Travel Tool App Review: WorldMate Live
For the Boston trip I decided to try a travel App on my Blackberry. Normally I don’t use travel apps; instead i will carry a master itinerary sheet for my trip with my confirmation numbers listed for each segment of my journey, as well as individual copies of the different reservations in a leather notebook in my briefcase/laptop bag. I decided to use WorldMate Live, it looked nice in the Blackberry app store, and came with a free 7 day trial of their Gold level service. There are also iphone, windows mobile, and Nokia/Simbian versions available for download as well.
Installation into my phone and account sign up on their website was easy & painless. Uploading my itinerary to my account was easy; I only had to forward the confirmation emails to the address listed on the website and my online & mobile profiles were automatically updated. During the trip I opted try both the free version and the free trial of their paid or gold version. The free version has a nice selection of basic travel tools such as currency conversion, weather, maps, world clocks. The Gold version also included automatic alerts to changes in your itinerary, flight & gate information & alerts. The Gold version has a subscription fee of $11.95 per month, or $99.95 annually.
I normally sign up for text & email alerts from the airlines that I travel on. During the trip I had some gate changes & minor departure delays. Worldmate’s alerts were some times were a few minutes to a few seconds faster than the alerts sent directly to me from American. Worldmate’s user interface is visually slick and simple.While I was waiting for my flight in Chicago I played with Worldmates function to bring up AA’s flights schedules to see if I wanted to an alternative flight. I also tried the Hotel search and booking feature on the program simulating if my flight were to be canceled and I had to spend the night in Chicago.
In Boston I used the program to do a search to locate possible restaurants near the hotel I was staying at. The restaurant search also let you see their reviews on yelp, and their location on google maps (my phones default map service).
Over all I found the program to be nice to use, and it just let me do what I wanted to do. It is full of different features and tools. The free version is great to keep a centralized copy of my itinerary, and if I were to be doing more regular business/leisure travel I might opt to subscribe to the Gold service. A personal rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Chowder & Lobster Rolls
I wanted to do a trip for the new year, so last weekend I decided to take a trip to Boston for a bowl of Chowder and some Lobster. American Airlines had a good fare of about $109 each way between San Francisco and Boston via Dallas & Chicago. S0 I decided to take advantage of such a good price.
So I had a 0600 flight from SFO to DFW Saturday morning Jan 9th. Definitely and early flight for some one who lives in Sacramento, about a 2+ hours drive from the airport (the same flight out of SMF would have been at least $200 extra). I decided that I would stay at a hotel by the airport the night be
fore. I made a reservation at the Four Points by Sheraton, for $89. This is the first time I’ve stayed at a Four Points. I made the reservation through Starwood’s website. So I parked my car at a BART station since it would be free to park over the weekend, and took the BART train to SFO and the hotel’s shuttle to the hotel.
According to the website the room I reserved would have a King sized bed, wet bar, separate living room, and a roll in shower, all for $89 (before tax). Well that isn’t what I got. The bed felt more like a queen than a king (feet hung off the end), tub/shower combination, no wet bar, and no separate living room area. Don’t get me wrong the room was nice, the bed was adequately comfortable; even with my feet hanging off the end. The shower was refreshing, and the rest of amenities were nice. I personally liked the free bottle of water, and having a refrigerator to chill it in. I just prefer have my room at least match the description on the website. I did speak to the clerk at the reception desk about the disparity. His response was that the room described would have cost far more than what I had paid for. Now if I had paid a higher rate for a premium room and received their base room I would have pushed for a refund of the difference. I do recall when I made my reservation, I thought it was odd that all o
f the rates for the rooms that night were all $89.00.
I arrived at SFO about an hour before my flight was scheduled to depart and checked in. Since I was checking in at a self serve kiosk within 2 hours of my flight I was offered the opportunity to upgrade to first class for an extra $135 (tax included), which I happily accepted. More legroom and an in-flight breakfast. Unfortunately a domestic non transcontinental first class ticket doesn’t allow you access to the Admirals Club, and for such a short wait time I had between my flights, I didn’t feel like paying for a day pass.
The flight from SFO to DFW was on one of AA’s MD-80’s. I’ve flown domestic first class on Delta many times on their 737’s. Compared to the two: hip room is the same, but the Delta seats had more legroom. I don’t know if that is the style of seats AA uses or more of the type of aircraft they use, or both. But on Delta when in first and the person in front of me leans back, their seat back doesn’t go into my knees. I did feel a little cramped (but far less than I feel when I’m in coach), but I think that was mainly because I had a window seat instead of an aisle seat.
Breakfast I had a choice between a cheese omelet with roasted potatoes or oatmeal with fruit and sugar. I chose the omelet. It was also served with a fresh fruit plate, a choice of beverage (I chose orange juice), and a choice of either a freshly baked biscuit, or a warm bagel with cream cheese. Now because of my size I did have some trouble getting my tray out of the armrest and put it all of the way down in front of me. I was able to get it down but had to have it angled off to my side instead of directly in front of me. Overall I had a very enjoyable flight.
