Category Archives: Getting There

Auguest 4 2009
Crystal Alerts Consumers of Illegal Check Scam
Crystal Cruises issued an alert that fraudulent checks that look like its corporate checks are being issued throughout the U.S. either randomly via mail or through other means including popular Internet websites featuring job postings, mystery shopper programs, sweepstakes and payment for items sold. Crystal said it does not believe that its customer personal information was used to generate these checks. “These checks look identical to, but are not, Crystal Cruises’ corporate checks,” the cruise line said. “These are not legitimate checks, and this is not a Crystal Cruises’ promotion. This is an illegal check scam.”

Crystal said the perpetrators advise the recipient to cash the …

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Statement on USA Today Piece on Federal Air Marshals
News & Happenings
The air marshal story in the November 13 edition of USA Today presents a distorted view of the TSA’s Federal Air Marshal Service by simply compiling and rehashing old reports in an attempt to falsely characterize an organization comprised of many thousands, based on the isolated actions of a very few over the course of many years. This flawed premise simply ignores and misrepresents the dedicated professionalism and expertise of the men and women that have protected our skies around-the-clock every single day since the attacks of September 11, 2001.

TSA’s senior leadership is proud and confident in the ability of the men and women of the Federal Air Marshal …

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MACHINES TO SCAN FACES OF TRAVELERS AT UK Airports

By Christopher Hope

Thousands of passengers are already being scanned in a trial being carried out at two airports.

However if the trials prove successful, ministers want the machines to replace most front line airport immigration officer over the next five years.

As well as improving security, ministers hope the computers will cut passenger congestion. The machines take 13-15 seconds per passenger, while a human takes 20 seconds.

Eleven pilot “walk-in” machines have been introduced at Manchester Airport to check passports automatically.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith is expected to be in Manchester airport to unveil the new plans on Tuesday.

The new machines take instant photographs of the holder, which are then electronically matched against the …

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Expounding on the latest travel regulations
By Bobbie Green
Currently the law regarding entry into the United States from a foreign country requires all persons traveling by air to have a valid passport, including U.S. and Canadian citizens. The key here is air travel. If you are traveling by land or sea only, the passport requirement has been postponed until the summer of 2009. If you are traveling by land or sea you must have a U. S. government-issued photo ID and proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate. The birth certificate MUST be a certified copy; raised seal certificates are no longer acceptable. Most cruise lines will tell you to get a passport even though you truly do not have …

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By Bobbie Green

Although tips are expected in most places, We Americans still consider it a personal choice. The following are helpful guidelines for our choices.

Luggage
Each country has different rules of correct or appropriate behavior on tipping.
In general for most Country’s $1.00 per bag for a porter is appropriate. In the US & Australia tip $1-$2 per bag. In China $1-$2 in total is proper.
In Malaysia, Japan, Vietnam and New Zealand it is not proper to tip Porters at all.

Restaurants
In Vietnam & Argentina tipping is illegal. In Japan it is insulting. Country’s where restaurant tipping is NOT expected are; Costa Rica, Fiji, Brunei, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates, South Korea, Singapore, Samoa and New Zealand.

Country’s that expect 7-10% in addition to a …

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Answer, when the ship is owned by its residents. The Vessel called THE WORLD® is truly owned by its residence.  She is a top notch hotel that sails the world making lengthy stops in major ports. This could be your retirement home if you are wealthy enough to be in the $1.3 million to 3.6 million apartment market. If not, there is still hope. Not everyone who owns an apartment stays on board all year and they make the apartment available for rent to others.

The Vessel itself is 43,500 gross tons. It has 12 decks and a crew of 250.
The average occupancy of guests and residence is 200. She is the first ship of her size to burn marine diesel …

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The Governments announcement of the new passport rules will affect many American travelers. The new regulations are government’s effort to improve our border security. They want to make sure all of us legal citizens reenter our country legally. We, of course are still waiting for them to do something about people entering our country illegally.

Meanwhile we will be required to show proof of citizenship upon return form countries that do not even require U.S. citizens to carry a passport when they visit their countries like Mexico and Canada.

The only good news here is that the new rules will be phased in gradually.
So, my traveling friends beginning December 31, 2006 all air and sea travel from the Caribbean, Bermuda, Central and …

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Air line rule everyone should know about.

If your flight is delayed or canceled or the airline is responsible for a missed flight connection and the delay to you is 2-4 hr or more (depending on airline)
You may have cause to invoke Rule 240. Rule 240 is a little known rule which has stayed in effect for most major airlines since the 1978 deregulation act. The airlines do not advertise it or willingly tell you about it.

In General it states that an airline must deliver you to your destination within two hours (some airlines 4 hours) of the originally scheduled flight time. If they cannot, they must put you on another carrier that can, if there is one available.

This rule applies …

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Good little TRAVEL story–

I sat in my seat of the Boeing 767 waiting for everyone to hurry and stow their carry-ons and grab a seat so we could start what I was sure to be a long, uneventful flight home. With the huge capacity and slow moving people taking their time to stuff luggage far too big for the overhead and never paying much attention to holding up the growing line behind them, I simply shook my head knowing that this flight was not starting out very well.

I was anxious to get home to see my loved ones so I was focused on “my” issues and just felt like standing up and yelling for some of these clowns to get …

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