Pre-Turkey Travel Advice

So, everyone ready for the biggest travel day of the year? No? Tough! OK, it's almost 9am on the day before Thanksgiving, but here are some travel tips that may help you stay sane.

• Check in online. If you're reading this blog, you probably already know how to do this, but just on the off chance -- Go to your airline's web site (like usairways.com or delta.com and look for a link that says "Check in online". You will need a printer. You can print your boarding pass in the comfort of your home. THIS WILL SAVE YOU TIME AT THE AIRPORT.

• If possible, don't check bags. Obviously, checking bags runs the risk of them being lost; also, you'll wait 10-60 minutes for them to come out at your destination.

• Follow the TSA guidelines about liquids and gels. Its ridiculous, and it's silly, and it doesn't make me feel a whit safer, but PLEASE, IF YOU DO NOTHING ELSE, READ THE TSA GUIDELINES FOR LIQUIDS AND GELS. I can't stress this enough. The breakdown is simple:
• You can't carry any containers of liquid over 3 oz. in size through security.
• You can buy liquids (like a bottle of water or a cup of coffee) once you're through security.
• All of your small containers of liquid must be in a 1-quart ziploc bag.
  
• You can put any size container you want in your checked bag

I really can't stress this enough. Don't be the person who holds up a 1-hour security line because you forgot and stuffed your shampoo in your carryon. And DEFINITELY don't be the person who screams at the TSA that you *need* your expensive shampoo. If you're at the point of going through the security checkpoint and you have something that can't come with, your options are:

1. Check another bag (and go through the line again)
2. Say goodbye to your bottle of shampoo/scotch/lotion/whatever.
3. Cry, scream, yell, moan .... and then choose option 1 or 2 (though if you pitch a large enough fit, you can be arrested, too).

• Get to the airport early. It's better to spend an hour twiddling your thumbs at your departure gate than be in the security line with 12 minutes before your flight leaves, ready to sprint for it. Security screening is like quicksand- the harder you struggle, the worse it will be. Go through relaxed, and you have no problems. Also, and this may sound strange, but... Get to the airport on time, EVEN IF YOUR FLIGHT IS GOING TO BE LATE. If you have a 5pm flight, and it's delayed to 6:30, they MAY be able to leave at 6pm. Or 5:30. Trust me, it happens. Never rely on a flight being as late as they say. Also, if you're checking bags, you have to arrive at the counter 45 minutes before the ORIGINAL check-in time, regardless of when the flight really leaves.
  

• Be prepared for the worst. Check out my guide on what to do if your flight is cancelled. Have a well-charged cell phone and the phone numbers of the people you'll be meeting. Understand that flights will be cancelled or delayed. It happens all the time. Don't stress about it. Stressing about it won't make the plane take off faster.

• Bring this stuff with you: Consider this list. You don't *have* to bring all of this, but it helps:
• Earplugs. $1 at the drugstore is cheap insurance against screaming babies, noisy jets, etc.
• A pen and scratch paper.
• A charged cellphone and cell phone charger.
• I like to bring my laptop. But I'm used to bringing it everywhere. If you bring yours, make sure it's in a padded case, and you bring your charger.
• A list of phone numbers, including the airline, rental car company, and hotel I'm using; also, any contacts at my destination.
• A printout of any maps I might need to get from the airport to my destination
  
• A printout of every travel confirmation I have
• Advil and immodium
• A light snack or three
• Digital camera and charger

• Finally, here's how to get through security quickly:

1. As you approach the security line you should have no metal (keys, coins, cellphone, etc) in your pockets. Of course, if you're wearing a jacket, it comes off, so it's OK to stick these things in a jacket pocket.
2. Have your license/passport and boarding pass out and ready. Nobody likes waiting behind a hapless traveler as they dig through their pockets for a license.
3. Once you get through the initial screening (they'll ask for license & boarding pass), keep your boarding pass out and available; most airports want to see it as you walk through the metal detector.
   
4. As you approach the metal detector (with a minute or two to go), start preparing to go through. Untie your shoes. Take off your coat and drape it over your arm. Take your laptop out of its bag.
5. When you get to security, put your stuff in the bins as follows:
   

• Laptop goes in a separate bin
• Don't overstuff the bins
• Shoes don't go in a bin. If you put them in a bin, the TSA takes them out and puts them on the belt. If you're concerned about your fancy shoes going on the belt, wear different shoes.
• Coat comes off and goes in a bin

OK, that's about it for now. Everyone have a safe and happy holiday!

Just roll with it.

