June 19, 2013 Welcome to the Archive Site for One Bag, One World.
Here you will find all blog postings and forum discussions from our inception in 2007 through June 18, 2013.
To get back to our main site, go to:
June 19, 2013 At 1:30 AM ET (USA) we switched to our new website.
It may take up to 24 hours for the servers to update and you may get an error message. If you do, try deleting all “1bag1world” cookies to see if that helps.
Otherwise, please be patient. It is working. I was able to get one browser to work but none of the others.
June 18, 2013 As many of you know, on Wednesday, June 19, we’ll be switching over to our new website.
Once the switch is made, it may take from a few minutes to a few hours to a full day for the servers to update.
If by Thursday you’re still getting this page, try first to clear your cache and cookies. Then reconnect. Make sure you’re using the following address:
If you’re still having problems, check our Facebook page and Twitter account as I’ll use them to announce any problems we may be facing.
If there are no problem announcements and you’re still can’t connect, use the “Email OBOW” link above to send me an email and I’ll try to help.
Oh, one last thing….if you have an adblock on your browser, it may block some of our content. Don’t worry, there are no popups or ads or anything like that. It just seems that some ad blockers are blocking some of the links on our site. My suggestion is to disconnect them for our site.
One more note….we will not be migrating any postings from this site, both blog and forum, over to the new site. If there’s a thread that is currently active here, feel free to start it again on our new forum. It’s just too difficult, and too costly, to try to move all the copy over. We’re limited in manpower and finances so this just isn’t possible.
June 17, 2013 On Wednesday, June 19, I plan to move to our new website. This move can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days—much is out of my control.
While the move is going on, I will keep people updated on both our Facebook and Twitter accounts:
http://www.facebook.com/1bag1world
http://twitter.com/1bag1world
I suggest you subscribe to either of the above or both to be kept up to date.
There are numerous steps to this transfer and we’re trying to do it with the least disruption to the readers. (And since I’m not a techie, I’m trying to figure this out with limited help.)
Cross your fingers and wish us luck.
June 16, 2013 Phase One of the new One Bag, One World website is ready. I was going to wait until July 1 to make the change but I’m thinking that we should do it sooner.
The first thing I need all of you to do is check your bookmarks and favorites if that’s what you use to get to this site. It should read:
http://www.1bag1world.com
If you’re still using the old onebagger.squarespace.com address you won’t get to the new site. It will keep you here which will become the archive site. It will be closed to all future postings and comments.
Once we’re ready to the make the move itself, it may take a day or two for the transfer to take effect, but I’ll give you some warning.
June 11, 2013 Anyone traveling from Canada to the U.S. by plane knows that at some Canadian airports passengers pre-clear U.S. Customs prior to boarding their flight. It makes things easier once you land and saves time in case you’re trying to catch a connecting flight.
As the bureaucrats see it, once through U.S. Customs in Canada, you have technically entered the U.S.
But what happens if you’ve done all of the above, got on your plane, but it never leaves the ground? Are you considered to still be in Canada or in the U.S?
That’s a question that came up last week on an Air Canada flight between Toronto’s Pearson Airport and New York’s Laguardia. The flight stayed on the tarmac for nearly an hour before being cancelled due to weather and air traffic control issues.
But the passengers weren’t immediately let off the airplane. It would be hours before they could get off. Each was then rebooked on either a later flight that evening or another flight the following morning.
But why the delay? It seems that U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Candian Border Services Agency were in talks trying to decide whether the flight had actually left Canadian soil and whether the rebooked passengers had to go through pre-clearance again.
The answer, it seems, was yes to both questions.
Those who decided to fly the next day were forced to go through Canadian customs and answer questions such as “How long were you away” and “Where have you been.” Even though they never took off, they were considered to have left Canadian soil.
Those rebooked on later flights were marched through U.S. Customs pre-clearance again and asked similar questions as above.
Your tax dollars at work.
The full story can be found in the Globe and Mail.
June 5, 2013 A few months ago, the TSA announced they would begin to allow small knives and some sporting goods onto aircraft. The decision was made because they agency felt screeners should concentrate on more serious weapons such as bombs.
But the backlash by practically everyone—flight attendants, airlines, police officers, much of the traveling public—was unexpected.
So TSA kept postponing the date of implementation.
That is until today, Wednesday, when they announced that they would reverse their decision and keep these items prohibited.
June 5, 2013 I saw this article on CNN.com and thought I’d share it with you.
How Safe Is Your Carry-On Bag?
Do you give much thought to your bags while on the plane? Do anything in particular to protect your belongings?
Personally, I lock my bag before it goes in the overhead and I take anything of value that I keep by my seat with me I get up.
