Happy Holidays 2015 From Jess Peterson

Wishing everyone a very Merry whatever it is you celebrate.

This is a fun Sainsbury's Christmas 2015 ad that depicts what this season is all about:  Sharing.

Enjoy and may Santa be good to you this year.

Canada's WestJet Surprises Passengers For Christmas

Passengers on one flight headed to Mount Hope, Ontario, were asked by a virtual Santa-as they were checking in- what they wanted for Christmas. Kids and adults alike asked for everything from socks and underwear to a big TV. When they arrived at their destination, they were surprised with everything they had wanted.

Yes, this is an ad, and a marketing ploy, but what a great one.

Airlines Could Ban Carry-On Baggage Due To Terror Threat Over Christmas

Due to a viable threat by Islamic terrorists to blow up 5 Europe-bound passenger planes over Christmas time, there is talk that carry-on baggage and/or electronic devices in the cabin might be banned during that time period.

NPR's Dina Temple-Raston writes, "One remedy under consideration is to ban all carry-on baggage, though there is some question as to whether airlines would push back against such a draconian provision." To be sure, it is highly unlikely we would see a full ban on carry-on luggage across the U.S. around the holidays. The logistics of this kind of action would be very tough to see through in a short amount of time, especially on full flights during the busy Christmas travel week. So don't get distressed about your holiday travel plans just yet.

This might not happen, but if it does, all those I-pads, cell phones, cameras, laptops etc will have to be placed in checked luggage. All those thieves in TSA and baggage handling will be very happy.

More here.

Scrooge Spirit Airlines To Raise Baggage Fees For Holidays

Spirit Airlines is an airline I refuse to travel with ever since they started charging for carry-on AND checked baggage.  They are the only company that charges for carry on luggage, as far as I know, and now they have decided to tack on an extra fee for travel during the upcoming holiday season.

If you travel Spirit from December 18th through January 5th, you can expect to pay an additional $2.00 per bag for checked baggage. That's each way. Above and beyond your carry-on baggage fee and the checked baggage fees.

This is what they had to say about the temporary increase:

"Winter is coming and that means holidays, which means more people than ever will be traveling with Spirit to visit their loved ones. To make sure we have room for everyone's bags, we're encouraging customers to pack a bit lighter."

The cheapest options you have  are if you happen to be a $9.00 Fare Club member and you book and pay on-line, before online check-in, for tickets purchased after December 31st..

$26.00 for one carry-on bag
$21.00 for first checked bag
$31.00 for second checked bag
$76.00 for the third, fourth and fifth checked bag. Each.

You will pay the most if you check them at the gate. A whopping $100.00 per bag.

Here's the list of prices that vary depending on when you purchase your bags, be it on-line, or at the reservation center.

Bah Humbug.

Source: CS Monitor

Nickel and Diming Us To Death- Mad TV Airline Safety Video

Although this an oldie from 2007, the video produced by MAD TV is still relevant today.  Airlines are still nickel and diming us to death.

Airbus To Patent Bicycle Seats For Airlines

Think that air travel couldn't get any worse than it already is, what with being packed onto airlines like sardines? Well, the people who manufacture the Airbus are contemplating doing just that.  They have applied for a patent in Europe that would have you sitting on a bicycle seat.  No joke.

Imagine traveling from N.Y. to  Beijing seated on one of these things.

I have no clue why they would even think this a viable option for travel, but it's seen as a way to

..cut down on bulk, which in turn allows for more sardined passengers and ostensibly, more money.


“In effect, to increase the number of cabin seats, the space allotted to each passenger must be reduced,” the patent application states.

Not that they're really serious about trying to get these on planes.  Not really. They're just protecting their posteriors.

“Many, if not most, of these concepts will never be developed, but in case the future of commercial aviation makes one of our patents relevant, our work is protected,” an Airbus spokeswoman explained. “Right now these patent filings are simply conceptual.”

As if anyone would want to steal that idea. Oh wait, maybe Spirit Airlines would.


Source: Consumerist

Southwest Flight Attendant Turns Safety Announcement Into Comedy Routine

Southwest is one of the best airlines to fly- some of the lowest baggage fees, and then you've got the uber friendly flight attendants. On this particular flight to Salt Lake City, Utah, the passengers were treated to a very funny safety announcement by Martha "Marty" Cobb.

A great way to get people to listen to those boring, routine safety instructions that most well-traveled individuals tune out.


