A couple months ago I flew from Baltimore Washington International to San Diego, with a layover in Charlotte, NC. The flight wasn’t the cheapest but it had the fewest number of layovers for the day I wanted to fly, so I begrudgingly purchased it.

As I landed in Charlotte, I checked my email and US Airways notified me that our flight was to be delayed two hours with no reason provided. Later, I would learn that apparently there were “mechanical problems” and after a two hour wait, we were on our way to San Diego.

It underscores the risk of layovers and it was annoying that I had to spend two hours of my trip sitting in an airport. I usually fly Southwest, direct with at most a stop (but not plane change) in a city, and very rarely have I ever seen a two hour delay with hardly an explanation.

I’d really be interested to learn the statistics of layover delays because that would help me decide how much I’d be willing to pay to avoid wasting two hours.

All in all, Charlotte was a perfectly fine airport, though a little chilly at 8AM as the A/C was cranking on overdrive in anticipation of the likely high temps during the day, and I had a Quiznos sub while I watched Tiger Woods play the last three holes at the British Open.

Lesson of the day – avoid layovers. Avoid at all costs!

It appears that there’s a provision in the latest Senate highway bill that would prevent anyone owing more than $50,000 from leaving the country. The IRS would provide passport officials with names of people that owe the Treasury Department and prevent them from leaving the country. Technically, the IRS would file a public lien or assess a levy and that would trigger the notification. If that person is on a payment plan and making on-time payments, they wouldn’t be included.

It’s an interesting provision and while it’s likely legal, it wasn’t in the House version of the bill so it might be removed on reconciliation (assuming it passes the Senate). I’m all for anything that makes people pay what they owe but this seems like a lot of additional work.

The floundering worldwide economy has caused many to pinch pennies in every way that they can, and for many that means cutting vacations altogether. While cutting a vacation may be a quick way to save some money annually, it is actually highly shunned – by financial advisers and mental health professionals alike.

We all need our vacations to let loose and to take a break from the stress of the daily grind. When you deprive yourself of that, you feel like you are working for nothing or simply working to survive. So instead of giving up your vacation time to save some money, consider traveling on a tighter budget by adhering to the following tips:
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Even those of you who haven’t been to Vegas probably have some idea of what you’re in for. If you have been, then you already know: Vegas can be a serious drain on the bank account. In either case, here are five tips that should help anyone manage a Vegas vacation without totally breaking the bank.

1. Set Budgets

If you are planning on gambling while in town, be sure to set limits and plan accordingly. Go slow… money can go faster than nuts through a squirrel in the City of Sin. And in the huge off chance that you win some money, have a plan for that too. Because usually, if you do go up on the house, chances are your good fortune is about to turn, again.

2. Stay During the Week

If it’s a viable option, consider staying mid-week instead of over a weekend. Rooms at hotels in ideal locations, like Treasure Island in the heart of the Vegas strip, are often much cheaper during the week. If you think there might not be enough to keep you occupied during the week, think again. It’s Vegas, there’s always something going on. Always.

3. Check For Show Tickets in Advance

Checking out what Vegas shows are happening while you’ll be there, and potentially ordering tickets in advance is a good way to ensure that you see what you want. Tickets often go fast, and missing whatever it is that floats your show boat on account of shear carelessness can be a real drag. It’s easy and takes very little time to lookup, and can certainly help keep you or your spouse away from the craps table for at least an hour.

4. Don’t Pay for Booze

When gambling, drinks are free. Don’t be the fool who bellies up to the bar for two drinks before sitting at the roulette wheel. Just give the servers who come around to all the tables a few bucks and they’ll be sure to keep your glass nice and full. Casinos want you drunk and making poor decisions. Make smart ones and stay sober enough, and maybe you’ll enjoy a few drinks on them.

5. Use Public Transportation

While the strip is only 4-miles long and easy to walk, busses cost just 2 dollars a ride, or 7 dollars for a 24-hour day pass. Taxis can’t and won’t stop directly on the strip, which is wise to remember when you’ve had a few cocktails and start thinking about doing something rash to get one to stop: Don’t.

Vegas is a wildly unique place that’s full of life and interesting experiences. Whether you can’t get enough, or you can’t bring yourself to pry that wallet out of you’re wisely firm grip for a second trip, it’s definitely a worthwhile place to visit at least once in life. Help yourself enjoy it the best you can for a good price by doing just a little bit of research before hopping on a plane.