So ... the best travel advice I have, ever, is to relax and go with the flow. My flight was supposed to be

648 BUF-LGA, arr 8:28 PM
900 LGA-DCA, arr 10:16 PM

Only now the first flight arrives 12 minutes late. This takes a "just walk quickly" layover to a "maybe if everything goes right. MAYBE. But you'll have to run" layover. So I called USAir, got my reservation moved to fly in in the morning, called my hotel and told them to cancel my reservation, went online and changed my rental car (oddly, it would have gone up if I'd kept a midsize; by switching to a midsize SUV, it went down), and now I'm good to go.

By the way: Hotels are surprisingly understanding about flight cancellations and changes; generally, (GENERALLY, BUT NOT ALWAYS), they'll waive the "you'll be charged for the room if you don't show up and don't call x hours ahead of time" thing if your flight was cancelled. Anyway, now I have an unanticipatedly free evening. I just have to figure out what I'm going to do with it. I think that, despite taking a shower and getting dressed in clean clothes, I may try to squeeze in a run this afternoon. I'm starting Week 8 of Couch to 5k, which means that next week, I should be close to running a 5k. That's 3 miles for you non-metrically-inclined folks.

A really good visit

Sonya and I are sitting in the Charlotte airport now, waiting for a flight home to Buffalo. It's been a really lovely visit down to Charlotte. Her grandmother was appropriately shocked and thrilled to see us show up at her 85th birthday party. We both had ample time to catch up with old friends, and generally had a really nice time.

More details coming on the specifics. But I will say this: The Hampton Inn and Suites in Mooresville, NC is fantastic, and should you ever need to stay in the Mooresville area, you should stay there. Really.

Wow, this is the lamest luxury car ever.

Need to go to bed, but wanted to drop in with a brief update. This week's rental car is an '07 Mercury Grand Marquis. It is a patently awful luxury car, a barely rebadged Crown Victoria.

Problem 1: Storage. The cup-holders pop out next to the ashtray (yes, a real working ashtray, and yes, this is a smoking car). OK, now I know that some folks who smoke and drink coffee do both together, but ... it seems like having the cup of coffee that close to the ashtray....just gross. In any case, though, there's nowhere to stick a CD, iPod, spare change, anything. Just a cubby in the door. Lame.

Problem 2: Donut (limited-use) spare. Come on. You have a trunk big enough for [insert amusing image here. Suggestions in comments. Please keep it PG.]. There's AMPLE room for a full-size spare. My Volkswagen Golf has a full-size spare. What gives, Ford?

Problem 3: User interface. Everything about the layout - the gauges, the buttons, the knobs, looks just like the Fords my friends had in high school. In 1990. Seriously, what gives? It's been 20 years, it's time for an update.

Other than that, the car is about what you'd expect -- soft suspension, surprisingly not-awful handling (it doesn't have that awful feather-touch power steering some luxo-cars have) moderately potent v8 (necessary for pushing around a few tons of steel), bench seats. Oh, and no input jack in the radio.

I give it a 2/5. Do not want.

More on this in a future entry, but I'm a fan of National car rental, because they let you pick your car.

---

Update: On the receipt, the code for a Grand Marquis is "GRMA 4DR". It really *is* a grandma car!

Relax.

I travel a lot. A whole lot. I've been traveling, for work, off and on since 1999. There are hotels where the staff know me by sight. This is not boasting; I'm just establishing my cred on the subject of travel.

I'm writing this from just outside Gate 44 at Reagan National Airport; for the last ten minutes or so, I've been watching people freaking out in the wake of a canceled flight. Here are some tips for what to do when your flight is canceled (or delayed to where you'll miss your connection).

• Don't panic. You're stressed, the people you're with are stressed, (both in your party, if applicable, and your fellow travelers, too), and the airline employees are stressed. I'm not saying not to worry, but...
• Figure out *what* to worry about. There are things that are in your control, and things that are not. Figure out what fits where, and what you can do to improve your situation. Don't worry about the things you can't control, just try to figure out what your viable options are.
  
• As quickly and efficiently as possible, GET IN LINE with pen and paper. There will either be a line at the gate where your flight was supposed to leave, or one at the Special Services desk. Get into it.
  
• Consider your options, their cost, and the value of speed (would two hours' difference mean getting home before House comes on, or making it to your sister's wedding?) Remember to be creative; sometimes renting a car and driving can be the best solution; sometimes it's a horrible idea.
  
• Call the airline while you wait. If it's an isolated incident (like a broken airplane, not something like storms all over the East Coast), the hold times shouldn't be bad, and you should be able to get through to someone fairly quickly; in fact, you might get someone on the phone before you get to the front of the line. Keep in mind, though, that the people on the phone have access to fewer options than the people at the gate. If you just need to get moved from a 7pm flight to a 9:30, they can probably help you. If you have a complex itinerary, you might just need to talk to someone on the ground. Hey, worst case, you have something to do while you wait in line. If you are able to get something reserved, get all the information you can and jot it down (flight numbers, confirmation numbers, etc.). They may tell you you've been automatically rebooked on another itinerary.
  
