So Far Away, and Yet So Close...If You Have Facebook and Google That Is.

My daughter has the travel bug. She is 16. She is in Thailand. Isn't that almost as far away as you can be from your mother? I ask myself, why did she want to go as far away from me as possible?

• TREKTIP: Encourage your child to travel and support his/her excitement even though it is sometimes hard, or seemingly unbearable.

My facebook status for days has simply been, "I miss J." It says it all. She is off the grid. Traveling from northern Thailand village to northern Thailand village, doing community service. She has built a wall around a school and taught English. She is having the "time of her life," she states in the one email message sent to "Everyone." It must be the "Thai massage" she got after sleeping on a bamboo bed for 4 nights. Maybe it's the cool friends she bonded with before takeoff from LAX.

• TREKTIP: Traveling as a youth breeds independence, awareness, worldliness, tolerance and human consciousness!

In any event, I have been waiting for her to resurface, for over 10 days. And there it was, a comment to my facebook status: "I miss mommyyy." And then, "I'm online if you want to chat!" I am reading this from my iPhone, at a restaurant, wondering how fast I can get home to my MacBook. I get home, sigh, and slump my shoulders. I comment back on my status, "I missed you by 17 minutes. Ugh." And there she is! She pops up on google chat. We tried to video iChat, but it didn't work. We just google chatted, without video. Whatever worked! She is still having the time of her life, but most of all she misses me. TREKTHERAPY DOSE: My daughter may be as far away as possible, but she is closer to home than ever.

How I Got A 2-Bathroom Suite in NYC for less than $250 per night

I do a lot of research before I travel, and well in advance. I knew I was going to New York City, and I had heard you can't get a room for less than $500. As I researched, I learned that wasn't entirely true. You really could not get a decent room for less than $350. That's still a lot of money, when you are planning 4 nights in the city!

• TREKTIP: Research. Research. Research. And Then Book Early.

So, I made reservations at a few places in February, to hold rooms for June travel. I wasn't satisfied with my mediocre choice, but the $350 included breakfast, and I was convincing myself it was a good deal. After going on and off the travel sites every few days, I finally found a great deal. The Regency in the heart of the Upper East side. (http://www.loewshotels.com/en/Hotels/New-York-City-Hotel/Overview.aspx). Okay, not the hippest neighborhood, and Soho is pretty far south, but heck, rooms were $236 a night, fully paid in advance (Internet Special). So, I jumped on it, knowing The Regency is a pretty nice place to stay. It was, after all, featured on Celebrity Apprentice - so it couldn't be that bad!

• TREKTIP: Don't Freak Out When You Arrive and Your Room is Gone!

When we arrived (traveling with 16-year-old daughter), after a long travel day from the west coast, we were told our reservation did not exist. TREKTHERAPY DOSE: Remain calm. Do not react negatively. I smartly carried my internet receipt and pulled that out to quietly show them. As it turned out, their records showed us checking in on Friday, and today was Saturday. They crossed us off their system as a "no show." My internet receipt clearly had us checking in on Saturday. They were very apologetic and offered me a smoking room. As a past asthmatic sufferer, that was a deal killer. I smiled, and politely declined and very calmly suggested they refund my prepaid funds, and help us find another room in the city. I was so relaxed and nonplussed about the whole thing. I surprised myself at how in control I was, considering how utterly tired we were. The desk clerk went behind closed doors and came back out and started clicking frantically on her reservation system keyboard. AHA! A non-smoking room magically appeared! But...it was very small, she said. Two twin beds, in a standard room, and not the Deluxe Double I had booked. She convinced me, with her manager standing over her shoulder, that was really all they had to offer. I believed her, but I hesitated. The manager stepped in and offered $100 toward breakfast, and an upgrade starting Sunday, as soon as rooms opened up. At this moment I sensed opportunity, so I asked, upgrade to what? And he said a very nice Executive Suite, and assured me I would not be disappointed.

• TREKTIP: Know When To Say "Yes Please!" and "Thank You So Much!"

I knew the front desk had made a grand effort to accommodate me, and this was the moment to appreciate their excellent customer service. While it wasn't ideal to have to move from one room to another, unpack and repack, I felt they did what they could, so I said, "Well, that sounds great! I appreciate your efforts, and thank you so much!" Everyone was smiling and laughing and we moved forward with the transaction. TREKTHERAPY DOSE: It pays to be super calm, and super nice because you get free stuff! As we were settling in to our tiny room, there was a knock on the door. It was room service carrying a complimentary bottle of red wine, two wine glasses, a plate of cookies smothered in m&ms, and a glass of milk in a bucket of ice! Compliments of the manager. That felt good. The next day morning we ordered an insane brunch of lox, bagels, cream cheese, coffee and fruit. There went the $100 credit! And in the afternoon we were moved to a TWO BATHROOM suite, with a King size bedroom, and living room. Our friends visited later that evening, and when they arrived in our "apartment in the city," I offered them a glass of wine. We had the most marvelous vacation, all on a budget - with style!