Murray On Travel

A recent survey by Westin Hotels & Resorts found that 51% of US travelers would rather have a good night's sleep than great sex.

 The question asked of about 12,500 travelers in a dozen countries was "Which is more important to you, a perfect night's sleep, or great sex?" Canadian travelers were the only regional group that picked sex over sleep by 52%. So What keeps us from getting a good nights sleep?? PDA's 60%, Bills 58%, Spouse or Partner 25%.

The publication of this survey is being used to promote that Westin has partnered with the National Sleep Foundation to launch a toll-free sleep hotline, (888) TIME-4-SLEEP, and webpage click here. The number will be manned by sleep professionals during the peak hours when people experience problems sleeping. The webpage offers a variety of information on sleep related problems, the causes and solutins.

The California coast line is punctuated with dog friendly beach parks however; this park has a unique feature which dogs and their owners will appreciate after romping in the shore, a state of the art self serve dog wash.  As you drive into the entrance of Arroyo Burro Beach Park in Santa Barbara, you'll see the canine cleaning service. This do-it your-self dog wash is not unlike the self-serve quarter car wash with its individual bays and pressure nozzles.

The Wripples Pet Spas has a reliable coin operated system that is simple to use. You exchange credit card or cash for tokens and start the "spa" process at one of two wash stations.  Once your dog is in the tub and secured by the lanyard, you select from one of three of the Earthbath products (Orange Peel Oil deodorizer and degreaser, Mango Tango shampoo and Conditioner, Tea Tree Oil itch relief shampoo).  One couple was washing their pair of dogs and wasn't using any of the 3 cleaning options.  They were using baking soda and hydrogen peroxide to get the skunk smell out of the dog's fur. They explained that they discovered the skunk spraying consequences when the dogs bounced into their bed room the night before.

After the shampoo or anti-skunk concoction, there's the warm water rinse cycle and just like at the human spa, there are blow dryers to put the finishing touches on your beloved pet.  The owners of the skunk dogs brought their own towels to help the drying process and there is the self-serve dog wash vending center for terry cloth towels and nutri-dent all natural dog bones for clean breath.

The self-serve dog wash will come in handy after you spend some time in the beach park splashing in the water and running on the beach. One side of the beach is for dogs off the leash and the other with a leash.  As with most dog parks, there are bags provided for owners to pick up after the dogs.  Kids flying kites, surfers, runners, sun worshipers, walkers and all the traditional beach activities are presents.  There is one parking lot parking very close to the narrow beach and there are plenty of easy, paved walkways and benches.  Signs are posted stating the most recent bacteria testing indicated the ocean water is within acceptable health standards.

The new Self-Operated Pet Spa at the Santa Barbara County Park opened on Sunday, March 8, 2009. The press release stated that Arroyo Burro Beach is a popular destination for dog owners, due to its proximity immediately to the west of the City of Santa Barbara's off-leash beach below the Douglas Family Preserve. A constant refrain from many dog owners was the dearth of a convenient place to wash their pets after runs on the beach.  Now, dogs and their owners can run and splash on the beach and not worry about getting dirty.

Arroyo Burro Beach County Park is located at 2981 Cliff Drive, just west of the Las Positas Road (CA Route 225). Wripples PetSpas is conveniently situated next to the parking lot along Cliff Drive. 

Wripples Warm Water PetSpa  www.wripples.com

What do you do with left over currency after an international trip? If you have a small amount, use it for a souvenir. Most exchange services don't except coins and the exchange rate to U.S. dollars may not be worth the effort. If you have too many souvenirs already and you want to dump the coins, then shop at the departing airport. Many duty free shops will allow mixed currency. If you have TMS, (too much stuff), then donate your leftover currency.

Many international carriers offer a program in flight where flight attendants collect foreign currency called "Change for Good" sponsored by Unicef. A few of the 10 participating airlines are American Airlines, British Airways and Qantas.

Or you can visit www.unicefusa.org/changeforgood and mail your left over currency direct. If you have currency that is no longer in circulation from a pre-euro trip to Europe, a privately held company call the Currency Commission www.TheCurrencyCommission.com will convert your currency to Euros, U.S. or Canadian dollars.