How To Pack

The New York Times has a great photo slideshow with packing tips from a flight attendant. See it here.

When To Buy Travel Insurance

I gave a seminar last week about budget travel, and one question from the audience was about travel insurance – whether I always buy it when traveling.

I don’t. But there are some circumstances in which I do buy some form of travel insurance. These include:

Read the rest of this entry »

Don’t Be An On-Board Revenue Generator

Gene Sloan of USA Today’s Cruise Log blog points out an interesting remark by Royal Caribbean CEO Adam Goldstein in an earnings call Wednesday.

Questioned about passenger spending on the cruise line’s new mega-giganta-ship, Oasis of the Seas, Goldstein said the ship “has proven to be an even stronger onboard revenue generator than we had foreseen.” Passengers are not only paying premium rates to sail on this massive ship, they are spending quite merrily on extras when aboard.

Read the rest of this entry »

Flying To Nearby Cities To Save On Airfare

I was just looking at the Deal Finder page on FareCompare and I noticed that the lowest airfare from Bradley to Seattle was listed at $346 while the lowest fare to Vancouver was $690.

Read the rest of this entry »

Bag The Hotel, Save Money

The CheapOair blog recently had a nice roundup on the various ways to get free lodging when you travel, including couch surfing, home swapping and work holidays. My niece just spent some time in New Zealand on a sort of farm internship / holiday and some friends of friends were out couch surfing last I heard. Anybody else out there tried any of these options?

Strategies For Getting More Leg Room

The Seattle Times has a useful story about how to get an exit row seat in coach and the extra leg room that goes with it. The key points:

• Exit rows are rarely available when you book (unless you have elite status) so try to change your seat when you check in online.
• If that doesn’t work, ask at the gate if any exit row seats have opened up.
• When there are two exit rows, one in front of the other, choose the second row. The seats in the front exit row don’t recline.

This is pretty much my strategy, and it often works. I recently flew in an exit row on the aisle with an empty seat next to me. I thought I was in heaven.

There are times, however, when I won’t take an available exit row seat. I recently had a chance to switch into a middle exit row seat but opted instead to keep my standard aisle seat. It’s not worth the tradeoff to me.

The article also has advice on how to get a bulkhead seat, but I don’t much care for those. I like to put my carry-on under the seat in front of me, which is hard to do if there’s no seat in front of me.

Get Compensated When Hotels Fail To Deliver

Did you ever check into a hotel only to find the pool closed or some other amenity unavailable?

It has happened to me, many times. Usually, if it’s temporary, I just deal with the disappointment. But there are times when it’s appropriate to complain, and even to ask for some kind of compensation.

Read the rest of this entry »

Passport Fees Expected To Increase Soon

If you’re looking to renew or apply for a passport, do it now because it looks as if the cost will be going up as soon as next month, according the the Los Angeles Times’ Daily Travel & Deal Blog.

The State Department has published a notice of its intent to raise passport fees by $35. That will increase the cost of a new passport to $135 and a renewal to $110. The State Department says $15 of the increase will pay for the cost of processing applications and $20 for increased border security.

The application fee for a passport card, which allows limited land border crossing and port entries, will rise from $20 to $30.

Also, if it looks like you’re going to need more pages in your passport for visa stamps, get them now. It used to be free but will cost $82 when the new fees go into effect.

Beware Of Gas Station Credit Card Skimming

Here’s a reason you may not want to pay for gasoline with a debit card, no matter where you’re traveling.

Thieves are attaching devices to gas station pumps that record credit card and debit card data, including PINs, a scam known as “skimming.” In the latest twist, the thieves don’t have to wait to retrieve the device to get the data because it’s transmitted to them via wireless signals, as the Salt Lake Tribune reports.

With debit cards, thieves can reach right into your bank account. With credit cards, the fraud protection is more robust. Of course, the safest policy may be to pay with cash.

On Travel Clubs And Fees

Travel troubleshooter Chris Elliott explores the question of whether Spirit Airlines’ $9 Fare Club is worth the $39.95 annual fee. You’ll want to read  what he wrote if you’re thinking of joining it — or any travel club that charges a fee.