More on the story and Marty.

Ways To Prevent Loss, Damage, Delay and Theft Of Your Baggage

ABC News has 8 tips on how to make sure your baggage arrives safe and sound. I last wrote about the rampant theft that occurs at airports across the nation, but it's not just thievery that one has to contend with, it's damaged and delayed and lost luggage as well.

According to ABC there's a 99% chance your bags will arrive at your destination, but what a pain for that 1%, and believe me it's a pain.

Looking out my airplane window I have witnessed baggage handlers roughly throwing bags onto the conveyor belt. William Henry, a baggage handler himself, who wrote "The American-Made Baggage Handler" told 20/20:

"If you ask a guy not to sit on the bag, he looks at you like you're the enemy."
"Bags can fall ... out of the cart onto the ground" [snip] "Some of these passengers might not get their bag because the bag is lying ... on the tarmac."

According to Tim Cigelske, another former baggage handler:

"You can have, you know, priority on there or fragile on there, but that's, again, really hard to see. And pretty much, a bag is a bag is a bag."

And forget special priority and handling of first class passengers. They are more likely to be targeted for theft. Henry said:

"They lift it up and may feel that there's something in there of value>" "As long as they got that bag in [an] area that's undisclosed, unmonitored, unsupervised, they can do what they want with that bag."

There are ways to circumvent the potential for loss, damage and delay, and unfortunately I've experience the latter two. The obvious one is don't check any bags, as both Henry and Cigelske suggest. But that's not always possible.  The other 8 suggestions are worth a try.

1. Buy a four-wheeled bag.

With a four-wheeled bag, the only time your luggage will be airborne is after takeoff.

"When we load a plane, we have to slide that bag along ... the cargo floor," Henry said.

"With four wheels, they can just roll that bag," he continued. "Now if it doesn't have the wheels, they'll throw it, kick it, toss it."

2. Pack your items in a sturdy bag.

Make sure your bag won't crumble under pressure.

When shopping for luggage, look for bags made out of strong material. There are even bags available for purchase made out of the same material that the NFL uses for its shoulder pads.

"You should assume that this bag is going to be handled in the worst way," Henry said.

3. Don't check in for your flight too early.

Ironically, to ensure your bag's on-time arrival, don't check in too early.

"If you do it more than two hours early, they don't even have things set up for your flight yet," Cigelske said.

Your bag could get lost in the shuffle if it's set aside.

4. Skip the curbside check-in.

Even if you're rushing to catch your flight, avoid checking in at the curb.

"It does add one more layer to the process, more people to the equation," Cigelske said. "More hands, more things, means more things could go wrong."

Instead, head to the ticket counter, especially if you're past the cutoff time to check your bag in.

"You can ask the ticket-taker to have the baggage handlers come and make one more run," Cigelske said.

Read the rest of the suggestions on ABC News.

Police Nab LAX Baggage Handlers For Theft- How To Keep Your Bags Safe

Though I've yet to have anything stolen from my suitcase, many people have. I learned long ago not to put anything in my checked baggage that I don't mind parting with, so perhaps that's why they've left my luggage alone. But in spite of numerous stories about TSA and baggage handlers pilfering from travelers, people still put items of value inside their suitcases. I had a friend who lost his laptop that way.

The latest case is out of Los Angeles' LAX, the third worst airport for luggage theft. After too many complaints about theft, LAPD went undercover to nab the thieves. After months of undercover work, they have detained a slew of baggage handlers. They were stealing from bags in all areas of the airport, from the planes, to runways, to the terminals themselves. The police focused mostly on the Tom Bradley International Terminal and Terminal 4, home of American Airlines, and a few Qantas flights.

Police captain Ray Maltez told local station KABC-TV: "We believe that there has been a culture of being able to take property that wasn't theirs, and that's what we want to be able to put a stop to."

It was not clear exactly how many have been arrested.

Police said they had served warrants, raided airport terminals and seized property at 25 different locations in Los Angeles-area cities.

Those arrested were primarily employees or ex-employees of contracting companies hired to handle luggage and do not work for the airport itself, police said.

According to ABC News, there were 25 search warrants, six arrests and 14 people detained.

