Travel tips to keeping your baggage safe:
1. Do not pack your expensive or irreplaceable items in packed baggage. Things like expensive jewelry, eyeglasses or medication. Although it's great to assume that all screeners are honest, in the real world that's not a reality. If you need to take these items along, pack them in your carry on bags.
2. Put tags on your bags and make sure they're up to date. Most people fill the tags out then forget about them. When their bags are lost, airport personnel find that the owner hasn't lived at the address listed for years.
3. Pack additional identification and even a copy of your itinerary inside your luggage. If your bag is lost, the airline can decide whether it should be mailed to your home or travel destination.
4. Put your name on everything. If anything gets lost or left on a plane, it's easier for you to make your claim with the airline if your item is easily identifiable.
5. Check all zippers and locks on your luggage. They may have broken or become worn since the last time you used them.
6. Keep an inventory of everything in your bags.
7. Make sure the airline places the correct destination tags on your bag. You don't want to go to Philadelphia PA and have your bags go to Philadelphia MS.
8. Once on the plane, remember where you stow your bags. If you stow your items in row 20 and you're seated in row 16, you could easily jump up and forget your items.
9. If your luggage is not on the luggage carousel, find the baggage agent on duty. Your baggage may have arrived before you did and is locked up in the agent's area. This can happen if your luggage is loaded onto a non-stop flight while your flight has a stopover.
10. Tie a string or bandanna to your luggage to help it stand out. Most luggage looks exactly alike, this helps you identify your luggage more quickly.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Monday, May 14, 2007
Tips to help get you through airport security
Here are some travel tips to get you through airport security.
From the tsa.gov website:
Certain clothing and accessories can set off an alarm on the metal detector and slow you down. Avoid wearing clothing, jewelry or other accessories that contain metal when traveling through the security checkpoints:
Heavy jewelry (including pins, necklaces, bracelets, rings, watches, earrings, body piercings, cuff links, lanyards or bolo ties)
Clothing with metal buttons, snaps or studs
Metal hair barrettes or other hair decoration
Belt buckles
Under-wire bras
Hidden items such as body piercings may result in your being directed to additional screening for a pat-down inspection. If selected for additional screening, you may ask to remove your body piercing in private as an alternative to the pat-down search.
Take metal items such as keys, loose change, mobile phones, pagers, and personal data assistants (PDAs) out of your pockets.
Place heavy jewelry and other metal items in your carry-on baggage or in plastic bags if they are offered, until you clear security.
Pack all your coats and jackets in your baggage when possible. All coats and jackets must go through the X-ray machine for inspection. These include, but are not limited to, trench coats, heavy winter coats, suit jackets, sport coats and blazers. If you choose to wear an outer coat or jacket to the checkpoint, you will need to either place it in your carry-on or put it in the bin that is provided for you.
Also keep in mind that you are required to remove your shoes before you enter the walk-through metal detector. All types of footwear must be placed on the X-ray machine to be screened. If you do not comply with Security Officers, you will not be allowed to board your flight.
From the tsa.gov website:
Certain clothing and accessories can set off an alarm on the metal detector and slow you down. Avoid wearing clothing, jewelry or other accessories that contain metal when traveling through the security checkpoints:
Heavy jewelry (including pins, necklaces, bracelets, rings, watches, earrings, body piercings, cuff links, lanyards or bolo ties)
Clothing with metal buttons, snaps or studs
Metal hair barrettes or other hair decoration
Belt buckles
Under-wire bras
Hidden items such as body piercings may result in your being directed to additional screening for a pat-down inspection. If selected for additional screening, you may ask to remove your body piercing in private as an alternative to the pat-down search.
Take metal items such as keys, loose change, mobile phones, pagers, and personal data assistants (PDAs) out of your pockets.
Place heavy jewelry and other metal items in your carry-on baggage or in plastic bags if they are offered, until you clear security.
Pack all your coats and jackets in your baggage when possible. All coats and jackets must go through the X-ray machine for inspection. These include, but are not limited to, trench coats, heavy winter coats, suit jackets, sport coats and blazers. If you choose to wear an outer coat or jacket to the checkpoint, you will need to either place it in your carry-on or put it in the bin that is provided for you.
