SURFRIDER
Hope your not heading to the airport on the east coast or flying to the east coast tonight...............BLACKOUT!!!

Thanks, Bailey, but things are fine here. The FAA says airlines' ops are UNaffected - they switched to diesel power for their electrcity. Thank you for your concerns - I am headed west, and by late tonight will be in LAX, and headed to enjoy the delights of Malibu and points north. Just a madcap trip for a few days. Take care.

I am so fortunate to never have had anyone pooh pooh my travel plans with the blaring exception of my grandmother. She just can't understand why anyone would want to leave the land of 10,000 lakes. Now that she's nearly 90 y.o. I think that she fears that I may not come back.

If confronted by trip negatism, I would turn the table and simply ask the person where they like to travel? What was their favorite hotel? What sites do they recommend?

I am a relatively new poster on this site, and since I'm on summer vacation (teacher), have become addicted almost to reading it every other day or so. One of the things that I took personally (won't happen again) was the negative response to my questions about Christmas in London. I posted that I'd already bought tickets, but was looking for hotel and site info. Instead, I got many replies telling me that England was horrible during X-Mas and that I might as well go to NYC. I only travel during Christmas and Spring breaks, so I already knew that it would be a cold time to go. I LIKE COLD WEATHER. I already knew that Dickens is dead. I LIKE BIG CITIES. I already knew that the tube would be shut down and museums would be closed on the 25th and 26th. I WANTED TO WALK AROUND OR GO HAVE A PUB DINNER. Instead of telling people who already have a trip booked to 'go somewhere else,' I advocate helping them problem-solve with the one they've booked. I think there's a lot of great advice out there, so I will still come back for more though!

I suppose I would hate that, but I never recall it happening.

Unless I was 100% in sync with someone with our tastes, I'd take any negative comments about a hotel, food, etc, with a large grain of NaCl.

teachersue, keep your chin and keep coming back.

I read your earlier post since I'm interested in going to london at that time. I came away from that thread with a positive slant as there were more "go for its" than stay at home comments. I saw the folks who gave an opinion about the weather and transportation closures,being honest and not negative. Its just a fact that its cold and often rains in January.

Teachersue ~

London over the holidays? You'll have a fantastic time. The sales are great. I don't know what you've been told, but the city certainly doesn't shut down. I hope that you're lucky enough to get some british snow London is so pretty wrapped in a coat of snow. It will be magical for you.

Yes, Scarlett, I find that totally irritating. We're driving to California from Washington State Saturday and my dear brother had to tell us our road time was waaay off. Is he so sure? I checked it out on an online road trip planner....grrrr.

I say let people discover the world on their own. Don't be presumptious -- though it is human nature, isn't it?

But resist heaping on the advice. Your trip may be different than their's. That hotel or restaraunt you didn't like might suit them to a tea. And things change, management changes and such.

Bottom line: let them find out themselves. Now if they ask for advice, I say give it, perhaps they can learn from your experience, but don't be a travel snob, pompous ass or presumptious. There's too many in the world like that.