Do you have long standing travel plans?

What to do with that vacation time?

To travel or stay home is a choice with new meaning

Did you have travel plans before September 11th, 2001? Did you alter your travel plans or follow through on them as planned?

This is a question that many in the world have faced recently. None of us wants to let terrorism win in this world. Yet when you alter your plans because of terrorism, some may say that terrorism wins.

Only you can make that decision. I travel often, as part of both my career responsibilities and my love of travel. I currently have plans for an extensive trip to Italy. Have I canceled them? No. Have I at least thought about it? Yes. Any person would these days. How long one thinks about it is the difference between us. The biggest difference in my travel plans is that I will now be saving hundreds of dollars and facing less crowded places.

The important thing to do is to take that vacation if that's what you wanted to do. It may very well be more enjoyable and cheaper than ever. You may wish to just spend time at a nearby spa or resort. Get out the maps or explore this site and see what towns are within driving distance. My best trips have often been at the last minute or over a weekend. Being spontaneous bears fun and adventure (and great deals!).

Last minute deals and bargains abound right now. Take advantage of the great specials around the world or even in your own backyard. If you do fly and want to make it easier, try to pick smaller airports. For the most part, air travel is smoother than ever. It's the larger airline hub airports that make it difficult and have the long lines you see on television. Those are also the default airports for most people's travels. Instead of LAX in Los Angeles, try for Ontario or Burbank. Instead of San Francisco, try for Oakland or San Jose or even Sacramento. And you may want to avoid Denver International altogether. Florida airports are running smoothly and crowds are down so your warm winter getaway will be better than ever.

Traveling abroad, you may want to avoid going to certain eastern countries at this present time, but most in the world are as safe as ever.

The world was affected by recent events and many countries are showing sympathy for Americans as well as all the countries that took a loss. However, these days require caution and common sense. We always recommend trying to blend in with locals in foreign countries and cities and this takes on new meaning these days. Americans can be proud of their country without being an obvious target. Leave the hats and coats bearing American based logos at home. Wear neutral colors and avoid the latest trendy fads. As we usually recommend, at least attempt to speak the native language and follow basic customs. Carry your phrase book, practice the basics like "hello" and make the best of it. Showing an effort to accommodate goes a long way to getting some great foreign hospitality in return.

I hope to see you away from home!

Do you have a hesitation in traveling?

Planning and staying calm is more important than ever

Overcoming flight anxiety leads to a better trip

The fear of flying is more reasonable than ever. The news and reports of airports being evacuated every so often do not help. Flying is safer than driving but headlines can make it seem otherwise.

First, get plenty of rest. Try to get extra sleep before the trip. Eat well and get some exercise ahead of time as well.

Information. Provide family, friends or those at your destination with your travel plans and where you are scheduled to be at various times.

If you take any medications, consult with your doctor to see what is best.

Take a good book, a favorite snack and a small luxury item that you can hold onto in order to make you feel more comfortable.

Avoid the rush. Be on time and try to be a little early. It's much more relaxing to sit at the airport and watch others run and be frustrated than it is to join them. Lines are longer than they used to be.

Breathe. Stop and pay attention to your breathing. Take slow, deep breaths.

Drink. Stay hydrated with water or juice but not so much as to have to use the restroom repeatedly. Use your judgment. Caffeine makes some more jittery so you may want to avoid coffee or some sodas. Alcohol should be avoided. One drink may help you relax, but any more than that and you may lose some control.

Stay calm and relax. Be a passenger, read that book and enjoy.

Do you have strategies for traveling?

Planning is more important than ever

The freedom to exercise or not, the freedom to travel

We travel and enjoy it personally and professionally. Your choice to travel is your choice alone. If you don't feel comfortable venturing away from home, don't do it. If you do choose to travel, go full steam and enjoy it to the max.

E-tickets or paper? Proceed with extra caution as you book airfare online these days. Take the time to read the fine print before you buy. Electronic tickets have always been a luxury. I've used them since day one and as a person who never checks luggage, it allowed me to go directly to the gate. Today, I recommend getting paper tickets ahead of time. With them in hand and only a carry on bad, you can still bypass the check in counter and proceed directly to the gate. You must have a receipt for your electronic ticket in hand to proceed past terminal security. In some places, this is not good enough. Puerto Rico for example, you must have a paper ticket or a printed receipt from the airline desk. So you may wind up standing in an extra long line instead of avoiding one! A paper ticket solves that issue.

