Work out. Ask if your hotel has an exercise room or provides free use of a nearby club. A workout, even a small one, can do wonders when you're traveling, especially if you are eating heavy meals.
Take it easy. On the other hand, don't be a vacation superjock. Unless you are in peak physical condition, do not engage in any strenuous physical activity while on vacation that you do not regularly do at home. Too many vacations are ruined by sprained or strained or broken body parts because someone got a little too adventurous or tipsy.
Take a quick spin. If you like to jog, take a run and you'll get a mini-sightseeing adventure. A run through the countryside is often a rewarding experience.
Have a good chew. When hiking or camping with a limited or rationed water supply, chewing on gum, particularly with electrolytes, helps to moisten the palate, relieving that "parched" feeling.
Read more...
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Sightseeing
Take a nap. When traveling to Europe from the United States, make sure you get two to three hours of sleep once you arrive at your destination -- assuming you arrive in the morning or early afternoon. Then you're guaranteed to last through the rest of the day. Don't try to go without sleeping -- it's useless and you won't get as much out of the day.
Get some help. When arriving in a new city, head for the tourist office or visitors center and get a map and any other information that will help you find your way around. Clearly mark the location of your hotel on the map, so you'll know your point of departure each day and how to get back "home."
Find out what the locals are up to. Search local newspapers and magazines to see what events locals are attending. NewsDirectory, NewsLink, and other sites list local publications' Web addresses. Read more...
Get some help. When arriving in a new city, head for the tourist office or visitors center and get a map and any other information that will help you find your way around. Clearly mark the location of your hotel on the map, so you'll know your point of departure each day and how to get back "home."
Find out what the locals are up to. Search local newspapers and magazines to see what events locals are attending. NewsDirectory, NewsLink, and other sites list local publications' Web addresses. Read more...
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Another Travel Tips...
Check that tag. Be alert at the airline check-in counter when the three-letter baggage tag is attached to your bag. Will it be going your way?
Do look back. Never, never leave a plane, train, or bus without casting one last glance backward to see whether you've left anything behind in your seat. The same goes for your hotel room, where you should always take a peek under the bed before departing.
Keep those bags in sight. Except for when you hand them over at check-in at the airport or to a bellhop at your hotel, never, never let your bags out of your sight, not even for an instant. It's astonishing how many people make this mistake -- and never see their bags again.
Excuse yourself. Learn to say "Excuse me" in the language of the country you are going to. If you say "Pardon me" or "Sorry," people are more willing to listen and work out the rest with you than if you approach them without an introduction that they understand. Another good phrase to learn: "Where is the bathroom?" Could spare you some embarrassment. Read more...
Do look back. Never, never leave a plane, train, or bus without casting one last glance backward to see whether you've left anything behind in your seat. The same goes for your hotel room, where you should always take a peek under the bed before departing.
Keep those bags in sight. Except for when you hand them over at check-in at the airport or to a bellhop at your hotel, never, never let your bags out of your sight, not even for an instant. It's astonishing how many people make this mistake -- and never see their bags again.
Excuse yourself. Learn to say "Excuse me" in the language of the country you are going to. If you say "Pardon me" or "Sorry," people are more willing to listen and work out the rest with you than if you approach them without an introduction that they understand. Another good phrase to learn: "Where is the bathroom?" Could spare you some embarrassment. Read more...
Friday, February 6, 2009
The Best Time to Call for a Cheap Hotel Room
If you simply want to walk into a hotel without a reservation and get the lowest room rate, picking the time to do it is a no-brainer: 10:00 PM on a Wednesday night in February will usually get you an incredibly low room rate. You may even be upgraded to a suite.
For the rest of us, who tend to phone ahead, try 4:00 PM on a Sunday. Why? Because the folks who run "revenue management," the people who set the sliding rates for any hotel room, are off on Sundays, and you stand a much better chance of getting a front-desk clerk who just needs to sell a room. The result: a lower rate.
Because hotels tend to be overbuilt in today's travel economy, there are plenty of opportunities for bargaining. In fact, more than three-quarters of all business travelers negotiate with hotels and never pay published prices. Keep in mind that, in recent years, the average daily room rates for hotels in major cities grew by 4.4 percent per year. Still, an unsold room is the last thing a hotelier wants; it represents revenue the hotel can never recoup. (It's like an airplane flying with an empty seat; the fare is lost forever.) The hotelier will figure that earning something is better than nothing. As an example, in some big-city hotels, the weekend rate may go as low as one-third of the regular nightly rate. Suggest cutting a deal in which that rate is extended throughout the week if you stay in that hotel.
