Yuletide faves?

Obviously you won t have had time to trip test them, but please share your favorite (received) travel gear gifts! Make your fellow OBOWers green (and red) with envy.

No travel delays here

To those traveling this holiday season, I want to wish you safe, hassle free travels.

As we all know, that isn t always possible.

Fortunately, for one person, his travels take place regardless of weather, crowds or TSA. He s allowing us to following him via live streaming but only today (Dec. 24):

The Ultimate Christmas Eve Traveler

On board video for those with Google Earth.

(Frank II)

Happy holidays from Brad & Frank

Flying petri dishes

A friend of mine recently came back from a trip with the flu. He thinks he caught the bug while flying.

“Lousy airplane air,” he said.

But the air may not be where he got it. Check out this article about the six areas on a plane where you’re more than likely to “catch something:”

6 places germs breed in a plane

(Frank II)

Brit cartoonist's take on travel '10

See the gallery here.

Snow and rolling bags

A customer sent this to Tom Bihn as a tweet:

Why Tom Bihn? Because dragging your wheeled carry on through a snowdrift just ain’t cool …

And thinking about what’s going on in much of Europe….trying to roll a bag would not be fun.  Carrying a bag on your back just might keep you warmer.

TSA holiday

I guess Santa didn’t know he could opt-out.

TSA Holidays

(Frank II)

Now Time magazine has a list

Not to be outdone by all of the other publications, Time magazine has come out with their own list of 25 Travel Gadgets you must have. Click on any one to get more info:

Time Magazine List of Gadgets

(Frank II)

Update on December 17, 2010 by Frank@OBOW

I checked closely and some of the items on the list are old…..perhaps even outdated.

Unclaimed Baggage Center

Remember the days when you used to check luggage? And the times you arrived but your luggage didn’t? For some it may never have arrived.

Did you ever wonder what happened to it? Well, it might have wound up in Alabama. That’s right, Alabama. Scottsboro, Alabama to be exact at the “Unclaimed Baggage Center.” And you never know what you might find there. Take a look:

Unclaimed Baggage Center

(Frank II)

Continental fare lock

Have you ever gone searching for a fare, found one you though was good, but just wasn’t ready to lock it in? And then when you went back to check, the fare was gone?

No more. Continental Airlines has introduced Fare Lock. For a small fee, you can lock in a fare up to 7 days. The fee starts at $5 for 72 hours and $9 for the full week and can go higher depending on numerous factors. The fee is non-refundable.

FareLock

(Frank II)

But they'll take your pocketknife...

Update on December 16, 2010 by Frank@OBOW

Is “Let’s Get Physical” on their set list?

Travelers passing through Los Angeles International Airport are finding that security officers have more than a scan or pat-down for them this holiday season. They’re offering musical entertainment, too.

The LAX TSA Choir, a group of 17 singers and musicians, all of them officers of the Transportation Security Administration, have been surprising passengers with performances of holiday music and other tunes in the midst of one of the nation’s busiest airports. - USA Today

Holiday Snaps

Don’t we all just love to take photos on our trips. Then afterwards we can look at them and fondly remember the good times  had by all.

But wait, did you remember to take photos at the security checkpoint?  Isn’t it a major part of your trip?

No need to worry, the good folks at The Daily Patdown have done it for you.  Enjoy with a nice cup of egg nog.

The Daily Patdown

(Frank II)

25 Travel Gadgets for Under $25

I readily admit that I am a travel gadget freak. Although a minimalist at heart, the amount of travel gadgets I own is disproportional to the size of the bag I take—meaning I leave most home.

The New York Daily News has come up with a list of 25 travel gadgets that are under $25. Some are new to me and I am impressed.  The strange thing is that I only own one on the entire list. Time to catch up. (And I’m not telling which one it is.)

25 Travel Gadgets for Under $25

(Frank II)

Seven of the best carry-on bags for under $70?

Every morning I peruse a long list of travel websites to see if there is anything that may be of interest to one bag travelers.

Imagine my excitement this morning when our friends at BootsnAll had an article “Seven of the Best Carry-On Bags for Under $70.” I couldn’t wait to see if their list was similar to mine.

But wait….seven bags under $70? I didn’t know of seven bags under $70.

And then semantics set in. It seems, my definition of carry-on and their definition of carry-on are two different things. Mine is my main bag. Theirs:

“When looking for a new carry-on bag, make sure your bag has a nice and cushy spot for your laptop, plenty of pockets and pouches to keep you organized, and the space for at least one change of clothes in case the rest of your luggage sadly doesn’t make it to the same destination as you.”

Oh well, if you want to see their list anyway, here’s the link:

Seven of the Best Carry-on (?) Bags for Under $70

(Frank II)

Forest goes sub-11

OBOW reader Forest reports:

I am on my second trip with 10.5 pounds.

Packing list (in bag):

2 pair underwear (ExOfficio)
1 pair long underwear
2 pair socks (Smartwool)
1 pair lightweight workout pants
3 t-shirts
1 long sleeve t-shirt (Smartwool)
Marmot Precip raincoat
Gloves
Wool hat
Ipod classic with small speaker
Flashlight
Apple ac & dc chargers
Toohbrush
Hairbrush
Toothpaste
Razor
Clothesline
Nail clipper
Deodorant rock

Wear on plane:

Jeans
Long sleeve t-shirt
Socks
Shoes
Fleece jacket
In pockets:
iPhone
Ear buds
Sunglasses

The bag is a Ricardo carry-on that came with a set. I paid $27 for it 3 or 4 years ago. It lists 1500 cubic inches and is like a smal duffel bag. With what I’m carrying it’s about 3/4 full. I bought an Op- Tech strap for $14 ( I did not want to spend more for the strap then I did for the bag). — Forest

Last minute stocking stuffers

For those of who can’t decide what to get for the travelers in your life, our friends at Gadling have come up with 30 inexpensive items that may come in handy:

30 Gifts That Won’t Break the Bank

And USA Today has a list of 10 that are slightly more expensive:

Gifts for Road Warriors

(Frank II)

Snitch App

Ahh, remember the good old days of Joe McCarthy and his hunt for Communists. Where average citiizens were bullied into turning in anyone they knew that might, in any way, be acting strangely, belong to subversive groups, like labor unions,  or are critical of those in power?

