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When you book your travel, one thing that never really comes up is how much time you need between flights at your connecting airport. I often either laugh or shake my head at the screen when I am searching for a flight and one of the first results shows me an itinerary with about 40 minutes between flights in an airport like Atlanta or Chicago. I’ve spent twenty minutes taxiing around the Atlanta airport just trying to get to the gate and then they called it on-time when it was not. They fudge those numbers all the time.
The essential story here is that if you book a less-than-minimum connection on websites like Travelocity, Priceline or even the airline website and don’t make it, the airline doesn’t owe you a fix and is no under obligation to do anything about it. It is considered an illegal flight or hot connection. Not exactly terms that sound like friendly skies? They really shouldn’t offer these flights but I see them displayed all the time.
You need to make sure you book at least the minimum connection between flights. And this information isn’t listed on those search results. You can easily just go by the price and book a flight with a connection that is too short for anyone but a magical wizard.
If you’ve ever booked your own flight, you’ve noticed that you are offered connections with times as low as 30 minutes to as long as 13 hours. You probably want something in between. I believe that 75-90 minutes is ideal for any major city airport to be fairly comfortable. Sixty minutes is pretty good for places like Salt Lake City, Albuquerque, Cincinnati and many others. And I choose cities like these over the ones below whenever possible. The wild card is that you don’t know where the gates of your flights will be until the last minute. You could have gates right next to each other. So you have a short walk and lots of time to enjoy the ambiance. Or you could arrive at the far end of one terminal and have to go the far end of an entirely different terminal for the next flight. Maybe the moving walkway or tram link is working at full speed. Or maybe not.
So what are the minimum times? I’m glad you asked and I list them below for some of the largest connection airports. I personally recommend that the average person add a half hour to these times to be safe and comfortable. Add even more time with children or if you have trouble moving around quickly. Traffic delays, runway delays, storms and fellow passengers all cause problems about 20% of the time. Do you want to be biting your nails, watching the time nervously, running through the crowds and then board your next flight after all the carry-on space is taken? Do you want to wait hours for another flight? Do you want to sleep at the airport? Or would you rather just stroll the airport, use the restroom, get a drink, shop, read and check your messages for little bit of extra time? ›Continue reading Airport Connection Times
Bannack
Gold was discovered in 1862 and by 1864, Bannack was the territorial capital. Eighty years later, the town was completely abandoned; today, the site is a state park and visitors can wander through many of the 50 preserved buildings. If you want to try your prospector luck, head over to nearby Grasshopper Creek to pan for some nuggets.
 Virginia City, Montana - Photo by zetrules Coolidge
This place did about as well as the Presidential namesake. Not only is the place completely abandoned, many of the buildings are collapsing, making it a perfect Halloween haunt.
Elkhorn
Another state park, Elkhorn was a silver mining town. The cemetery is the big draw here. ›Continue reading Best Montana Ghost Towns
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Ashcroft
Once home to two newspapers, 20 saloons, and a school, only nine buildings still stand – and one is an outhouse.
[caption id="attachment_2306" align="alignnone" width="500" cap... - Top New Mexico Ghost Towns
Ancho
A short drive from Carrizozo, Ancho was settled by cattle ranchers looking for a fertile grazing land.
[caption id="attachment_2313" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Hagan, New Mex... - Best Utah Ghost Towns
Devil’s Slide
Named after a nearby rock formation, this town mined the limestone for Portland Cement. Tragedy struck the small village when a large explosion killed many of the miners.... - Best Arizona Ghost Towns
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I finished driving from the southwest corner to the northeast corner of Kansas. 600 miles and ten hours later, I hadn’t found a single independent place to eat lunch or dinner. Chains were still running in the towns I went through but the mom and pop places were closed down, for sale or empty. Nothing. The only independent places I found still operating were the bars and many of them were doing pretty good business at 11am.
Is this a sign of the times? ›Continue reading There Is No Good Food In Kansas?
- Summer Camping Food
I love camping in the winter and off seasons but most people get out in the summer season. Whether it's because of school or holidays or the weather, it just seems to be that way.
Although it's muc... - Authentic Amish Food in Philadelphia
Lancaster, Pennsylvania Amish country is a good hour and half drive from Philadelphia, but one doesn’t have to leave downtown Philadelphia to find a huge selection of authentic Amish food.
A... - Winter Camping Food
I like to camp in cooler temperatures. I find it easier to warm up than it is to cool down. I don't really want to camp in snow but it's okay to get down to freezing temperatures once in a while. An e... - Are You Cut Out For Camping?
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Travel is lighter these days. I just finished a flight where no one sat in the entire row in front of me and only one person in the whole row behind. My row was empty besides myself. Two weeks ago, I had space beside on a couple of flights. I haven’t seen that in almost ten years. Airlines have reduced the number of flights, which usually makes them more full. On time ratings are better right now due to fewer flights in the sky. My last few flights have been in a bit early as well. Even my New York arrival was 20 minutes early. ›Continue reading Travel Is Light As Leaves Fall
As I traveled this week in New York, I was also looking forward to another trip around Utah still coming up this fall. It is October. The leaves are turning and the peak camping season is over. It doesn’t mean that you can’t still get out there for a trip. Your RV doesn’t have frozen pipes. Maybe you haven’t winterized yet. Even if you have, you can still get out for a nice brisk fall weekend. While some parks have already closed, many state campgrounds stay open into October. And the weather is great in the south and southwest so it still feels like summer camping but with cooler nights.
