What does the Southwest Airlines purchase of AirTran mean to us regular Joe, non-elite travelers? Here are a few thoughts.
flying
Two Frogs, One Cup … One Gross Pre-Flight Beverage
Let’s say you were a college student with a pair of pet frogs. And the spring semester was over, and you had to fly back home from the West Coast to the East Coast. And well, you’re a pet person: Even if your pets are slimy amphibians, No Frog Left Behind!
How do you get your frogs onto a plane?
My sister-in-law faced this dilemma back in the Golden Age of air travel when you could actually carry liquids on board.
And while liquids were allowed, frogs in the cabin … well, not so much.
Sis-in-law knew this. So she decided her frogs would be undeclared stowaways – in a Thirstbuster cup! She filled it with water, and slipped the frogs into their portable pond. She completed the ruse with a straw poking out of the lid.
She showed up at the security checkpoint with her carry-on and her Cup o’ Frogs. The TSA agents, being TSA agents, wanted to make sure she wasn’t sneaking something harmful aboard.
They asked her to take a nice big gulp from her “Thirstbuster.”
I can only imagine her reaction. I wish I’d been there. I mean, I never shy away from a eating something most people find gross. I’ve eaten all manner of wacky foods: Rancid shark meat, possum pie, camel schnitzel, many more. My sister-in-law would not touch any of this. No way.
But I guess she would drink FrogWater (similar to Vitamin Water, but with frogs rather than Vitamin C). She sucked up just enough of her amphibian amigos’ [...]
6 Things You Need to Know About Travel Insurance
Eyjafjallajokull’s eruption is a case study in how travel insurance
could help stranded travelers. Photo by Henrik Thorburn
The skies over Europe are starting to open again after a dismal week courtesy of the erupting volcano in Iceland under Eyjafjallajokull (adding “glacier” after that is redundant, by the way, since “jokull” is Icelandic for glacier).
But the interruption in air travel is a perfect illustration of how travel insurance can be more than just another expense. A few weeks ago, I started chatting with travel insurance expert and Gustey.com writer Bryant Abel about some of the ins and outs of travel insurance. Here’s a confession – I previously dismissed travel insurance out-of-hand as being another industry preying on people’s tendency to “what if?” ourselves to death. I’ve since changed my tune because of some input from other travelers I consider smart - and Bryant’s expertise helped, too. Plus, the flight delays to Europe caused by the ash cloud gave me food for thought.
I had some questions for Bryant, and here’s what he had to say:
1. What sorts of problems can travel insurance cover?
Travel insurance can cover a number of “problems” that incur when you travel. The primary helping hand comes in the form of lost baggage, trip cancellation, medical care overseas, and embassy or evacuation care in case a global emergency were to take place. These are just a few, but the main ones.
2. What are the three most popular types of coverage?
The most popular coverage is individual trip protection. This can range from $30 to $100 [...]
Chipping Away at Iceland Travel Plans
Planning a trip to Iceland is really hard. Only one airline flies there, which is a major bummer (7-hour flights that don’t include meals … really?). It’s hard to get around, and prices are steep despite the favorable exchange rate. But I really want to hike Landmannalauger, tour the Skaftatell glacier and check out Dimmuborgir. And I want to eat the tasty fermented shark meat known as hakarl! I have to figure out ways to mitigate these obstacles. There are new (to me) glaciers and volcanoes waiting!
But New Zealand, stop whispering “come back and finish driving the Thermal Explorer Highway and climb Mt. Ngauruhoe again and go Schweebing – you know you want to!” in my ear. You’re really not helping.