As of 2012, Miami International Airport topped the list of 20 worst airports for luggage theft, followed by New York's JFK International Airport. Then comes LAX in the number 3 spot. The rest:

4. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

5. Las Vegas-McCarren International Airport

6. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and New York-Laguardia Airport

8. Newark Liberty, Philadelphia International, and Seattle-Tacoma International airports

11. Orlando International Airport

12. Houston-George Bush Intercontinental Airport and Salt Lake City International Airport

14. Washington Dulles International Airport

15. Detroit Metro Airport and Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport

17. Boston-Logan International, Denver International and San Diego International airports

20. Chicago O'Hare International Airport

Although you will never totally prevent theft, there are ways to make sure you minimize the possibility:

A. Put anything of value (jewelry, cash, camera, laptop, iPad) in your carry-on bag, and keep a close eye on the bag as it goes through security. TSA employees have been caught stealing, too.

B. Lock your carry-on bag while on the plane. How often does your bag wind up in an overhead bin seats away from where you are. And you can't trust flight attendants either, they've been known to pocket items left on board.

C. Those TSA locks won't help, so don't think it's safe to stash valuables in checked baggage.

D. Right before you are told to fasten seat belts, and prepare for landing, make sure you have put away all your possessions. Check again in the seat pocket in front of you, under your chair, and in the overhead bins before you de-board.

E. ABC News advises to take photos of your packed bag before you zip it shut, and buy insurance. This will add to the average $3,400 the airlines will reimburse you for delayed, damaged or lost luggage. Not sure how photographing the packed suitcase prior to zipping is proof enough of everything you've packed layers down, but it can't hurt. I would also suggest taking a photo of the zipped up bag in case of damage. I've had many bags damaged along the way. And no proof they were not damaged pre-flight. If you've ever seen baggage handlers, they're pretty rough with other people's property.

Sources: Yahoo News, ABC News,

Compare Fees and Perks On Major U.S. Airlines

For years the airlines have been nickel and diming us to death. You never really know until you've booked the flight and you realize all the extras you'll wind up paying, above and beyond the air fare itself.


We used to be able to check our first bag free. That has all changed



Bankrate has put together a comparison list of additional fees that some of the major airlines charge, so you can make an educated choice.


The first choice you  have is to compare baggage fees. Most of the airlines charge about the same for checked baggage and nothing for carry on, except for Spirit Airlines which wins top award for best price gouger.  Spirit charges a whopping $35.00 for a carry-on, $30.00 for the first checked bag, $40.00 for the second and $85.00 for the third. While most carriers don't charge for the 1st international bound checked bag, Spirit charges $35.00 for the carry on, $30.00 for the first checked bag and $40.00 for the second. All airlines except Spirit also start charging fees for overweight luggage at 50-lbs, whereas Spirit starts at 41-lbs. And you'd better pay those fees online or you'll pay more at the airport.


Then comes Frontier Airlines which charges $25.00 for an oversized carry on bag.


FIRST CHECKED BAG:


No Cost: Jet Blue and Southwest
$20.00: Frontier Airlines
$25.00: Alaska Air, American Airlines, Delta Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, US Airway. United Airlines charges $25.00 but it depends on the destination.


SECOND CHECKED BAG:


No Cost:  Southwest
$25.00:  Alaska Air
$30.00:  Frontier
$35.00: American, Delta,  Hawaiian, United, US Airway
$40.00: Jet Blue


THIRD CHECKED BAG:


$75.00:  Alaska, Frontier, Jet Blue, Southwest
$100.00: Hawaiian
$125.00: Delta, United, US Airways
$150.00:  American


OVERWEIGHT BAGGAGE:


Can vary widely, but ranges from $75.00 all the way up to $200.00


You can also comparison shop on fees charged for:


Credit card breaks, Menu options, Seating, Priority boarding, Entertainment, Military discounts. Children, Blanket and pillows, Loyalty programs, and pets.


Check it out here.


Looks like I'll be checking out Southwest more often. I crossed Spirit off my check list a long time ago. 


Be aware, that most airlines charge less for these fees if you pay for them online.

Worst Hotels and Motels In The U.S.

I'm on the road a lot, and finding decent accommodations can be hit or miss if you don't pre-plan. But if you're on a road trip that's not always ideal. I don't want to have to rush to get someplace because I made a reservation at a specific hotel in a specific location. However, that sometimes leaves you stuck with a potential dump. Believe me, I've stayed at plenty of those over the years. The places that smell of mildew, riddled with bugs, moldy bathrooms, where you sleep in your clothes on top of the bed.  In some cases, you can't really tell what the interior will look like until you check the room out. I have, on occasion, opted not to stay, so the only alternative is to either drive to another motel or  the next town up.  Sometimes, though, just looking at the exterior is a major indication of what might be lying in wait for you.  Only once or twice have I ever driven around a motel property and promptly left- I value my life. But most of the time I would just wind up staying in a sub-par motel.


