When approved,  an individual traveler at those airports may keep on his/her coat, belt and shoes, is allowed to leave the laptop in its case, and need not reveal containers of liquids and gels. The program implements what is described as “a key component of the agency’s intelligence-driven, risk-based approach to security.” It focuses more on pre-screening individuals who volunteer information about  themselves prior to flying in order to potentially expedite the travel experience rather harrassing everyone equally. I call it good, practical sense that should not have taken a decade to implement — or begin to implement. Skipping the tedious coat, belt and shoe removal, not having to take laptops out of cases seems like a big favor, doesn’t it? Other countries have never instituted these procedures, and I, for one, am looking forward to a time when they no longer exist here.

Who Are the Elite Fliers?

Eligible participants currently include certain frequent flyers from  American Airlines and Delta Air Lines, members of the Customs and Border  Protection’s (CBP’s) Trusted Traveler programs, including Global Entry, SENTRI  and NEXUS, who are U.S. citizens and are flying on participating airlines and the 22 airports that are in CBP’s Global Entry program. If the program is deemed successful, TSA says the progrm will be be expanded ”once operationally ready.”

“Have Cipro. Will Travel.” That would have been a good slogan for passengers embarking on one Caribbean cruise to follow.

The nearly full, 3,080-passenger “Crown Princess,” a floating behemoth, was directed back to Fort Lauderdale for the cruise industry’s equivalent of deep cleaning — a really deep cleaning – after scores of passengers and crew members took sick. If the ship had done so days earlier, it might have spared the 114 passengers and 33 crew members who became ill a gastrointestinal ailment — that is vomiting and diarrhea. Also, known, of course as turista.

Almost 400 passengers and crew had gotten it on the previous cruise, so you have to wonder why the now-canceled one left port on Saturday in the first place, even though it had been given a “thorough” cleaning. Not thorough enough, it appears, to battle the bug. This time, the two-day cleaning includes disinfection of the entire ship by crew members and reinforcements of by additional cleaning crews — including “multiple sanitizations” of passenger cabins, according to Princess.

Princess Cruises officials, in consultation with the US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, believe the ailment to be norovirus, a fast-moving but nonetheless is extremely unpleasant under any circumstances and certainly wrecks a vacation. “millions of Americans” supposedly get it every year, spread often in schools, nursing homes, hospitals and offices. Individual local cases don’t make news, but when scores are taken ill on a floating Petri dish, it does attract media and public attention, especially since big ship cruises are promoted as such controlled and safe environments. (Of course, as the recent “Costa Concordia” sinking proves, reality and image don’t always coincide.)

To its credit, and as it should, Princess Cruises had promised the 3,078 passengers on this week’s cruise full refunds, putting some up in Fort Lauderdale hotels and is helping them rebook flights home home from Fort Lauderdale. It also promises passengers 25 percent cruise credit toward a future cruise. The “Crown Princess” is scheduled to resume its regular schedule on Saturday.

Cancun Airport terminal.

Just in time for mud season in the mountains, Southwest Airlines’ wholly owned subsidiary AirTran Airways announced plans to operate new service between Denver International Airport and Cancun International Airport. Daily roundtrip service is to operate April 16 through July 7.  Beginning on July 8 thorugh August 12, flights operate on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.  Saturday  and Sunday only service starts August 13 and continues through what the company calls ”the end of the schedule  (currently September 28, 2012).”

Other current or pending transborder service via AirTran is Austin-Cancun, San Antonio-Mexico City. Orange County-Cabo San Lucas/San Jose del Cabo and Orange County-Mexico City.

Christo & the late Jeanne-Claude.

Artist Christo, who with his late wife Jeanne-Claude, has been responsible for monumental fabric installations around the world including the Reichstag in Berlin, the Pont-Neuf in Paris, Little Bay in Sydney, Australia, the 24-mile-long “Running Fence” in California’s Sonoma and Marin counties and “The Gates” in Manhattan’s Central Park. His latest concept, actually proposed some 15 years ago, is called “Over the River.”  This $50 million (!!!!!) opus, which involves suspending fabric over sections of Colorado’s Arkansas River totaling 5.9 miles, is supposed to to take two years to construct and when completed, remain in place for two weeks in August 2014. Christo’s works are often called “environmental art,” but to critics, they are anti-environmental to the core, even though they are all temporary.