The DFW to BOS leg I was back in coach 
The flight was filled to capacity, and I didn’t have an opportunity to upgrade for this leg. I had an aisle seat on the 2 seat row side of the plane (MD-80). I prefer aisle seats even though I run the risk of having a drink cart slamm
ed into my knee if I’m not paying attention (happened on this flight), at least the attendant noticed this time and apol
ogized (some have ignored it and kept on going.
The lady I shared the row with offered to raise the center arm rest so I could be more comfortable. I gladly accepted. Later in our flight she said we were flying over a large city and asked if I knew which city it was, since she didn’t know which one it was. I leaned over and looked out the window and immediately recognized the city, though I have never visited it in my adult life (besides changing planes). I told her that it was NYC and we were over Manhattan island, and the big green square was central park, and I pointed out to here what might have been the Chrysler building or the Empire state building, and the Hudson & East rivers. I’ve personally haven’t spent any time in NYC but I recognized it of course from pictures, maps, and other media images. I was personally surprised that our course took us right over the city and gave us such a pretty view of the city.
On the flight they had a selection of snack items for sale including a sandwich with chips. I purchased the sandwich and bag of chips. The sandwich was ok. I think SAS so far has had the best sandwich deal on a short haul flight. Reindeer meat and came with some potato salad. I’ll post about that flight I took last May some time in the future. Now of course for my size I am unable to use a tray table in the fully lowered position. Not being able to use my tray table is annoying when I have a beverage, and the seat next to me is occupied by another passenger. A feature I liked on a short haul SAS flight was that the tray table had a cup holder that folded out of the back of tray table. It was nice having a place to put my cup with out having to lower a tray table. Another tray table option I like, and is a reason why I’ll usually fly AA internationally is having the tray table folded in half. I can have a tray table folded in half in front of me on a flight and I can place my drink or meal on the partially unfolded tray with out trying to balance it on my knees. I wish more USA domestic flight had either tray table option; its a detail like that can help make a flight for me a little more pleasant.
I arrived in Boston on a windy and cold evening. Some gusts of wind did wobble the plane a bit during the landing. I reserved a room at the Westin Waterfront Hotel. I took a cab to the hotel. This was my first stay at a Westin. Personally I’m impr
essed by their level of service and comfort they offered. Since they reported to be a 4 star hotel, I only reserved their basic room with a king sized bed. When I checked in the lady at the desk asked if I would like to move up to a room on the 16th floor (top floor). I accepted the offer. The room was beautiful, the bed plush & uber-comfy, and the view of the downtown skyline was more than I expected when I first made my reservation. This room was about $150. I booked and prepaid for the room through AAVacation’s website. The bed felt like a full size king, at least as large as the one I have in my home (feet didn’t hang off with plenty of extra room to stretch out), soft warm blankets and comforters. Large picture window looking at the Boston skyline. I personally would recommend this hotel to others as a great place to stay. A nice feature for us in the big n tall category, is that the office chair in the room was armless, and made with a steel tubing frame.
I did have one irritation with the hotel; and that was what they charged for extras. Over a dollar to make a toll free call or local call from the hotel room phone, and that they charged extra for in room internet service. Motel 6 at least has free local calls and free toll free calls. I also believe that internet service in the room should be included in the basic room rate. I’ve stayed at more moderately priced business and leisure hotels/motels in the USA and Europe and local calls/800#s, and internet service were often included in the base price. I also felt that $25 for an in room full breakfast was a bit high, and at this level of hotel I would expect that breakfast in the restaurant should be complimentary. I do expect a fee for room service, but $25 for eggs juice toast/bread, potatoes, and choice of meat is a bit high.
The hotel had multiple bars and restaurant
to choose from, but I chose to walk over to a nearby restaurant I’ve read about online; The Legal Test Kitchen. On my walk over I really wished I had remember to pack my knit cap and warm scarf that my mom knitted for me 2 Christmases back (this year was a nice afghan). Near single digit temperatures plus walking into a cold wind off of the harbor made for a brisk 5 min walk from my hotel to the restaurant. It was so cold that I lost feeling in my ears and 2nd chin 
. But this will also be the only time this year I’ll likely have to wear my nice heavy coat too. Dinner was wonderful. I treated myself to some mac n cheese with duck confit and wild mushrooms, skewers of grilled shrimp and scallops, a bowl of clam chowder, and a lobster roll. Normally I am not a fan of scallops, but these were soo yummy, sweet n buttery. Usually I get overcooked and rubbery scallops at restaurants. I had a Coke with my meal and even it was a cold winter night, it was still served ice cold in a glass of ice Gotta love it!
