Tips

Flying seems to be fraught with a new hassle every few months; the newest annoyance is the 3-1-1 policy. For those of you with a few extra bucks in the banks and feel like going through Airport Security is starting to feel like a bad fraternity initiation, I suggest checking out private jets.

I know that private jets are expensive. But there is a way to get them deeply, deeply discounted. Because so many jets fly back from their destinations empty, OneSky.com is working to fill these return flights at tremendous discounts; between half and one-quarter of the normal cost. So the next time you are traveling with a few business associates, and want to make a good impression, consider skipping the checkpoint paddling, and have a look at a few private jets.

According to the latest Vogue (yes, the one with Angelina Jolie’s ever-fabulous face on the cover) Lisa Hoffman has come out with a new line of travel-size skin care products. She’s always traveling about with her husband (Dustin Hoffman) and until recently her “life revolved around packing and unpacking my toiletries.” She wanted something easy and fast that would keep her looking as well-preserved as her dashing husband.

I’ve never tried her skin-care products before, so I can’t attest to their moisturizing or anti-wrinkling powers. But the idea of high-quality cleansers, creams and serums in one-does ampoules really appeals to me. I’m always and forever having to check my bags because Laura Mercier doesn’t package moisturizer in anything smaller than a 4 oz container, so I’ll have to check out these new goodies before my next business trip.

The cosmetics are available at Bergdorf Goodman later this month.

The blurb on Hoffman’s new line can be found on page 134 of the January 07 Vogue.

Last night, after a quick flight and a nice meal, Steve and I headed to our respective rooms on the Strip side of the 19th floor in Harrah’s Carnival Tower for some much needed pre-CES shut-eye. Just as I was shutting down my processors, the band started up.

Below our windows, they were playing “Blister in the Sun” at an obscene decibel level. A quick call to the front desk confirmed that they were playing at Harrah’s own Carnival Court and would be continuing until the wee hours of the morning.

So we moved to new rooms that turned out to be much nicer and much quieter.

So if you’re planning a stay in Las Vegas and you happen to be staying at Harrah’s, you should plan on asking for a room away from the Strip if you’re staying in the Carnival tower.

I screwed up royally today. I was supposed to be on a 1:20 flight from Salt Lake City back to Seattle, but instead of 1:20, I wrote down 2:20 on my calendar. By the time I realized my mistake, it was too late to make the plane.

So I called Delta’s customer service line and spoke to a very nice woman named Ginger in Huntsville, Alabama. Ginger not only understood my predicament, she changed my flight free of charge, and she had a smile on her face while she did it. Delta may be fighting a hostile takeover attempt, but their customer service is anything but.

A cost-saving move leads more legroom in the front of JetBlue’s planes. Good thing to keep in mind if you’re flying JB anytime soon.

Every year at Christmas from when I was three until nineteen, my Grandmother would fly out to visit us. When she showed up at my house, my sister and I would bound up the stairs to greet her. She would hug us, then reach into her suitcase, and pullout two gifts for us to unwrap. I’m sure many of you have had a similar experience in your lives, and enjoy showing up at a loved ones home with a beautifully wrapped gift.

Don’t try it this year.

The TSA has reported that ALL wrapped gifts are subject to be unwrapped at the security check-in. The TSA recommends bringing wrapping paper with you, or purchasing some upon arrival. Bringing wrapped gifts will not only cause you frustration as they are unwrapped, but also slow down already long lines.

Additionally, the TSA does not recommend bringing any drinks on the plane, and checking in advance to see which foods are acceptable. While I know its a holiday tradition to bring that special dish or drink to a loved one, this year it would be a good idea to ship it, or not bring it at all. Otherwise, you may find it in the garbage, with the 100 year-old bottle of scotch one man was recently forced to throw away.

So am I. So, apparently, is everyone else, as this holiday season is projected to see a record 9 million people flying between the 23rd of December and the 2nd of January.

United Airlines offers a few tips to get you to your destination faster. The most important: check in ahead of time. If you are reading this you have an internet connection, so check into your flights online before you head to the airport. It will not only save you time, but also save those old paper ticket using anachronisms time as well.

Starting next month, US citizens will be required to have passports to get into Canada, Mexico, and the Bahamas. To help educate the expected 15 million people who will be issued passports next year, TIA has created a new informative website. I recommend checking it out if you have any passport questions or concerns.

