Every insightful comment you leave on a post enhances foXnoMad more than I could with even the best travel article. I appreciate every comment, hope you’ll leave more, and encourage you to do so if you never have.
In case you don’t get a chance to follow the latest comments in the sidebar, or read through a viewer, here are some of the best comments of the month.
Shawnsays Turkey can still be kind to your weak dollar, but that Egypt and Syria are roughly half the price.
Taylor agrees that, while most of India’s newer foreign-branded hotels are near the airports and outskirts, you can find high-end, older hotels in town.
Skip the Black Sea in Romania and head to Lepsa, Valea Prahovei, and Slanic Moldova. For cheap Black Sea coast drive south to Bulgaria Journeyetc recommends.
Jacqueline has great advice for Rachel’s first flight with an infant - for example, breastfeed during landing and takeoff, bring proof of age, and get an FAA-approved car seat.
This month I had a nice upswing in comments and really drove great conversations about saving for travel in a hard economy, new and old places to visit on a weak dollar, and one going on right now about flying with infants. I’m looking forward to more in November, thank you everyone who left a comment this month!
Never left a comment before? Start of easy and just give a quick hello on this post!
I’ve often get emails, chats, and comments asking me a variety of travel related questions. “Travel Unravel” is a series where I tried to answer these questions in a quick and concise manner with the help of readers in the comments.
Friend and reader Rachel asked me via my Facebook page: I’m going on my first flight with my infant, any tips for traveling with babies?
Start by not buying an extra ticket, kids under 2 almost always fly for free or a small charge provided you carry them in your lap. Call the airline to let them know beforehand but remember that you won’t get an extra (charge-free) piece of luggage for your little one. You will however be able to bring a large diaper bag which won’t count as a carry on. If you’re bringing a stroller ask the airline representative at the gate for a “Gate Check Tag”, so they’ll take your stroller at the gate, stow it, and have it ready for you when you get off the plane.
Once you get on the plane, asking a flight attendant (firmly) for a seat for your baby, especially if the plane isn’t fully booked - it usually works.
Finally, children under the age of two have much more sensitive inner ears that adults. Expect crying during the first and last 30 minutes of a flight and even longer if your plane ends up circling the airport a few times before landing.
Rachel, those are the ‘technical’ answers, but I don’t have the personal experience to give you many insider tips - I’ve never traveled with an infant, but there are plenty of foXnoMad readers who have.
So, I’d like to defer to all of the traveling mommies, daddies, and family members who have flown with infants - what personal tips do you have for Rachel?
It’s been a hectic past 4 weeks in my life, which has included moving, keeping up with your emails, and finding a solid Internet connection - among other personal obligations. I got to the point today where my mind was simply too fatigued to write anything of quality (I was planning my follow up on why Americans should travel more) and decided to take my own advice.
I’d recommend not to force your writing and don’t be scared to take a break when you feel you need one.
And, today, I’m in need of one.
I’ll resume my regular schedule tomorrow with the best comments of the month, catch up over the weekend and get back to my regular writing schedule next week. On Monday, November 3, 2008 I’ll be announcing my next contest, the Inspire Me Africa photo contest, Tuesday I’ll find out what the most important travel issues are for the next US president, and Wednesday I’ll finally post my thoughts on why Americans should travel more than they do.
On my recent US Airways flight from Ft. Lauderdale back to Dulles International Airport (outside of Washington DC), I put down my tray table to rest my laptop on to find this.
What do you think of this Verizon tray table ad - a clever way of raising revenues in tough economic times, or more price gouging like raising fuel charges even though the price of jet fuel is going down?
I’m personally on the fence about it. While the ads don’t bother me, I do feel that the increase in fares doesn’t warrant it. I look forward to hearing any comments you may have on whether tray table ads are intrusive or innovative.
Coming back to your first day on the job after a trip can bring on a serious case of the blues. The vast majority of us work to travel and in between every backpacking trip to Thailand or Argentina requires hours at an office, waiting tables, or whatever else we can do to earn money.
Keeping in mind that we’ll all be inevitably returning to work, there are 5 ways you can prepare yourself and make the transition to ‘regular life’ a bit easier on yourself.
