Bag-Baggage Blog

WASHINGTON – To help streamline the security process and better protect laptops, starting August 16 the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will allow passengers to leave their laptop computers in bags that meet new “checkpoint friendly” standards.

This public-private collaboration took just five months to go from concept to reality. TSA reached out to manufacturers in March to design bags that will produce a clear and unobstructed image of the laptop when undergoing X-ray screening. Designs meeting this objective will enable TSA to allow laptops to remain in bags for screening. More than 60 manufacturers responded and 40 submitted prototypes for testing.

“This is a solid example of government collaborating with the private sector to conceptualize and produce a product that really works to improve and advance the security process,” said TSA Administrator Kip Hawley. “We put the challenge out there and bag manufacturers overwhelming responded with innovative products that provide a win-win for travelers and TSA.”

For a bag to be considered checkpoint friendly it should meet the following standards: Read the rest of this entry »

By Christopher Elliott
Tribune Media Services

Kenneth Miller thought he had squirreled away more than 100,000 Delta Air Lines frequent-flier miles, which he planned to use for a special 20th anniversary trip.

Travelers often find out too late that companies have changed their terms.

He thought wrong.

When he checked with the airline, it claimed he had no miles.

“My balance was at zero,” he says. “It turns out that even though I used to have points with no expiration date, Delta had made changes to its program, and because of inactivity on my account, my points were deleted.”

Why hadn’t the airline told him? A company representative explained that Delta had gone “green” and stopped sending customers account notifications by mail. How about a friendly warning? No, a Delta agent said, adding that it was Miller’s responsibility to keep up with the program rules.

“I feel like our dream anniversary has been shattered,” says Miller, who lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Delta is by no means the only airline, or for that matter the only travel company, to do this. One of the travel industry’s favorite new tricks is waiting to tell you about onerous new terms until it’s too late — whether you’re trying to modify a reservation or redeem your loyalty points. This kind of late notification seems to benefit only the travel company, never the traveler. Read the rest of this entry »

By Caroline Costello

Messy spills, broken luggage, valuables confiscated and more

Ashley, an IndependentTraveler.com staffer, once faced a packing emergency so calamitous that her only solution was to sway a surly airport worker — by sobbing.

Back when the TSA first introduced its 3-1-1 rules for carry-on liquids, Ashley inadvertently tried to bring a large, expensive bottle of shampoo through airport security. When the TSA guard threatened to confiscate the shampoo, Ashley returned to her airline’s counter to check her bag. The line was dreadfully long, and she was going to miss her flight.

She begged a nearby airport worker to let her skip to the front of the line, explaining that she had already waited in line earlier; he refused. Finally, Ashley started to cry and the red-faced airport worker begrudgingly allowed her to bypass the line.

She made her flight with minutes to spare — but the airline subsequently lost Ashley’s checked bag. Says Ashley, “If I had known how much trouble the whole thing would be, I would have just forfeited the shampoo.”

When it comes to packing, a small mistake like putting a prohibited item in your carry-on bag can snowball into a messy chain of events.

Fortunately, travelers faced with similar problems don’t have to rely on tears to save their vacations. Whether you’re dealing with a confiscated item in the security line, a surplus of souvenirs, a nasty spill or a broken bag, a bit of packing emergency know-how can mean the difference between a disaster and a worry-free getaway.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Rachael Jackson

No one knows better than the police which tricks criminals are using to prey on unsuspecting tourists.

BARCELONA You’re pretty safe walking anywhere in the main tourist areas, but be wary of strangers who are a little too friendly, says a police spokeswoman who was not authorized to give her name. If someone asks how you like Barcelona or tries to hug you, hold on to your valuables tightly: Pickpockets use techniques like these to throw people off guard. The police department has a special unit that roams crowded areas like La Rambla disguised as tourists, right down to the maps and cameras, to watch for thieves in action.

CANCÚN The vendors selling jewelry on the beach will say just about anything to get you to buy their merchandise. Police say you should be skeptical of their claims. Jewelry sellers often tell tourists that their wares are made of real silver and then quote prices starting at around $20, says Verónica Fajardo, a spokeswoman for the Cancún police. But she points out that the jewelry is almost always made from cheap metal that will turn yellow or lose its sheen within weeks. “Tourists from the U.S. and Canada are always looking for a bargain,” Fajardo says. “They might get a cheaper price [on the beach], but the jewelry is definitely not of the highest quality.”

LAS VEGAS If your cab ride from the airport to the Strip takes more than 20 minutes, you’ve probably been the victim of a “long haul,” in which the driver chooses a circuitous route to jack up the fare, says police officer José Montoya. The state taxi authority says reports of long hauling are on the rise. Police urge anyone who believes he’s been taken for a ride to file a complaint at taxi.state.nv.us .