If you have a large budget that's no problem (not that the luxury hotels can't have bed bug problems), but if you want a mid-range hotel I find sticking with the La Quintas, Hampton Inns or Holiday Inns the best choice, although I've stayed in a few duds.  That's the problem with franchised ventures. But there are some you might want to stay away from, and the Fiscal Times has a list of those.


Based on surveys from Consumer Reports and J.D. Powers and Associates the 10 worst motels in the U.S. are, with photos:


Baymont Inn and Suites
Quality Inn
Clarion
Red Roof Inns
Super 8
Ramada
Days Inn
Motel 6
Econo Lodge
America's Best Value Inn

I've stayed at most of the above, and they most definitely deserve being in the top ten.  I would also add Knight's Inn and Travel Lodge.  I recall staying at a Travel Lodge in Montreal, Canada, the room was not inexpensive and I was treated to a room that had a bed that was more akin to an army cot with a layer of plastic covering the mattress pad, and the bathroom grout was moldy black.

If you don't care where you stay, by all means choose the above. But I know I stay away from those chains.

Virgin Atlantic's Hip Safety Music Video Wows #VXsafetydance

Wow. Virgin America has come up with a five minute slick and hip pre-flight  'safety' music video to replace those boring safety speeches we get  prior to take off.

Directed by Jon M Chu, choreographed by Jamal Sims and Christopher Scott, and composed and produced by Jean-yves "Jeeve" Ducornet it features a bunch of talented dancer/singers including Todrick Hall and Madd Chadd and some fantastic young ones.

What an innovative and fun way to capture people's attention on something we all have a tendency to ignore.

Makes me want to fly Virgin.

Underwater Hotel Room At conrad Maldives Rangali Island

For a mere $1,353 or more per night you too could sleep underwater at the exclusive Conrad Maldives Rangali Island Hotel.  It's normally a 12 seat dining area that can be turned into a bedroom suite for two for special occasions, like honeymoons. It's not listed on their website so you have to ask for it, and give at least a 14 day notice. However, it may no longer be available.

It's 16 feet below water, and you get to sleep with the fishies.

I think I'd feel way too naked sleeping in a glass enclosed bedroom, but obviously there are people who don't.

Here's a video of the resort with some photos of the underwater dining room. Looks gorgeous.

Seven Terrifying Scenic Roads- Smarter Travel

There's nothing like a good road trip, the more scenic the better. The Blue Ridge Parkway, for example, is glorious. At a nice leisurely 35 mph speed limit, and plenty of stops to take photographs, a 90 mile drive from Blowing Rock to Asheville, NC took me all day. No complaints, though.

So I was fascinated when I saw a list of seven of the most terrifying scenic roads posted on Smartertravel.com along with videos to enjoy vicariously. I know I won't be adding any of them to my bucket list, but enjoyed watching from the safety of my laptop.

1. Bolivia: They start off with North Yungas Road aka 'Death Road' near La Paz, Bolivia, which is a mountainous, winding gravel road with no guard rails, that apparently claims around 300 drivers every year. The road is now mostly used by crazy tourist mountain bikers.

2. Japan: Irohazaka Road is located near Nikko, Japan. Another winding, mountain road with 48 "hairpin turns" and one 120-degree bend. But this road is paved and has small guardrails. I could only watch a little of it, because I started feeling motion sick.

3. Germany:  Spreuerhofstrasse, in Reutlingen, Baden-Wurttemberg doesn't really qualify as a road, it's more of an oddity, a paper-thin street measuring 12.2 inches at its narrowest. You can only walk it sideways, that is, if you're not pregnant or overweight. It's considered the narrowest street in the world. It was built in the 18th century. Not sure why Smarter Travel  included it, but there it was.

4. China:  Guoliang Tunnel in Henan province, is a 3/4 mile tunnel that was carved through and alongside another winding mountain road. Very rustic.

5. China: The National Highway 110 from Beijing to Yinchuan is a perpetual traffic jam. Apparently in 2010 a jam lasted 12 days. Not sure why this one was included either under 'scenic'.