If your flight is cancelled, a paper ticket can be easily transferred to another flight or another airline. An e-ticket puts you in an extra line. You must first stand in line to get a paper ticket and then another line to get it transferred. By that time, the seats may be gone and you may be looking for a hotel room.

Insurance deserves a second look. Previously, I wasn't too keen on insurance as long as I was certain I was going on the trip. Today, I recommend looking at more closely. For a cruise or any major tour package, I recommend it. The initial cost is minimal and but the risk and chance of problems is greater. Always fly in the day before a cruise or tour. With flights getting canceled, bumped and delayed on a regular basis, you can not afford to cut it so close. The price of one night in a hotel is less than the cost of an extra flight to catch up with your cruise ship in another country!

Pack light. Prepare to have your nicely packed travel bag dumped out onto a table in the airport. Using clear plastic bags to separate your items will help. They can segment your items for easy repacking. Buy your toiletries at your destination. Razors, scissors, clippers, aerosol cans may all be confiscated at airports. This only costs you more money in the end and delays fellow travelers. Do not gift wrap presents, as they will only be torn open at the airport. The best thing is to ship them separately or wrap them at your destination.

Charge your batteries. Any electronic device (laptops, cell phones, cd players, games, etc) will be inspected and you'll probably have to turn it on for security to show that it's a real working device.

Sports enthusiasts. Avoid wearing or carrying any clothing you may have used at the gun club or rifle range or anyplace where guns may be fired. Sensors may detect residue from firearms or explosive material. You'll then be enjoying the company of airport security for quite some time as your plane arrives at your destination.

Bring a good book and small change. This is the best advice for an enjoyable trip. No matter how long the wait, if you have a good book and maybe a soda or snack, it will be tolerable. Using the time wisely, enjoyably and productively will reduce the stress of travel this season or any time of the year.

Travel smart and your trip will be enjoyable.

Traveling this season?

Here are a few tips and things to look out for while away from home.

Traveling for the holidays can be easier. Here are a few tips to help avoid a few of the headaches and roadblocks along the way to see friends and family.

Heading to the Airport

Hopefully you booked early, got a good rate and are traveling with some flexibility. If not, you'll be like most of us. You may have already checked in and printed out your boarding passes. Many airline websites let you do this at home. If not, try to find a kiosk at the airport to check in and avoid the lines. If you don't need to speak with airline personnel, don't sweat the lines. Try to use public transportation or get a ride to the airport. Parking lots tend to fill up quickly around the holiday travel season. To reduce the airport shuttle fare, see if you can leave your car closer to the airport, with a friend or even at your workplace.

The Transportation Security Administration provides expected wait times (http://waittime.tsa.dhs.gov) for the security checkpoints at various airports. This does not include time for parking and airline check-in. The TSA also has an accepted lock list for your luggage. If you do not use one of these locks, you run the risk of your bag or lock being cut open by screeners. This is also the place where a sense of humor or temper has to be kept buried inside you. Any inappropriate jokes or statements are taken seriously and subject to both civil and criminal penalties, and could cause you to miss your flight.

Every morning, airports around the country start fresh with planes on the ground. The earlier your flight, the more likely it will be on time. Other airports and storms haven't had a chance to create havoc with your holiday. And if you are on the west coast, try to go even earlier. Remember that eastern airports have a head start on messing up your schedule.

Carrying with You

Plastic compression or space bags really do work. They compress your clothes down and let you carry more (and maybe unnecessary) items with you, as long as you don't leave a stray piece of metal or zipper hanging out to puncture it. Try to wear several layers of clothes once in the airport so you can take off or add something to be comfortable. Jonathan Stocker of AllStays (/) recommends carrying a calling card to avoid high priced pay phone and hotel charges. "Hotel and airport phone rates vary wildly so a calling card is the best bet. Cell phones don't always work when you want them to on the road. If crossing country borders, we recommend carrying a color photocopy of your passport and credit card phone numbers in your money belt or tucked away in your luggage, somewhere apart from your original. It helps during troubles or if yours is lost. It's also good to print out any emails and confirmations of reservations of both flights and hotels. If over the phone, with us or any travel service, write down the date, time and name of the customer service person."

