A decision to undertake air travel with children should not be made without an understanding of the challenges involved in such an undertaking. Making a trip with children in tow can lead a parent to confront many unforeseen problems. Before, you make those vacation plans, it’s a good idea to sit down and assess just what might be needed for such an undertaking.

Even if things go smoothly, air travel with children means dealing with added extra paraphernalia. The parent has to carry all of their gear, while constantly keeping an eye on a group of very small, and usually very active, travelers. Even if things go smoothly, the challenges thrown at the traveling parent with child can be almost overwhelming.

If things do not go smoothly, then air travel with children can generate an even greater number of challenges. Parents are likely to be very distracted because they must keep an eye on their children around hundreds of unknown strangers. It is so easy for a young child to venture off in such a busy environment.

Fortunately, air travel with children gives the parent access to many interesting experiences. If parents can, they should allow any children to enjoy those happenings and to forget their complaints. If you travel with more than one adult in tow, you can often get through traveling with children with no apparent problems at all.

In addition, the sooner you start traveling with your children, the sooner you can expect them to behave well when traveling. If you wait until the children are over the age of 5, you might have your hands full. However, when parents start taking their children on air crafts or other trips when they are small infants or toddlers, they will understand the process and behave well throughout their lives. The more they are exposed to the circumstances, the better they will act for the parents and the more parents will enjoy their traveling experience.

Taking your children on a plane doesn’t have to be something you dread. You just need to be prepared and try to look at things from your child’s perspective – this might give you some insight as to how to make the flight more fun for them as well as for yourself.

Lee Dobbins writes for www.airfare1st.com where you can learn more about air travel and how to get discount airfare.

For discounted hotel bookings, click here.

(cc: photo credit: rod lewis)

Sometimes it sounds like the newspapers send their journalists on Christmas vacation early and just recycle the headlines from the previous year: there are always a bunch of strikes and even more reliably terrible weather that makes traveling over the Christmas week a bit of a nightmare.

This time round we’ve already experienced snow and fog problems in the eastern coast of the United States. The wintry weather, combined with strong winds, led to some delayed and canceled flights and a whole lot of frustrated travelers over the weekend. Add to that the storms across the upper midwest, including parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan, and there were more than a few people who didn’t get to their Christmas destination as early as planned.

And this kind of Christmas chaos is definitely not exclusive to the US. Severe fog in Britain caused troubles for flights coming in and out of London’s two largest airports, Heathrow and Gatwick, with at least a hundred flights grounded. The fog also caused accidents and slowed traffic to a crawl on a lot of major motorways around Britain.

Is there somewhere in the world where travelers don’t suffer so badly during the holiday season? Well, the entire summer hemisphere manages to experience a summer Christmas, so the problems of fog and snow aren’t present there … but some cities in Australia are expecting maximum temperatures over 100 degrees F for Christmas Day, which brings its own set of problems.

Delays, cancellations, chaos or not, book your cheap hotels here.

( photo credit: pasotraspaso)

A lot of the talk in travel circles at the moment is about reducing carbon emissions and this is particularly true when you consider flying. The recent trend of donating some money to offset your own carbon emissions when you travel somewhere demonstrates that plenty of travelers are aware of the environmental damages arising from flights and want to do something about it.

So the newly-announced attempt by Virgin Atlantic to fly a plane using a bio-diesel fuel should make plenty of us happy. During February, Virgin is going to fly one of their 747 aircraft from London to Amsterdam using a biofuel that they describe as being “truly sustainable” (without telling us quite what it is). The test flight will take place without any passengers and will contribute to Virgin’s research program into finding ways to minimize the carbon footprint of the airline.

Sir Richard Branson, president of Virgin, seems to be leading the way amongst airlines in the area of environmental responsibility. Green travel is a focus for the company and all of the profits from its transportation companies are being used to attempt to develop clean energy. As well as being a “good thing” for the future, it probably helps boost the company’s image, but at least it’s all for a good cause.

Booking hotels efficiently online is another means of reducing your carbon footprint.  Click here for the best hotel rates and availability anywhere.

( photo credit: Liline sur Flickr)

What does it all mean? The Schengen Zone is a group of countries who have all signed the Schengen Agreement , which basically aims to abolish border controls between the countries. That means that across most of Europe now you can cross a border between a country and barely notice it – you won’t need to stop and show your passport or have your car searched, and if you’re not looking carefully at the signs you might miss the border.

