Traveler 2.0

How to Avoid Airline Baggage Fees

On my last cross-country flight, Delta forced me to check my carry-on bag at the gate. It's not going to happen again.

I had two carry-on bags: a Victorinox Avolve 22 four-wheeled bag plus a Briggs & Riley backpack. A Delta rep at the gate eyed my Victorinox bag, which admittedly was a bit overstuffed, and made me try to squeeze it into the metal frame that approximates the acceptable size of a carry-on. Had Delta shrunk that little frame? It certainly seemed that way, because my bag wouldn't fit into Delta's tight little girdle. FYI, the Avolve 22's dimensions are 14.5 inches x 22 inches x 9.5 inches. Delta's 'size check' girdle measures 14 inches x 22 inches x 9 inches--a total of 1 inch smaller than the Avolve bag.   

And so, I had to check the Avolve bag. My only consolation was that I didn't also have to pay $25 for the privilege.

I loathe checking my bags because I detest waiting for them on the carousel. When I arrive, I'm ready to get on my way, chop chop. And so, my experience with Delta had me thinking: How can I beat the airlines at their game?

By buying two new bags, of course.

My new strategy is to carry on two similarly sized bags, instead of one big one and one small one. The two bags I bought were in Briggs & Riley's Baseline collection:

* Wheeled Cabin Bag ($300), which measures 13 inches x 16.8 inches x 9 inches.

* Large Weekender ($135.20 outlet price, chocolate color only), measuring 12 inches x 19.8 inches x 9 inches.

Both bags fit into Delta's corset. Both go in the overhead compartment. The wheeled bag is a bit too big to go under the seat, but the Large Weekender is just fine, as long as you don't overstuff it.

And now, no more forced checking of bags or checked bag fees--until the airlines start charging for carry-ons, that is.

 

 

 

 

 

Travel tips part 2 - the tech accessories you should travel with

Following up my earlier post on clothes I recommend for travelers, here is some tech I think is worth packing on vacation (as opposed to a business trip). (FYI, I don't receive freebies, payments, or commissions by mentioning any of these products.)

* Magellan's Dual-Voltage Power Strip ($30) supports North American and international electrical currencies and includes three AC outlets and one USB charging port. Buy the power adapter you need for the country you're visiting (about $7 each), and combined with this strip, you should have everything you need to recharge your laptop, tablet, e-reader, smartphone, digital camera, and other gadgets.

* BookGem stand ($15). This compact, collapsible stand props up your iPad, Kindle, Nook, and other tablets and e-readers for comfortable, hands-off viewing. Rather than pack my iPad 2 in a heavy case/stand, I protect it with Apple's Smart Cover, which is very lightweight, and I use the BookGem stand to prop the tablet for reading or watching video.

* Boostaroo ($25). All too often, an airplane's loud hum makes music and video harder to hear on my iPad or iPhone, sometimes even when I'm wearing noise cancelling headphones. So I always travel with this 'portable amplifier,' which boosts audio to a comfortable level and also allows you to plug in a total of three headsets.

Travel tips part 1 -- the clothes guys should pack for a long trip

For several months now, I've been planning a two-week trip in September to the U.K. and Italy. Even though I know the summer travel season is winding down, I wanted to pass along some things I've learned, or been reminded of, in my research.

Today's topic: clothes that are ideal for travel. The following porducts mentioned are for men, though many similar products are available for women as well. And in case you start to wonder, no, I don't receive freebies, a commission, or payment of any kind by mentioning these products.  

 * Pack just two (three, tops) pairs of underwear. ExOfficio underwear is reasonably comfortable, it breathes, and it will dry within about 24 hours if left in your hotel room after washing. On a three-week trip to the U.K. a few years ago, I took only three pairs of underwear like these ($18). REI sells ExOfficio underwear, and the retailer has a generous return policy: Don't like it? You can return it at any time.

* Pack at least one no-iron
 dress shirt. A lot of retailers are offering men's dress shirts that supposedly need no ironing and dry fairly quickly after washing. I've yet to own a shirt that never needed at least a quick touch up from an iron, however. The material in a no-iron dress shirt tends to be heavy, so it's not recommended if you're going to a muggy climate. And no-iron dress shirts aren't the most stylish shirts you'll find. Still, I've had good luck with shirts from Banana Republic and Jos. A. Bank Traveler label shirts.