Remember Rifle Gap

Some have been spectacularly more temporary than others. The couple’s ill-fated ”Valley Curtain“ Colorado venture is the poster child for an artistic concept that turned into a mess. In 1970, Christo and Jeanne-Claude prepared to stretch some 400 yards of fabric across Rifle Gap on the Colorado River. To anchor the mammoth cloth, iron bars were set in concrete and to hold four steel cables that would suspend the fabric over the water. Environmental issues were not as high-profile four decades ago, but financial problems caused the project to be delayed.

Finally, on  October 10, 1971, an orange-colored curtain was ready to be hung. However, a major windstorm ripped the fabric, which shredded on the valley’s rock walls before the installation was even completed. I suspose that no one knows whether any trout or birds ate tempting morsels of orange fabric, but it’s possible, and if it happened, it could not have been good for the critters. Still, Christo and Jeanne-Claude were nothing if not persistent, and on August 10, 1972, a second attempt to hang the cloth was successful. Briefly. Just 28 hours after it went up, it too was down. Winds in excess of 60 miles per hour ripped it apart. Concrete and metal anchors from this project remain visible four decades after the fact.

Concrete and steel anchors from 'The Curtain' remain along the Colorado River, four decades after the fabric was ripped apart.

Christo & The Arkansas

Some people who support Christo’s “Over the River” vision for this mammoth canopy suspended over the Arkansas River are captivated by the creative vision. Others are local businesspeople optimistic about the revenues it will bring into the valley. When the Bureau of Land Management was considering versions of the proposal, the agency estimated that it could inject more than $120 million into the state’s economy, with restaurants, lodges, rafting companies and construction contractors benefiting from the installation, exhibition and removal stages of the project. Opponents were and remain concerned about the potential (and perhaps likely) harm to the river, the canyon walls and wildlife on land, in the water and in the air — especially if there is a repeat of the Rifle Gap disaster.

Concept for Christo's proposed 'Over the River'

Even though the feds  — surprisingly to many — approved “Over the River,” local opposition remains. A group called ROAR, which is short for Rags Over the Arkansas River, is behind a recently filed lawsuit in Denver federal court seeking a reversal of the decision before the planned start of construction this summer. Even the New York Times noticed. In a piece called “Note to Christo: Don’t Start Hanging Fabric Yet,” reporter Kirk Johnson summarized the pro and anti-Over the River viewpoints: “Christo’s supporters — a strange bedfellow’s mix of art lovers, politicians and tourism interests — rallied near the county administration building before the session began, handing out sky-blue T-shirts. Anti-Christo forces, led by a group that has dubbed the project, and the name of their organization, ‘Rags Over the Arkansas River,’ or ROAR, said that moneyed interests and state politicians were pushing a project that would mostly benefit outsiders.”

Stay tuned.

Disclaimer: I’m a cell phone dummy. I don’t have a smartphone. I have what I call a stupidphone on which I make/receive phone calls when I’m on the road (it resides in my purse, out of earshot, when I am home). It receives text messages and could send them if I knew how. And it can take pictures, which I think I might have have done accidentally on occasion. However, most people are more committed to their cell phones than I am. On three nearly halfway around the world trips in the last year (Fiji, New Zealand, Israel), I have seen colleagues stay in touch via cell phone. I might feel the need at some point, and if you do, here are some “Tips on Using Cell Phones Overseas,” courtesy of Phone Service, a website that untangles popular 21st century communications options (landline phones, mobile phones and VOIP phones).

Tips on Using Cell Phones Overseas

We’ve all seen people on TV and movies casually using their cell phones as they travel to various countries around the globe. No big deal right? Not until you get your monthly statement. Post-vacation cell phone bills are the stuff nightmares are made from. Many of us are very dependent on our cell phones and can’t imagine going on vacation without them. While traveling abroad with your cell phone is totally doable, it does take some careful preparation. Here are 10 tips for cell phone users before traveling overseas.