But if you’re entering the Schengen area from parts of Europe that don’t belong to the agreement – for example, entering into Estonia from Russia, or entering into France from the United Kingdom, which hasn’t signed on – you might find the border controls even tougher. That’s because they’re now protecting an even greater area and number of countries, and nobody wants to be the guard responsible for missing a case of people trafficking, drug smuggling or illegal import of cigarettes or other goods.

Book and save on hotels in Europe or worldwide here.

(cc: photo credit: jesse edwards)

This week in the news there has been plenty of discussion about the punctuality of flight departures in Britain, after the official statistics for January to September of 2007 were published.

BMI Regional most punctual airline:

The airline that came out looking best of all from these statistics was BMI Regional, a budget airline that flies mostly around Britain, and 91% of its flights departed on time, with average delays of six minutes – that’s the kind of delay I can live with. The parent company, BMI, was also a good performer, being the most punctual airline to fly out of Heathrow Airport, which is notorious for delays and problems. BMI flies all around Europe, the Middle East and Africa and is looking to open up routes to the USA after a recent rule change.

If you’re trying to pick an airline flying in or out of Britain that minimizes your delays, you can always check the FlightOnTime.info website which is full of facts and figures to help you make your decision.

For cheap and reliable hotel bookings, click here.

(cc: photo credit: levien66)

Bag Fees:

Fellow clotheshorses beware: In an attempt to curtail the weight of excess baggage, airlines have instituted now-infamous luggage fees. A single checked bag is often gratis, but a second will run you around $25. Worse, a third costs an average of $100. These days it’s best to roll your clothes, invest in space bags, and limit your sartorial self-expression on holiday.The Best: Southwest charges only $25 for the third checked bag, while the first two are free. AirTran charges a $10 fee for a second bag if you pay online, and $50 for a third. The Worst: United Airlines will alter their policies as of August 17. After that date, a single checked bag will cost $15, a second $25, and a third $125. Similarly, American Airlines charges $15, $25, and $100, respectively.

Unaccompanied Minor Fees:

Only the benevolent Southwest will chill with your kid for free. On other major airlines, expect to cough up an additional $100 for a little guidance and a pair of wings. What’s worse, some airlines charge an additional fee for connecting flights or price according to “segments.” As per usual, it’s best to get a direct flight to Grandma’s.The Best: Southwest and AirTran take the cake again. AirTran charges $39 for an unaccompanied minor on a nonstop flight and $59 on a connecting. Also, children ages 12-15 have the option of flying as adults to avoid incurring the fee. The Worst: American charges $100 per child per flight, as does U.S. Air. The latter, furthermore, extends its fee to everyone under age 17 and only allows minors on nonstop flights.

Pet Fees:

It’s a true and corroborated story: my Boston Terrier pal Ollie recently cost his owners a whopping $400 on a flight from D.C. to Texas. Major airlines claim a range of puppy prices, and the most damaging falls in the neighborhood of $700. Also expect a variety of policies regarding a pet’s proper place on a plane; while some airlines refuse to house pets in the cabin, others won’t check them with the bags.The Best: Surprise! Our friend AirTran is one of the few airlines to break from the common $100 price point, housing your pet in cabin for $69. The Worst: Delta charges a standard fee of $100 for in-cabin pets, but boasts a range of prices from $178-689 for pets flying as cargo. Delta’s website also offers the following nugget of indispensible information: “Primates, including lemurs, monkeys, orangutans, gorillas, and chimpanzees will not be permitted.” Good to know.

Meal Fees:

Remember when that congealed turkey was a free-of-charge mixed blessing that accompanied every flight you took? That was a really long time ago. Domestic airlines are especially guilty on the food front, charging $7-10 for innovations such as the “snack box” and items from the “fresh food” menu. Fortunately, many airlines will still offer you an apple juice and some peanuts for free. Thanks, guys.The Best: Continental’s advertising campaigns have informed us all that the airline’s snacks and meals are still free, just like in the old days. JetBlue offers an interesting array of snacks, including blue chips, for free. The Worst: U.S. Air! How could you? Beginning on August 1, the airline will charge $2 for basic non-alcoholic beverages including soft drinks and, according to their website, water. Delta offers meals in the $6-10 range. Again, we visit their website for a lovely bit of language: their $10 entrée is “Mouthwatering Oregano Grilled Shrimp.”

