Ugh ...

I haven't updated this baby in a very long time. I feel ashamed. But the silver lining is that I HAVE been writing stuff on a consistent basis. I promise to do better here, but check out my latest piece on group travel on GoJaneNews.com!

Feel like a drink?

Temple Bar in Dublin, Ireland

Check out my first official travel piece — A beer tour through Europe — for amNewYork in tomorrow's paper's Travel section.

Or read it online here.

Let me know what you think!

Tweet, tweet, travel, travel

Readers of Bitten, I just wanted to let you know that I now am an avid Tweeter. For travel updates, and updates on my daily activities, follow me @SmellTheRosy.

That is all.

Piling on the baggage

It looks like the federal government is stepping in to regulate airlines a bit. And unlike the annoyingly stupid full body security scans instituted last year, these regulations actually look like they're going to benefit travelers. Shocking, I know.

The Transportation Department's new rules, which are slated to go into effect in about four months or so, will mean that airlines will have to refund baggage fees if they lose your luggage — they're already required to compensate you for the value of your lost goodies. But you're out of luck if your bag is delivered eventually (no matter how far down 'eventually' is). Airlines won't be required to reimburse you if the bag comes late.

The new rule also will make airlines include all fees, taxes and hidden costs in their advertised prices. I don't know about you, but I think it's immensely annoying when I'm planning to book a flight because it's this great deal I found only to be slapped with $100-plus extra on the final cost. Kind of defeats the whole beauty of the deal, doesn't it?

Also — and I'm extremely lucky this has never happened to me — but apparently airlines have kept passengers on the tarmac for up to 10 hours. Ridiculous! Well, it's not going to happen anymore. The Transportation Department is expanding the tarmac delay rules — which already say that domestic flights can't hold passengers on board without food, water and access to bathrooms for more than three hours — to include international flights at a cap of four hours.

This last rule is one that I think shouldn't even have to be implemented because the premise of the violation behind it is so absolutely absurd — but at least something's being done about it, I suppose. Carriers will have to pay passengers up to twice the cost of their ticket, capped at $800, if they're bumped from an overbooked flight (it was a $400 max before).

Carriers shouldn't be overbooking flights anyway!!! Seriously. I understand it's all a money game, but come on! If, for whatever reason, the flight is booked and someone doesn't show up or cancels, there's always stand-bys hanging on for hope that they'll make it on that last-minute flight. Put them on the flight, rather than overbooking it to start and then having to reschedule the passengers that are bumped. Wouldn't that save everyone time and perhaps some headaches?

Anyway, at least those unfortunate people will get some sort of compensation now. Because, let's face it, how many flights cost you less than $200 these days?

A resident visitor

It's interesting going back to a place that you used to live in as a visitor. (See what I had to say about it here.) In a way the nostalgia gets to you. Because you don't live there anymore. You ARE an outsider now.

Relaxing with some fish pedicures

On the other hand, it's really nice to be able to visit somewhere just to relax and see the people you came to see without worrying about running around to all the tourist attractions you have to see in the five days you're there.

A gorgeous day at Kew Gardens

There's always something new to discover, especially in a city like London, so my recent trip there was far from boring. I actually spent most of my days wandering around parts of the city I hadn't been to in the three months I lived there four years ago. It was great to be able to relax and wander around with my friends, and to see the things that someone just visiting probably wouldn't bother to see.

Strolling in the old 'hood

However, it is nice to visit your old hangouts and neighborhood. It's fun to see what's changed and comforting to note what hasn't (like my favorite sandwich shop with the best sandwiches ever right by Hyde Park). It's brings back good memories of good times once had.

All in all, a great trip to a place I love with wonderful people. What could be better?

$hopping on the cheap

St. Josep food market off of La Rambla in Barcelona

I'm all about traveling on a budget. But sometimes it's nice to splurge on a little something for yourself — and there's a lot to be said for the therapeutic value of retail therapy.

You all know what I'm talking about.

Click here to read more about my suggestions of how to shop on the cheap across the pond — my latest contribution to GoJaneNews.com.

Hope you like it!