Beginning next year, the Department of Homeland Security has announced that US citizens traveling by air within the Western Hemisphere will need to carry their passports with them.

I tend to carry my passport with me whenever I fly, regardless of whether I’ll be leaving the country or not–so I won’t really have to change my behavior. But it’s a good thing to keep in mind for those of you who don’t already automatically snag the passport when you leave on a business trip.

My colleague Eric Anderson has just e-mailed me from the airport in Phoenix to inform me that they have free WiFi.

Nice tip! Thanks, Eric.

Technorati Tags: WiFi, Phoenix

J.D. Power and Associates released their rankings today for the best independent travel websites when it comes to customer satisfaction. Hotwire.com was rated number one, with expedia and travelocity tied for second, and priceline.com coming in fourth.

Hotwire received the highest rating for competitive pricing, ease of booking, appearance, design, and ease of navigation. II’d barely heard of hotwire before today, but you can guess where I’ll be buying my plane tickets from now on.

MobiBlog has the latest about Oasis Hong Kong Airlines, a new low cost long haul airline featuring flights from Hong Kong to London for $268.

Currently when you go to Mexico and Canada, all you need is a birth certificate or photo ID. As of January 7 next year, travel into both of these countries will require a passport. Since it can take up to eight weeks to get a passport, it is a good idea to get one now if you don’t have one already.

A few weeks ago I posted on how planes are becoming more cramped than ever. The gist was that it doesn’t matter what airline you fly on, expect to have people sitting next to you. The only advice I had to offer was to find the best seats in the air. Now I present to you, the best seats in the air.

Hopefully this will become a trend among all carriers. According to the USA Today travel blog, the US Airways “Everything Counts” promo (good until the end of 2006) will allow all miles earned via charge cards and other non-flying means to be applied toward achieving elite frequent-flier status.

This was recently brought to my attention by a commenter, Mary McCombie.

For those of you who are constantly traveling through more time zones than you care to account, as I did a dozen times this year, you will often find yourself jet lagged to the point of exasperation. Fortunately, there is an investigational treatment referred to as light therapy, which may be able to reduce or eliminate the effects of jet lag.

Essentially, when you switch time zones, your circadian rhythms get messed up. This can be fixed, to some degree, through several different methods. One is by getting a significant amount of a melatonin agonist presently known as LY 156735. Another more radical solution is through special anti-jet lag sunglasses developed at Flanders University in 2002. Or, if you are fortunate enough to arrive in the middle of the day with nice weather, simply by spending a few hours in the sun after arriving will greatly reduce jet lag.

Lord knows that flying is utterly stressful. You’re cramped up in small spaces for long periods of time, running from gate to gate trying to make connections, battling dry air, dealing with the TSA and trying to make it to your destination on time.

When I get frazzled while traveling, I usually do some yoga breathing and poses while waiting to board. But doing yoga on the airplane itself is particularly challenging with increasing load factors and decreasing seat pitch. Luckily for us, Chaz over at YogAmazing has come up with this awesome podcast (iTunes) that walks us through doing yoga in the confined spaces of an aircraft.

In America, we tend to drive ourselves to exhaustion. The thought is, “if I’m not stressed out, I’m not working hard enough.” Just remember that stress and hard work don’t always need to go hand in hand. You can relax yourself before a big meeting and land refreshed and ready to take on the world.

Namaste.

Two quick tips for the next time you are about to be passing through six different time zones and trying to figure out how much things cost in five different currencies.

First, set up a Time Zone Converter Reference Card before you go, so that you will know what time it is everywhere in the world you care about.

Second, a Currency Converter will help you figure out how much that Sushi is really going to cost you.

Arizona’s Sky Harbor airport is looking to join the growing number of airports nationwide to offer remote check in at popular local hubs such as hotels, conference centers and bus stations. Similar services already exist in Chicago, Los Angeles and a number of other major airports.

Some travelers say this is a real value-add for them, while others don’t see it as helpful. What do you think? Would you use this service if it were provided in an area convenient for you? If you’ve already used the service, what do you think of it?

Flight Blog has a good list of tips for what to do when bumped from a flight. Nothing earth-shaking, but good to keep in mind.