* Pack (or wear) a pair of Ecco slip ons. Ecco makes the most comfortable dress shoes I've ever worn. You could practically go for a run in the Ecco Helsinki slip on shoe ($140; pictured). It's great for trips where you'll be doing a lot of walking--attending a large trade show, going to the theater in New York or London, and so on. And if you buy a pair, get them from Zappos.com (click the above link). They'll arrive practically minutes after you click the 'Buy' button, the shipping is free, you can return them within 365 days, and return shipping is also free. 

Next time: tech you should travel with--and when you should not use it.  

Online travel booking tips from today's Wall Street Journal

The Thursday edition of the Wall Street Journal's Personal Journal section had several good tips for frequent travelers. Here are a few: 

* If you fly coach and prefer the aisle seat, you might want to either pay for early boarding or pay to check your bag. Airlines are fine-tuning the boarding process. Several, such as United and Delta, are now boarding passengers by window first, followed by middle and then aisle seats. So if you're an aisle seat ticket holder, you'll probably find less room available in the overhead bins.

* American Airlines passengers should preprint boarding passes or download them to a smartphone. American is using a new randomized boarding process, and checking in online may give you a better chance of being assigned to an earlier boarding group at the airport vs. those who check in at the airport.

* Mobile apps for travelers can help you snag a great last-minute hotel or rental car deal. For example, the Journal's Timothy W. Martin writes that "Some hotel chains, eager to fill empty beds, offer special discounts to travelers who book while in town," which a GPS-enabled smartphone or tablet enables you to do.  

Driving While Cell Phoning Slows Traffic

Now that the holidays are over, and the Consumer Electronics Show and Macworld expo are nigh, my mind turns to...cell phones in the car.

A new study from the University of Utah finds that motorists drive about two miles per hour more slowly than drivers who refrain from cell phoning. The use of hands-free devices are just as likely to slow drivers down, compared to hands-on cell phone use, the study says.

So what, you ask? Consider this: The university's research suggests that "slower cellphone drivers may be increasing overall commuting times by 5 percent to 10 percent," according to The New York Times in its report of the study's findings. Thus, talking on the phone "may increase each daily commuter's travel time by 20 hours a year," says the Times. The reason: Cell phone talkers tend to be distracted, which causes them to drive more slowly and to have slower reactions.

I work out of my home office, so I'm not greatly affected by the cell phone slowdown. Still, in San Francisco (where I live), I see evidence of this trend constantly. For example, when I encounter drivers who appear to be snoozing at green stoplights or who fail to use their blinkers when turning, those drivers are, invariably, talking on their cell phones. Their distractedness has caused them, and me, to slow down unnecessarily.

Even more concerning, in my opinion, are cell-phone-using pedestrians. I'm truly shocked at how many people I see in San Francisco, pushing their baby buggies into congested intersections without first glancing in both directions. I suppose these pedestrians are focusing on something far more important than their children's safety, such as a discussion with their spouses of whose turn it is to make dinner.

Pedestrians have the right of way, of course. But that's the ideal world. In the real world, we have drivers who are distracted on their cell phones. We have entitled pedestrians not paying attention to those drivers. It's a potentially disastrous combination. 

I must admit to driving while cell phoning, too. But it's a New Year, and refraining from unnecessary cell phone use while driving is at the top of my resolutions. At a minimum, I'll get where I'm going just a little bit faster.

Your Cell Phone Will Be Your Boarding Pass

In the future, your cell phone will serve as your airplane boarding pass.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced recently that a global standard for cell phone bar codes has been established. When you buy a ticket, you can register your cell phone number with the airline. A bar code will be sent by text message to your phone. When it's time to board your flight, flash your phone at the ticket agent. He or she will scan the bar code displayed on your phone. The cell phone bar code will help airlines phase out paper boarding passes by 2010, says IATA.

I like this idea. I'm always fearful that, somewhere in the airport, I'll lose my boarding pass and there will be Hell to pay.

But using your cell phone instead of a paper boarding pass won't be without potential peril, either. For example: What will happen if your cell phone battery dies just before you approach the ticket agent? What if, in your haste to hand over your cell phone, you drop it and crack the screen? What happens if the phone rings just as the ticket agent has it in his or her hands and the caller ID identifies the caller as 'Love Machine'?

I guess the process of flying by plane, no matter how paperless it becomes, will never be without its little frustrations and humiliations.

Alaska Airlines to Test Wi-Fi

Alaska Airlines announced yesterday it will test onboard Wi-Fi next spring on one of its Boeing 737 aircraft. Alaska's test will last about one month. If the test is successful, the airline says it will roll out the service to the rest of its fleet by year's end 2009.