June 5, 2013 As many of you have heard, American Airlines is allowing passengers without carry-on bags to board after the elite customers but before the riff raff. As to exactly where, well, that’s anyone’s guess. Ellen Degeneres decided AA needed some help in explaining the new procedures:
June 4, 2013 One of the best parts of our new website will be our brand new Reader’s Fourm with categories. No more one space for everything. But I’m looking for suggestions for categories. This is the place where you’ll be posting. So far, we have:
TRAVEL GOODS
Travel Bags
Day Bags
Travel Accessories and Gadgets
TRAVEL TIPS
Travel Tips
Trip Reports
Gear Reviews
Packing Lists
GENERAL TRAVEL
General Travel Questions
ITEMS FOR SALE
Items for sale
What am I missing?
May 30, 2013 The TSA has announced they have met their mandated June 1 deadline of removing all 250 backscatter machines from airport checkpoints.
The backscatter machines, or “virtual strip searches” as some liked to call them, showed a graphic image of the person being screened including, in many cases, their private parts. These machines also emitted a low level of radiation.
Congress wasn’t thrilled with all the complaints they were getting and ordered the TSA to find a way to increase privacy.
Realizing they wouldn’t meet the Congressionally imposed June 1 deadline, TSA announced in February that all backscatter machines would be removed and replaced with full body scanners that show a less graphic image and use radio waves instead. Critics say these millimeter wave machines are much safer.
There are over 700 of the “approved” machines in use in the USA.
In case you were wondering, Rapiscan Systems, the manufacturer of the bodyscanners, paid for the removal of the machines since they announced they wouldn’t be able to convert their machines in time.
May 29, 2013 As you know, a couple of times a year, I put up for sale some of the items we’ve received for review to help defray the costs of this website.
Before I go into what bags are for sale, let me tell you what’s been going on at OBOW and what’s in store.
You’ve probably noticed that postings have been few. That’s because there have been a mixture of things going on behind the scenes.
The first is I’ve been busy with outside work. That’s about to change. (With some possible big announcements in 2014.)
The second, well, I wasn’t going to mention yet but I’ll give you a hint. For the past few months, I’ve been working on a complete redesign of this website. New look, new format, AND new features including a Reader’s Forum with CATEGRORIES!!!! The look will be much more streamlined and user friendly.
The scope of OBOW will expand to include tutorials, trip reports and postings from guest authors.
That’s all I’m going to say for now. Stay tuned to find out more. (And look for it to go live in about a month of so.)
In the meantime, the following bags are for sale. All are in brand new condition, most still have their original tags.
Lat 56 Holdall $120
Lat 56 Small Messenger Case $120
Guragear Chobe with insert $195
Pacsafe Metrosafe 250 (older non-RFID model) (black)—$35
All prices include shipping to the Continental U.S.
May 28, 2013 I admit it, I rely on the reviews on TripAdvisor when choosing a hotel.
But now, I’m not so sure if what I read is legit.
Peter Cook, the PR guy for the Asia-Pacific region of Accor Hotels, has admitted to posting over 100 reviews on TripAdvisor most of which are positive for Accor Hotels and negative towards the competition. He claims these were his personal observations and have nothing to do with his job—especially since they were posted under an assumed screen name.
Cook only admitted to posting the reviews after a firm working for TripAdvisor found the connection between him and the alias he was using online. (It seems this PR expert, or Director of Propoganda as he likes to call himself, wasn’t clever enough NOT to link his Trip Advisor alias to his personal Facebook account.)
Accor Hotels isn’t laughing. They’ve placed Cook on a leave of absence saying he abused their social networking policy.
I’m still going to use Trip Advisor only a little more carefully in the future.
What about you? Still trust them?
May 26, 2013 We have reviewed many bags from Lat 56, a Scotland based bag company known for their unique use of EVA foam and twill fabric on all their products.
A few months ago, they sent us a slew of new bags to review and we have finally reached the last one. It’s the Lat 56 Holdall.
Holdall, my U.S. friends may ask, what’s a holdall? Well, it’s a British term for what we would normally call a duffel bag albeit a little fancier. And traveling with this type of bag is very popular in Britain.
(I’m going to use Lat 56 photos in this review as they are better than mine.)
The Lat 56 Holdall measures 18.5” x 11.8” x 11.8”/47cm x 30cm x 30cm. It weighs 2.9lbs/1.3kg and holds 2441cu in/40L.
It has a two strap handle on top and carry handles in each end. The bag has two metal D-rings for attaching the included padded shoulder strap. (This bag does not have backpack straps.) There are two loops at the rear top of the bag for your brolly.
The main, and only, compartment has a D shaped opening with a lockable zipper. Inside are three mesh pockets—one in the lid and one on each end. There are no external pockets.
Also included is a detachable wet/dry bag designed to carry shoes or dirty clothes. It measures approximately 12” x 7” x 7”, weighs 6.5 oz, has a diagonal zipper on top and a partially clear front panel so you can see what’s inside. It’s very pliable so if not filled it should fit easily in a packed bag.
