Travel Tips

There’s a lot to learn when you travel to a new city. New sights, new sounds, new people – but there’s something about spending a few days in a place where an accent overtakes you. For the most part, we’ve got the language down in the United States, but...

How do you know if you have swine flu? What should you do if you get the flu during your vacation? What are the airlines' policies around flights if you have the H1N1 virus? The questions around swine flu and the H1N1 virus are endless, but the answers are even more obscure.

No that the holiday season is upon us, it’s time to start thinking ahead, book your flights, and plan...

According to the Wall Street Journal, approximately 20 percent of air miles go unused, so the newspaper has put together a...

No one likes to travel while they’re sick, and now that airports are handing out flu shots, you have a better chance of avoiding the virus while traveling. But, sometimes the inevitable happens and you're stuck on a plane with a nasty cold, a last-minute stomach virus or worse, food poisoning on an international flight.

What's worse is having to hide from your seatmate, you...

There’s nothing worse than cramming yourself into your seat on the plane and realizing that with all your stuff, you have no room to breathe. Surprisingly there are ways that you can get more space for your seat pitch if you just follow some simple rules to traveling efficiently (and no, they don’t include diet and exercise).

Bags: Yes, most of the time you’re allowed two...

As kids prepare to embark on their summer vacations, parents are faced with an unnerving fear: who will look after my child if I'm not there?

Millions of children under the age of 18 fly solo every year, but with the recent news of two young girls being escorted onto the wrong Continental flights, parents are more concerned than ever about their kids flying solo.

In an effort...

Okay, ladies, it’s officially summer. You’ve dry-cleaned your best white items, spent a Sunday morning getting a mani-pedi, and you’re soaking up every last UV ray to build a bronze glow. What’s next?

Gather your favorite bikinis, heels, and girlfriends, and hit the road. We’ve put together a few ideas on destinations and types of weekend getaways that are sure to please even...

While some people mind their manners mid-air, others leave their airplane etiquette on the ground. While you can’t change the person sitting next to you on your flight, you can lead by example.

We’ve compiled a list of common air flight complaints and airplane etiquette faux-paus that if avoided, could help make your next trip more enjoyable.

Spring break - it's every student's most coveted time, and every parent's worst nightmare. The week-long celebration is typically adorned with bikinis, beaches and enough suntan oil to cover a small country.

This year, Spring Break alerts were heightened when the U.S. Department of State issued a travel warning to Mexico travelers, thanks to an increase in violence near...

Making the journey through airport security can be stressful enough, but add a bag full of gifts and things just got a lot tougher. The holiday season is notoriously busy for travelers, which makes airport security lines even longer. If you plan on transporting cookies, spirits and more through airport security, read the rules ahead of time and avoid being the traveler who holds up the...

Although things are getting somewhat better in some quarters, clearing security and Customs and Border Protection can still be the most tension-laden part of the trip. And for good reason. People can make mistakes.If you’ve had a serious problem with denied or delayed airline boarding, denied or delayed entry into the United States, or incessant secondary screening, the Department of...

SeatGuru (Web site: www.seatguru.com), the online airline information provider, has offered a number of tips for holiday travel.

Matt Daimler, founder of the Web site, said: "With these tips, you'll be able to stretch out your string bean legs, ensure your knees aren't mashed like potatoes, and avoid overstuffing the luggage bin."

In the midst of a worldwide recession, French pilots’ unions went on strike at one minute past midnight (Friday, November 14). This is having a significant effect on Air France (AF) flights. The walkout is planned to last through November 17. Although the carrier won’t spell out the toll this will wreak on U.S. flights, a prepared release says, “Air France is expecting disruption of its...

Even the savviest of travelers needs a checklist, a way of making sure they’re set for the trip ahead. These days, that checklist can cover lots of territory and help you save some money.

American Express Business Travel (Web site: www.americanexpress.com/businesstravel) offers some things to consider before heading out the door. Here are a few of them:

- Double-check...

We’re not kidding here at Cheapflights when we recommend you book early, and try to fly on off-peak days - Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and after noon on Saturdays. The number of domestic airline seats has plummeted by 9.2 percent for the fourth quarter of 2008 compared to the same period last year. So says an analysis by Official Airline Guide (Web site: www.oag.com). More than ever, that makes...

A little more than a week after Hurricane Gustav got out of town, another storm is galloping towards the Gulf, leaving destruction in its path and promising to rearrange more than a few travel plans. The storm is Ike, a Category 2 hurricane at last count (although it has been as high as 4 over open ocean). Airlines are starting to gird for the weather, allowing flyers to change travel plans...

Cheapflights is a believer in the premise that if you fly with pets, you need to know what’s out there that can help — and hurt — them. One carrier that stands out in its treatment of animals is Midwest Airlines. The carrier’s Premier Pet Program is first-rate. Now, it’s getting even better. Midwest is teaming up with pet supply retailer Doctors Foster and Smith (Web site:...