Remember how they told us that if those communists were allowed to run wild in our nation it would destroy our way of life and our freedoms? (Something they wanted the monopoly on.)

Fast forward fifty years, replace the word “communism” with “terrorism” and you have history repeating itself. Only this time, the government is using modern technology.

Introducing the “PatriotApp.” Yes, you can turn your iphone or ipod touch into a snitching machine. With one simple downloaded app, you can connect to multiple government agencies and let them know that the people down the street, you know the ones who dress differently than you, talk differently or believe differently, must be up to no good. Why bother phoning or writing. Just get out your trusted smartphone and tell “Big Brother” all about it.

After all, isn’t it better to have the government investigate those strange people because they just might be “terrorists.”  And by reporting them, you might be able to sleep just a little bit better.

Or, you can realize this is nothing more  than a repeat of McCarthyism and do the opposite instead:

—report every TSA violation you see or experience.

—report any government official that goes beyond the boundaries of the law.

—complain about Janet Napolitano and John Pistole who truly believe they can make their own rules regardless of what the Constitution says and will never apologize for anything.

Or is it possible that they are using the app to monitor……you?

BTW—starting soon, when you shop at Wal-Mart, I don’t, you’ll see TV screens at the checkout instructing you on how to snitch on others.  That’s right, Nappy herself will tell you how to spy on your neighbors.

 Now, what does all of this have to do with travel?  It’s simple. DHS is becoming more and more invasive in our lives. They are now coming up with new equipment that willl not only take nude photos of you but will scan your face as well. The machine will then decide if you are a  threat from your facial expressions. This will allow DHS to start questioning you about your trip, why you’re taking it, and who you’ll be seeing. A complete violation of the Constitution unless we roll over and play sheep. What will come next, requesting permission from the government weeks in advance to be allowed to fly or take the train or even start our cars?

Less than a pound a day

OBOW reader Heather reports great success in her first attempt at going very light:

Well, after two weeks in snowy Europe, we re back in sunny California! Our return flight from Munich was delayed by an hour due to snow, which made it even more important that we one-bagged it and were able to make our connecting flight in Atlanta. I see that an item or two from my packing list may have been misunderstood by fellow OBOW readers. We knew Germany wouldn t lack modern comforts; we just packed for familiarity, efficiency, and economy. In this case, the unnecessary spork helped us to demolish a large and gooey schokokuss in our room with minimal disruption to hotel staff (grin).

This was my husband s first one-bagging trip, and he did a great job, carrying the OPEC and doing laundry in the sink. We purchased in Munich: Rei in der Tube detergent, a washcloth for my husband, and a pair of tights as an extra layer for me. As the temperature dropped, we simply added more layers that we had brought from home, since we had packed three pairs of socks, three shirts, etc. By the time the temperature in Prague hit the teens, I was wearing an undershirt, a -sleeve t-shirt, a long underwear top, a wool cardigan, and a button-down shirt under my insulated raincoat. At first I thought I was cold because I come from a warm climate, but when I saw European tourists wearing ski pants to the Christmas markets an anomaly, for sure I thought that perhaps it really was frigid outside. But we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Among the places we visited: almost every Christmas market in central Munich, the Asamkirche, Peterskirche, Hofbrauhaus (how could we pass it up?), Viktualienmarkt, Deutsches Museum, city museum of Munich (the marionettes and Oktoberfest/funfair memorabilia were an awesome psychedelic experience after 16 hours of sleep-deprived travel), the toy museum in Nurnberg, the Nazi Dokumentationszentrum, Prague s Petrin Park, Charles Bridge and the horological clock, remnants of medieval Prague which are buried below the current city, the Infant of Prague statue, the concentration camp at Dachau, medieval houses in Regensburg, and the German National Museum in Nurnberg. Although we are not planning to do another cold-weather trip (the Christmas sights were the motivator for this one), we found that doing it with one bag each is completely feasible. We stayed dry, kept moving, wore layers (and took them off when indoors), and indulged in lots of caloric foods such as smazeny cyr (fried cheese) with tartar sauce. Incredibly, neither of us gained weight, as we had undoubtedly burned it off trying to stay warm. It was a wonderful trip, full of thought-provoking places.

What a helpful and heartening account for those new to one-bag travel! Read about her preparation process here in the OBOW Forum.

(Brad)

Update on December 12, 2010 by Frank@OBOW

Read an earlier series of posts on a similar effort here.

Land's End Sale

Land’s End is having a major 40% off sale through Monday. If anyone is intersted in their Flightwiase travel series, use:

Promo Code:  Dec13

PIN:  1118

As an example, with the discount the Carry-On Flightwse Bag is only $50 including shipping.

(Frank II)

Just how important are airline fees?

There seems to be new ones every day: bag fees, change fees, food fees, etc. And we have to wonder if these fees are really necessary or just a nuisance.

On Wednesday, U.S. Airways prez Scott Kirby said his airline expects to bring in about $500 million in these ancillary fees. Oh, and the airline expects to make about $450-475 million in profit this year.

That’s right. The airline’s profit is coming completely from these fees. So, don’t expect them stop anytime soon.

I just wonder, what will be next?

Dallas Morning News

(Frank II)