1. Plan ahead – The most important thing to do before you travel with your cell phone is to plan ahead. You need to start working on this at least 2 weeks before you leave. It takes time to collect the information you need and make the necessary arrangements. Depending on what type of phone and calling plan you have plus what countries you’re traveling to, the steps you need to make can range from fairly simple to extremely complicated.
2. Call your provider – The first step in the process is to call your provider. It helps to check plans online and get as much information as you can first, but a thorough phone conversation needs to take place. Be sure to establish a good dialogue and get clarification on anything you don’t quite understand fully. Never assume anything or you may end up regretting it later. Don’t hesitate to ask questions even if they seem trivial or redundant. It’s impossible to ask too many questions and no question is too stupid to ask.
3. Check bandwidths – Different countries use different bandwidths and only one or two of them are compatible with bandwidths used in the United States. First you need to find out what bandwidth your phone is operating on and then check to      see if it’s available in the country you’re traveling to.
4. Get phone unlocked – Most cell phones sold in the U.S. are locked so that you can’t use them with other carriers or networks. Before you travel you’ll need to get your phone unlocked to accept an overseas plan. This process can be complicated and time consuming, so this emphasizes the need for planning ahead.
5. GSM phone – If  the phone you currently own is not a GSM or “world phone” you may want to consider buying one if you plan on traveling a lot. These phones have the ability to interface with both foreign and U.S. based cell phone networks.
6. Check plans carefully – In order to use your cell phone overseas, you will need to switch to an international phone plan or be faced with expensive roaming charges. Be sure to check each plan available very carefully to choose which one will      work best for you at the lowest cost. The amount of calling time you’ll need along with other features will determine what plan to choose.
7. Check data plans – It’s important to realize that calling plans and data plans are two different things. You may have unlimited voice usage, but have huge roaming fees for texting and emails. Also be aware that even if your iPhone is turned off it’s constantly checking messages and downloading updates while racking up tons of roaming fees in the process.
8. Don’t switch too early – When switching to an international plan on your phone, be careful not to implement it too early. One phone call from the airport prior to departure can cost a fortune if you’ve already set you phone to work from another country. Call your provider to switch it for you at arrival date and time.
9. International charger adapter – Don’t forget that other countries have different electrical systems and the phone charger you have probably won’t work overseas. Be sure to purchase an adapter that will be compatible wherever you’re      traveling or you won’t be able to charge your phone.
10. Change SIM card –Instead of changing calling plans, you may want to just get a prepaid SIM card to use while you travel. These could be less expensive than changing plans depending on where you’re going and how long you’ll be there. The      downside is that you’ll lose all the contact information on your current SIM card.

It’s always a good idea to get advice from friends who travel to help you anticipate problems you may not think of on your own. Listening to their horror stories will provide you with priceless information. By learning from other’s mistakes and carefully planning ahead, you can increase your chances of having a pleasant trip with little or no cell phone hassles.

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, and there is no way to get there from Denver on same-day flights. I knew that the return trip would be long, because I would be starting in Eilat, the Tel Aviv-Newark segment  alone is 12 butt-numbing hours in the air and then I still had to get to Colorado. But the odyseey was more orduous than I’d anticipated.

First Delay in Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv, January 26 –At 1:20 a.m. in Israel, I was  supposed to have taken off 40 minutes ago via El Al from Tel Aviv (TLV) to Newark. Except there was a mechanical delay — plus the airport is closed to departures every night from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m. I wanted to alert United, because I wasn’t sure whether I would be able to make my flight to Denver. I tried to do this online, somehow, but United’s website continued to give me a cyber-runaround — asking for my MileagePlus number again and again and not enably me to proceed from there to My Flights or My Reservations or anything else. the website was than My Frustration.

Fortunately, El Al invited SATW members into the Business Class lounge, and an agent there connected me to United’s reservation line and handed me the phone. The first recording said my call would be answered in 5 to 10 minutes. It was closer to 15. When an agent finally came on line,  I told her that I was delayed for more than four hours in Tel Aviv and needed to alert them because I wouldn’t be able to make my Newark-Denver flight. She chose not to listen to the second half of what I said and switched me to the international desk, where the recording said the estimated time before my call would be answered would be 54 minutes to one hour!  Last time I looked, Newark to Denver is not an international flight, but United’s reservationist chose to get me off the phone as quickly as she could. I wish I had gotten her name.

