American Express has a new program you might want to check out, called Travel Delay Protection.

According to their website, when you enroll in Travel Delay Protection and book your flight using your American Express card, you are entitled to the following benefits, should your flight be delayed. Or, as they say, “receive coverage for the unexpected costs of lodging, meals and transportation that show up – when your flight doesn’t.”

• Can provide up to $200 per day up to 2 days per Covered Person per Covered Trip for a Missed Connection, Delayed Flight Departure, Flight Cancellation or if Denied Boarding with no alternative transportation made available by 9:00 p.m. of the same day as the original Scheduled Airline flight.

• Can provide up to $50 per day for up to 2 days per Covered Person per Covered Trip for a Missed Connection, Delayed Flight Departure, Flight Cancellation or if Denied Boarding with no alternative transportation made available within three (3) hours of the original Scheduled Airline flight departure time.

• Provides up to $250 per day for up to 2 days per Covered Person per Covered Trip if a combination of both situations mentioned previously should occur.

• There’s no charge to enroll, and no ongoing paperwork hassles. Travel Delay Protection is billed automatically to your American Express® Card only when you travel, until your enrollment is terminated.

$9.95 per Covered Person per Covered Trip when you purchase a Scheduled Airline ticket with your enrolled Card.

See details about coverage, benefits, and exceptions.

Travel Delay Protection is offered by American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.

How to Pack Your Ski Equipment for Flying

Author: Andrew Gibson

Have you ever gone on a ski trip not knowing how to pack your luggage only to find out that the stuff you brought is going to cost you extra money? This can add a lot of unwanted stress to your trip and take out a chunk of your spending money while on vacation.

Knowing how to pack for your trip in advance can take care of the extra stress and won’t cost you that much needed spending money.

The first thing to do, when flying with your ski equipment, is to know the airlines policy on sporting equipment. Most airlines allow you to substitute you equipment for one piece of baggage though weight might be an issue since most airlines only allow 50 pound for each bag. The overweight limit amount is usually around 25 dollars extra per bag so pack wisely. You don’t want to have to buy an extra seat just to fit your luggage on board the plane.

Many airlines allow you to pack one set of skis, boots, and ski poles as one bag even if tagged separately. Speaking with an airline manager is going to get you the best information. Some airlines suggest purchasing a special bag to place everything in and it will help to make checking your bags a lot easier when the time comes. This will also help you know how much you can put into this bag so you will be able to check the weight at home and you will know if you will be required to pay the extra expense of your baggage being overweight.

Here are few suggestion when packing your skis in that ski bag. You don’t want your skis rattling around or damaging your poles. Wrapping your skis in bubble wrap first then wrapping a pair of ski pants and your ski coat will give the protection and room for more clothing in your other bags. Your boot bag is also a good place to put your helmet, gloves, scarves, and hats also allowing more room in your other luggage.

You will not only need the equipment needed for skiing but your clothes can play a role in how much you pack. Many think that you will need to pack an over-abundance of clothes, but keep in mind how often you will be on the slopes.

If you plan on being in the snow most of the day then only a few pieces of clothing will be needed for the rest of the time, this will allow more room for all the rest of your gear. Because there is so much you need to wear while skiing to keep warm, you will want to practice packing everything. This will help you to eliminate the unnecessary articles of clothing allowing room for gear such as sunglasses or goggles to protect your eyes, special ski sock, hats, and sunscreen. You would not want to forget the essentials at home and have to pay the resort price which can be costly.

I know from personal experience that the time spent packing my ski gear before hand makes for an easier and more enjoyable holiday.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/flights-articles/how-to-pack-your-ski-equipment-for-flying-351017.html

About the Author

Andrew Gibson is MD of Direct Holiday Bookings. It is one of the fastest growing on line travel websites. To see an example of why Direct Holiday Bookings is growing so rapidly have a look at Holiday Villas

This is very simple. Just go the main menu and disable the Wireless Connection.

Now, you will have to turn it off during takeoff and landing, because it is an electronic device. But it’s only for a short time.

And by the way, if you haven’t picked up a KINDLE yet, you really should check them out. They’ll change your world.

Check it out!

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Well, perhaps. I have to say, having just flown the red-eye on Virgin America, I was pleased that the only time I was awoken during the night was when we hit some turbulence and the fasten seat belt sign popped back on. Nerve wracking? Sure. But no where near as nerve wracking as it would’ve been had my sleep been encumbered by a squealing infant. In fact, I barely noticed the distraction.*

In fact, I have to say, the entire experience this time out was pretty much as flying should be. Security lines were very short, everything was on time, and the Direct TV schedule worked out so that I was able to catch two full episodes of House. (And to think–here I was, armed with my brand new noise cancelling headphones from SONY, and never had to take them out of my bag.)

In essence, a great flying experience. And I’m hearing more and more of this from fellow travelers.

So where does that leave me, author of the book on how to cope when dealing with the horrors of flying…? Perfectly happy. Because I’d much rather we have a nation full of happy people than miserable folks, where the only thing keeping them sane is their copy of Please Hug Me – I’ve Been Delayed.

