Bin Hogs: Your Day is Over!

The Airlines are finally getting smart about flying more efficiently. Now I wish the public would do the same. Bin Hogs: Your day is up. I've spent a life time flying around the world, in and out numerous times at luxurious state-of-the-art airports and those in the Third World that the average American tourist would have an immediate anxiety reaction. I've been there, done that, and bought the tee-shirt. There is nothing I haven't seen, nothing I haven't experienced, so I speak with a lot of authority. I loved George Clooney in "Up in the Air." I said to myself "Aha!" -the guy who wrote this funny movie script has experienced my real life in check-in and security lines and like me, knows exactly who NOT to get behind in a security checkpoint. Today I want to talk about Bin Hogs. Or Bin-Pigs. Or selfish people who have no regard for anyone else's space other than their own and then have the audacity to take another one that doesn't belong to them.
You know who you are. You know your Big Rollie won't fit, and you've broken the rules by carrying an extra purse, a lap-top bag, a shopping bag from Trader Joe's and a bag that contains a big stuffed toy for your grandchild. I'm on a flight back from San Francisco on Virgin America Airlines and watching the fun as you try to argue your way into carrying all this crap on to the flight. God bless the watchmen at Virgin America. Thank God they've commenced the crack-down on this exemplification of American rudeness. After shaking her down and telling her to stow all that crap, she kept up an argument when she got to her seat and demanded to speak to the on-duty Gate Manager. Give him the Medal of Honor. He didn't budge. Put her in her place and told her the argument was over. Next to me was a young kid with a shaved head. He looked at my (single) (small) military style backpack (laying at my feet) and asked me if I was a veteran. "Yes," I said. He replied, "Can you believe this? All I want to do is get this plane off the ground so I can get home." We both had a good chuckle. "Tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan and The Wicked Witch of the West holds up our plane in San Francisco!" You got it son, we've got some really rude, selfish, self-centered whining cry-babies in our population. What they don't understand is Virgin America Airlines is one of the best Airlines flying the skys currently. Thanks, Virgin America for sticking to your guns.

Yep, We've Got this Too!

19 February 2010:

The Focus Travel Company in Ha Noi launched the R.V. La Marguerite last year for 4-star river touring of Viet Nam and Cambodia. It's just another step in the direction of the company after launching it's own luxury touring junks on Ha Long Bay in the north. Now focusing on the broad southern rivers, La Marguerite will ply the rivers in the delta between Viet Nam and Cambodia. You've done the battlefield-thing, you've taken the 12 day-package tours offered by other companies(which really end up as 8 actual days on the ground). Well, really go all out and treat you and the spouse to something special. Designed and built especially for the Mekong, the La Marguerite is fashioned after the river boats that cruise European rivers - this is luxury cruising at its finest. Contact me for further information. (You know how to reach me)

21-Day Tours Start on March 6th

18 February 2010:

VALOR launches All-Inclusive Viet Nam Tour

I've been connected now for six years with the VALOR touring company out of Raleigh, North Carolina. On March 6th the group launches a new venture of 21-day tour packages to Viet Nam and Cambodia, especially designed for families and couples. This in answer to frequent requests for more time on the ground, more sites to visit other than the normal passe combat sites and old battlegrounds. The most amazing thing about the new 21 day venture is the cost, which remains basically, or nearly the same price as the normal 16-day packages. Other companies are wondering how we do it. My only answer is they need to get smart about how they're treating their customer base. The First 21-day adventure will include Ha Long Bay and Sapa, along with I-Corps, III-Corps, and plenty of 4-star luxury downtime at some of Viet Nam's best resorts. Our parent company provider, Focus Travel of Ha Noi, remains as the premier personalized travel provider in Viet Nam today - they've been privately licensed to do business in Viet Nam since 1999. It's run by a youthful and dynamic leadership that understands the fluidity and changing needs as Viet Nam progresses into the 21st century.