Other Questions to Ask about Your Room
When you ask for a price quote on a hotel room, most hotels neglect to mention that the official rate -- the rate offered to you, even if it is the lowest available rate -- doesn't include occupancy tax or sales tax. Because they're trying to be competitive, the hotels quote only the price for the room. The taxes are add-ons and, in many cities, they are excessive.
In the United States, hotel taxes average 12 percent. The most abusive hidden fee in at least seventeen U.S. cities, including Atlanta, Chicago, and Miami, is a surcharge to finance a local stadium or a convention center.
Not only do these charges add a significant amount to travelers' bills, but no one warns that they are coming. Cities get away with burdening travelers with a disproportionate amount of the costs of building arenas because we don't vote there.
How high are these taxes? Here is a tally of occupancy tax in some cities:
Chicago 14.9% Dallas 13% Los Angeles 14% Houston 15% Anaheim (Calif.) 15% Seattle 15.2% Columbus (Ohio) 15.75%
If you call a hotel and the room rate quoted is $150, you know you will be paying more, maybe MUCH more.
Overseas, the tab can be worse. The dreaded value added tax (VAT) is slapped onto just about anything, especially hotel rooms.
Be sure you arrive at a mutually agreeable definition of terms. Was the $150 rate quoted to you the cost for double occupancy or for the room? If it was for double occupancy, the real rate is $300 per night. You'd be surprised how many people don't ask about the room rate and don't define the terms ahead of time, only to find out, too late, that their rate is actually double.
Are there other extras? Is there an additional charge for your kids? Many hotels now have a deal where up to two kids under age sixteen can stay free. But you need to know these details up front, even if the rate quoted is for the room.
Excerpted from The Travel Detective by Peter Greenberg Copyright 2001 by Peter Greenberg. Excerpted by permission of Villard, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher Read more...
For the rest of us, who tend to phone ahead, try 4:00 PM on a Sunday. Why? Because the folks who run "revenue management," the people who set the sliding rates for any hotel room, are off on Sundays, and you stand a much better chance of getting a front-desk clerk who just needs to sell a room. The result: a lower rate.
Because hotels tend to be overbuilt in today's travel economy, there are plenty of opportunities for bargaining. In fact, more than three-quarters of all business travelers negotiate with hotels and never pay published prices. Keep in mind that, in recent years, the average daily room rates for hotels in major cities grew by 4.4 percent per year. Still, an unsold room is the last thing a hotelier wants; it represents revenue the hotel can never recoup. (It's like an airplane flying with an empty seat; the fare is lost forever.) The hotelier will figure that earning something is better than nothing. As an example, in some big-city hotels, the weekend rate may go as low as one-third of the regular nightly rate. Suggest cutting a deal in which that rate is extended throughout the week if you stay in that hotel.
Other Questions to Ask about Your Room
When you ask for a price quote on a hotel room, most hotels neglect to mention that the official rate -- the rate offered to you, even if it is the lowest available rate -- doesn't include occupancy tax or sales tax. Because they're trying to be competitive, the hotels quote only the price for the room. The taxes are add-ons and, in many cities, they are excessive.
In the United States, hotel taxes average 12 percent. The most abusive hidden fee in at least seventeen U.S. cities, including Atlanta, Chicago, and Miami, is a surcharge to finance a local stadium or a convention center.
Not only do these charges add a significant amount to travelers' bills, but no one warns that they are coming. Cities get away with burdening travelers with a disproportionate amount of the costs of building arenas because we don't vote there.
How high are these taxes? Here is a tally of occupancy tax in some cities:
Chicago 14.9% Dallas 13% Los Angeles 14% Houston 15% Anaheim (Calif.) 15% Seattle 15.2% Columbus (Ohio) 15.75%
If you call a hotel and the room rate quoted is $150, you know you will be paying more, maybe MUCH more.
Overseas, the tab can be worse. The dreaded value added tax (VAT) is slapped onto just about anything, especially hotel rooms.
