Happy Steps travel blog

Marketing tool for the traveling manager

Most of the people who travel are businessmen. They visit branches of their companies in different places to ensure that their programs or corporate plans are implemented or followed. This makes them busy, not only in travel, but also with the other activities they have to do and plan for.

An important area in business is marketing, and any help along this line is welcome to the progressive manager and/or business owner. With the present surge of high-technology gadgets, both software and hardware, many things are facilitated and made easy, unlike before when they were time-consuming and tedious.
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Cebu Pacific baggage information, excess baggage rates, check-in and boarding guidelines

Flying via Cebu Pacific? Here are some helpful information for domestic and international flights regarding allowable baggage weight, excess baggage rates, prepaid excess baggage (PEB), baggage reinstatement fees (BRF), and rules for check-in and boarding times.

Before going on a trip, make sure to weigh your baggage as it really pays to know beforehand. Refer to the allowed weight for handcarry and checked baggage below. In case your checked baggage excess weight would be more than 5 kgs, then it’s better to avail of Cebu Pacific’s prepaid excess baggage (PEB) fees. Check out the fees below for every additional 5 kgs increment of excess weight.
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BP oil spill effect on the travel industry

The recent BP oil spill disaster, aka the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, has greatly affected America’s marine environment as well as the local fishing and tourism industries in the Gulf of Mexico. It has also spoiled some travel plans for a tourist about to have a beach vacation in Florida. According to an ABC News Travel article, Kathryn Calley cancelled her trip because of the oil spill but unfortunately her travel insurance could not give her reimbursement for the cancelled flights. The reason? The oil spill is considered a manmade disaster and not a natural disaster which can be covered by standard travel insurance. Ugh, what a disappointment for not having to go on with a planned holiday and not even getting refund for the airfare or rebooking fees.
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DFA advisory on travel to Bangkok, Thailand

Unless it’s really that urgent, Filipinos are advised to postpone traveling to Thailand these days. Here’s the official travel advisory regarding Thailand, from the Department of Foreign Affairs, dated 15 May 2010:

The Department of Foreign Affairs re-issued its travel advisory to Bangkok, Thailand in view of the increased incidents of violence in central Bangkok.
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How about winning a holiday trip?

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Dove Ice Cream. All opinions are 100% mine.

I’ve been busy these days catching up on loads of pending tasks. Whew! How I wish I’d have some extra time off for a nice holiday getaway, but that would cause a dent on my savings again as I have other financial priorities to consider.

Oh well, if you’re like me who’s dreaming of a holiday somewhere and don’t have extra budget for travel, you might want to join the “My Mini Moment” contest courtesy of Dove Ice Cream. One of their mini-grand prizes is a mini-getaway to scenic Napa Valley. Now doesn’t the word “free” make it more appealing? The contest came about as a way for Dove Ice Cream to celebrate “Me-time” as important and cherished moments for their consumers.
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Moving to a new community: The advantages of owner financed homes

After living in an apartment for about 18 years in Cebu, our family finally decided to go back to our home in the province and settle there for good. We were all done with college that time and some of my siblings are already working abroad, plus we were paying for the monthly rent and living in an apartment by the highway which was not a nice location for a residence. We already missed our home in the province, so we gave up our Cebu-based business, packed up all our belongings and finally moved back home.
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Moving and packing services

Moving to another place can be mentally draining. One can easily get exhausted, not much with the actual physical sorting and packing tasks but with the mental stress that comes in deciding which items to keep, to sell, to throw in the trash or to give away. This is a big dilemma especially if you have a hectic schedule or you have limited space in the moving vehicle, you have to let go of some stuff you can’t bring.
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Air travel crisis: Volcanic ash cloud affecting flights worldwide

Bro-in-law was supposed to fly back to Finland last Friday April 16. I even got an SMS from him informing us that he already passed immigration. Well, hours after, we got another text message from him that “all EU flights are cancelled” due to volcanic eruption in Iceland. I immediately did an online search and didn’t expect that the effect of the volcanic ash cloud from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano would be that serious, paralyzing world travel from Europe and spreading out to the US and Asia, leaving thousands of passengers stranded on a global scale.

So my bro-in-law and his fellow passengers were housed in a hotel as they waited for travel updates. Incidentally, a friend was lucky enough to have flown on April 14 to Prague, and thank God she arrived safely, just before all the flights were cancelled. A classmate from high school who will be departing for Europe today posted in her Facebook account that she’s “hoping and praying the airline won’t cancel the flight.”

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European cities top world’s best places to live

We all agree that there’s no place like home, it’s where our heart is, and everytime we go somewhere, there’s always that longing to be home. Even travel bugs and those who are passionate about travel tend to appreciate more the little things about their hometown or neighborhood after coming from a trip someplace.

But what if you are given the option to move to another place or to relocate? Let’s say you visited an Arlington Property Management firm and given some various residential properties to decide upon, which place would you prefer to start over and settle with your family? If you have the whole world to choose from, which country or city would you move to? Continue reading… »

Searching for your dream neighborhood?

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Coldwell Banker. All opinions are 100% mine.

With the start of the year, most of us have already listed down some goals and dreams to fulfill within 365 days. Aside from having important goals for the family, such as improving finances, going into business, allocating time for travel and relaxation, major goals such as moving to another neighborhood or buying a house could also be part of the list. The decision to relocate to another place can be challenging, and there are many options to consider when choosing the right neighborhood. Continue reading… »

Travel industry contributes to relief efforts for Haiti earthquake

Hotels, airline companies, travel agents and travel websites are doing their share in helping Haiti after a devastating earthquake (measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale) struck about 15km south west of Port-au-Prince last Tuesday.

Airlines such as Continental, Delta, United Airlines, US Airways and other such companies encourage their clients to donate miles or money to the American Red Cross. American Airlines will award 250 bonus miles for every $50 donation. A Boeing 747 relief aircraft with volunteer pilots and cabin crew courtesy of British Airways will be flying to assist agencies in charge of emergency and rescue operations and services including equipment to Haiti. Continue reading… »

Hotel search engine donates to charity

If you’re a blogger, or have a Twitter or Facebook account, here’s your chance of donating to your favorite charity with just a simple promotion. You can do so via the Spread The Word For Charity project of www.HotelsCombined.com where they donate funds to WWF, Make A Wish or World Vision everytime somebody mentions or promotes their site.

It’s heartwarming to know that about $4000 have been donated so far with the help of participating bloggers including Facebook and Twitter users. Continue reading… »

Cutting back on business travel costs

With major factors affecting the economy such as increasing fuel costs and the global recession, most top airline companies suffer huge losses resulting to reduced flights and higher rates according to an air travel forecast article from USA Today. Also, there’s been a decrease in first-class and business-class tickets since last year which means revenue loss for the airline industry. So what can businesses and organizations do to lessen travel-related expenses than to resort to cost-saving measures such as online video-conferencing or giving up the comforts and perks of choosing premium seats? Continue reading… »