Of course, I would venture to say there will still come a time when you need to review the rules on how to deal with a crying baby on the red eye, but for now, I’m going to enjoy the silence.

Am I the only one getting lucky with slumber at 30,000 feet? Do you have a crying baby horror story? Post below!

-jm

*As opposed to the 7:30 showing of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo I was forced to walk out of earlier this week when some ignorant parents decided it would be a good idea to bring their screaming 5-year-old with them.

Wrong!

Staying green during the holidays is just as easy as any other time of year. And who knows… maybe if you stick it out, you’ll get another notch added to your naughty or nice report, and the man from up North might just remember that on December 25^th.

No, not Al Gore. The fat guy with the red suit. (Although Mr. Gore will certainly appreciate your assistance in the battle against Global Warming.)

Here are a few simple green travel tips for the holidays:

- Buy recycled wrapping paper. Not necessarily a travel tip, but it’s important. Also, in many areas you can’t recycle wrapping paper, so it’s best to purchase paper already made from recycled products.

- Don’t leave your car idling. Warming the car up may seem like a nice gesture, but a car left idling is not only bad for the environment, it can damage your engine. Get grandma ready early and make sure your passengers have a heavy coat.

- Lower your hotel room thermostat. Just because someone else is paying for the heat, doesn’t mean you need to keep your room at 90 degrees for the fifteen minutes you are likely spend there. Drop it to sixty and snuggle up under the covers with your loved one. (For more green hotel tips, see my November blog post.)

- Take a horse and buggy ride instead of a cab. Besides the obvious action you will get from your lady for being so romantic, you’ll be saving gas.

- When the pilot says turn your cell phone off, turn it off. (Yes, I’m talking to you Mr. Alec Baldwin. While it’s rather amusing you were deplaned for refusing to turn off your cell phone to finish your word game, think about all the extra jet fuel the plane burned up while sitting on the tarmac waiting for your press people to arrive. Tsk tsk!)

Beyond all else, just remember to conserve resources no matter where your travels take you. And whenever possible, hitch a ride with Santa. Reindeer leave a zero carbon footprint, and Santa doesn’t charge additional luggage fees.

Happy Holidays!

-jm

(Please see all my featured posts on GreenXC.com and for more tips and tricks on how to travel greener on a budget.)

In true holiday spirit, I thought I’d share a favorite passage from

Please Hug Me – I’ve Been Delayed that deals with one of one of the most

challenging parts of the holiday season: family.

(Excerpt from Chapter 2 – At the Airport)

Do the words “my mother is coming to visit” immediately send you into a
three-day anxiety attack? Have you moved your family to ten different
cities in the past two years just to avoid her visits, but she still manages
to land on your doorstep in a tornado of Jean Naté perfume and
unwelcomed child-rearing advice? Well, if the No-Fly list can protect
us from folksingers and evildoers, it can protect us from mothers-inlaw
as well.

The following is a No-Fly recipe for the best Thanksgiving
dinner ever:

■ Use you mother-in-law’s credit card to make suspiciously large
purchases of plutonium, long-range artillery, ammunition, and spy
surveillance equipment. Be sure to volunteer to help her with her
taxes, then list these contributions as illegal deductions.

■ Continually use the B word in conversations with your mother-inlaw
on a cell phone or open-channel walkie-talkie. “Oh man, did
you see how that movie bombed?” “I can’t believe how bombed
the guys and I got last night.” “Do you know what a bombshell that
daughter of yours is?”

■ Post to blogs and create as much Internet chatter as you can that
suggests your mother-in-law’s Red Bonnet Society is actually a
deadly group of international spies posing as suburban, middleaged
women.

■ Create a Facebook page for your mother-in-law. Send friend
requests to Osama Bin Laden (RIP), Sadam Hussein (RIP), George Bush,
and other members of the Axis of Evil, then be sure to list them in
her Top 8 Friends list.

Additionally, you can use No-Fly lists creatively to avoid traveling
to those mind-numbing events you can’t seem to avoid no matter
how hard you try, such as your wife’s family reunion, or her boring
best friend’s wedding. Here’s how it works. When you arrive at the
gate, quietly slip the ticket agent a twenty and ask her for a little help
in adding your name to the No-Fly list. When it’s time to board the
plane, make certain your wife goes first. After she is cleared to board,
hand your boarding pass to the agent and wait as she “pretends” to slip
it in the machine and it rejects your name. (If the ticket agent can’t
get the machine to beep, just have her make a little beeping sound out
of the side of her mouth.) Your wife will be halfway down the walkway
(they never wait) when she hears the beep and turns around to
see what you’ve done wrong this time. Pretend to be arguing with the
ticket agent. Point to your football jersey and football cap and shout,
“How can I, Steve Mahoney of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, possibly be
a threat to national security? I’m a Steelers fan! There’s nothing more
American than Steelers football.”When your wife storms back up the
walkway to check on the situation, step to the side of the line and hang
your head in sadness.* Explain to her that there’s nothing you can do.
The flight’s leaving in ten minutes. She will have to go on without
you. You’ll have to spend a weekend home with the guys. It’s hard, but
sometimes we all have to make sacrifices when it comes to national
security. She’ll understand. Just be sure to rip this page out of the book
before she finds it.