 Fall trees - Photo by chrisbastian44 Here are just a few reasons to get out there again
- Less traffic
- Fewer campers around you
- Lower campsite prices
- Some campgrounds are free in off season
- Lower fuel prices
- Changing seasons and colors
- Very few kids camping around you
 Fall Camping and Colors - Photo by inottawa It’s not easy to miss a fall football game but a weekend trip out is well worth it. Depending on where you go, you may be able to bring a radio or video device and get the game while sitting at a campfire! Just make sure to keep the volume low so other campers get their desired solitude. You could also combine it with getting some firewood for the home. Then you have a great trip that serves a purpose as well and you won’t feel guilty for living the good life.
 The tourists have gone but beauty remains - Photo by J Gurbisz - Travel Is Light As Leaves Fall
Travel is lighter these days. I just finished a flight where no one sat in the entire row in front of me and only one person in the whole row behind. My row was empty besides myself. Two weeks ago, I ... - Cold Weather Camping in RV
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A US Department of Education study announced that children who travel over summer break did better in reading, math and their general knowledge than those who did not.
 Photo by woodleywonderworks I have traveled since I was a child. I still do and now run a travel company. I know a few others that never traveled much at all in their lives. They still don’t.
Traveling with kids broadens their horizons and opens up their minds to learning. They appreciate other people, other cultures and the entire world more so than those who stay in the same small community their whole lives. They see firsthand at what is possible for their future. Children who visit museums, historical sites, national or state parks, zoos, beaches and similar types of places all perform better in school. A visit to the Hoover Dam could inspire a future engineer. A visit to a science museum could create a future astronaut, inventor or doctor. A visit to a zoo can inspire future biologists or wildlife lovers. What do violent video games at home inspire? ›Continue reading Travel Makes Children Smarter
- Family Friendly Africa
Traveling in Africa can be a wonderful experience, but it s not without it’s challenges, risks and frustrations. For this reason travelers are sometimes hesitant to travel with their families, ... - Travel Is Light As Leaves Fall
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Earth Day 2007 is this Sunday April 22. It's a day to think about and take action in saving the place we all live and raise our children. Plant trees, change your recycling habits, book a room at a gr... - World’s Worst Governments
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Ancho
A short drive from Carrizozo, Ancho was settled by cattle ranchers looking for a fertile grazing land.
 Hagan, New Mexico - Photo by Killbox Madrid
Drive the historic Turquoise Trail National Scenic Byway to stop in this quaint town. About 400 residents live here year-round, and the art scene is booming.
 Madrid, New Mexico - Photo by jessicareeder Dawson
Home to some of the world’s worst mining disasters, this was once a bustling metropolis of nearly 9,000. The town, originally owned by Phelps Dodge, boasted schools, an opera and even a bowling alley. ›Continue reading Top New Mexico Ghost Towns
If you travel, you have to spend time at the airport. Either you are through security a bit early or your connections allow for some time to wander an airport in another city.
 Photo by fidophoto People watching. Airports are great for this. You see people from all over the world in various states of consciousness and moods. You see joyful reunions and tearful departures. You see anger and frustration in between hangovers and mourners.
Wifi. The use of laptops and smart phones is rampant and a good way to pass the time. Hopefully you are not paying for it.
Free Magazines. It may be to launch a new product, get more readers or just deal with excess copies, but many times you can find stand alone racks of free magazine and newspapers in some airports. ›Continue reading How To Kill Time at Airports
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Ashcroft
Once home to two newspapers, 20 saloons, and a school, only nine buildings still stand – and one is an outhouse.
 Ashcroft, CO - Photo by rjones0856 Dearfield
In its hey-day during the early 1900s, about 700 African Americans lived there – it was the only all-black community in the state. Now, because of the hard Dust Bowl years, all that remains is a diner, the founder’s home and a gas station.
Goldfield
Once a booming mining town of more than 3,000, the few buildings still standing can be seen from Road 81 as you drive past. ›Continue reading Top Colorado Ghost Towns
The average life of a tire is five to seven years. If you drive a vehicle every day, you’ll probably wear out the tread in less than five. RVs spend most of their time sitting still. So your tires will probably need to be replaced before the tread wears out. Maybe it’s cracks from the sun or maybe it’s sitting too long with too little air in them. When your tires hit fives year in age, it’s time to think about replacing them. It’s even more important with the kind of weight and load that your RV puts on them.
Date codes
Every tire has this code on the sidewall. It gives the date that the tire was manufactured but it doesn’t just spell it out right. You have to know what to look for and how to read it. It’ll be something like this: DOT PDML AZOF 0508. It’s on one side of the tire, so you may have to crawl underneath to look at the inside of your tires. The date code always starts with the letters DOT and ends with a 3 or 4 digit number. The first two numbers indicate the week of the year. 52 weeks in a year so that is the max. The last one or two digits tell you the year. In this example, 0508 means the 5th week of 2008, or the first week of February 2008. With the year 2000, the date codes have two numbers for the year. Only one for years before. A date code of 157 would indicate the 15th week of 1997 or you are lucky to be alive if this tire is still in use. ›Continue reading How Old Are My RV Tires?
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