Be sure you arrive at a mutually agreeable definition of terms. Was the $150 rate quoted to you the cost for double occupancy or for the room? If it was for double occupancy, the real rate is $300 per night. You'd be surprised how many people don't ask about the room rate and don't define the terms ahead of time, only to find out, too late, that their rate is actually double.
Are there other extras? Is there an additional charge for your kids? Many hotels now have a deal where up to two kids under age sixteen can stay free. But you need to know these details up front, even if the rate quoted is for the room.
Excerpted from The Travel Detective by Peter Greenberg Copyright 2001 by Peter Greenberg. Excerpted by permission of Villard, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher Read more...
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Beating the Heat
You thought it would be fun to hopscotch the Greek islands with your kids during August while they were in that nowhere zone between the end of camp and the beginning of school. But you had no idea how hot it could be -- the treeless landscape offers no shade from the incessant sun, and the temperature never seems to dip below 100 degrees F.
While hiking to the spot where the Venus de Milo statue was found, your arms and legs start to cramp as if in sympathy with the famous torso, and your children insist they can't move another inch.
You think you should forge ahead no matter how hot it is, because it's not often that you get to see sites like this. But then you remember those summer news reports of people dying of heat stroke in Texas, which gives you pause. After all, heat can be serious business if it's not dealt with properly.
So how do you deal with it? How can you prevent heat hazards? How do you know if you or someone you're traveling with is suffering from a serious heat-related ailment? And if so, what can you do about it?
Fortunately there are answers to all those questions. And anyone traveling to a region with a warm climate -- whether it's Texas or Tunisia -- should not leave home without them.
Moderate, Hydrate
Tactics for preventing yourself from becoming overheated or from losing too much water and salts from excessive perspiration include:
• getting your body used to hot weather slowly by gradually boosting the amount of time you spend in the hot outdoors each day,
• doing outdoor touring in the morning or evening when it's not so hot,
• wearing a hat with a broad brim and loose, lightweight, and light-colored clothing,
• wearing sunscreen---a sunburn will hamper your skin's ability to perspire,
• resting frequently while exerting yourself in the sweltering heat,
• cooling off with a cold shower or bath or a visit to an air-conditioned space,
• drinking lots of water before, during, and after your jaunts outdoors -- don't rely on thirst to tell you when to drink; people often don't feel thirsty until they're a little dehydrated. If you're exerting yourself, drink about a quart an hour.
Also, refrain from drinking alcoholic beverages, which cause you to lose more fluid. Sports drinks and special rehydration fluids are okay, but often not necessary. And don't take salt tablets unless advised to by a doctor.
Even if you adhere to all these measures, you or your traveling companions may succumb to heat cramps, heat exhaustion, or, in the worst-case scenario, heat stroke.
Heat cramps
Heat cramps stem from a low salt level due to excessive sweating. These muscle pains usually occur in the abdomen, arms, or legs. If you have heart problems or are on a low sodium diet, get medical attention for heat cramps. Otherwise, take these steps:
• Stop all activity, and sit quietly in a cool place.
• Drink clear juice or a sports beverage.
• Don't do anything strenuous for a few hours after the cramps subside.
• See a doctor if heat cramps persist more than an hour.
Heat exhaustion
This is your body's response to an excessive loss of both water and salt. Warning signs of heat exhaustion may include heavy sweating, pallor, muscle cramps, tiredness, weakness, dizziness, headache, nausea or vomiting, fainting, fast and shallow breathing, and a fast and weak pulse.
Heat exhaustion can progress to heat stroke, which can be deadly. Seek medical attention immediately if your symptoms are severe or last longer than an hour, or if you have heart problems or high blood pressure. In the meantime, be sure to rest, drink cool fluids, and, if possible, take a cold shower or recover in an air-conditioned site.
Heat stroke
Heat stroke occurs when all your body's means of coping with heat shut down, allowing your body temperature to quickly soar. Heat stroke can kill or cause permanent disability if not dealt with immediately.
Signs of heat stroke may include high body temperature (above 103 degrees F); red, hot, and dry skin (no sweating); rapid, strong pulse; throbbing headache; uncontrollable muscle twitches; dizziness; nausea; confusion; and unconsciousness.
These signs warrant immediate emergency medical attention. Until such medical care arrives, cool the victim rapidly with whatever is close at hand whether it be shade, cold water from a hose, a fan, ice cubes, or air-conditioning. You should also give fluids to the conscious victim, and avoid choking during vomiting by turning the victim on his or her side.