El Al unexpectedly told the dozen of us SATWers who were practically taking root in the lounge that we would be upgraded to business class — a welcome announcement. But just to assure that the journey would not go smoothly, the take-off was closer to 5:45 a.m. than to 5. I saw my chance of making my EWR-DEN flight slipping away.

More Delays at Two U.S. Airports

Newark, January 26 — The one good part, from my perspective, about El Al’s schedule is that no other international flight arrives at EWR at that time, so that there was no waiting in the cavernous immigration hall. After I claimed my bag, Customs selecte me as one of the lucky travelers directed to the agriculture station to be asked, again, whether I had any plants, animals, meat, fruits vegetables, seeds, etc. The woman in front of me was bringing in some dog food. The agent didn’t want to seet he dog food but questioned her at length about what kind of dog food it was. First her luggage then mine went slo-o-o-o-owly through some device that does something. By the time I got from Terminal B to Terminal A, my nonstop to Denver had departed. I was rebooked via Denver — two flights, only one of which was delayed due to late incoming aircraft.

Chicago, January 26 — Although the Newark agent assured me that there were no snowstorms or other delays at O’Hare (ORD), she didn’t know that my Denver flight would be delayed due to late-arriving incoming aircraft. The plane was packed. My seat was not in the last row but in the second-to-the-last row, meaning that it took a while to deplane, but I still beat my bags to the carousel. By the time I retrieved my bags, the RTD bus had left for Boulder, and I only had to wait 50 minutes for the next one.

As I write this, it is 4:45 p.m. Friday in Colorado and 1:45 a.m. Satruday in Israel. That’s nine time zones. And the long travel day made it feel all the longer — and without 12 hours in business class, it would have been longer still.

Every book in the series answers common questions about a specific topic, offers real examples of cases he resolved for aggrieved travelers and reveals the names and emails of executive contacts at travel providers. The first three volumes deal with car rentals, the TSA (which is about as fond of as I am) and travel insurance. He plans to add a new book each week, which is mind-boggling.

The Troubleshooter series will be available for purchase this summer, but it is completely free until May 28. He is seeking reader input, so if you download one of the eBooks and send feedback to elliottc@gmail.com, including style and grammar revisions, or contribute significantly to the creation of the series, he promises to send a free copy of the first version of the eBook and also credit you in the book. Or, if  you buy a copy of his recently released book, Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles and Shady Deals, you’ll get a free copy of the first version of the eBook. As a bonus, if you buy Scammed on Amazon and write a review, he promises you get not only the series, but you’ll also have access to the updates for a year.

By the  time the World Trade Center memorial was dedicated with great fanfare on September 11, 1911, in  Manhattan,, the considerably more modest 9/11 Living Memorial a few miles outside of Jerusalem had been open for nearly two years. Of course, it is thousands of miles from the World Trade Center site. The Israeli memorial is a bronze depiction of an unfurling American flag on a granite base that includes a piece of steel from the WTC rubble.

9/11 Living Memorial just outside of Jerusalem.

Located on a plateau in the Arazim Valley, this modest memorial sits in the middle of a broad hillside plaza lined with a low wall containing all the victims’ names. It was paid for largely by the Jewish National Fund, which is best known for its remarkable tree-planting program.

A main highway is nearby, as is an expanding bicycle path. When it was dedicated in November 2009, “the event drew a crowd of 150-200 participants, including former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert,” according  to a local report of the day.  U.S. Ambassador James Cunningham and Defense and Air Attache Colonel Richard Burgess took part in the dedication ceremony.

It is a worthy stop on a visit to “the golden city” of Jerusalem.

John Cook, president of QuoteWright.com, a travel insurance comparison website, sorted out the considerations for insurance that travelers should think about:

I read today that Carnival Corp, the owner of the ill-fated Costa Concordia has stated that they are providing “lodging, refunds and other support to people affected by the accident”.  I instantly thought about what would have been covered by travel insurance if Carnival didn’t step up to the plate to do the right thing.

What could cruisers expect from their travel insurance depends on the coverage that they purchased and whether or not they were on the ship when it capsized or if they were scheduled for a later cruise. Let’s deal first with cruisers who were aboard at the time that it capsized what are the possible benefits:

1.  Medical Expense for injuries that were sustained during the accident or evacuation.

2.  Emergency Medical Evacuation that resulted from injuries sustained during the accident or evacuation or sickness which are caused by the accident.