 Back in 2010, a two-mile-per-day pace on this highway was attributed to an influx of vehicles on a single road. Ironically enough, the main cause of the congestion was a large number of trucks transporting building materials to be used for highway expansion. Stranded drivers took to card playing and reading to keep entertained. For nearly two weeks.

6. USA: The lonely James Dalton Highway in Alaska is around 400 miles long, with only three tiny towns (population 60) scattered the length of it. Mostly used by truckers, the video on Smarter Travel shows a trucker driving in the dead of winter.

And last but not least:

7. Norway: In the north west coast of Norway, the 5.2 miles of Atlantic Ocean Road crosses the Norwegian sea over some pretty spectacular bridges (8 of them), and is the stuff of nightmares (at least mine) during or right after a storm.

The Atlantic Ocean Road runs across a partially inhabited archipelago and connects Averoy with the mainland at Eide.

The video below was taken the day after the storm  "Dagmar" caused damage in the general area.

The Rampant Theft By TSA Airport Security

This is a sobering look into how easy it is for TSA security officers to steal our belongings. This former agent, Pythius Brown, spent 3 years in jail for stealing around $800,000 worth of other people's property over a 4 year period at the Newark New Jersey Airport. In the span of 10 years, around 400 TSA agents have been fired for theft.  That's a heck of a lot of people. Brown worked behind the ticket counters, alone, screening baggage.

In spite of the fact that we are told not to put anything of value in our checked luggage, you would be surprised how many people still do.

Keep anything of value with you, and be hyper vigilant as you go through the security check point.  When I am being screened, I always have an eye on my carry-on baggage, and I remove any metal that I might have on my body prior to going through the check point.

Sad that TSA is so careless in its screening of potential employees, but as Brown explains, it was just so easy he fell into it without much trouble.

Of course it's not just TSA, you also have flight attendants, and baggage handlers that can steal your belongings.

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Flight Attendant Steals Man's i-Pad- Found Using "Find My -iPad" app

I always thought that you could trust your flight attendants, and that if anything was going to wind up stolen on a trip it would be before you boarded the plane. We've all heard the many horror stories about rampant theft by baggage handlers and TSA agents, so I was rather shocked when 43-year-old flight attendant Wendy Ronelle Dye was busted for stealing a Reno, Nevada man's iPad. She claims she intended to give it back, but that's not what police believe, since she had already put some personal info on the tablet.

I've never heard of Horizon Air (it belongs to Alaska Airlines), but Dye was a stewardess on a flight to Los Angeles when the victim left his iPad on the plane. According to Dye a passenger found it on a seat and handed it over to her. She told police that she had every intention of turning it in to Horizon Air officials, but forgot it in her personal bag. Yeah, right. We have one honest passenger and one thieving stewardess who denied, at first, that she even knew anything about a lost iPad.

You might wonder how they even discovered that Dye had the stolen property: the Apple App 'Find My iPad'. It comes with your iPad, and is easy to locate.

Go to Settings. Click on iCLoud, and switch on Find My iPad.

Then if it gets lost, all you have to do is log on to www.icloud.com and  you will find all your information. Click on Find My i-Pad and it will pull up a map with the exact location (I just tried this and there was a map of where I live). If you click on devices, you also have the option of playing a sound, locking it, or wiping it clean.

Luckily, the man had downloaded the app a few days before his flight, so he was able to track her down in Oregon where she was arrested. Tablet and man will soon be reunited.

Dye has been charged with theft and has been suspended while the case is being investigated, although it seems pretty cut and dry to me and she should be fired.

When traveling it's very important to keep tabs on all your possessions, at all times. And thanks to Apple, it makes it easy to recover lost or stolen property.

Source: Daily Mail

Using Frequent-Flyer Miles Almost Impossible Now

I'm planning a trip to Los Angeles to visit my sister for the 4th of July, and I have a bunch of frequent-flyer miles on Delta, Continental, American and British Airways that I can use.  At one point in time Frequent-Flyer programmes were definitely worth the effort- that was when you could still get an economy round trip for 25,000 miles.  Over the years it has gotten progressively harder and now, it's almost well-nigh impossible. I forfeited 35,000 miles on US Airways because I was never able to find available flights for the amount of miles I had, in spite of the fact that I am usually rather flexible on my travel dates.