Screening

To make the screening process a bit smoother this holiday travel season, you may want to empty your pockets, take off your jewelry, your belt and your shoes and put everything into your carry-on as you head into or stand in line. You may also carry a ziplock bag that you can fill ahead of time and drop into the smaller basket at the metal detector. This is handy for keys, change, or anything you want to have immediate access to on the other side of security. Laptops and video cameras have to be removed from cases and placed in plastic bins as well. If you are selected for further screening or pat-downs, you have the right to request a private area. This may not please the screener personnel but it is your right.

Gifts

You may want to check into shipping your packages ahead of time. It's often easier and safer to mail them ahead of time than it is to carry them on or risk loss and damage in cargo. You may also want to look at large merchant websites that have branches in other countries. You could order gifts direct from an international version of Amazon.com within your destination country and save on some shipping charges. If you do carry them, bring all gifts unwrapped to an airport. It is rather sad seeing a beautifully wrapped package opened at the airport, unless you intended to give it to the screener inspecting it. You may wish to use holiday bags or boxes to help hide a gift but still have it be accessible.

Before and during a flight

Drink water early in the day of your holiday travel flight. This gets you well hydrated ahead of time. Keep drinking fluids throughout your travels or as much as convenient. This helps to keep your mucous membranes from cracking which opens you up to more germs. Turn off the air vents or direct them away from you. This is recycled air and you don't need it and it’s germs blowing directly on you. Most airlines have cut back or eliminated pillows and blankets. This is just as well since you don't know where they've been before you got them. Use your own travel pillow and clothes. Carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer with you and use it often. Ideally, use it after touching any public surface or money and before touching your food, your face or rubbing your eyes.

Rental Cars

Rental companies assume about 20% in no-shows. So they overbook. Try to get to the counter as soon as possible. Have a family member get your luggage while you go to the counter. Get there ahead of other travelers or you may wind up without a car on a holiday's eve.

Hotels

Book early and bring your printed confirmation with you. Just in case. "Hotels should always honor reservations, but if a mistake occurs, it could affect an entire holiday. Bring your proof of reservation or pre-payment with you," say Jonathan (/). Whatever travel website you used, mark down their service phone number along with the number of the hotel so you can call them to help sort it out. Being prepared for anything helps for a smooth holiday." Look for bargains at hotels in business areas, suite hotels and extended stays. Holiday travelers often overlook these classes of hotels and they may offer a great deal with business clients staying home this time of year.

AllStays.com, online since 2000 and based in Arizona (US), lists all kinds of lodging, from primitive campgrounds and RV Parks to luxury and haunted hotels and spa resorts. AllStays also links directly to official websites to make sure you have the real scoop on the latest and most accurate information.

I help run this travel website and even I dread air travel these days. Once was a time when I was excited about flying. I loved going to the airport knowing I was going to see new places and people. I used to even like to go early and watch other people get on flights to other fantastic destinations that I could only dream about. People were happy.

Now I think about taking off shoes, standing in lines and obeying stupid rules that make no sense at all. A person can't try to be funny or frank with anyone because they may label you a troublemaker. We all have to be serious and grim. We have to act like scared children going into the principals office. We need to behave like a politician and show no personality at all. You can however, pay for lots of alcohol on a plane and make the flight miserable for everyone else. The airline is making money so it's okay.

No peanuts! The rights of the many succumb to the rights of the few. If you have an allergy, it is not your responsibility to avoid it or carry your medicine. Just make everyone else responsible for your safety and become outraged if someone else wants to eat something that may have once been close to a peanut.

Years after 9/11, we are not any more safe. we just have less freedom and more annoyances. Now the airlines have an excuse not to let you sell your ticket or give it to someone else. The airports have an excuse to make you throw something out of your luggage even though they'll sell you a replacement on the other side of security.

No profiling allowed. If you look like a bad guy, you'll get waved on through without question. If you look like a school teacher, an 80 year old lady or a cute young girl, you'll get examined like an apple in a strawberry patch. I've seen more young girls in bikini tops and short shorts get patted down than Arab looking guys in overcoats. The girl couldn't hide a safety pin in her clothes while the guy could be carrying a injection molded bazooka. Make your skin darker and wear a trench coat to get right through.

Cargo is still not screened and crooked baggage handlers outnumber the bad guys. I've said for years, if you have an elaborate plan to breach security, you just go get a job at an airport and bring your stuff right in the back door. Just like a spy, one can be a good employee for many months, even years before doing what they think has to be done. Giving up freedom for fake security is shameful and we're becoming veterans at it.