Also keep in mind that you are required to remove your shoes before you enter the walk-through metal detector. All types of footwear must be placed on the X-ray machine to be screened. If you do not comply with Security Officers, you will not be allowed to board your flight.
Saturday, May 5, 2007
More time share tips from an expert
These travel tips are courtesy of Gopher Central. You can subscribe to all of their newsletters here.
Just 40 minutes of your vacation.
That's the pitch many time-share sales people make when
offering you a shiny bag of hotel and restaurant discounts
in exchange for touring one of their model condominium
units.
It is, in fact, possible to get through the obligation in
fewer than 40 minutes.
But it will feel like four days.
This week's edition includes:
* ANATOMY OF A TIME-SHARE PITCH
* PUKE PRICE AND NOSEBLEED DROP
* SALES TALK SURVIVAL TIPS
P.S. If you're interested you can now post comments on this
and recent issues on our forum at...
Travel Tips Forum
============================================================
ANATOMY OF A TIME-SHARE PITCH
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Several years ago, I got a few deeply discounted days at a
Florida resort, as well as a coupon to a cheesy dinner show,
just by agreeing to tour a time-share property. The vacation
was great, but the tour was excruciating.
Imagine chaining yourself to one of those highly competitive
cell phone kiosks at the mall. Now imagine that the
aggressive salesperson just needs one more sale to get his
wife's engagement ring out of the pawn shop.
My wife compared it to being on a date with a hormone-filled
teenager who keeps interpreting "no" as "maybe."
So a recent "confessions" article in Frommer's Budget Travel
magazine by a former time-share salesperson touched a nerve.
Lisa Ann Schreier sold time shares in Orlando for six years,
and described the multi-staged selling approach and scripted
pitch common to most time-share retailers.
It was all so familiar. If you do agree to bite on one of
those discounts-for-sales-tour offers, here's what you can
expect when you show up, based loosely on Schreier's
insight:
1) The greeting.
A smiling salesperson will introduce themselves, ask you how
your trip's been so far, and assure you that this won't take
much time at all.
Depending on the salesperson, you may be put immediately at
ease or suddenly feel a cold centipede scurrying up and down
your back. There seems to be a wide range of personalities
and approaches among timeshare sellers.
If you've got one of the disarming, personable ones, be on
guard. They may very well be nice people, but they've got a
job to do. And that job is to sell you something you
probably don't want and might not be able to afford.
If you've got the kind with a forced smile, oily personality
and Ratso Rizzo demeanor, then the waiting is over. The
uncomfortable part of your tour has just begun.
2) The intent
This is where you hear about what's going to happen during
the presentation. Frequently, you are asked to watch a brief
video filled with exotic vacation spots, tours of beautiful
condominiums, testimonials from gushing new owners and
charts that make time share purchases seem like a great
deal.
The salesperson then takes you on the tour of their best
units, highlighting all the nearby vacation and resort
amenities and dropping anecdotes about satisfied customers.
He or she will ask about your family, and point out features
- a swimming pool for the kids, a balcony for grandma's
afternoon highball - that get you to picture yourself as a
proud and happy owner.
============================================================
PUKE PRICE AND NOSEBLEED DROP
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3) The warm up
This phase, if done properly by the salesperson, should feel
like a casual conversation. It's where they talk about the
terminology used in time-share world and discuss your
family's vacation needs.
Usually, they talk about traveling for vacation as though
it's a 'must have', like groceries or your utility bill,
that should be built into the family budget. They'll define
a vacation "problem" you didn't know you had, then offer a
solution. That solution will be buying a time share.
4) The puke price
The salesperson will show you a price sheet. Usually, the
numbers are intentionally high, the so-called "puke price"
because it tends to make clients feel sick.
Few people actually jump at this offer. The time-share folks
expect this. They're just setting everybody else up for the
final phase.