The Holdall is water resistant.
Like all of the other Lat 56 products we’ve reviewed, the Holdall seems very tough and should withstand quite a bit. It could easily be used for numerous purposes such as a gym bag, overnight bag, or even as a simple, non complicated small travel bag. (An Eagle Creek 18” Folder can be made to fit but it won’t lie flat. The Eagle Creek 15” folder fits with room to spare.)
The bag should qualify as a carry-on as the total measurements are below the standard 45”/115cm limits. However, it’s best to check with your airline as some go by exact measurements rather that the total of three sides.
If you’re looking for a multi-purpose, uncomplicated designed bag that’s easy to pack and makes a bold statement, then definitely consider the Lat 56 holdall. If you like lots of pockets and bells and whistles, this isn’t the bag for you.
The Lat 56 Holdall is available through Lat 56 and retails for $199. It’s only available in black and comes with a limited lifetime warranty.
(Lat 56 provided the bag for review.)
May 15, 2013 As the overhead bins on most flights seem to get filled faster and faster, those of us who carry soft-sided, non-wheeled bags are sometimes given the option of putting those same bags underneath the seat in front of us..
But just how much room is available? That depends on the type of aircraft and airline. On some, the middle seat has the most room with the aisle or window seat the least. On others, a video control box takes up most of the room.
Up until now, it’s been difficult to find this information. However, here’s an article that gives some information:
Dimensions Under Airline Seats.
Another way to possibly get this information is to seek out the airlines’ under seat pet kennel dimensions. If your bag isn’t bigger than the pet kennel, it will fit under your seat.
Here’s a website with some information about this:
Dogjaunt: Airline Under Seat Measurements
If you know of any more, let us know.
May 15, 2013 On May 2, I reported on the 54 foot inflatable duck bobbing in Hong Kong harbor.
Well, I’m sad to report that the duck was found Wednesday morning somwhat deflated.
The question on everyone’s mind iis whether the deflation was part of routine maintenance or was it “fowl” play?
May 14, 2013 Don’t look for airlines to lower their ancillary fees anytime soon.
According to a recent U.S. Dept. of Transportation press release of preliminary data, U.S. airlines earned $3.5 billion in checked luggage fees and $2.6 billion in ticket change fees.
Delta was the big winner with revenues of $865.9 million and $778.4 million, respectively.
According to one industry analyst, all but the most expensive domestic fares are basically sold at break even prices. It’s the fees that help the airlines make money.
While I want to see the airlines make money, I’d rather carry-on my bag and spend the “checked bag fee” money on a nice meal.
May 13, 2013 It seems a woman on a recent LA-NY American Airlines flight decided to entertain her fellow passengers by singing a rendition of Whitney Houstons’ “I Will Always Love You” over and over again.
It got so irritating, a Federal Air Marshall on board placed her in restraints. But she kept on singing.
The pilot then made an unscheduled landing in Kansas City just so the woman could be escorted off. And the strange thing is, she kept singing even after being handcuffed and led off the plane
The woman was questioned and released without being charged. American Airlines, however, refused to fly her the rest of the way. Do you blame them?
Which brings up a question: What are your favorite noise cancelling headphones that aren’t so large they take up half a carry-on bag?
(Thanks to Paula Bag Less for alerting me to this story.)
May 13, 2013 After reading about how airlines use loopholes to avoid paying for damaged bags , I had two quick thoughts:
1) been there, done that
2) you’ll understand why I keep this site going and travel the way i do.
For me, the ultimate was when I had to gate check a tiny roller bag—this was over 10 years ago—on an RJ and got it back with a zipper pull missing. Of course, they wouldn’t pay to fix it. But do you know how hard it is to open a zipper without a pull?
From then on, I only wanted to take a bag I knew would fit in alsmot any sized aircraft.
No wheels, no checking, no hassles.
May 11, 2013 Eagle Creek is coming out with two new additions to their Specter line of ultralight packing cubes and folders.
The first is set of two Compression Cubes. You get a cube (14 x 10) and a half cube (10 x 7). They are the same as the regular Specter cubes except they have a zipper that goes around the cube to compress them. ($38)
The second is a Specter version of the Tube cube. ($16)
Both of these will be available in July.
If you dont’ want to wait, the Container Store has the Compression Cube set in stock in some of their stores.(It’s out of stock online.) And….it’s on sale for 25% off. In fact, much of the Container Store’s travel products are on sale including their entire line of Eagle Creek products. The sale is on until July 23.
And if that’s not enough, some of their Specter items come with a blue trim which is exclusive to them.
(I was at one of their stores this morning and did a bit of “travel goods” shopping including the above mentioned compression cubes.)