And by “tolerable” we just mean “nobody has to die this year.” Kiplinger offers 10 ways to prepare yourself for traveling with kids now that cough syrup is frowned upon. We think one of the best is “team boarding”—don’t pre-board an airplane, because all it really does is increase the time your children are stuck in their seats getting all bouncy. Instead, if you’ve got another adult with you, one of you should board early and get the luggage stowed, pillows arranged, etc., while the other stays in the airport for as long as possible trying to run the kids ragged enough that they’ll promptly fall asleep once they’re settled in.
vacations
Watch Out For Bedbugs When Traveling
By 11.13.07
The next time you’re in a hotel, whether it’s a cheap day-rate one for your sad little affair or a luxurious business suite that the company has unwittingly paid for, check to see whether the mattress has an “allergy free” cover on it—it’s a codeword for “bedbug-proof.” Also, if you see trained beagles roaming the hotel sniffing out mold, there’s a good chance the “mold” is another codeword for “bedbug.” Hotels are quietly doing their best to locate and exterminate the insects to protect themselves from particularly vengeful lawsuits—but since an infestation can occur anywhere (it has nothing to do with “cleanliness” or sanitation), it’s a tough battle to win.
What You Need To Know Before Buying A Timeshare
By 10.30.07
Alex Moskalyuk has a great post with all you need to know about timeshares. Timeshares are condos divied up among a pool of owners, each of which owns a slice of it for usually one week of the year. Alex is mainly of the hey, a discount weekend in Vegas ain’t bad for the price of listening to a salesman. He goes over how your basic timeshare presentation breaks down, and how there’s different kinds of timeshares. For instance, in some situations you actually save up and use “points” and the “point cost” of a timeshare varies based on “peak” or “non peak” times of the year. He sees just about only one time when they’re a good deal:
Renew Your Passports Now, Because 2008 Could Be Worse
By 10.22.07
Despite all the much-publicized delays with passport applications this year, the government has announced that they’ll still be unprepared for the onslaught of applications come 2008, so if you know you’ll need a new/renewed passport you should apply now during the slow season. In January, the land and sea portion of the new passport law goes into effect, requiring everyone who travels to Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean to show proof of citizenship.
Look For Travel Bargains On Country-Specific Websites
By 10.4.07
When you’re looking online for flights or car rentals, consider trying the country-specific versions of popular travel websites, suggests the New York Times. In at least some cases, the price difference can be more than 50%.
Four Questions To Ask Before Buying Travel Insurance
By 7.8.07
What Is Already Prepaid Or Nonrefundable? Know what you can realistically expect to get back.
McDonald's "Trip Planner"
By 1.30.07
Planning a road trip across the country but want to make sure you’re never too far away from a McDonald’s? McDonald’s website has just the thing. They’ve added a “trip planner” to help you make sure that you don’t miss a single McDonald’s.
The Disneyland Sex Orgy
By 10.16.06
An age-old question finally gets answered: do the costume-wearing Mickeys, Minnies and Goofies at Disney theme parks let off some steam after work by humping each other in a sexy, furry orgy?
Vacation Survival Tips For Your Laptop
By 9.27.06
How to avoid buying a new $229 hard drive and paying a tech $80/hour to save your data:
Disneyworld Won’t Let You Get Drunk
By 5.29.06
For grumpy parents who take Disney’s particular brand of hallucinogenic chipperism as a soul-curdling annoyance, there’s only one way to get through a vacation at Disneyworld: drunk out of your gourd.