Traditionally, fall has meant falling airfares and more abundant seats. The summer crush is over, and things dial back a bit. These days, tradition is out the emergency exit. Travelocity (Web site: www.travelocity.com) says fall airfares this year are $40 higher for domestic and international tickets. That averages out to $342 for a domestic seat; $749 for an international ticket....

Impelled by seemingly ever-escalating fuel costs, airlines are charging for what was once free, and imposing extra fees for that which wasn't.

Consider the following developments as the price of a barrel of crude rocketed past the mid-$130 level:

- US Airways will no longer offer free snacks on domestic flights in coach come June 1;

Due to accelerating fuel prices, airfares this summer are 12 percent higher than last, and 15 percent more than in 2006. Still, Travelocity sees no huge indicators that demand for summer travel is slowing - as the travel industry comes off a strong Spring Break.

Deep discounts in time for summer have yet to be seen says the online travel purveyor. Consider: airlines are adding new...

With a trio of United States carriers upping fuel surcharges by $20 per round-trip, it’s more important than ever to book smart.

American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta Air Lines have boosted their petroleum-induced surcharges in an attempt to cope with the escalating cost of Jet A. According to the Energy Information Administration, that cost was $3.57 earlier this week. The...

If you’re flying home from Fort Lauderdale (FLL) after a Caribbean cruise, and are connecting to with a flight on discount airline Southwest www.southwest.com, you don’t have to lug your heavy checked luggage between cruise terminal and airline counter.

A company called Bags To Go www.baggagecheckin.com is working with Southwest and the Transportation Security Administration...

Life is hectic and before you know it, half the year has passed and you haven’t taken a vacation or short getaway. Don’t waste another three-day weekend or your “use ‘em or lose ‘em” vacation days. If you haven’t planned a trip far in advance, it’s not too late - last-minute travel is always an option. Here are some tips on scoring money-saving...

Over the years, cruises have become synonymous with overindulgence … and why not? You pay for the meals and snacks ahead of time and they’re served any hour of the day or night.

As more people become conscious of their eating habits and lifestyle, the cruise lines have been forced to take notice. You can now find ships with updated gyms, extensive fitness classes and healthier...

Fly to or from any of New York's three major airports with any frequency? If LaGuardia (LGA), Kennedy (JFK), or Newark (EWR) pop up on your itinerary often you'll want to consider signing up for free alerts outlining delays, weather conditions, parking lot capacity and such. Just go to www.airportinfoalerts.com.

Frequent flying can beat you up, and leave you lank for the vacation, or business trip, ahead. To help mitigate the travails of air travel Weight Watchers offers some tips. Weight Watchers’ suggestions are from a new book Weight Watchers Start Living, Start Losing: Real Stories That Will Motivate You Now.

- Wear running shoes to the airport. That way you can spend your layover...

With more people than ever traveling with their laptops, Michael Miller has written a book called Your First Notebook PC. It’s packed with all sorts of useful information – a lot of it having to do with how to travel with your machine.

Miller suggests a number of strategies to maximize your productivity, and keep your laptop safe. Among them:

- If you’ve got a...

In yet another case of life imitating art (sorta), The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports a recent case of snakes on the plane – lots of snakes, 30 of them. All were dead. The newspaper says security screeners found the recumbent reptiles in the luggage of a man arriving from South Korea on August 15.

The newspaper says there were four or five boxes of the critters. Checked...

You're in the check-out line at the front desk of your hotel when it hits: something you hadn't budgeted for. It's a mandatory Resort Fee, and according to Travel Hawaii LLC some of the islands' top resorts tack the charge onto your bill at check-out.

Travel Hawaii says some 16 of Hawaii's leading hotels follow the practice, and that those fees can be as much as $26 per...

Airplanes are going to be 80 percent-plus full this summer, and tempers could turn as hot as the temperature on the tarmac. The Air Transport Association (ATA) estimates some 209-million souls will fly on US airlines from June through August, a 3 percent increase over the same period last year.

ATA projects 21.4 million folks will take wing globally on US carriers during the ten-day...

Alaska Airlines and its sister carrier Horizon Air have offered a host of tips for the busy summer season.

With many people traveling home for the Memorial Day weekend, it's important to make your trip as stress-free as possible.

Your journey could be a great deal quicker if you choose one of the convenient check-in options offered by Alaska and Horizon. Online check-in is...

Before you firm up the particulars of that Hawaiian vacation, consider a few tips from the folks who live there. An informal poll from HawaiiamBeachRentals.com says locals like to:

- Hike the Napali Trail, on Kauai. The 11-mile trek traverses five valleys before ending up at Kalalau Beach. Don’t have the stamina? Try a more manageable two-mile hike along the trail to the beach...