Seat Fees:

Ready for this one? It sometimes costs an extra $20 to sit in an exit row. What used to be a decidedly weighty in-case-of-emergency burden is now a taxable privilege, though the reasoning behind the cost is a little murky. Also, expect to hear neologisms like “Coach Choice” and “Economy Plus” on your next flight. How the upgrades compare to good ol’ Coach is unclear, though customers can expect to pay up to $100 in extra fees to enjoy them.The Best: Southwest doesn’t appear to charge any fees for comfort options, though they recommend that “customers of size” book an additional seat. Delta, American, and Continental all seem to abide by the old rule that Coach is Coach. The Worst: Oh no, AirTran. Our erstwhile fave is home to the unfortunate Exit Row fare, while United offers “Economy Plus” for $14-109, depending on the flight’s duration.

If you’re like me and hate these fees, then you probably appreciate a good cheap hotel deal when you find one.  Come check us out at HotelsCheap.

Check which discount airlines exist in the areas you want to visit. A great resource is the WhichBudget where you can select your destination and find links to cheap airlines that fly there.

Join the mailing lists of the useful airlines. Nearly all airlines offer special rates and advance notice of fare sales to the subscribers to their email newsletters.

Be flexible with your plans. It may seem geographically logical to fly from Germany to Spain directly, but it might work out considerably cheaper to have a stopover in London on the way. Don’t be afraid to create crazy itineraries based on the options available.

And be flexible with your timing, too. Wherever possible, try not to be bound to particular dates for your flights. If you can change your dates by one or two days, you will often get a cheaper fare. Become familiar with the price differences on different budget airline routes; some will be cheaper on weekends, some mid-week.

No matter how you chose to fly, or what your destination, your cheapest hotels will always be available at Hotels Cheap.

(cc: photo credit: Frank Spee)

This was actually a welcome change for some travelers as they then felt that the travel agent was on their side, working to get them the best price and not to give themselves the biggest commission possible. This may be partially true, but not every industry has stopped giving travel agents a commission.

Automobile rental companies, hotels, cruise lines, and other travel agencies still routinely pay agents a commission. This means that you may not be getting the best deal for all of your travel plans through your travel agent. If something seems a bit pricey to you, you may want to check online or call a few competitors directly to make sure you’re getting the best price possible. Use the Internet to your advantage.

It’s not coincidence the travel industry encourages consumers to take it easy and let them make your travel plans for you, but you don’t have to fall for this ploy. As with almost everything in life, being educated and informed will leave you in a better position in the long run.

No, travel agents are not necessary in this new information age.  Take matters into your own hands to guarantee the lowest hotel rates…click here.

(cc: photo credit: travelstar)

For the record, the ACRO considers an incident to be an accident if the plane is damaged enough that it has to be written off and not flown again – regardless of whether or not any passengers are harmed. Personally, I’m much more concerned about the crashes that present a risk to me, and the great news is that the number of crashes dropped to the lowest level since 1963.

The total number of crashes according to ACRO was 136, but 56 of these had no fatalities. If you’re a nervous flier, then think of these facts: a total of only 965 people were killed in plane crashes in 2007, compared with 1,000,000 in road crashes. If only 965 passengers out of 2.2 billion passengers carried are victims of fatal crashes, our chances of survival are still extraordinarily good.

It’s also useful to note that only 3 of the air crashes in 2007 had fatalities of more than 100 passengers, so it’s definitely true that those kind of crashes happen a lot more often on the cinema screen than in real life.

Arrive alive, and book cheap hotels at Hotels Cheap.

(cc: photo credit: matt.hintsa)

But for most travelers in and out of Britain these days are over. As of January 7, 2008, many major UK airports have reversed this rule , and returned to the more standard two bag rule. Perhaps the most important for international travelers, Heathrow Airport is one of the airports who will now allow you to take two bags.

Do note that not all airports have implemented this new rule, and if you are flying out of Gatwick Airport, or out of Northern Ireland, the one bag rule will apply until new equipment for searching is installed. Plus, of course, there are still individual airline rules, so passengers on budget flights with airlines like EasyJet will still only be allowed to take one bag. If in doubt, make sure you check with your airline – specifying the airport you’ll be taking – before you start packing your carry-on luggage.

Click here for great hotels deals in London or worldwide.

(cc: photo credit: wallyg)

Today, there was a piece of good news, as the union called off the first strike due to begin on Monday, January 7. But they have still two shutdowns scheduled, on January 14 and January 17.

The workers belonging to the Unite union, who are from a variety of occupations including stewards, clerical staff and security guards, are all upset about the possible closure of the staff pension scheme for BAA Airports – this is the company that operates the airports at Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Southampton, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen. Seems like they were good enough to stay on board for the Christmas and New Year peak traveling season, but the goodwill is over now and these staff want their pension system.

So, if you have travel plans for the UK during the next potential strike dates, make sure you keep up to date with any possible cancellations or other changes that could occur.