Alaska is partnering with wireless start-up Row 44. Along with fast Web browsing and e-mail, the wireless networks could also beam entertainment content to passengers' portable devices, the Wall Street Journal reports (subscription required to read the entire article).

Meanwhile, American Airlines, Virgin America, and Southwest Airlines in the U.S. are testing and/or beginning to install Wi-Fi systems aboard aircraft. In Europe,  Ryanair and Air France are among those dipping a cautious toe in the onboard Wi-Fi waters.

Will these Wi-Fi networks lead to passengers making Skype or other Internet phone calls? I hope not. At the moment, that doesn't seem likely. U.S. carriers know all too well that the FAA and FCC continue to support a ban on cell phones in flight, and many passengers aren't thrilled with the idea of sitting next to Chatty Cathy. Presumably, those airlines offering inflight Wi-Fi can disable telephony services such as Skype. Or--more likely--they may ultimately charge a premium for enabling Wi-Fi or cell phone services at 35,000 feet. Money talks, as the saying goes.

Airline Lounges: Worth the Money?

Last week, my partner Nick and I were faced with a nearly three-hour layover at LAX (Los Angeles International Airport). I had business calls to make and e-mail to check, and the throngs of travelers in the terminal were jangling my nerves. And so, for a total of $75, we bought a 24-hour pass for the two of us to the American Airlines Admirals Club lounge (we were flying American).

Once inside the lounge, I ensconced myself at a desk cubicle to get some work done. Cell phone reception (using Sprint) was a bit spotty, unfortunately, though given the fact the cubicles are far away from the windows, I wasn't surprised. I could have used the landline phone at the desk, but that would have required using a credit card, and I didn't want to bother with that. Also, the wireless Internet access is supplied by T-Mobile and requires a fee. I left my laptop off and checked e-mail on my Treo instead.

These gripes aside, the lounge made the layover far more tolerable than it would have been otherwise. So if you find yourself facing a long layover, and you aren't a member of an airline club, ask if you can buy a day pass (most will sell you a pass for about $50). And keep in mind some premium credit cards will get you free access to airline lounges. For example, American Express recently announced that Platinum and Centurion cardholders can hang out at American, Delta, Continental, and Northwest lounges for free.

Today's Wall Street Journal Cranky Consumer column reviews American, Delta, United, and Continental airport clubs. Of the four airlines, only Continental lounges offer free wireless Internet access, according to the Journal.

Laptop Etiquette in the Skies

When you're on a plane (or in another public place), do you take a peek at what's on your neighbor's laptop screen? Tuesday's USA Today story on laptop etiquette quotes a survey that says 45% of respondents admitted to glancing at someone else's laptop screen while in public places. Worth noting, however: the survey was sponsored by 3M, which makes screen filters that prevent others from seeing what's on your screen.

At any rate, the point is we like to peek. Meanwhile, a growing number of laptop screens use high-contrast, high-gloss technology, which makes the screen easier to view from either side. Add the fact many of us watch DVDs with at least some adult content--a brief nude scene, for example--on planes or trains. What've you got? The growing likelihood that you'll look up from your organic fruit snack, only to see two people on a nearby laptop screen doing what comes naturally.

Bottom line: Be prepared to lower your laptop screen when you're viewing adult or personal content in public, to prevent others (such as nearby kids) from seeing it. Or invest in a 3M laptop screen filter. I've used them; they work as advertised. The clip below is an amusing ad for the filters.

AOL Survey: We Check E-Mail on Vacation, While Driving

Eighty-three percent of e-mail users check their messages at least once a day on vacation, according to a recent survey from America Online. About four out of ten respondents said they consider the availability of e-mail access (such as through Wi-Fi hot spots) when planning their vacations.

Surprising? Not really. The proliferation of smart phones, such as BlackBerrys and Treos, has made it easy to check e-mail anywhere there's a cell phone signal. But the survey, AOL's third annual, offered some interesting results:

>Fifty-three percent of respondents said they checked e-mail in the bathroom. Which makes me wonder: How many also conduct cell phone conversations in public bathrooms? Recently, I overheard a guy being interviewed for a job while he "did his business" in an airport bathroom.

> Thirty-seven percent of all respondents said they check e-mail while driving. Which makes me worry: Does Lindsay Lohan own a BlackBerry?

> Sixteen percent of women confessed they were addicted to e-mail, compared to 13 percent of men. Which tells me that, here too, women are more likely to fess up than men.

> Twelve percent said they check e-mail in church. Which makes it inevitable that somewhere, as a preacher warns against the sins of adultery, some married guy in the back pew is reading a spam with the subject heading, "Busty chick in pantyhose."