You can beat the heat. But you must take proper precautions and listen to your body's pleas to cool down.
By Margie Patlak
Margie Patlak, a freelancer in the Philadelphia area, specializes in writing about biomedical research and health. Her article on the warning signs of food poisoning appeared on Fodors.com in June. Read more...
While hiking to the spot where the Venus de Milo statue was found, your arms and legs start to cramp as if in sympathy with the famous torso, and your children insist they can't move another inch.
You think you should forge ahead no matter how hot it is, because it's not often that you get to see sites like this. But then you remember those summer news reports of people dying of heat stroke in Texas, which gives you pause. After all, heat can be serious business if it's not dealt with properly.
So how do you deal with it? How can you prevent heat hazards? How do you know if you or someone you're traveling with is suffering from a serious heat-related ailment? And if so, what can you do about it?
Fortunately there are answers to all those questions. And anyone traveling to a region with a warm climate -- whether it's Texas or Tunisia -- should not leave home without them.
Moderate, Hydrate
Tactics for preventing yourself from becoming overheated or from losing too much water and salts from excessive perspiration include:
• getting your body used to hot weather slowly by gradually boosting the amount of time you spend in the hot outdoors each day,
• doing outdoor touring in the morning or evening when it's not so hot,
• wearing a hat with a broad brim and loose, lightweight, and light-colored clothing,
• wearing sunscreen---a sunburn will hamper your skin's ability to perspire,
• resting frequently while exerting yourself in the sweltering heat,
• cooling off with a cold shower or bath or a visit to an air-conditioned space,
• drinking lots of water before, during, and after your jaunts outdoors -- don't rely on thirst to tell you when to drink; people often don't feel thirsty until they're a little dehydrated. If you're exerting yourself, drink about a quart an hour.
Also, refrain from drinking alcoholic beverages, which cause you to lose more fluid. Sports drinks and special rehydration fluids are okay, but often not necessary. And don't take salt tablets unless advised to by a doctor.
Even if you adhere to all these measures, you or your traveling companions may succumb to heat cramps, heat exhaustion, or, in the worst-case scenario, heat stroke.
Heat cramps
Heat cramps stem from a low salt level due to excessive sweating. These muscle pains usually occur in the abdomen, arms, or legs. If you have heart problems or are on a low sodium diet, get medical attention for heat cramps. Otherwise, take these steps:
• Stop all activity, and sit quietly in a cool place.
• Drink clear juice or a sports beverage.
• Don't do anything strenuous for a few hours after the cramps subside.
• See a doctor if heat cramps persist more than an hour.
Heat exhaustion
This is your body's response to an excessive loss of both water and salt. Warning signs of heat exhaustion may include heavy sweating, pallor, muscle cramps, tiredness, weakness, dizziness, headache, nausea or vomiting, fainting, fast and shallow breathing, and a fast and weak pulse.
Heat exhaustion can progress to heat stroke, which can be deadly. Seek medical attention immediately if your symptoms are severe or last longer than an hour, or if you have heart problems or high blood pressure. In the meantime, be sure to rest, drink cool fluids, and, if possible, take a cold shower or recover in an air-conditioned site.
Heat stroke
Heat stroke occurs when all your body's means of coping with heat shut down, allowing your body temperature to quickly soar. Heat stroke can kill or cause permanent disability if not dealt with immediately.
Signs of heat stroke may include high body temperature (above 103 degrees F); red, hot, and dry skin (no sweating); rapid, strong pulse; throbbing headache; uncontrollable muscle twitches; dizziness; nausea; confusion; and unconsciousness.
These signs warrant immediate emergency medical attention. Until such medical care arrives, cool the victim rapidly with whatever is close at hand whether it be shade, cold water from a hose, a fan, ice cubes, or air-conditioning. You should also give fluids to the conscious victim, and avoid choking during vomiting by turning the victim on his or her side.
You can beat the heat. But you must take proper precautions and listen to your body's pleas to cool down.
By Margie Patlak
Margie Patlak, a freelancer in the Philadelphia area, specializes in writing about biomedical research and health. Her article on the warning signs of food poisoning appeared on Fodors.com in June. Read more...
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Best Airlines Tips
Are certain days of the week, and even times of day, better than others for buying air tickets?