LONDON Always take the city’s old-fashioned black cabs, which are licensed by the city, rather than the so-called “minicabs” that sometimes wait outside theaters, restaurants and bars at night, says Scotland Yard spokesman Alan Crockford. In 2006, an average of 10 women a month were assaulted by the drivers of minicabs, according to the most recent data available from the London Metropolitan Police. Minicabs belonging to a car service are licensed, but even those cars are only legally permitted to pick up passengers who have called to make a reservation — they can’t stop for people on the street. Contact the Transport for London office (011-44/20-7222-1234, tfl.gov.uk ) if you want a list of licensed minicab company numbers, Crockford says. Read the rest of this entry »

By Christopher Elliott
Tribune Media Services

Shorts. High heels. Cologne

Even if you’re just an occasional air traveler, you probably know better than to wear any of those on board. Heavy perfumes can permeate the cramped aircraft interior, sickening your cabin-mates. High heels? Uncomfortable on longer flights and unusable on those inflatable emergency slides. As for shorts, once the cabin door is closed and the air conditioning is cranked all the way up, you’ll be sorry.

What to wear on a plane — or more to the point, what not to wear on a plane — is a hot topic today for a number of reasons. Not only are we heading into the warm summer months, when air travelers commit a majority of these sartorial slip-ups, but the gap between what we should wear on a commercial flight, and what we do wear, appears to be widening.

Take Kyla Ebbert, for example. She was almost tossed off a Southwest Airlines flight last summer because attendants claimed she was “dressed inappropriately” in a revealing outfit. Since then, there have been a string of too-skimpy-to-fly incidents, including one in Burbank, California, and another in Tampa, Florida.

Curiously, all of these run-ins with the fashion cops have involved Southwest Airlines crewmembers. The carrier insists it doesn’t discriminate against beautiful young women.

Before the airline industry was tragically deregulated, everyone knew what to wear on a plane. People dressed in their Sunday best. Coats and ties for the men. Modest dresses for the women. And kids, who were seen but not heard, were dressed like porcelain dolls.

Now anything goes.

Oh, where is Mr. Blackwell when we need him? Here, in the meantime, are five tips on what you shouldn’t wear on a plane:  Read the rest of this entry »

By Christopher Elliott
Tribune Media Services

Here’s your reward for taking a staycation this summer.

The price of a real vacation is now a bargain. A steal, actually.

Why? A lot of Americans skipped their summer getaway, forcing nervous rental companies, hotels and restaurants to slash prices. We had our reasons for staying home, of course. Record high gas prices, a soft economy and air travel woes made us miss the expensive out-of-town vacation.

So between now and the holidays — the traditional off-season for a lot of vacation hotspots — here’s your chance to make up for lost time. The deals will be good. Really good.

Call it the staycation effect.

Consider that Florida is in a deep recession, weighed down by declining real estate values and rising unemployment. In Orlando, hotel rates are expected to go into freefall, as properties get desperate to fill rooms.

Ditto for Las Vegas, which is seeing its lowest hotel rates in five years, according to a recent survey. Among the bargains: $60 a night at the Monte Carlo, $103 a night at Loews Lake Las Vegas and $199 a night at the Wynn.

But there are other reasons why you should book a vacation now, in the waning days of summer. Reasons that go beyond the bargain you’ll probably find. Read the rest of this entry »

         By:  seventhsibling          

           The first weekend after Halloween, the World Championship Punkin Chunkin in Delaware brings thousands to witness machines that can propel a pumpkin through the air. The objective is to see who, by equipment class (air pressure, centrifuge, catapult, trebuchet, or human power) can propel the pumpkin the furthest.

STEP 1:   Aside from knowing the objective is to whirl a pumpkin a great distance, it is helpful to know the history behind Punkin Chunkin. Some good ‘ole boys, in 1986, couldn’t pass on a challenge about who could fling a pumpkin furthest. In that friendly contest, the winner flung a pumpkin 126 feet with his diabolical catapult. Organized by volunteers, the event now draws over 20,000 people.

STEP 2:   You can buy food and beverages at the event or you can bring your own. And speaking of food, there is a Punkin Chunkin Cooking Contest where you can display your cooking prowess making punkin-based treats.

STEP 3:  The Punkin Chunkin field is located east of Bridgeville in southwestern Delaware. Punkin Chunkin is a 3-day event the weekend following Halloween: Friday and Saturday, 7:30am-9:00pm, and Sunday, 7:30am-5:00pm.

STEP 4:  You can buy tickets in advance or at the event. The admission fee is $7 for adults, children under 10 admitted free, and there’s a $2 parking fee. Check the website to ensure those prices have not changed. Pets are not allowed.

STEP 5:  You can get more information about the dates, times, directions, even pictures of previous Punkin Chunkin events at www.punkinchunkin.com.

SOURCE:  www.ehow.com

Generate a custom packing list for any journey!

      I thought this might be a handy tool to help people get ready for a trip, I just found it looking around the web. It is free to use, but the owner asks for an optional donation if you like it.

     Let me know what you think. Here is the Link: http://upl.codeq.info/ 

Abraham Lincoln commuted 45 minutes most summer days by horseback or carriage to a cottage 3 miles from the White House. Now, after a seven-year , $15 million restoration, the 34 room Gothic Revival house is open to the public for the first time ( www.lincolncottage.org )

   Source:  Smithsonian Magazine

1.  Pantheon, Rome, Italy

2.  National Gallery, London, England

3.  Museum of the Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham, England

4.  Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, France

5.  St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral, Brussels, Belgium

6.  Duomo - Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence, Italy

7.  Retiro Park, Madrid, Spain

8.  Westminster Abbey, London, England

9.  St. Mark’s Basilica, Venice, Italy

10.  Giant’s Causeway, Bushmills, Northern Ireland

 Source:  Tripadvisor