Sunday I had a 1230 flight from Boston to Chicago. It was nice to sleep in a bit, get up, leave my room and walk straight out from my room, do a express check out, and right into a waiting cab. This was a very hassle free and comfortable stay. When I arrived at the airport to check in I found a long line for the self serve kiosks, for passengers with no bags to check. Usually I don’t find a long line for the self serve machines. After a quick look around I didn’t see any kiosk machines away from the ticket counters that I could use to check in and print my boarding pass. So I had to wait in line for one to free up, as several family’s with crying children were repacking bags to come under the weight limits; and other couples were taking their sweet time to gather their stuff and leave the ticket area. So much for a quick and easy check in. Yes I could have checked in online and the hotel I stayed at would have printed my boarding pass for me at the travel/concierge desk; but I seem to have more luck getting the upgrade option at the machines at the airport. SFO’s check in area was nicer since it had some machines off to the side and a more controlled/designated area for passengers checking in with no baggage. Well eventually I was able to print my boarding pass (no upgrade available for this leg), and make my way through security. After security I had over 90 min before my flight so I enjoyed a bowl of chowder for breakfast at a nice restaurant/bar across from the admirals club.
For my flight from BOS to ORD I sat in 19D. It felt like I had a little more room than usual for my knees, and the arm rest on the aisle was able to be raised up giving me a little more room with out encroaching on the person in the middle seat. When I book a flight I try to choose if possible an aisle seat that has an armrest that will raise up. I find that this feature will make a more pleasant flight for myself and the others next to me. Near the end of the flight the attendant for first class distributed the leftover cookies from first class to people in coach. I did get a nice sugar cookie that I think had some coconut in it too.
I had a 3hr layover at ORD. It was cold enouph that as soon as I stepped onto the jetway I instantly saw my breath in a thick cloud that obscured my vision. Whenever the gate agents opened the jetway door to let passengers on off the plane, the heat from the waiting area was instantly sucked into the jetway making it feel like that ambient temp had dropped 20-30 degrees in the immediate area. The AA terminal had a nice selection of food in its food court. I enjoyed a nice pastrami on rye with mustard and a pickle, and a Chicago style hot dog.
Overall this was a good trip for me. I was able to add several thousand miles to my account, and 4 more segments towards this years elite status. I went to a city I havn’t visited before, and I’ll visit again some day.
Christmas Delta Flight: SMF-SLC
This year for Christmas I flew to my parents new home in Ogden, UT. I flew on Delta since it has a direct flight from Sacramento (SMF) to Salt Lake City (SLC). I usually will fly on Delta to SLC since they are:
1) Direct non stop from SMF-SLC
2) Competitively priced against SWA. (SWA doesn’t go direct to SLC from SMF)
3) Easy to use upgrade program from economy to first class.
Delta same day upgrade program is easy to understand and use. For a small fee (based on distance) you can request an upgrade from economy to first if there is space, and as long your fare is K class or higher (T U N L) fares are ineligible for the upgrade, and you millage plan elite status. I only have about 7,000 miles on Delta’s Skymiles program, so I am not considered elite, but I still will often get the same day upgrade when I sign up for it at the gate. Currently the fee for the upgrade between SMF & SLC is $75. I feel that this is a great deal compared to buying a first or business class ticket for such a short flight. Especially for the luxury of being able to stretch my legs out in my seat. The warm nuts are just bonus.
Unfortunately I was not able to enjoy the option of upgrading on this trip since I purchased a L fare class economy ticket. Fortunatly on the trip to SLC I had a smaller person next to me that was understanding, and I did my best to keep my body and knees from intruding into their space. The return trip the flight was full to capacity and I was able to move to the rearmost row which was empty and enjoyed having 3 seats to myself.
On the return flight there was a flight attendant that may have been fairly new to the job. The drink service was a bit rushed at the last half of the flight since they had to wait for some turbulence to subside. A senior attendant sent him down the aisle one last time to collect trash before landing during the final approach; I thought that to be odd since out my window I could see from the landmarks that we were just a couple minutes from landing on the runway. I don’t know if either of them realized how close to SMF they were. I noticed that as the ground was getting real close to the plane he was coming down the aisle as quickly as possible to get to his jump seat in the rear galley. He didn’t make to the galley before landing, but he did make it 3 rows away from it where fortunately there was an empty seat and he was able to have his rear make contact with the cushion about 2 seconds before the wheels made contact with the pavement. I did overhear the senior attendant apologize to the young man for sending him out for the trash when she didn’t realize how close to landing they were.
Welcome!
Welcome to The Obese Traveler Blog. I intend this blog to focus on the the unique challenges that the plus size traveler faces in the world of standard size travel. Since I am a Big & Tall guy who loves to travel I will also be sharing my own travel experiences with you.