Arrive A Day Early - Many people jump right in back to their jobs the next they return home from a vacation. Being tired and jet lagged not only makes your perceive time to slow down and reduce your productivity, but it can cause you to make opposite decisions. Take an extra day of vacation (or ‘staycation‘) or cut a trip 1 day short to allow your body and mind to recuperate, otherwise you’ll be hating life, unproductive, while running the risk of getting sick and possibly wasting vacation hours.
Shift Your Body Clock 3 Days Before Coming Home - Use peanuts to shift your body clock to your home timezone before you get back home. Also, on your flight back drink plenty of red wine - both to knock you out (sticking to your sleep schedule) and to also prevent D.V.T blood clots.
Take A Lunch Break - Workers who take at least 30 minutes of lunch away from their desks actually improve their productivity. Sitting in front of a computer while you eat forces you to multitask, reading emails, your Facebook, and instant messaging, keeping your brain from taking a break. Your brain actually processes a lot of information as you day dream - and you’ll have plenty of vacation memories to reminisce over.
Contact Your Boss And Get Your First Day Prepared - There’s nothing worse than returning back to work and having nothing to do. Sitting around all day looking or waiting for something to do can bring the day to a screeching halt. Having an idea and basic first-day itinerary will help your first workday fly by.
I took a short trip to Boca Raton, Florida last week and stopped by the Flakowitz Bagel Inn. The service is excellent and you’ll get a lot of food for a fairly low price.
I began with the obvious, a multi-grain bagel with a side of cream cheese.
Post Highlights are a selection of the best and most popular posts from the past two weeks updated every other Saturday. Another great way to get the best of foXnoMad is to subscribe to my RSS feed (what is RSS?).
Places like the Czech Republic, Thailand, and Turkey can’t really be considered cheap destinations, but many of their neighbors are filling in the gaps.
Peter Greenberg shares the best coach seat numbers to get on a variety of aircraft. These ’secret seats’ aren’t the emergency exit or aisle seats either.
Here’s a full list of the secret seats by airline and aircraft:
American Airline 767 - (Domestic flights only) 17H and 17J
Making plans to take a trip leaving your friends, wife, or family behind can add new traveling experiences for even experienced travelers. There are several advantages that come together, when traveling alone, that only a solo trip can provide.
Your Travel Efficiency Will Quickly Increase - Being on the road by yourself forces you to be more aware of your surroundings, rely on quick wit, and pushes you to be travel efficient. You will plan and prioritize in 8 minutes with unrestricted flexibility (and much less stress).
Get Lost and No One Will Realize - Even the most experienced travelers (myself included) get lost - some of us more than others. Solo travel means that you can get lost and discover new things trying to find your way back to the right road, trail, or city without anyone knowing.
Meet New People - The lonely road makes us more social, ironically enough. Without the comfort of your own group, solitude forces the solo traveler to meet new people and strike up conversations.
Take More Risks - Normally being risky when traveling isn’t good, although I’ve found when traveling I tend to take ‘good risks’ and you will too. Perhaps visiting a site I never would have, seeing where a taxi scam in New Delhi will take me, or sleeping in an airport.
Appreciation for Home - Thoughts of missed loved ones and home combined with the increased awareness of traveling solo heighten your sense of what you’ve temporarily left behind and take for granted everyday.
Every insightful comment you leave on a post enhances foXnoMad more than I could with even the best travel article. I appreciate every comment, hope you’ll leave more, and encourage you to do so if you never have.
Loading ...
I’ve often get emails, chats, and comments asking me a variety of travel related questions. “Travel Unravel” is a series where I tried to answer these questions in a quick and concise manner with the help of readers in the comments.
It’s been a hectic past 4 weeks in my life, which has included moving, keeping up with your emails, and finding 
Coming back to your first day on the job after a trip can bring on a serious case of the blues. The vast majority of us work to travel and in between every backpacking trip to Thailand or Argentina requires hours at an office, waiting tables, or whatever else we can do to earn money.
NYC Bus Charters, which I’ve 
Making plans to take a trip leaving your friends, wife, or family behind can add new traveling experiences for even experienced travelers. There are several advantages that come together, when traveling alone, that only a solo trip can provide.