(Photo: thomashawk)

Many people avoid traveling by air simply because they feel it’s an enormous burden, both on their wallets and their minds. With airports and airlines cutting costs across the board, many travelers have noticed dips in service and hospitality. But by making a game plan for yourself prior to traveling, you can reduce much of the stress typically associated with flying. Here is a blueprint for how you can make traveling easy:

Pack intelligently

Make your suitcase identifiable:  Put some identifiable marker, such as a ribbon or sticker, on your suitcase so you will be able to identify it.

Put a business card inside:  If your suitcase is lost or badly damaged, they may open it to try and identity the owner.

Don’t check valuables:  Few airlines insure damaged valuables, especially expensive, irreplaceable ones. Play it safe and don’t put your valuables in a bag you plan to check.

Make a travel bag for toiletries:  It sounds tedious, but if you’re a frequent traveler it will make your life much easier.

Getting through security

Have a formula for keeping track of your wallet, cellphone and keys:  Many travelers come up short after going through security, missing something or leaving it behind in the mad scramble to strip down and pass through the metal detector. Stay organized and keep a mental checklist that you can reverse engineer.

Anticipate the scanner:  Speaking of the metal detector don’t wear accessories, such as jewelry or piercings that could cost you time and sanity.

Outsmart the airport

Frequent fliers:  Look for good rewards programs for frequent fliers. The best benefits go to the elite fliers with 100,000 miles under their belt, but elite status can be reached with much less and can be used to avoid long lines

Get a day pass at airline club:  Airline clubs are great for relaxing but, more importantly, if your flight is cancelled you will be able to rebook much easier with a membership to one of these clubs.

Prior to flying, look for credit cards that offer free checked bags, early boarding, and reward miles:  but look out for annual fees!

Simplify boarding: Already have your boarding passes printed. This saves you time at the airport and makes it less likely you’ll get bumped in the event of an overbooked flight. These days you can even use your smartphone to present your boarding pass.

Enjoying the hotel

Once you’re checked in, do yourself a favor and memorize the route to the nearest fire escape:  especially if you’re on one of the upper floors. And, perhaps more pertinently, keep your room number handy. Who hasn’t had to take return trips to the receptionist’s desk because they forgot their room number?

Obviously, there is no sure way to guarantee an easy-going day of travel. But by heeding some of the tips listed above you can at least maximize your chances of maintaining your sanity and getting you and your luggage to and back from your destination in one piece.

Ever since the FAA approved iPads for pilots of commercial flights, there have been no shortage of editorials complaining about how passengers couldn’t use them. The argument against electronics on an airplane have always been about two things:

• Concern that personal electronics, like cell phones and tablets, would interfere with the plane’s sensitive electronics.
• Passengers should be alert and paying attention to flight attendants and that, during the rougher takeoff and landing procedures, flying objects are dangerous should their owners lose hold of them.

I can buy the first argument – I know that my alarm clock makes a buzzing noise before I receive a text message, so I am aware that electronic interference exists and can have an effect. The second argument in BS, since you are allowed to read books, which can be heavy and possess the same attention grabbing powers of a tablet or phone.

Here’s the kicker though – do you really need to use those devices during takeoff and landing? I argue that you should take a break, rest your eyes, and just enjoy the majesty of flying. Those periods are very short and having an extra half hour of time with your iPad shouldn’t make that much of a difference!

(Photo: jblyberg)

When in doubt, call the airline.

We recently booked a summer flight to Taiwan on China Eastern Airlines and my first inclination was to just buy two tickets. One for me, one for my wife. Our son will be joining us (we got him a baby passport!) but on many airlines, especially domestic airlines, a child under the age of two does not need a ticket if they are traveling on your lap. Of course, lap travel works well on a flight that’s an hour or two, it’s entirely different if you plan on taking a 15 hour flight from New York to Taipei, Taiwan!

Anyway, so we go to book our flights and I realized that I should probably call to confirm whether or not we needed to buy a ticket. The answer was yes, we’d have to spend around $330 for a ticket for our child even though he wasn’t going to be taking up a seat. I thought it was a little unfair but the rules are the rules. We also later called to check out our seats and realized that we needed to reserve a bassinet (located at the front of the sections) if we wanted one… which was crucial to find out. 15 hours with a bassinet for our son to sleep in is infinitely better than 15 hours with no bassinet, fortunately we were able to reserve one. There was no notice online that told us to call in and reserve one either, so I feel fortunate we got lucky.

