the "Global Entry" kiosks by Passport Control. Global Entry is a trusted traveler program that has kiosks in several US airports that allow arriving international passengers to bypass the passport control line when they are entering the USA. I was wishing I could use them and had planned on looking into it further when I was done with that trip. When I got home I had no less than four postcards from Customs and Border Protection informing me that since I was a NEXUS cardholder, I can use the Global Entry kiosks! There is no extra charge for this service.

This is a great benefit for NEXUS members, especially since the Global Entry program costs twice as much.

The website for the NEXUS program is:
www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/trusted_traveler/nexus_prog/nexus.xml

The website for Global Entry is:
http://www.globalentry.gov/


Safe Travels!

George

If you haven't bought your sweetie flowers yet...

Our self-service travel website (http://www.gracepointtravel.com/) offers much more than just hotel rooms and airline tickets. You can also order flowers and gifts for delivery. This time of year you can go directly to the flowers and gift site through our homepage.

There is also a special site called "YTB Romance" where you can book romantic getaways, etc. One unique feature is a Honeymoon Registry where you can book a honeymoon and friends and relatives can pay for part of the trip or buy extras, much like a gift registry at a store. YTB Romance can be found under the Extras tab on our main travel page (http://www.gracepointtravel.com/)

Have a great weekend!

George