Absolutely. At one minute after midnight on Tuesday (12:01 am Wednesday) you can often strike your best deal. Airline fare wars are most often started by the weakest competitor over the weekend. By Monday, many of the majors match the fares. Then the fare war starts with an even lower fare offered by one of them on Monday. By Tuesday, the fare has been matched, and then, at 12:01 Wednesday, any of those fares that have been reserved but not purchased within 24 hours come back into the inventory -- briefly -- and that's when you strike.
Have e-tickets made paper tickets obsolete?
Just the opposite. E-tickets have made paper tickets more necessary than ever! I hate e-tickets. They absolutely limit your options as a traveler. If you're flying on an e-ticket and there's a flight irregularity, a delay, cancellation, or labor slowdown, you might as well go home. At best, you'll have to stand in a very long line in order to get the very paper ticket you should have had in the first place. That's the only way you can get yourself endorsed over to the next flight. Always fly with a paper ticket.
What should travelers know about flying standby?
While there are very few, if any, standby airline fares, the actual standby flight status does exist. Remember, when an airline tells you there are no seats available for a particular flight, what they are really telling you is that there are no seats available at the fare you want to pay. If you're holding that paper at the discounted fare, there's a reasonably good chance there are plenty of empty seats on the flight you want. If you're a little flexible with your schedule, then go to the airport and simply stand by for the flight you want. This also applies to frequent-flier award tickets.
Why do 75% of all frequent flier miles go unused or expire?
Because the airlines increasingly make it difficult to redeem those hard-earned miles. Remember, frequent-flier programs were created to reward you for your loyalty to an airline in an intensely competitive environment. With fewer airlines and growing consolidation among carriers, there is decreasing incentive for the airlines to have such programs. While they will probably never eliminate them, the airlines continue to devalue them, up the ante for award eligibility, and increase blackout dates each year.
Does being first in line guarantee an "upgrade" to first class?
Absolutely not. There is a definite caste system when it comes to upgrading. It all depends on your status in the airline's frequent-flier program, the amount you paid for the ticket, and yes, what time they put you on the list. But the time they put you on the list is the last consideration used by the airlines.
What is the advantage of taking what you call a "secret red-eye flight"?
A 10 pm red-eye flight from Los Angeles to New York means you cannot really have a decent evening in Los Angeles -- you're racing for the plane. And then, when you get to New York in the morning you get stuck in rush-hour traffic. But a secret red-eye flight that leaves at 11:45 pm or midnight -- and most airlines have them, flying through their hub cities -- means you can have a relaxed evening in LA and arrive in New York -- LaGuardia, not JFK -- in time for lunch. The key to understanding secret red-eye flights is to fly an airline through its hub city to Newark or LaGuardia. Even the smaller carriers have them, Frontier through Denver, Midwest Express through Milwaukee, and so on.
What are the advantages of "backing into a fare"?
When you back into a fare you are paying what you want to pay, not what the airline wants you to pay. This is how you do it: when you call to make a reservation, tell them where you want to go but not when you want to go. Instead, ask the person helping you to call up all the published fares on the route, then go to the bottom of the list, where the cheapest fares are. Ask for the lowest fare and the restrictions and then move slowly up the list until you find a deal you can back into. Otherwise, you'll almost always pay more.
Airlines allow infants to fly free if they sit on a parent's lap, but is this safe?
Absolutely not. In repeated tests of simulated survivable hard landings and crashes, no one holding a "lap child" was able to maintain their grasp on the child. Seat belts only work if the child is more than 40 pounds. But for children under the age of two weighing less than 40 pounds, if you want to be a responsible parent you need to put your child in an approved restraint seat. It's unfortunate that when confronted with the same incontrovertible research, the airlines and the FAA haven't acted responsibly in providing these seats. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't do the right thing. Most manufacturers of child safety seats for automobiles can tell you if their seat -- many are removable from strollers -- is FAA-approved.
What are your tips for avoiding jet lag?
In my experience, jet lag is a state of mind. Wanna beat it? Don't eat airline food, drink plenty of bottled water, and don't drink alcohol. If you can avoid being injured by beverage carts in flight, get up and walk around. Then, the whammy: when you arrive at your destination, you must stay up until at least midnight local time. Do anything to avoid succumbing to the urge to take that 4 pm nap. If you can push yourself that first day, you'll totally cycle by the second day. Repeat this process on your return trip. Read more...
