Urban Travel Legends You Should Believe
The Washington Post’s Joe Brancatelli attempts to debunk several travel myths such as Rule 240, and what information is stored on your hotel key card. The article offers background and an explanation of why dressing nicely won’t get you upgraded to first class, for example. Rather than toss each legend aside, I’d recommend believing each one and making them work to your advantage.
Urban Legend #1: Invoking Rule 240
- Why It’s Legend: “There is no Rule 240, at least not anymore. Rule 240 was shorthand for an old Civil Aeronautics Board regulation that required airlines to immediately place you on another flight, regardless of the fare you originally paid or the carrier you originally booked.”
- Why You Should Believe It: Although Rule 240 is no longer a federal law, some of the older US carries still respect it. If your flight is canceled you may be able to get a new flight fast by invoking this rule with airline staff.
- Sometimes due to weather or otherwise you won’t be able to get a flight no matter what rule you invoke. Also, if your airline doesn’t adhere to the old Rule 240 call the airline (instead of waiting in line) and explain your situation. Be tough, but polite, to get a new flight as fast as possible.
Police Can Search Your Cell Phone If You Get Pulled Over
Beware if you are pulled over for a traffic violation police have the authority to search your cell phone and any other electronic device you may have in your vehicle.
Your text messages, call histories, browsing history, downloaded emails and photos. In a recent academic paper, South Texas Assistant Professor Adam Gershowitz explains that because many traffic violations are arrestable offenses, just as a cop could search your pockets for drugs, said cop can also search your pockets for a smartphone and go through all its contents.
Your best bet is not to keep these devices in sight if you see the flashing lights in your rear view mirror.
[photo by: KB35]
The Auckland Skywalk
[via Jaunted]
How Americans Can Blend In Abroad
Americans often have a difficult time being treated fairly while they travel overseas for various reasons which I won’t get into here (feel free to add some in the comments). Americans can make their trips run smoother and a touch more authentic by blending in more with the crowd and avoiding stereotypes.
- Dress Like The Locals – Do an image search of the place you’re visiting using Google, Wikipedia, or Flickr and take notice of what the locals are wearing. Don’t take for granted that in most of the world jeans are not the pants of choice, or that shorts will get you stares – even in the summer.
- Speak Half As Loud As Normal – Americans culturally speak at a higher volume than almost all other people in industrialized nations (the Brits and Germans are high up on the list too). Try to keep your conversations at barely above a whisper, don’t shout out across rooms or lobbies, and don’t exaggerate your speech to those whose first language was not English.
Travel Blog Carnival Week 4
My Price of Transportation Vacation Budget Rule post from last week was selected by various members of the Travel Blog Carnival hosted by Travel Rants. Thanks to Blissful Travel, Travolution, and Traveling Cari for choosing it. I’ll continue to submit entires – if you have any post ideas you’d like me to research and write about, hit me up in the comments.
Reduce Lodging Expenses By Booking Late and Early Flights
Reduce the amount you spend on hotels, hostels, and transportation by booking your connecting flights early in the morning or late at night. Flying in early in the morning or leaving late at night saves you the cost of finding somewhere to sleep if you’re willing to spend a few hours in an airport.
Advantages
- Cost – Hotels charge you a full day’s price no matter how many hours you spend. Often frequent travelers are forced to dish out money for only a few hours of rest (and shower of course). Airports are free and provide restrooms, a cleaning staff, and (usually) Internet access.
- Safety - Often overlooked, but airports provide safety. They are always open and have security staff working around the clock. Scope a good place to sleep, secure your luggage around your leg (a laptop lock works great for this), and set your cell phone alarm to wake you every 30 minutes to keep alert.
- Time - Depending on how far awy the airport is from the place you’re planning to visit, you’ll save around an hour or two simply traveling back and forth from the airport. You’ll eventually have to go back, but you can save yourself at least one trip to the hotel.
The World’s Greenest Countries
Yale University’s ranking of international environmental performance indexes placed Switzerland, Sweden, and Norway in the top 3, respectively. The United States was just slightly worse off than Argentina at #39 and a touch better than Taiwan on the list of 149 nations.
Save Money On Souvenirs By Giving Your Trip Pictures As Gifts
Save money and space in your suitcase by taking some creative vacation photos and framing them for your loved ones. Make an investment in buying cheap picture frames in bulk or from discount stores and fill them with pictures of you from your last vacation.
Many travelers struggle to find any decent gifts as they roam the globe and end up buying cheap junk that take up space both in your suitcase and in your mom’s house. A picture in a frame can be saved for any occasion, or a CD of your best photos for your more technologically inclined friends and family.
Post Highlights: [1/26]
Swedish Nightclubs vs. UK Ones
10 Money-Saving and Vacation Tips
Some research, carrying a good guidebook, and setting a budget for your trip can help keep your vacation expenses in check.
Price of Transportation (POT) Vacation Budget Rule
Narrow your vacation budget by using your transportation costs as an indicator on how much you should spend on your next trip. Transportation costs include anything you??ll need to get to and move around your destination.
How To Create A Simple Vacation Budget
Setting an upper limit, breaking down your expenses, and making a list of what you??re willing to sacrifice can be done on a large post-it note or jailbroken iPod Touch in roughly 10-15 minutes.
Zagat, known for its restaurant ratings and reviews, has put the airlines to the test.
Zagat Airline Survey
Zagat, known for its restaurant ratings and reviews, has put the airlines to the test. Both Virgin Atlantic and Midwest scored well in terms of food, comfort, and service in the US. Singapore scored highly for international carriers. The results are detailed and worth a slow skim. Check out both the international [pdf] and US domestic versions [pdf] which also contain airport information.
My name is Anil, a traveler and travel enthusiast. I created foXnoMad to connect with other travelers, discover their world, and share what I’ve learned about mine.
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