Travelrific®
A blog for travel enthusiasts. Listen to our podcast at Travelrific® Radio, and visit our Wanderful Places® Travel Shop!Archive for baggage
Kid Travel Made Easy
By Linda Tancs
It isn’t easy traveling with young kids, as anyone witnessing or engaging in the juggling act of strollers, carriers and car seats can attest. Checking all that paraphernalia at the gate is no fun, either. And watching it clunk down some dirty baggage carousel is even worse. So what’s a parent to do? Try Gate Check, a bright red drawstring travel bag for children’s gear. If only luggage packing could be this easy.
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Lost Baggage Rule Gets Facelift
By Linda Tancs
Amidst the doom and gloom of baggage mishandling comes a rainbow: the Department of Transportation has increased liability for lost baggage arising from domestic travel from $3000 to $3300, effective today. This means an airline needn’t pay you a penny more than the DOT rate for your losses. Of course, you shouldn’t be packing Sunday’s best (or–gasp–electronic equipment or heirloom jewelry) in that checked bag in any event. Chances are, you’d consider it irreplaceable, no matter how much money the DOT is willing to throw at you. The same is true for international travel, but the compensation rate is about halved.
If you enjoyed this post, please share it on sites such as StumbleUpon, vote for it, or bookmark it. Thanks for your support! Travelrific® was featured as Blog of the Day on NJ.com!
Message in a Bottle
By Linda Tancs
Air travel is rarely hassle-free, as many can attest. The last thing you need is to open your luggage and find that a sticky goo or stain has invaded your neatly-packed, wrinkle-free clothing. The culprit? Probably those cheap plastic containers you bought to house your little 3-ounce toiletries. Never fear–Pitotubes is here. Hailed as the protector of your liquid assets, the company makes kits, jars and bottles (pumps or spray heads) designed to be shatterproof, leak-proof and refillable. The message? Sometimes good things do come in small packages.
If you enjoyed this post, please share it on sites such as StumbleUpon, vote for it, or bookmark it. Thanks for your support! Travelrific® was featured as Blog of the Day on NJ.com!
The Price of Excess
By Linda Tancs
In the good old days, excess baggage generally meant checked baggage that exceeded two freebies, or bags that went over the standard weight or size. In any of those limited cases, additional fees would apply. Now, however, at least one major carrier has broken with tradition. As has been widely reported, United Airlines will now charge economy-class customers with non-refundable tickets $25 for a second checked bag for travel within the U.S. and to or from Canada, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands. High-tiered frequent flyers, award ticket holders, refundable ticket holders, first class and business class passengers need not worry–the two-bag freebie continues to apply. Is it reasonable to assume that if fuel prices drop down, the newest surcharge will go away? If fuel prices continue to escalate and, in the absence of a huge public outcry, the surcharge sticks, will other airlines follow suit? Readers, weigh in.
3-1-1 Rule Revisited
By Linda Tancs
As any traveler knows, 3-1-1 (the rule restricting carry-on liquids to 3 ounces in a single quart-sized, ziplock bag) has evolved into a global rule for the promotion of safe air travel. The TSA Web site reports that the following countries have adopted the rule:
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Brazil, Canada, Cape Verde, China, Cook Islands, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, French Polynesia, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Marshall Islands, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.
Of course, all travelers should exercise caution and watchfulness (especially during busy holiday seasons such as this) regardless of the rules in play (or lack thereof), as the TSA recommends.
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Luggage Clearing in the UK
By Linda Tancs
As reports continue to show a distressingly high level of lost (and at times, irretrievable) baggage via Heathrow, the obvious query is what happens to all of those misguided, misplaced and mislaid parcels? Does anyone give a hoot? The answer lies in Tooting (south London), where each week an auction firm hosts happy treasure hunters sifting through your unclaimed shoes and knickers. Of course, electronics and other valuables are sold separately. Who knows, maybe you can buy back your own shirts. Catalogs and photos are available at www.greasbys.co.uk.
Carry-On Rules Vary
By Linda Tancs
Is a monkey nestled in a hat an acceptable piece of carry-on luggage? Probably not, although it’s difficult to imagine how that one got by the Peruvian authorities. This incident does call to mind nonetheless the varying interpretations of what constitutes a piece of carry-on luggage. U.S. travelers know, or expect, that a carry-on means one piece of actual luggage, plus a purse, handbag or laptop bag or even a combination of them. Don’t try that in the UK, though. The UK Department of Transportation makes clear that one piece of cabin baggage means just that–one piece. A handbag can be stored within that one piece of baggage. The rules apply to flights departing from or transferring through the UK. So be warned, and watch out for those flying monkeys.
How to Compare Travel Insurance Policies
By Linda Tancs
Make no mistake about it. All travel insurance policies are not created equal. Travel insurance is a billion dollar industry, and trip cancellation/interruption accounts for the bulk of the cost of travel insurance packages. Read the fine print of each provider’s coverage and weigh that against the cost of the coverage being sought. You can compare policy providers online. Check out www.quotewright.com.
Lost in Translation
By Linda Tancs
Just as marketers research their brand names in foreign markets so as not to offend, so too must tourists be wary of the shirt or purse sporting a phrase or logo in a foreign language. Case in point: Cameron Diaz toted a bag in Machu Picchu emblazoned with Mao Zedong’s “Serve the People” slogan in Chinese. The problem is that Peru suffered an insurgency by the Maoist Shining Path rebels some twenty years ago. Just another reason to research your destination before you travel and pack accordingly.
Have Laptop Will Travel–Or Will You?
By Linda Tancs
Given our tech dependencies, it may seem like an apocolyptic event to be denied use of a laptop aboard a plane. Thankfully, some earlier restrictions put into place after a massive battery recall have eased. Virgin Atlantic, for example, now allows any laptop to be used with its own battery in any cabin class. Ditto, Qantas. The moral of the story? Be sure to check your airline’s Web site for the latest news or special announcements regarding baggage.