3.  Trip Delay:  additional living expenses that are caused by the accident,

4.  Baggage:  Lost or damage to personal effects and luggage caused by the accident,

5.  Accidental Death:  Death that results from injuries sustained during the accident.

6.  Trip Interruption:  up to the cost of an economy ticket home and the unused cruise cost at the point of interruption. However, this one is less clear since none of the policies have a specific covered reason for a common carrier accident.  If a traveler is injured as the result of the accident than there is clearly coverage however, if they did not sustain injuries or receive medical treatment than there might not be coverage unless the insurance companies choose to interpret coverage to the benefit of the cruiser.

7. Travel Assistance:  emergency travel assistance to help make return flight reservations, replace lost travel documents, passports, and notify family members at home.

Now let’s deal with the cruiser who is booked on the “Costa Concordia” for a future trip:

1.      Trip cancellation:  loss of non-refundable fees paid to participate on the cruise which now is cancelled because of the damage to the ship.  In theory there would be no loss of the cruise cost because the Costa is unable to fulfill the cruise however, if the cruisers airfare was booked separately than the airfare might be non-refundable.  Again this one is less clear because there is no clear “covered reason” dealing.

2.      Cancel for Any Reason:  an option offered on some plans.  The cruiser must  qualify for coverage by buying the insurance within 1 to 30 days following their first trip payment and by insuring the full, pre-paid value of their trip.  The “cancel for any reason” option allows for any cancellation that is caused by a reason that is not covered under the trip cancellation coverage.  Usually there is a large copayment, 25% or more, that the cruiser would have to incur.

Bottom line is that travel insurance is valuable precaution regardless of the trip but you need read and understand what the insurance covers.

I read today that Carnival Corp, the owner of the ill-fated “Costa Concordia.” has stated that they are providing “lodging, refunds and other support to people affected by the accident”.  I instantly thought about what would have been covered by travel insurance if Carnival didn’t step up to the plate to do the right thing.

What could cruisers expect from their travel insurance depends on the coverage that they purchased and whether or not they were on the ship when it capsized or if they were scheduled for a later cruise?

Let’s deal first with cruisers who were aboard at the time that it capsized what are the possible benefits:

1.  Medical Expense for injuries that were sustained during the accident or evacuation.

2.  Emergency Medical Evacuation that resulted from injuries sustained during the accident or evacuation or sickness which are caused by the accident.

3.  Trip Delay:  additional living expenses that are caused by the accident,

4.  Baggage:  Lost or damage to personal effects and luggage caused by the accident.

5.  Accidental Death:  death that results from injuries sustained during the accident,

6.  Trip Interruption:  up to the cost of an economy ticket home and the unused cruise cost at the point of interruption. However, this one is less clear since none of the policies have a specific covered reason for a common carrier accident.  If a traveler is injured as the result of the accident than there is clearly coverage however, if they did not sustain injuries or receive medical treatment than there might not be coverage unless the insurance companies choose to interpret coverage to the benefit of the cruiser.

7. Travel Assistance:  emergency travel assistance to help make return flight reservations, replace lost travel documents, passports, and notify family members at home.

Now let’s deal with the cruiser who is booked on the Costa Concordia for a future trip:

1.      Trip cancellation:  loss of non-refundable fees paid to participate on the cruise which now is cancelled because of the damage to the ship.  In theory there would be no loss of the cruise cost because the Costa is unable to fulfill the cruise however, if the cruisers airfare was booked separately than the airfare might be non-refundable.  Again this one is less clear because there is no clear “covered reason” dealing.

2.      Cancel for Any Reason:  an option offered on some plans.  The cruiser must  qualify for coverage by buying the insurance within 1 to 30 days following their first trip payment and by insuring the full, pre-paid value of their trip.  The “cancel for any reason” option allows for any cancellation that is caused by a reason that is not covered under the trip cancellation coverage.  Usually there is a large copayment, 25% or more, that the cruiser would have to incur.

Bottom line is that travel insurance is valuable precaution regardless of the trip but you need read and understand what the insurance covers.