5) The deal
At this point, a "manager" will come in to take over. He or
she will then quietly offer you a "special" deal that most
people never get. You either got there just as the new price
became available, or you've got such a nice family that
they’d hate to see you leave without buying them a yearly
vacation. If they sense it's what you want to hear, it might
be offered just because you're such a tough negotiator.
Then comes "the nosebleed drop". This is a new price,
significantly lower than the first.
6) The twisting
This is where the pitch gets hard.
They'll try to demonstrate that, given your budget, you CAN
afford it. They'll stress that the nosebleed package is
one-of-a-kind and can't be offered again once you leave the
room. They'll use your kids or your elderly parents to guilt
you into signing a contract.
My wife and I ended up walking out at this stage. You should
feel free to do so too.
Schreier, in her article, says that she sincerely believes
that, for the right people, buying a time share is a
legitimate alternative to paying for hotel rooms year after
year.
She's probably right. I've met a couple of timeshare owners
who were happy with their decision.
But I've met more who regret it.
============================================================
SALES TALK SURVIVAL TIPS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What should you be on the lookout for? There are a lot of
things to consider when pondering a timeshare buy. A good,
basic checklist is offered by Audri and Jim Lanford of
Scambusters.Org:
1. Don't ever, ever buy (or sell) "on the spot." Sleep on
it, and take the time to evaluate whether the deal is a good
one.
2. If you are offered a prize as an incentive, read the
"fine print" on the prize, and DON'T PAY for anything.
3. Read the contract and have it reviewed by an attorney. If
the sales person promised you something that's not in the
contract, don't sign the contract!
4. If the presentation is too high pressure, leave. You have
every right to leave when you want. Simply stand up and
politely say 'thank you very much but we're leaving now.'
Then go - don't let them argue with you.
5. Ask for references. And then call those references. Ask
for folks who have been happy and folks who have been
unhappy. They'll probably at least give you the happy ones.
If they can't come up with those, you're in trouble.
6. Don't ever call a 1-900 number to book a trip - it's very
likely a scam.
7. Consider a timeshare the same way you'd
consider any other real estate investment. Do research and
educate yourself on the market and the value.
Considering how weak the resale market is for timeshares,
don't ever buy into the concept that owning a timeshare is a
money-making investment. If it makes sense at all, it's
because you’re going to use it, not sell it.
Just 40 minutes of your vacation.
That's the pitch many time-share sales people make when
offering you a shiny bag of hotel and restaurant discounts
in exchange for touring one of their model condominium
units.
It is, in fact, possible to get through the obligation in
fewer than 40 minutes.
But it will feel like four days.
This week's edition includes:
* ANATOMY OF A TIME-SHARE PITCH
* PUKE PRICE AND NOSEBLEED DROP
* SALES TALK SURVIVAL TIPS
P.S. If you're interested you can now post comments on this
and recent issues on our forum at...
Travel Tips Forum
============================================================
ANATOMY OF A TIME-SHARE PITCH
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Several years ago, I got a few deeply discounted days at a
Florida resort, as well as a coupon to a cheesy dinner show,
just by agreeing to tour a time-share property. The vacation
was great, but the tour was excruciating.
Imagine chaining yourself to one of those highly competitive
cell phone kiosks at the mall. Now imagine that the
aggressive salesperson just needs one more sale to get his
wife's engagement ring out of the pawn shop.
My wife compared it to being on a date with a hormone-filled
teenager who keeps interpreting "no" as "maybe."
So a recent "confessions" article in Frommer's Budget Travel
magazine by a former time-share salesperson touched a nerve.
Lisa Ann Schreier sold time shares in Orlando for six years,
and described the multi-staged selling approach and scripted
pitch common to most time-share retailers.
It was all so familiar. If you do agree to bite on one of
those discounts-for-sales-tour offers, here's what you can
expect when you show up, based loosely on Schreier's
insight:
1) The greeting.
A smiling salesperson will introduce themselves, ask you how
your trip's been so far, and assure you that this won't take
much time at all.
