Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

The Visa Waiver Program has been around for over 20 years, although it has reached greater awareness and prominence in the post-911 era of travel.  The program has been modified over the years, with additional countries added to the list and an electronic travel component added, but the underlying purpose of the plan remains the [...]

It seems to be a week of parents, kids, and air travel, and a whole lot of discussion of hoaxes.
First, there was the Heene family, and what it becoming known as the Bubble Boy Flight.  Or hoax, depending on which side of the issue you come down on.  A recent CNN breaking news report said [...]

We’ll just consider this a little shameless self-promotion!
Earlier today I was interviewed by Addison Schonland from IAG (Innovation Analysis Group), an airline industry consulting company.
Addison and I talked about what it was like to travel these days, managing airport security and the TSA, dealing with potential confrontational situations on the airplane, and ways to deal [...]

Bag charges.  Fuel surcharges.  Airport fees.  Fees for premium seats in the cabin.  Fees for overweight bags.  Fees for security charges.  Fees for food, pillows and blankets, and other inflight amenities.  And we haven’t even gotten to the taxes yet.  Is it any wonder that what starts out as an inexpensive airline ticket quickly creeps [...]

The world is a pretty germy place.  When your at home or in an environment that you can control, it’s easy to take control of your exposure to germs.  But travelers get hit with germs in ways that they can’t always plan for.  One of those germy times is passing through airport security.  ecoLiving Essentials [...]

Being stuck at an airport is never any fun, whether it’s long ground time between flights, or a flight cancellation and serious delay.  Wandering an airport can be fun. . . for the first couple of hours, at least.  But when you’ve checked out every last gift shop, book store, restaurant or bar, and what [...]

Today’s question comes from a PR representative that’s generously provided a number of prizes for contest giveaways in addition to being a great source of information in and about the travel and hospitality industry.  I’ll keep the identity anonymous.  Here’s the question –
Q.  Is there anything I can do (that might be more of a [...]

Today’s questions comes from Hayley, who just can’t seem to believe that I can pack minimally.  Believe me, it comes with practice, and there are trips where it’s a real challenge.  Here’s Hayley’s question:
Q.  I can’t believe you can pack so light.  What do you take in your carry on?
A.  This varies based on [...]

A recent poll by travel search site Skyscanner, asked the question:  “Who do you hate sitting next to most on the plane?”
Over a thousand travelers took the poll, and I don’t think there were any big surprises.  Topping the list, with 19% in agreement, was bad breath and body odor.  No kidding!
Here’s what tops [...]

Have you ever wondered about what’s going on in First Class or Business Class while you’re paying for your drink and meal in Coach?  Many times it’s not as exciting as what you might be thinking.    But, on my recent Europe trip I was able to use some mileage points to upgrade to Business Class, [...]