Travel Bites

In-Flight Entertainment
Worried about quality and variety of entertainment on your flight — or the lack thereof?  Rent portable DVD players and DVDs to enjoy during a flight from handy airport store. A video rental package from InMotion Entertainment ($15 per day) includes a DVD player, adaptor, batteries, headsets, DVD and a carrying case. Equipment can be returned at a counterpart InMotion Entertainment airport or shipped back with a prepaid UPS labels. inmotionstores.com

Trout Time
Cooler temps mean the return of the rainbow trout. According to the Arizona Game and Fish Department, starting in mid-November the urban program will switch from stocking catfish to stocking trout at city park lakes. azgfd.gov

Frame It
You may not be able to bring the whole gang on vacation, but you can make them envy your wanderlust by uploading your travel pics straight to their photo frame. And now, grandma doesn’t need a PC to receive and display digital photos of the grandkids at Disneyland. The Ceiva Digital Photo Frame ($224.99 for the 8-inch) with PicturePlan service ($6.95 per month) can automatically receive photos from friends and family anywhere in the world. Or, you can showcase pictures directly from a photo memory card. ceiva.com

Cowboy Christmas
It’s an old-fashioned holiday with a spicy Southwestern kick at Rancho de los Caballeros. For 60 years, the Wickenburg guest ranch has offered a rustic twist on the season’s revelries. The tree is decked with spicy dried chilies, Santa is conveyed in true cowboy fashion-by a horse drawn carriage, and cowboy boots line the fireplace in lieu of those darned stockings.  sunc.com

SEE IT

Las Noches de las Luminarias
It began in 1977, features the glow of 7,000 hand-lit luminaries, and kicks off the 2007 holiday season this November. The Desert Botanical Garden’s Las Noches de la Luminarias celebrates its 30th year with a lineup of entertainment and undiscovered trails. For the first time in its history the Harriet K. Maxwell Wildflower Trail will be lit, as well as Childhood Dreams, the willow sapling sculpture installed last spring by artist, Patrick Dougherty. Flickering luminarias will line these attractions together with the other trails, buildings and courtyards,  illuminating the garden with  intimate holiday ambiance.

Desert Botanical Gardens
1201 N. Galvin Pkwy. (in Papago Park)
Phoenix, AZ 85008
480-481-8188
dbg.org

Las Noches de la Luminarias
November 23 -25, December 6-9, 13-16, 20-23 (general public)
November 29-30, December 1-2 (Garden members and their guests)

Baggage Valet

If the last thing you want to do after a long journey is to navigate the baggage-claim jungle, praying that your luggage is not somewhere over Cleveland while you stand on terra firma in San Francisco, help has arrived. Here are some options that will leave you footloose and fanny-pack free on your next trip.

First Class Option: Outsourcing
Who:
Luggage Concierge (800-288-9818)
Luggage Forward (866-416-7447)
Luggage Free (800-361-6871)
Sports Express (800-357-4174)
The Luggage Club (877-231-5131)
Virtual Bellhop (877-235-5467)

What:
These companies pick up, package, ship, track and arrange delivery of your bags to your destination.

Benefit:
Luggage-free travel with no hassles.

Drawback:
It comes at a price — and a rather steep one. Pricing is determined by several factors including the number of pieces, weight, how quickly they need to be delivered and the destination. If your needs fall towards the cheaper end of the spectrum, it will likely cost at least  $2 per pound.

Business Class Option: Remote Airline Check-in
Who:
Orlando-based Bags Inc. in partnership with select hotels, airlines and cruise lines. Airportbags.com

What:
Guests check their luggage with a Bags representative at the hotel, convention center or cruise ship and bypass the baggage-check line at the airport. Travelers can also arrange for their luggage to be delivered to their hotel upon arrival. Sky Harbor Airport recently tested the service with the Westin Kierland Resort and Spa.

Benefit:
It’s convenient and economical. The service may soon be expanded in Phoenix to include hotels as well as the Phoenix Convention Center and Sky Harbor’s rental car center.

Drawback:
Despite growth, service is still limited to select cities.

Coach Class Option: Do it yourself
Who:
You and your local post office/UPS store.

What:
You pack and ship your luggage yourself.

Benefit:
t’s cheaper than hiring a service, especially if you ship well in advance. A good option for the holiday season if you don’t want to haul all those unwrapped gifts on the airplane to grandma’s house.

Drawback:
Not exactly hassle free, and still more expensive than checking your bags.