Jun 5 02:34 2006 from anne I'm thinking of attending my cousin's wedding, which will be held in ************************************. I *royally suck* at trip planning / logistics. But one thing I was wondering, that some of you may have advice regarding, is which one (if any) of those Internet ticket service things (e.g., Orbitz) is the most worthwhile. Any experience with any of these? I am really trying to avoid doing something to get the trip set up and then getting all kinds of "Well, you SHOULD have done it THIS way!" advice after the fact. :/ Jun 5 03:33 2006 from krista I've used both expedia and orbitz for plane tickets and both services were good :-) Jun 5 03:51 2006 from speed I've used two different services, I think one was priceline and I forget what the other was. They were both adequate. (sp?) I've also bought tickets straight from United's site in the past. (They were cheaper there than any of the other sites for some reason.) Jun 5 04:31 2006 from Josh General travel advice from a professional paranoid who has traveled a bunch: Most of the internet places I've dealt with have been fine, but you should shop around, as I find that the fares can vary quite a bit (and it's not "travelocity is always better", it just seems to be all over the place.) Check the major providers (travelocity, orbitz, expedia, cheap tickets, etc), but also try the airlines that fly out of your starting location (so, try America West, UA, etc as well). In addition, you can get some pretty good package deals (airfare, hotel and rental car) from travelocity and such, if you need all that. If you're flexible on dates and location of accommodations (which it doesn't sound like you are in this case) priceline can have some really good deals, but if you don't have a sense for how much you should pay, you can also get not-so-good-deals, with added inconvenience. When you book your flights, note the sorts of planes that you'll be flying on. This can help, as I'll explain in a couple of paragraphs. The most important information is how to get from the airport to your hotel. Is there a hotel shuttle? How do you summon it? How long does it take to get to the airport, and where do you meet it? If you're going to rent a car, know where the rental agency actually is, and how you get there (Is it in the airport, or is it elsewhere? If it's elsewhere, how do you get there? Do you need to call them to get a ride when you arrive?). If you're going to get a taxi, check on the internet for the fares in the area, and figure out what a reasonable cab fare is from the airport to the hotel. In certain airports there is lots of competition for your business (both legal and otherwise), and it's good to know generally how much you should expect to pay. Make sure that if you take a cab that they accept whatever form of payment that you're going to try to use. I've never run into a problem where they didn't accept plastic, but it is my understanding that some cab companies don't, or some cabbies don't if they don't want to report the income. Once you're at the hotel, you can ask the hotel staff how to get around. I've found most of the east coast to be pedestrian unfriendly in non-urban areas. Once you know what hotel you're staying at, you can give them a call and ask how you can get around when you get there: Is there an airport shuttle that will take you wherever you want to go? Do you need to call a taxi anytime you want to go somewhere?, etc. Packing: I have two main goals when packing for travel: First, if at all possible, keep everything as carry on. This minimizes the likelihood that your luggage will go to a different location than you (this seems like it would be unusual. It is not.). If you try this, check the carry-on policies for all the airlines that you're going to be on to make sure that your intended carry-on is an acceptable size and weight, and ideally that it will fit in the overhead bin of your aircraft (remember the planes that you're going to be on from paragraph 2? Here's where that part comes in). It is also important to note the current list of restricted items for carry-ons: mind the pocket knives, etc. If you can't manage to restrict yourself to just a carry-on, then pack your carry-on assuming you'll lose your main bag: pack a change of clothes, toiletries and any medications that you need, or anything else that you absolutely can't do without for a couple of days. On medications, make sure that they are in correctly labeled bottles, ideally in the original pharmacy container with your name on it (for prescription medications). Also, (on packing) get a weather forecast for the time you'll be there, but also try to get an idea what else is possible. If you know someone in the area, ask them what you should pack for. Other places have a phenomenon called "weather". It may rain while you're there. My memory of Vermont in July is that it should be hot and humid and cold at night, but you should talk to someone who actually lives there and check the forecast. On this note, get an idea what to expect for the travel: airports and airplanes are generally temperature controlled, but once you get to your destination you'll have to leave the airport and deal with the local weather. Once again, it would be prudent to have any necessary clothing for this purpose in your carry-on. As an aside, various people are going to be poking through your luggage (both checked and carry-on). Make sure that it doesn't rely on extensive use of Kline bottles or other non-orientable surfaces in your packing (i.e, make sure than anyone can close your bag without doing a special packing dance), and make sure not to bring your extensive collection of priceless ancient crystal phallus symbols from Ecuador. Also note that the Fight Club scene regarding luggage is fairly accurate: electric shavers and vibrators can get turned on and are investigated. (and are referred to as "the dildo", never "_your_ dildo".) Pack your luggage as if someone was going to abuse it heavily, because they (other passengers, luggage attendants) actually