In addition, if you are booking a hotel around London, or anywhere, click here for guaranteed lowest rates and availability.

This is not a terrorism-based threat – lithium batteries could apparently explode if overheated. Such a circumstance seems kind of unlikely, and even FAA safety testing found only that a problem would occur if an entire shipment of lithium batteries were overheated in the cargo hold, but the Department of Transport is playing it safe and banning loose lithium batteries.

So how does this affect you? The rules go like this:
You can have lithium batteries in checked baggage if they are installed inside an electronic device

If you use rechargeable lithium batteries and want to bring spares, there is a limit of two per passenger, and they must be in your carry-on luggage, in plastic bags.

The plastic bag rule is designed to keep batteries from forming circuits and thus having a higher risk of overheating; if you carry the battery in its original packaging, that has the same effect.

Traveling soon?  Book your hotel here, cheap!

(cc: photo credit charliebubbles)

Based in San Francisco, the airline is starting off small, only flying to New York, Washington DC, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles with service to San Diego starting in February of 2008. Flights to San Diego start at only $39 each way and cross-country flights start at $139.

In general, Virgin America is proving to be a threat forcing the other airlines to lower their prices while at the same time offering amenities that make main cabin flight experiences pretty darn close to First class. Indeed they are bringing new meaning to budget airlines by offering plush leather seats, mood lighting, and individual entertainment options, and 110v power at every seat.

Virgin America has only been operational for 3 months now, but has already received much kudos from people in the travel industry. In a recent Zagat survey of frequent fliers, Virgin America has taken home the first prize for having the best premium seats and 2nd place for its amenities for economy class. To take advantage of the low fares offered by this premium airline, visit Virgin’s website.

To get the best deals on hotels around the world, visit Hotels Cheap.

(cc: photo credit: photoman576097)

The main attraction is the brachiosaurus skeleton in Terminal 1, Concourse B. This is a complete skeleton of the largest animal ever to walk the earth and on loan from the Field Museum. And speaking of the museum, the Field Museum Store is a great way to waste some time, learn a little bit about the world around you, and pick up some gifts for your friends and family.

Shopping fans will also love the Chicago Historical Society Gift Shop, which offers great souvenirs and some interesting regional history.

Looking for a little spiritual retreat? The Interfaith Chapel in Terminal 2 is open 24 hours a day and, during work hours, features Catholic, Protestant and Muslim chaplains.

And if all else fails, eat. There are enough choices in O’Hare to sate each and every craving.

• Restaurants and bars, Terminal 1.
• Restaurants and bars, Terminal 2.
• Restaurants and bars, Terminal 3.
• Restaurants and bars, Terminal 5.

For great rates and availability on hotels around Chicago, visit Hotels Cheap.

(Photo via flickr cc)

Do you remember what happened during last year’s holiday season? Huge storms struck the nation and planes were taken out of the air. Many people spent their holidays stuck in an airport. It was the same story the year before that and the one before that as well. We can’t do anything to change the weather but we can make some changes to our travel plans to minimize the likelihood that we’ll be trapped in an airport during the holidays.

One of the best (and easiest) things that we can do to avoid travel complications during the holidays is to give ourselves plenty of time. Whether you are flying or driving to reach your family during the holidays, you don’t want to do it last minute. Take the extra time off of work and leave well in advance of the day that you want to arrive. If you’re really lucky, everything will go smoothly and you’ll get a few extra days with the family. If not, at least you should reach your destination before the holiday–despite the delays.

If you can’t get away for the holidays before the last minute, you can still do a few things to avoid delays at the airport. First, make plans with your family in advance to select a destination more conducive to easy travel. This could mean that it’s a city you can drive to instead of flying. Or it might just mean that you all go to your sister’s in Arizona instead of your parents’ house in Maine because it’s not nearly as likely that you’ll be unable to land in Arizona because of the weather.

If you can’t adjust your destination and you’re going to be traveling at the last minute, the least that you can do is to select a good flight. This means choosing a good airline and a good time of day for flying. Get the first flight out in the morning if at all possible. That way, even if you’re delayed, you may still be able to get on a plane that same day. And go with an airline that has a history of on-time performance during the holidays. As you can see from the chart here, the top five airlines are Aloha, Hawaiian, Delta, Southwest and Air Tran. Poor choices include SkyWest, American Eagle, Jet Blue, Alaska and Northwest airlines.

Travel tip:  if stuck at the airport, book your last minute hotel here to take advantage of great rates.

(Photo via flickr cc)