A Homeward Odyssey
The good, the bad & the unexpected during a long journey When I headed for Israel for the Society of American Travel Writers Freelance Council meeting, I knew the journey would be long, requiring an overnight near Newark International Airport (EWR). El Al is the only airline I can think of whose transatlantic flights leave the East Coast in the early afternoon, [...]
ATM Alert: Don’t Count on Cash
US credit & debit cards don’t automatially unlock cash advances abroad No, this isn’t a warning about people spying on and stealing your PIN number, about robbers ready to pounce travelers and their newly obtained cash, or any other common travel warnings. It’s about how US credit cards are out of sync with the rest of [...]
Escape from Manhattan
Unpleasantness, delays & road rage as part of the New York travel experience I lived in the New York area for more than 20 years before moving to Colorado. I always look forward to my visits to New York for business and/or pleasure, but inevitably, I’m happy to get out of there once I’ve done what I need to, [...]
The Big Soggy Apple
LaGuardia Airport & metro highways challenge travelers when it rains When I arrived in New York last Friday (the 23rd), it was raining, as expected according to the forecast. My flight from Denver to LaGuardia Airport circled for a time before being cleared to land. No surprise either. That happens more often than not coming [...]
Icelandair to Inaugurate DIA in Spring
Traditional low-fare favorite flying Reykjavik-Denver beginning in May. Hooray! Once upon a very long time ago, international airlines all quoted the same air fares for the same routes on the same dates. All except one — Icelandic Airlines, which did not belong to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) that effectively cast fares in concrete. [...]
TSA Revising Procedures When Children Fly
TSA to exempt children to pat-downs. Old folks are next Ten years and a couple of days after the 9/11 tragedy and nearly nine years and 10 months after the Transportation Security Agency was established, and after increasingly intrusive procedures, agents are finally going to have to keep their hands of people’s kids. After tests were [...]
Frankfurt International Airport Sets Passenger Record
Gateway airport to Germany & much of Europe shines & grows Frankfurt Airport terminal map. More travelers passed through Frankfurt International Airport (FRA) last month than ever before in its 75-year history: 5,558,580 passengers which is nearly a 300,000-traveler increase than the previous year. It is by far the busiest airport in Germany, the third [...]
Chris Elliott’s Poll on Heroes Against TSA Excesses
Five heroes (or villans) in the Resistance against overreaching TSA practices — and my candidate for an honorary mention If it seems that I ardently dislike the Transportation Security Administration and its policies, it’s because I do. Sheltered by the Patriot Act, this post-9/11 agency is part of the Department of Homeland Security — arguably the most overreaching [...]
TSA’s ‘Virtual Strip Search’ Being Phased Out
New software can detect “objects” without revealing explicit body images Here’s the first smidgen of good news from the Transportation Security Agency in ages. The TSA is tweaking the software used at screening stations that will replace the current intrusive, explicit Xrays with new general body outlines. Without being anatomically detailed, it nevertheless is said to reveal hidden “objects. [...]
B.Y.O. Blankie Has Multiple Uses
In the air or even at the airport, a blanket can be useful Unless we travel first class on domestic flights, if we want a pillow or blanket, we need to bring our own or (on some airlines) pay to use the airline’s. A few months ago, I returned from Fiji on an overnight flight on [...]