Absolutely. At one minute after midnight on Tuesday (12:01 am Wednesday) you can often strike your best deal. Airline fare wars are most often started by the weakest competitor over the weekend. By Monday, many of the majors match the fares. Then the fare war starts with an even lower fare offered by one of them on Monday. By Tuesday, the fare has been matched, and then, at 12:01 Wednesday, any of those fares that have been reserved but not purchased within 24 hours come back into the inventory -- briefly -- and that's when you strike.
Have e-tickets made paper tickets obsolete?
Just the opposite. E-tickets have made paper tickets more necessary than ever! I hate e-tickets. They absolutely limit your options as a traveler. If you're flying on an e-ticket and there's a flight irregularity, a delay, cancellation, or labor slowdown, you might as well go home. At best, you'll have to stand in a very long line in order to get the very paper ticket you should have had in the first place. That's the only way you can get yourself endorsed over to the next flight. Always fly with a paper ticket.
What should travelers know about flying standby?
While there are very few, if any, standby airline fares, the actual standby flight status does exist. Remember, when an airline tells you there are no seats available for a particular flight, what they are really telling you is that there are no seats available at the fare you want to pay. If you're holding that paper at the discounted fare, there's a reasonably good chance there are plenty of empty seats on the flight you want. If you're a little flexible with your schedule, then go to the airport and simply stand by for the flight you want. This also applies to frequent-flier award tickets.
Why do 75% of all frequent flier miles go unused or expire?
Because the airlines increasingly make it difficult to redeem those hard-earned miles. Remember, frequent-flier programs were created to reward you for your loyalty to an airline in an intensely competitive environment. With fewer airlines and growing consolidation among carriers, there is decreasing incentive for the airlines to have such programs. While they will probably never eliminate them, the airlines continue to devalue them, up the ante for award eligibility, and increase blackout dates each year.
Does being first in line guarantee an "upgrade" to first class?
Absolutely not. There is a definite caste system when it comes to upgrading. It all depends on your status in the airline's frequent-flier program, the amount you paid for the ticket, and yes, what time they put you on the list. But the time they put you on the list is the last consideration used by the airlines.
What is the advantage of taking what you call a "secret red-eye flight"?
A 10 pm red-eye flight from Los Angeles to New York means you cannot really have a decent evening in Los Angeles -- you're racing for the plane. And then, when you get to New York in the morning you get stuck in rush-hour traffic. But a secret red-eye flight that leaves at 11:45 pm or midnight -- and most airlines have them, flying through their hub cities -- means you can have a relaxed evening in LA and arrive in New York -- LaGuardia, not JFK -- in time for lunch. The key to understanding secret red-eye flights is to fly an airline through its hub city to Newark or LaGuardia. Even the smaller carriers have them, Frontier through Denver, Midwest Express through Milwaukee, and so on.
What are the advantages of "backing into a fare"?
When you back into a fare you are paying what you want to pay, not what the airline wants you to pay. This is how you do it: when you call to make a reservation, tell them where you want to go but not when you want to go. Instead, ask the person helping you to call up all the published fares on the route, then go to the bottom of the list, where the cheapest fares are. Ask for the lowest fare and the restrictions and then move slowly up the list until you find a deal you can back into. Otherwise, you'll almost always pay more.
Airlines allow infants to fly free if they sit on a parent's lap, but is this safe?
Absolutely not. In repeated tests of simulated survivable hard landings and crashes, no one holding a "lap child" was able to maintain their grasp on the child. Seat belts only work if the child is more than 40 pounds. But for children under the age of two weighing less than 40 pounds, if you want to be a responsible parent you need to put your child in an approved restraint seat. It's unfortunate that when confronted with the same incontrovertible research, the airlines and the FAA haven't acted responsibly in providing these seats. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't do the right thing. Most manufacturers of child safety seats for automobiles can tell you if their seat -- many are removable from strollers -- is FAA-approved.
What are your tips for avoiding jet lag?
In my experience, jet lag is a state of mind. Wanna beat it? Don't eat airline food, drink plenty of bottled water, and don't drink alcohol. If you can avoid being injured by beverage carts in flight, get up and walk around. Then, the whammy: when you arrive at your destination, you must stay up until at least midnight local time. Do anything to avoid succumbing to the urge to take that 4 pm nap. If you can push yourself that first day, you'll totally cycle by the second day. Repeat this process on your return trip. Read more...
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