This coming trip to L.A. I am also flexible, the only definite is the 4th, but even though I started searching well in advance, not much is available, and forget the 25,000 mile round trip tickets.  In fact, out of curiosity, I searched Continental's calendar from now until February 2013 and there was only one flight day available (in November) where you could use 12,500 miles, and that was  for ONE WAY.  Everything else would cost either 25,000 or 50,000 miles one way. And oddly enough, Business/First Class can be had for the same amount of miles as Coach. Now who is going to choose Coach?  Very frustrated, I decided to call Continental to ask whether they had done away with their 25,000 mile round  trips, and although she said no, that wasn't the case, she was unable to find anything for less than 50,000 miles round trip.  Since I only have a little over 26,000 miles, her only recommendation was to use those miles for one leg of the trip and purchase a one way for the 2nd leg.  Apparently, they have some good deals. 

I found some flights on Delta, but it will cost me over 35,000 miles.  I think American has some 25,000 available, but at ungodly hours.

I have the most miles with British Airways, which I accrued through their amazing credit card deal, but I want to save those for an out-of-the-country trip.  I did stop using the card, however, and am about to cancel it, since they actually charge you a fee to use it!

But is it worth being loyal to an airline since they have made it such a challenge to actually use your miles?  Frankly, I don't think it is.  There are so many great deals that come along, especially if you buy a package which includes hotel, flight, and a car if you need one.  And there will always be fare wars.  If you travel you might as well get the frequent-flyer miles, but don't necessarily plan on being able to use them.

And the best way to make sure that you don't lose those miles is to get an airline credit card, one you don't have to pay for, that is. And as long as you use it once in a while, you will keep your miles current, and add some, to boot. Maybe some day you'll be able to use them.

Time Magazine has an interesting article, written in 2010, about this problem. And it's only gotten worse.

Beware of Travel Scams

I rarely, if ever, win anything of import. Whether raffles or those "be the 4th caller" type competitions, it's always been a waste of time or money.  But I recently entered a radio station's on-line competition, then promptly forgot about it until I received a call from the station saying I was the winner -  4 roundtrip tickets anywhere in the 48 contiguous states, worth $1,600 dollars (or $400 per person) and $1,090 to spend on hotel courtesy of  Delta Vacations.  I was thrilled, to say the least, drove down to the station picked up the paperwork and now all I have to do is figure out where and when. Considering the cost of airline tickets has skyrocketed, I'm not sure if I will wind up owing some money, but it shouldn't be much. 

But not all give-away deals are legit, and some are downright scams.  You have the timeshare scams that make you sit through a long presentation and then hardsell you into buying into the timeshare, that you may or may not ever use. And the "robo-calls" that travel guru Arthur Frommer talks about in his blog.

The lesser form of scams involves the use of robo-calls. Your telephone rings, you pick up the receiver, and in quick order you first hear the sound of seagulls, then of waves breaking on the shore, then various bars of maritime-like music, and then the stentorian speech of a gravelly-voiced announcer saying: "This is your captain speaking and I'm inviting you on a cruise -- a free-of-charge cruise".

You ultimately pay the small amount of taxes and fees associated with that cruise -- the actual sailing is supposedly free of charge -- and find yourself confined to the deck of a ferry traveling from a port in eastern Florida to the Bahamas, a "cruise" of about two hours. You don't receive a cabin. The small amount you've paid for phony fees and taxes is actually triple the size of a ticket for deck passage that you could have bought on the very same ferry.

I've never encountered a robo-call, but I have had my fair share of phone and email scams telling me I just won a 2 night stay in Las Vegas, or some other destination. I've also received them in the mail, and they immediately get tossed in the garbage. Frommer also discusses those attempts at scamming the unsavvy, wannabe traveler :

The scams currently on view in the world of travel are endlessly ingenious. Some of them tell you that you are the lucky winner of a contest -- that you will be receiving a free vacation simply for paying a registration fee. The reason so many people succumb to these phony announcements is that there actually are legitimate contests, and some people are correctly chosen as winners. But those people receive a registered letter announcing they have won -- and not a recorded phone call. The receipt of a registered letter is perhaps the only persuasive evidence that a contest is on the up-and-up.

Although I did not receive a registered letter, I knew mine was legit because I did not have to pay a thing to win the competition.
Another type of scam, which I'm sure everyone has encountered at some point in time, are those emails from friends or relatives claiming to be stranded in a foreign country, pleading for money. Over the years I have  received several from friends and cousins, and they actually looked legit. One from a cousin mentioned she was in London, had lost all her money and needed help to pay the hotel bill. The email address was hers, but it obviously had been hacked. I contacted her son who said it must be a scam because she was not in London.  Many claim that with the advent of social networking, it's very easy for scammers to get very personal information from people, though Joanne did not have a Facebook account at the time.
Then there's the shameful grandson travel scam that targets the elderly. These range from bogus traffic accidents in Canada, to being bailed out of jail in Spain and Mexico.  Unfortunately, many fall for it.