• If you do get someone on the phone, EVEN IF YOU GET AN ALTERNATE BOOKING, STAY IN LINE [Unless you have to, at that point, run to get the flight they just put you on. If that's the case, go ahead and go.]. When you get to the front of the line, say that you've been booked on something else, and tell the agent the details. They should be able to print the boarding pass/transfer ticket you need.
  
• When possible, try to stay with your original carrier. I've had problems going from USAir to American; I presume that these are just general problems that happen when you go between carriers. Specifically: If you do change carriers, you will usually need to give the other carrier a paper ticket for your original flight, which they will staple to their ticket. It's a weird little ritual, but let them do it. In any case, if they have you on another flight, DO NOT leave the counter without either a boarding pass or a paper ticket in your hand.
  
• If the cancellation was due to a mechanical failure, they should put you up in a hotel if you need one. If it was due to weather, you're on your own. If you're going to be stuck in the airport for a while, they should give you food vouchers, regardless.
  
• Generally, they won't give you a voucher for a rental car, but they may give you a travel voucher for the airline.
  
• Never, ever, EVER get hostile with the airline employees. There are some great gate agents out there, and there are some who aren't so hot. But getting red in the face and yelling about the importance of your trip will accomplish nothing productive. If you feel that the airline has treated you poorly, try to record as much specific information as possible.(who you talked to, what you were promised, and so forth)

The most likely result of the cancellation or delay is that your plans will be pushed back a few hours, and you'll be stuck in the airport for a while. If you are stuck, consider getting something to eat. There are surprisingly good places to eat in airports these days, you just have to find them. Reagan National Airport in DC is full of good food - just outside security (security lines are usually quite short, under 20 minutes, and frequently under 5, so you can usually pop out and back in without a problem) there's a Legal Seafood and a sushi restaurant; in the North Pier of Terminal C, there's a Five Guys Burgers and a Gordon Biersch brewery. At DFW, check out Cool River, it's an upscale restaurant in the international (D) terminal. I recommend the Sirloin Bruschetta. Also, if you have a laptop and/or cell phone, take this time to charge them. Travel problems can have a ripple effect, and you'll want some talk time on your cell if something else goes wrong.
Handy tip: There are frequently outlets under banks of pay phones and near the gates. Some airports -- I'm looking at you, Chicago -- have put in special plugs to deter travelers from stealing their electricity. A determined traveler can usually find a normal outlet where other appliances (say, a vendor's cart) are plugged in.

Other than that, relax. If you had people coming to meet you at the airport, call them and explain what's going on. Most people have been in this situation and will understand. If you're outbound, call your travel agent (if applicable) and/or contact any rental car company/hotel you'll need to change. Generally, hotels and car companies are pretty understanding about changes due to flight cancellations.

One more thing: Before you leave, consider collecting and bringing with you:

• Phone numbers and contact information for all of the travel providers you'll be using (car rental, airlines, hotels, etc), and all the people you'll be meeting/working with while you're away.
  
• Every confirmation number for every piece of travel you're doing.

Bluegrass in my Cadillac and new shoes

Another week of work down in the DC area... This week, when I was renting my car (Avis), a popup asked me if I wanted a "Cool Car" -- for $332(for the week), I could get a Pontiac G6 (or similar); for $338, I could get a Cadillac.

Oh, why not.

It's as ridiculous as I'd imagined - the seats are heated and air conditioned[1], it's ENORMOUS, and it's quite fast. It also came with XM radio, so I've been amusing myself by driving around with the windows down and Bluegrass Junction cranked up on the (quite potent) stereo. I'm weird.

I'm in the midst of a serious weight-loss effort, and part of that is a running program -- I'm doing the Couch to 5K program from Cool Running. I'm now down around 210, but that's still a lot of weight to be smashing down on my knees. So I decided I ought to go ahead and spring for some running shoes that are under five years old. I went to Potomac River Running, not far from where I work. I was really impressed. Danielle was knowledgeable and helpful. After a Video Gait Analysis (I have "normal" feet, hooray!) and trying on four pairs of shoes, I settled on a pair of Nikes. I tried them out this morning[2], and they are GREAT! It's a HUGE difference from my old shoes.

That's all for now... I think I'm going to try to have an early night.

[1] Heated seats are teh awesome. You'd *think* that "air conditioned" seats would be equally awesome, but, um, no. At least, not initially. I thought it would be nice, but mostly, it feels like you're sitting in something wet.


[2]Actually, I tried them out last night. One of the cool things about this store - they actually insist that you go out and *run* in the shoes. Not "take 'em around the store", not "jump up and down", but "go around the block once or twice and MAKE SURE they feel OK".