—
*Timing here is critical. Many wives will board the plane and not even

notice their husbands aren’t with them until they land and need help with their bags.

My name is Joe Customer. I am a frequent flyer and love traveling. Occasionally, I enjoy bringing some clothes and a toothbrush with me. Why have you created such a mess out of everything that I now prefer to stay at home and watch the Travel Channel instead of step foot in an airport ever again?

I was Joe Customer on a recent trip on United Airlines (who, aside from this and charging $7.99 for Direct TV, are actually doing a decent job in their recent merger with Continental). Joe Customer wanted nothing more than to hop on board the plane with a small carry-on, sit in his seat, and enjoy his flight. Instead, he was met with nothing but frustration as the needlessly angry flight attendants were rushing to pull bags right from customers minutes before the flight to tag them and put them in the cargo bay because the overhead bins were full, all while trying their best to make sure the flight got off on time.

You see, because the major airlines have decided to keep their ridiculous baggage fees in place as part of their normal pricing models, they have created a new movement I refer to as Bring Everything You Own On Board (BEYOOB). It is because of BEYOOB you see people armed with backpacks stuffed to brim with clothing, toiletries, motorcycle helmets (guy had one in front of me and wasn’t sure why but I have to include it), and everything else one could possibly need for their trip jammed into their carryon and strapped to their body.

And it’s perfectly logical.

You tell me it will cost me $25 or $35 extra to check a bag and bring an extra sweatshirt with me, and I am going to do everything in my power to make absolutely certain I cram everything I need into a single carryon to avoid any more charges.

This causes endless delays with flight attendants having to take carryon bags from customers at the last moment, tag them, get them into the cargo bay, then deal with all the hassles of bags that don’t make it. More man hours. More employees needed to perform more unnecessary jobs.

I’m a chronic offender. I bought a Samsonite suitcase with the exact maximum specifications allowed by airlines (22″ x 14″ x 9″). I spend hours strategically packing my belongs to make absolutely certain I can get my bag into the overhead and not waste a square inch of space.

The idea of checking a bag never enters my mind. Not once.

And I end up causing a delay whenever I end up being last to board and the overhead bins are already jammed by the guy with the motorcycle helmet and everyone else doing the exact same thing.

Airlines will certainly disagree. If I brought in over $3.7 billion dollars in additional fees per year for people reading my blog, I would disagree too. But the airlines are missing the bigger picture. On those trips where I have to bring a bigger suitcase, I routinely choose airlines that allow me free checked bags. Even if it means paying a higher ticket price. The airline that tries to nickel and dime me for everything I do invariably loses my business.

Sure I travel a lot, they won’t miss my money in their year-end revenue reports. I’m only one person.

True. But I have a blog… and a YouTube Channel. We’ll see.

Wanna join my National Campaign Against Baggage Fees and earn the chance to win FREE BAGGAGE FEES FOR A YEAR? Click here!

-jm

The answer?

A lot.

Even Spirit Airlines, the little airline the could, can operate in a severe storm just fine. Remember, aircraft often fly directly into the eye (or is it eyes?) of hurricanes to gather weather data. (Whether you’d want to be on that plane without a healthy supply of barf bags is another thing entirely.)

Here’s a nice video that should give you some peace of mind next time you are flying, and might be worried if the wings are going to fall off the plane. (They’re not.)

Now, thanks to Google Earth and some very expensive satellites, we don’t have to worry *quite* as much.

Hurricanes. Of the seven major global storms (blizzard, earthquake, tornado, tsunami, volcano, hurricane, stock market crash), these have to be my favorite. There’s no sudden shock to your system waking up in the middle of the night to your house shaking, you don’t have to run to the basement the moment one arrives, and for the most part, you can just tape up the windows and enjoy the fury of Mother Nature from the comfort of your living room.

For those of you who live on the coast, you might disagree.

I remember Hurricane Gloria back in the early 80’s. I thought it was the coolest thing ever to go outside in the middle of it when the rain had stopped and there was just a mild wind blowing. The worst had passed. Our yard had some fallen branches, and that was about it. But the idea of everyone gathering together, huddled down to survive a major catastrophe stuck. It brings us all together in a way that even the biggest family bar-b-que or American Idol finale could only dream of.

So Hurricane Irene is currently the number one contender for signs of the Apocalypse—the one we avoided earlier in the year but has been rescheduled, and will continue to be rescheduled until some time when a freak accident wipes out all the people who believe in the end of the world.

Look, the world will end someday. But not anytime soon. And I’ll tell you why. Because I recently received a notification that I still owe money on a student loan, and after Sallie Mae spent over a decade tracking me down, there is no way they are going to let me off the hook that easily.

Enjoy the storms. Enjoy the rain. And if you find yourself trapped at the airport due to 50mph winds and torrents of rain, you know what book you need to download to get you through the Apocalypse.

-jm

Author of Please Hug Me – I’ve Been Delayed: The Only Guide You’ll Ever Need to Survive the Not-So-Friendly Skies (and Hurricanes)