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I used to be at the highest level of United Airlines frequent flyer club. That meant I usually had a great seat and many times I was upgraded to First Class. However, when you have no status you are usually assigned a seat in the back of the plane and very often even those rear seats are center seat only. Here's some tips on how to get a better seat. Check back often, … [Read more...] about How to Get a Good Seat on an Airline When You Have No Status

Get on the phone to the airline's reservation desk. Then while on hold, go get in the line (usually long) to personally talk to the agent behind the counter. Why call first? There is a good chance the agent on the phone will be faster than waiting in line for the agent behind the counter. Once you have new flights, get out of line. I've done this many times and it's … [Read more...] about This is the FIRST Thing you do at the Airport when your Flight is Cancelled

It can happen. It's in the fine print of your ticket. The ship captain has complete authority to toss off any passenger for not following the rules. According to this story, a passenger was upset because he couldn't get into a show. He called the crew member and idiot. The crew member called for security. The passenger said it better be more than one security member … [Read more...] about Passenger Kicked Off Cruise Ship for Disrespecting a Crew Member

Maybe - but you need to understand all that is not included in the basic economy, bottom-of-the-barrel, no-frills fares. It may not include checked bags, seat assignments and perhaps you can't even bring aboard a carry-on. Check the frequent flyer miles also as you may not earn anything on those cheap fares. I recently flew from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas on Spirit … [Read more...] about Should You Purchase Economy Fares?

If you're a senior traveler, your days may be over when you had to fly regularly with children, infants and small kids. Sometimes, we may find ourselves with small grand children on the plane with us. Here's a few tips. Get a seat near the restroom. You'll be using it frequently on a long flight. Take lots of distractions such as stickers, books, coloring books, video … [Read more...] about Tips for Traveling with Small Kids

I use a black, ballistic nylon, carry-on size luggage that I purchased at Costco. Just like tens of thousands of other travelers. I rarely check bags but when I do, it's startling how many black nylon bags go around the carousel. Bags that look just like mine. To avoid someone mistakenly taking your bag, decorate it. Put stickers, ribbons, tape, threads, or whatever … [Read more...] about Personalize Your Luggage

I usually handle jet lag better than my wife. Part of that may just be our DNA but I think a big reason is when she lands in say, Europe, she takes a nap. I stay up and fight going to sleep. I'll walk around town, have some food, watch TV and do whatever I have to do to stay awake until late evening. When I finally do go to bed, I'm so tired I sleep for six hours or … [Read more...] about Jet Lag – How to avoid it

Vacations used to be for those who had the time and money to get away from home for a few days every year, and those people always went to the same destination for their trips.  Nowadays, people are traveling more than they are not, and it is never to the same places, as everyone wants to conquer their bucket lists of must-see destinations.  With all this extensive travel, … [Read more...] about What Senior Travelers Need to Know About Travel Insurance

I love Medicare. As a senior, it's a wonderful benefit to getting older. Many do not understand it is only valid in the U.S.A. If you're traveling overseas, be sure to get a medical insurance plan, sometimes called Trip Insurance. If you travel more than a couple times a year, consider getting an annual plan. Those plans can be more cost-effective then individual plans … [Read more...] about Medical Insurance Overseas for Seniors

I recently made a change to a return flight and paid a $200 change fee. A day later, I made another change and paid an additional $200 fee. Crazy! These fees are pure profit for airlines. One way to avoid them some of the time is to book one-way flights instead of round-trip flights. This won't always save you from paying the fee but it might in some cases. … [Read more...] about Airline Change Fees – How to Avoid Them