are going to. Goal #2 is to make your person as non-metallic as possible so that you are not selected for additional screening at the security stations. Wear shirts with non-metal buttons, wear a non-metal or removable belt (and stash the belt in the carry-on for the security screening). Mind the underwire bras, corsets or any other underwear with metal. Wear shoes that slip on and off easily (so they can run them through the x-ray machine). You should have pockets, but they should be nearly empty. Put your cell phone, keys and most of your wallet in your carry-on, along with the metallic candy or gum wrappers, and coins. KEEP YOUR ID WITH YOU AT ALL TIMES, and keep your boarding pass. I've seen people separated from these items, and depending on how much of a power trip your particular TSA person is on, this can be either a non-issue, or the end of the world. As a related issue, I suggest that you dress in a way that does not attract attention to you. I use air-travel as an opportunity to wear my corporate whore-wear. Avoid political statements, drug references, or anything pertaining to a controversial topic. Other airport notes: Keep your bags with you at all times (other than the security screening, where they separate you from your luggage for a short time). Airport security confiscates unattended bags (and in some places they then blow up the bags!) Don't offer to watch stranger's bags. At the ticket counter, you will be asked if you packed your own bag, or some variant of this question. The only acceptable answer is "yes". You will be asked if you accepted items to carry for other people. The only acceptable answer is "no". Do not joke about anything regarding security (bombs, guns, etc) as they are required to treat everything you say seriously. Air travel notes: I suggest that you take ear plugs with you. Planes (the aircraft themselves) are loud, and passengers can be more so. Drink a bit more than you normally do (as the air tends to be dry) but not so much that you need to use the restroom constantly, as that's a trial all on its own. Bring snacks and enough for any meal that you'll want en-route. Many airlines have suspended meal service, or charge silly amounts for still crappy food. So, after reading all this, travel may seem a bit daunting. Try not to be too nervous. First, it'll very likely work out. Even if things go wrong, it's just an inconvenience, not a major problem. (also, TSA employees smell fear!) So, it'll almost certainly work out. Go, and enjoy yourself! Jun 5 04:40 2006 from speed Posts like this remind me how paranoid I'm not sometimes. :) But, yup, I pretty much agree with everything Josh said. Jun 5 04:43 2006 from the boy Gee, last time I flew, I just chucked some clothes in a bag, showed up at the airport and played it by ear. (: Jun 5 05:28 2006 from speed Yeah, that's pretty much how I travel, too, but at least I keep all the things that Josh said in mind. I usually travel with one small carry-on, and deal with circumstances as they occur. :> Jun 5 05:32 2006 from the boy Josh does have very good advice. We couldn't fit everything into carry-one, but we only had one bag to check between us. And like Josh said, I carried very litle on my person, so I could just toss my bag in the x-ray machine. Oh, they make you take your laptop out, though, and scane it seperately. And we had to take our shoes off (lame) so easily removable footwear was handy. Dress for comfort on the plane ride if it's long. Jun 5 08:01 2006 from bill Also I will mention JetBlue as a carrier that I have had good luck with, that doesn't do deals with any of the other services. They have flights from Oakland, CA (OAK) to Burlington, VT (BTV) with a change in New York, NY (JFK) www.jetblue.com Also, I hate stopovers, or plane changes, so I generally try and minimze them. I have good luck with sleeping on planes, so I will choose flights that leave here in the evening, and land there the next morning, and then ones that leave there in the afternoon, and get here about midnight. I find that the services like orbitz, etc, are great for doing a quick check of what is generally available as far as who flys there, and how many stops, but then will go to the airlines directly to see what their prices are. Also to make things more complicated, sometimes the price can vary dramatically depending on exactly what airport you leave from. Depending on what your options are for getting to an airport, you may want to look at leaving from Oakland (OAK) San Francisco (SFO) or San Jose (SJC) (in no particular order) Oh, and I pretty much do everything Josh mentioned. I also try to make sure I have a zippered pocket on my carryon reserved for everything I have to take off/out of my pockets, when I go through security, so I can quickly pick up my stuff, and clear the screening area, without having to deal with sorting it back into my pockets right there. (I do it down the hall, or after finding my gate) Jun 5 08:54 2006 from trishimi Can someone capture what JOsh posted? We aren't going to be flying anywhere soon, but when we finally do, I want that as reference! :-) Jun 5 16:06 2006 from anne Wow, people (especially Josh!). Thank you for the info...details are what I need / like, so this sort of thing is much appreciated. I will have to wait until I go home to read the posts in depth, but dang. Y'all are helpful! Jun 5 16:22 2006 from PurpleGirl anne: If you are nervous about all this, you definately should look into finding a direct flight. Even if you have to pay a little more, it means you son't have to deal with an extra airport. If you can't find a direct flight, then make sure you have plenty of time to get to the next plane. The internet sites should say how long you have between flights. If it is under an hour, you should probably skip it. You may end up waiting around a bit for you second flight, but that is better than trying to rush to your next gate. Jun 5 16:25 2006 from byter or bypass all the security and hassle altogether and charter your own private jet. or maybe not.