So, two takeaways from our experience:

• Always call to make sure you know the policy on child passengers under the age of two, each airline may have different rules than what you’re used to. For example, Southwest let’s you carry your child without a ticket.
• When booking a flight with bassinets, call to see if you need to reserve one. The answer is probably yes, especially since the bassinets have no numbers and your child probably doesn’t have a seat.

(Photo: articnomad)

Getting a passport for a baby isn’t that much different than getting one for an adult and we recently did this for our son for a trip this summer. The only “tricky” part was the photo!

The first step is to get the photo. Here are the rules for the passport photo, in case you want to do it yourself – the photo must be in color on photo quality paper, sized 2″ x 2″ (51 x 51 mm). They want the size of the head to be between 1 inch and 1 3/8 inches from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head and taken within the last six months. The background must be a solid white or off-white background, no colors. Your face must be facing directly forward, centered, with no smile, keep a neutral expression and both eyes open. Your clothes must be normal street clothes that you would wear on a daily basis, religious clothing is allowed but no uniforms. Do not wear a hat, or anything on or around your face if you can avoid it, unless it is religious in nature and worn every day. Here are some examples of good and bad photos.

I think the rules for babies is a little laxer because our photo fit almost all the rules except his mouth was open. He wasn’t smiling but I’d imagine a neutral expression usually means a closed mouth. Since that wasn’t explicitly listed as a no no, we submitted it anyway and the processor had no issue with it.

This is normally not an issue for adults, and older children, if they know the rules. Babies… well, babies don’t care.

The next few steps are the same for a child, under the age of 16, as it is for an adult. It consists of filling out and submitting Form DS-11, the Application for a U.S. Passport, and additional information that identifies the child and the parent or guardian of that child.

Here’s the full list of what you’ll need:

• DS-11 Application, along with passport photos.
• Evidence of U.S. Citizenship for the child – You can use a previously issued Passport, certified birth certificate, naturalization certificate, or certificate of citizenship.
• Evidence of Relationship, between you and child – Certified birth certificate with both parents’ names, Foreign birth certificate with both parents’ names, adoption decree with adopting parents’ names, court order that establishes custody or guardianship
• ID of parents – Passport, naturalization certificate, valid driver’s license, government or military ID
• Photocopy of each parent/guardian ID to be presented – Photocopy on plain white 8.5 x 11″ paper with front and back of ID

We opted to go to our local library, instead of the post office, because they offer this service for a $25 fee (same as the post office) and we figured it was going to be a little faster. After fifteen minutes and $105 later ($25 processing fee, $80 passport fee), we were done. Passport will be here in 4-6 weeks.

Remember, passports for children expire every five years.

(Photo: swimparallel)

One of the silly errands we all have to do before going on a trip is to get our mail delivery halted, or “put on hold,” or risk overflowing mailboxes and stolen mail. Fortunately the USPS has entered the modern era because you can now place a USPS hold mail request online, skipping a trip to the always packed post office. Next time you need to do this errand, try the online form and save yourself fifteen minutes (or more!)

I was looking at flights over the weekend on Southwest Airlines, my favorite airline, when I noticed that airfares seemed a little higher than normal. It wasn’t until later that I realized the quoted airfare rates now included all government taxes and fees, something that was usually included later whenever you started the “checkout” process. It turns out that the Department of Transportation’s Passenger Protection Regulations Rule #2 kicked in on January 24th and the “Full Fare Advertising” provision would be effective yesterday, January 26th. The Full Fare Advertising provision says that all air fares must include government imposed taxes and fees. It doesn’t require that bag fees or other fees be included (Southwest’s FAQ on the subject).

I love it. I also love the provisions of Rule #2 (they involve notification for delayed flights).

The funny part is that Spirit Airlines is making a huge stink about it, calling it “deceptive” that airlines have to “hide” taxes in quoted airfare rates. Forget the fact that all airlines and sites must now show all taxes and fees in quoted airfare rates (thus leveling the playing field), but Spirit Airlines preferred to show the lower pre-tax and pre-fee rates and then jack up prices afterwards. They’re trying to spin it as if the government wants to secretly hike up fees (which they might, but that still would appear after you check out and every airline would be subject to the fees), but ultimately this is very consumer friendly in that it shows your final price when the search.

So if you’ve started seeing higher fares, just know that it includes all the government imposed fees and taxes on the front end.