California Vacation - Part 1 of a Day by Day Diary

!: California Vacation - Part 1 of a Day by Day Diary

We normally take our vacation on the east coast of the Florida peninsula, so we purchased one week of timeshare vacation on Ormond Beach. It was near the end of summer season in 2005, and we had already taken our vacation that year so we decided to space bank our week until later.

Later is 2007, and we combined our 2005 week with our 2007 week so could have a longer vacation in California. Usually it is difficult to get two weeks back-to-back when you swap through RCI, but low and behold they had availability in the Palm Springs area. We would have to swap from one condo resort to another after the first week, but it was only a few miles away so we took it and bought airline tickets online. Then, we settled down for a long winter's nap while waiting for our vacation date to roll around.

Finally, July 6th graced the calendar and we headed for the airport at 4:45 a.m. in a taxi. It had been a while since we had traveled via airplane. In fact, we had not been in an airport since before 9-11. We had heard that things had changed, but we didn't realize how much. Free curb-side baggage check was no longer free. Clerk-assisted baggage check-in is now self-check in using a computer that knows more than most humans. We had five bags we wanted to check, and three carry-ons. The limit was two bags of each kind per person. Looking at the bags, we didn't think any one of them would meet the carry-on size restrictions, but of course those limitations were not posted near the computer that was serving as our welcoming agent.

We paid the computer an extra to check the fifth bag and then proceeded to the next early morning pre-boarding adventure. As we approached the person check, there was the sign we needed about 100 yards ago. We could have taken one of the bags on board. We were ordered to take off our shoes and put our carry on bags on the conveyor belt. All expect for the laptop and my purse; they had to be manhandled separately.

"You can't take a bottle of water on the plane," said the human void of personality.

We must have looked as dumbfounded as we felt. "It's just water. It hasn't been opened," I reported.

"No liquids over 3.5 ounces can be taken onboard. You can either drink it now, or throw it in the trash." She was serious.

I wasn't thirsty yet, so she pried the plastic containers from my hands and tossed both our brand new Aquafinas in the trash can behind her desk. Side note to terrorist: If you plan to bomb a plane, you must do it with less than 3.5 ounces of liquid, preferably not in a plastic water bottle.

Just inside the metal detector gate was a newsstand selling a wide variety of bottled water for two dollars each. Talk about seizing an opportunity.

Stay tuned for part two of a day-by-day diary of our 2-week California vacation.

California Vacation - Part 1 of a Day by Day Diary

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Airport Security - Top 5 Tips For Getting Through Faster

!: Airport Security - Top 5 Tips For Getting Through Faster

With the December 25th Amsterdam/Detroit terrorist attempt, airport security is forced to clamp down further on our already beleaguered process of getting from the check-in counter to the departure gate. Liquids, shoes, laptops, medicines, electronics, sharp objects, the number of carry-ons -- the list goes on and on of things that you need to worry about. So how do you make the whole security process go faster and smoother? Here's my top 5 list to help with that:

1. Empty your pockets into your briefcase or carry-on bag while you're waiting in line. Follow this with your watch and heavy jewelry. If you have a belt with a heavy buckle, then take that off, too. Waiting in line is just dead time so use it instead to get rid of everything -- cell phone, wallet, keys, mints, pens, change, etc. Do this as soon as you hit the line. If you wait until you get to the scanners so you can use the little dishes they provide, then you've added unnecessary minutes.

2. Avoid liquids and gels. If you have to bring them on (like in the case of medicines) then make sure you follow TSA rules to the letter. If you are used to bringing on board less essential items (toiletries, lotions, eye drops, etc.), then it's a good time to start putting them in your luggage and checking your bag.

3. Wear slip-on shoes. Anything without shoe laces will spare you the awkward untying, removing, putting back on, and re-tying drama. Some kind of penny loafer is good for the guys if you need to stay dressy for the flight. If you can travel casual, then you have more options like sandals, boat shoes, and slip-on sneakers.

4. Use a laptop bag with fast entry features like quick releases or zippers. Getting your laptop out should be a matter of a couple quick motions. If you have to do more than that, then it's a hassle and another unnecessary delay.

5. Put your airline ticket in your shirt pocket or back pants pocket. You need to show this to the security folks immediately after the scan, so you need to have it on your body somewhere. If you try to keep it in-hand during the whole process, then you'll end up setting it down somewhere and losing track of it. Tuck it away instead and avoid an embarrassing search that will further slow you down.

Airport Security - Top 5 Tips For Getting Through Faster

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Champions of Change: Young Entrepreneurs

!: Champions of Change: Young Entrepreneurs

Young entrepreneurs share their stories and personal experiences. August 18, 2011.

Champions of Change: Young Entrepreneurs

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Airline Travel Tips - Tips for Family Flying

!: Airline Travel Tips - Tips for Family Flying

Flying can be an exciting and enjoyable experience, especially if you are heading out on a family vacation. Here are some airline travel tips to make your trip as smooth as possible.

Getting a good seat is important, especially if you are going to be traveling on a long flight. When booking your ticket, you can often get a copy of the seating plan for your particular aircraft. Take a look at it before deciding on your seats. You'll need to make your decision on whether you'd like an aisle seat, a window seat, or perhaps you'd like to sit on the exit row which has more leg room but may have non-reclining seats on some planes. Keep in mind that children will not be allowed to sit on the exit rows, so don't select these seats if you have young children flying with you. If you don't get lucky on the seating when you book your flight, you can ask for better seats when you check in. This doesn't always work but it's worth a try. As a last resort, if the flight is not full, the flight attendants will often allow you to switch seats if you ask them once you board the flight.

How can you avoid flight delays? Well, most of the time there is nothing much you can do about this as you are at the whim of the weather, traffic, and other uncontrollable reasons for delay. However, booking a non-stop flight can lessen the likelihood that you will be delayed since there will be no airports to stop at in between which is the usual cause of going off schedule.

Watch for thieves in the airports. Happy-go-lucky vacation-going people are easy prey for thieves in the airport because they often, in the excitement of a trip. don't pay attention as well as they should. Keep a careful eye on your purse or carry-on.

Check to see how early you need to arrive and make sure you allow time for traffic in order to get there on time. Due to all the security, lines can be very long so better to arrive early and have extra time than be rushing to the gate.

Make sure you have all the paperwork you will need such as boarding ticket, passport if you need one, birth certificate if that may be needed, and photo ID.

Get a list of what can and cannot be brought on board in your carry-ons. These rules change periodically so get an up-to-date list from your airline.

Since airlines routinely overbook, assuming some people will not show up, you will want to reduce the possibility of getting bumped by either checking in online before you leave home, or arriving early to check in. This ensures the best chance of keeping your seat. The good news is if do happen to be bumped off your flight, the airline is required to pay you compensation. This could be tickets, seat upgrades, or frequent flyer miles, and other bonuses.

Use these airline travel tips on your next flight, and you will reduce the possibility of having anything go wrong on your vacation.

Airline Travel Tips - Tips for Family Flying

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Olympia Tuscany 21 Inch Expandable Spinner Airline Carry-On Upright,Black,One Size

!: discounted Olympia Tuscany 21 Inch Expandable Spinner Airline Carry-On Upright,Black,One Size Shop for

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