Depending on the salesperson, you may be put immediately at
ease or suddenly feel a cold centipede scurrying up and down
your back. There seems to be a wide range of personalities
and approaches among timeshare sellers.
If you've got one of the disarming, personable ones, be on
guard. They may very well be nice people, but they've got a
job to do. And that job is to sell you something you
probably don't want and might not be able to afford.
If you've got the kind with a forced smile, oily personality
and Ratso Rizzo demeanor, then the waiting is over. The
uncomfortable part of your tour has just begun.
2) The intent
This is where you hear about what's going to happen during
the presentation. Frequently, you are asked to watch a brief
video filled with exotic vacation spots, tours of beautiful
condominiums, testimonials from gushing new owners and
charts that make time share purchases seem like a great
deal.
The salesperson then takes you on the tour of their best
units, highlighting all the nearby vacation and resort
amenities and dropping anecdotes about satisfied customers.
He or she will ask about your family, and point out features
- a swimming pool for the kids, a balcony for grandma's
afternoon highball - that get you to picture yourself as a
proud and happy owner.
============================================================
PUKE PRICE AND NOSEBLEED DROP
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3) The warm up
This phase, if done properly by the salesperson, should feel
like a casual conversation. It's where they talk about the
terminology used in time-share world and discuss your
family's vacation needs.
Usually, they talk about traveling for vacation as though
it's a 'must have', like groceries or your utility bill,
that should be built into the family budget. They'll define
a vacation "problem" you didn't know you had, then offer a
solution. That solution will be buying a time share.
4) The puke price
The salesperson will show you a price sheet. Usually, the
numbers are intentionally high, the so-called "puke price"
because it tends to make clients feel sick.
Few people actually jump at this offer. The time-share folks
expect this. They're just setting everybody else up for the
final phase.
5) The deal
At this point, a "manager" will come in to take over. He or
she will then quietly offer you a "special" deal that most
people never get. You either got there just as the new price
became available, or you've got such a nice family that
they’d hate to see you leave without buying them a yearly
vacation. If they sense it's what you want to hear, it might
be offered just because you're such a tough negotiator.
Then comes "the nosebleed drop". This is a new price,
significantly lower than the first.
6) The twisting
This is where the pitch gets hard.
They'll try to demonstrate that, given your budget, you CAN
afford it. They'll stress that the nosebleed package is
one-of-a-kind and can't be offered again once you leave the
room. They'll use your kids or your elderly parents to guilt
you into signing a contract.
My wife and I ended up walking out at this stage. You should
feel free to do so too.
Schreier, in her article, says that she sincerely believes
that, for the right people, buying a time share is a
legitimate alternative to paying for hotel rooms year after
year.
She's probably right. I've met a couple of timeshare owners
who were happy with their decision.
But I've met more who regret it.
============================================================
SALES TALK SURVIVAL TIPS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What should you be on the lookout for? There are a lot of
things to consider when pondering a timeshare buy. A good,
basic checklist is offered by Audri and Jim Lanford of
Scambusters.Org:
1. Don't ever, ever buy (or sell) "on the spot." Sleep on
it, and take the time to evaluate whether the deal is a good
one.
2. If you are offered a prize as an incentive, read the
"fine print" on the prize, and DON'T PAY for anything.
3. Read the contract and have it reviewed by an attorney. If
the sales person promised you something that's not in the
contract, don't sign the contract!
4. If the presentation is too high pressure, leave. You have
every right to leave when you want. Simply stand up and
politely say 'thank you very much but we're leaving now.'
Then go - don't let them argue with you.
5. Ask for references. And then call those references. Ask
for folks who have been happy and folks who have been
unhappy. They'll probably at least give you the happy ones.
If they can't come up with those, you're in trouble.
6. Don't ever call a 1-900 number to book a trip - it's very
likely a scam.
7. Consider a timeshare the same way you'd
consider any other real estate investment. Do research and
educate yourself on the market and the value.
Considering how weak the resale market is for timeshares,
don't ever buy into the concept that owning a timeshare is a
money-making investment. If it makes sense at all, it's
because you’re going to use it, not sell it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)