Branching out

Regent Street in London

I'm branching out! You're looking at — well reading the words of — the newest travel writer for GoJaneNews.com.

Don't worry, Bitten is going strong and I have no plans of slowing my pace here. I love it here. But a girl's gotta get her name out there! So do me a favor and check out my latest piece on Girlfriend Getaways (along with my very own photos). And don't be shy ... let me know what you think.

More to come soon!

Regarding the compromise

Alas, my honey decided that he can't financially justify my planned trip to Ireland.

Yes, I'm disappointed, but such is the life of someone bitten by the travel bug. You can't expect others to fully understand or be able to comply with your craziness, passion, however you want to put it.

Because of my own strapped wallet, I have had to scrap my original plan to see the Irish countryside and instead will be venturing solo to good ol' London in April. Different, yes, but nevertheless exciting, especially since I'll have the opportunity to see and catch up with old friends.

As a traveler, you have to be willing to not only compromise to accommodate the itineraries and interests of others, but you also have to be willing and flexible enough to accommodate unexpected changes that are inevitably going to happen to your own itinerary, no matter how well planned it might be.

My Ireland trip is not canceled — simply postponed indefinitely at the moment. I will go and see the Irish countryside and it will be lovely. Just not this May. And I'm OK with that.

A traveler's compromise

I like to travel. I think we've adequately established that. I spend most of my free time thinking of my next trip, whether it's a weekend trip up to Westchester or a trip across the Atlantic. Planning trips, perfecting itineraries and discovering deals to places I never even thought of visiting until right that moment makes me happy. It's my go-to when I'm particularly anxious or stressed out.

My boyfriend, the wonderful and lovely man that he is, is not in any way whatsoever passionate about travel. Sure, he'll do it (a lot of the time to oblige my travel bug) but he doesn't get excited by it. I'm not even saying to the degree that I do — he's just not all that into it.

Me and my travel buddy, Sheila, showcasing our
"I've seen Mt. Everest" certificates

When we started our relationship a bit more than one (very wonderful, mind you) year ago, we discussed that while he would NEVER want to join me on a trip to, say, India or Southeast Asia, he also would never stop me from going. Lucky for me I have a friend who's a particularly good traveling buddy who's just as crazy as I am about the whole thing. She currently is spending several months trekking through South America. Yes, I'm incredibly jealous.

Anyway, the fact that my man doesn't want to travel to some more out of the ordinary places is OK. I'm just as happy exploring the beauty of Europe and maybe, just maybe, Japan and/or Australia one day. Oh, if only things were that easy.

If you're a travel nut, like me, you know that no matter how dire financial straits might be, you find a way to make it work. (I've even outlined in an earlier post some of the ways that I, personally, am able to travel as much as I do, to the amazement of many of my more well-off friends.) If you're not a travel nut, like my boyfriend, then justifying spending $2,000 on one week of schlepping around Ireland doesn't really sound all that appealing — he'd much rather take that money and spend it on comic books. As he very astutely phrased it, that's where the two of us differ most greatly in our personalities: he would rather spend his money on tangible assets, whereas I am much happier spending it on experiences. 

And therein lies the rub.

Relaxing after snorkeling in Grand Cayman

Another issue is that I am a very active traveler. My philosophy is that if I already spent that much of my hard-earned and not-so-easy-to-come-by money to get to a place, I might as well take full advantage of it and see as much as possible. My boyfriend, like many normal people, prefers to actually relax on his vacations. Perhaps that's why he was less combative about our trip to Grand Cayman than he's being about my very jam-packed itinerary for Ireland.

Luckily, we both love each other enough to compromise, which I hear is what a successful relationship is all about. He has agreed to — perhaps begrudgingly, but I choose to ignore that — go on my trip to Ireland; I have agreed to go to as many book stores as he wants to visit while we're there.

In the future, I'll just have to either plan my vacations with my man locally and around certain comic conventions (see Weekend Getaways: Chicago and Philadelphia), or I'll have to capitalize on his love of boats and plan many more cruise vacations. Not a problem, considering I also enjoy cruises.

It's all about compromise.

Have any tips on how to get some more unwilling parties to comply with your traveling needs?