You'll find a great list of how to tell if something is a potential scam here.

Remember, if it sounds too good to be true it probably is. But don't let that stop you from availing yourself of the legit ones, as I intend to do. Just do your research.

Happy travels.

What You Should Get If You Are Involuntarily Bumped Off Your Flight

The travel industry isn't going to advocate on your behalf when things go wrong during a trip, so it's incumbent upon you to learn the ins and outs and know your rights.  We're not always aware of what we are entitled to, so we often lose out.

For example what happens when you get bumped from a flight involuntarily?  One couple who wrote to travel ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine,  Christopher Elliott, were complaining about a problem they were having with Southwest Airlines.  Apparently, they were on their trip home from Fort Myers to Milwaukee when they were informed at the gate that the flight was overbooked. 

They had two options:

"take the next available flight" two days later, or "accept a refund of the cost of their return flight."
The family opted for the refund check in the amount of $1,387.20.  Problem is, the agent made a mistake in the amount written, and their bank refused the check because of the discrepancy.  For almost a year they have been trying to recoup the amount, to no avail.  They even contacted the Department of Transportation, but still did not receive the money owed. They finally contacted Elliott to troubleshoot on their behalf. So the family is out the $1,387.20 plus the amount they had to pay for four one-way tickets back to Milwaukee.

Elliott had some interesting information for all travelers, including the Milwaukee family of four: The Department of Transportation requires that airlines compensate travelers for involuntarily being bumped.  It's a federal regulation that passengers receive compensation for the value of the portion of the ticket in question. In fact, last year those amounts were increased:

The new rules also double the amount of money passengers are eligible to be compensated for in the event they are involuntarily bumped from an oversold flight. Previously, bumped passengers were entitled to cash compensation equal to the one-way value of their tickets, up to $400, if the airline was able to get them to their destination within a short period of time (within 1 to 2 hours of their originally scheduled arrival time for domestic flights and 1 to 4 hours for international flights). If they were delayed for a lengthy period of time (more than two hours after their originally scheduled arrival time for domestic flights and 4 hours for international flights), they were entitled to double the one-way price of their tickets, up to $800. Under the new rule, bumped passengers subject to short delays will receive compensation equal to double the one-way price of their tickets, up to $650, while those subject to longer delays would receive payments of four times the one-way value of their tickets, up to $1,300. Inflation adjustments will be made to those compensation limits every two years.

Elliott, managed to get Southwest to overnight the family their check for the $1,387.20 plus a $500.00 travel voucher.

TSA Pockets Passengers' Change

You know all that spare change that you have in your pockets that  you place in plastic bins or bowls before you walk through security checkpoints in airports to avoid setting off the metal detectors? Many people are walking off without retrieving their coins, and the TSA is pocketing that money. 

A whopping $409,000.00 plus in coins was left behind in 2010, with the most losses in the following major airports:

Passengers at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York left the most change in 2010 ($46,918.06), followed by Los Angeles International ($19,110.83), Hartsfield Atlanta International ($16,523.83), San Francisco International ($15,908.02), and Miami International ($15,844.83), according to the TSA.

Of the $409,085.56- $376,480.39 of it was U.S. currency (from pennies to dollar coins) and $32,605.17 was foreign currency. And that's nothing- TSA has collected over $2.1 million since 2008.
Most people don't really care about small coins, I've seen piles of pennies strewn across parking lots, but those pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters add up, so it's worth holding on to, and the best place to put that change (and all your other metal) is in a plastic bag inside your carry-on before you leave home.
The TSA has allegedly been using the ill-gotten gains to help fund its operations, but Congress is pushing to change that. Florida Republican Jeff Miller wants that money to go to the USO  instead, and introduced a bill to Congress that will do just that.

"Allowing TSA to keep unclaimed taxpayer money for any and all purposes is an egregious breach of its duty to the public that it serves," Miller wrote in a recent letter to House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Peter King, R-N.Y. "This money should be put to good use, and there is no better organization to use this money wisely than the USO."

A House committee passed the measure, next it goes to the full House for approval.