Close User Name Password
Login Register
Travel alerts straight to your inbox:
 

Tag: HOWTO View All Tags

Tags: / / / /

How to Receive Better Customer Service at the Airport

May 20, 2009 at 4:11 PM | by Omri | 0 Comments

So we missed our LAX to O'Hare flight this morning. The details aren't really important. They involve the Hilton's long term self-park lot, a hotel shuttle, and the lax relationship that Italian tourists have to concepts like "not holding up a bus for 25 minutes by refusing to obey passenger limit restrictions."

Anyway, when United says that they won't let you check in if you're even 90 seconds late on their 45-minute cutoff, they mean that literally. Like we said, not really important.

What is important is that the well-known rule of customer service - "find the people who can say 'Yes'" - is as true inside airports as anywhere else.

We tried to check in, failed, and then waited in that understaffed line that airlines keep open for people who don't use kiosks. After a 40-minute wait, the United employee kindly informed us that she would be happy to put us on standby. Only problem: as of 6:30am all of United's flights, up through late afternoon, were already overbooked. Her best alternative: a $150 fee for a confirmed seat some time after 4pm, an option that would also preclude us from waiting standby on any of the earlier flights. Obviously we accepted the rolling standby and proceeded to mope our way through the metal detectors and into the terminal.

more ›

Tags: / / / /

How To Volunteer For The Tribeca Film Festival

April 15, 2009 at 9:16 AM | by cmb | 1 Comment

Jaunted contributing editor Christine M. Bord has a passion for movies and for volunteer travel. Here's her experience of combining both.

Volunteer vacations don’t have to be about saving wildlife or building houses. Most film festivals also need volunteers to make sure their events go off without a hitch. There are usually pretty good perks too. Like free movie tickets, swag, food and the opportunity to meet people with shared interests.

Two years ago, my boyfriend and I took a weekend getaway to the Big Apple and worked as volunteers for the Tribeca Film Festival. The volunteer coordinator was kind enough to schedule our boyfriend and us for the same shifts in the same theater. We took tickets, answered questions and worked the concessions stand at Tribeca Cinemas, a cool gallery, theater and event space on Varick Street. Our daily shifts only lasted about four hours giving us plenty of time to enjoy everything else the city had to offer.

more ›

Tags: / / / / /

Five Ways To Speed Through Security

March 11, 2009 at 9:26 AM | by egw | 2 Comments

There are only three sure things in life: death, taxes, and the cluelessness of the guy in front of you at airport security. You can't do anything about that guy -- has he even flown since 9/11? -- but you can not be that guy with our tips to come through clean and quickly. Here are our Five Ways To Speed Through Security.

Know the roadblocks. Of course they're going to ask for your ID and boarding pass, so take it out of your wallet or purse and keep it in a death grip in your hand as you walk through. Thanks to the "shoe bomber", our shoes are going to have to come off, so if you're wearing lace-up boots, maybe start unlacing them while you're in line. And America, empty your freaking pockets before you set the X-ray off. You probably won't need your keys for the next six to eight hours anyway.

more ›

Tags: / / / / / /

Attend Oscar Events in Hollywood Without Becoming a Stalker

February 19, 2009 at 9:18 AM | by cmb | 0 Comments

So, you wanna take part in the Oscars but don’t have a nominated film, fancy gown or any Hollywood connections? Don't worry, there are still plenty of Oscar-related events for you too. Lindsay Lohan, you might want to take note.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences traditionally sets up bleachers along the red carpet so fans can watch all the stars arrive. Every September, they hold a week long online lottery giving away tickets for the spots. Anyone can put their name in but you have to have pretty good luck to win considering last year over 20,000 people entered but only 300 seats were available.

more ›

Tags: / / / /

Get to South Africa for the 2010 FIFA World Cup

February 5, 2009 at 2:05 PM | by femmefatale | 1 Comment

If you’re one of the expected 300,000 to 500,000 football fans flocking to South Africa for the FIFA World Cup 2010, don’t think you can just hop on a plane and go. Football fans are notoriously crazy about attending football matches (cue The White Stripes "Seven Nation Army" which has become the de facto football cheer.) You really need to start planning now.

Tickets
Tickets for the FIFA World Cup 2010 finals will go on sale on the FIFA website, starting February 20. One million out of the three million total tournament tickets available will go to international visitors – the other two million go to sponsors, teams and South African fans. Tickets are expected to cost about $136USD a piece but can vary from anything from $80 to $900, depending on which of the 64 matches tickles your fancy and how close you want to be to the action.

If you’re reading this is May 2010 and the tickets are all sold out, you can still hop on a last-minute plane over there – giant screens in public areas will be set up, and pubs, restaurants and bars are shelling out big-time on mega-size TVs ready to keep the neighbours up all night.

more ›

Tags: / / /

How To Be In A Michigan-made Movie

January 9, 2009 at 9:45 AM | by cmb | 0 Comments

If you were following our Chasing Michigan series, you know that the Wolverine State is in the midst of a filming boom. Sure, the productions bring funds to the local economy, but they also bring tourists hoping to be a part of cinematic history by becoming an extra. And so one of our readers, Dawn, asked:

How do you go about being an extra or have a small part in all these productions being filmed in Michigan?

more ›

Tags: / / / / / /

How To Fly With Your Skis

December 15, 2008 at 12:45 PM | by pbb | 1 Comment

Everyone, it seems, is hauling the skis out of the closet and trying to figure out how to get them to the mountain without paying a checked baggage charge. But unless you're paying for business or first class seats--which usually cover the cost of your bags--you're probably going to end up forking over some cash. But at least you have some options of who you'll be forking to:

more ›

Tags: / / / / / /

HOWTO: Make Your Villa Rental Flawless

June 16, 2008 at 2:30 PM | by pbb | 0 Comments

Apparently renting a house instead of paying for a hotel room is the new hotness, as both Conde Nast Traveler and Peter Greenberg have lately started hyping the vacation option. We have to agree that rentals are dope, and they can be a good way to save money if you're traveling with a big group.

We actually just got back from a villa rental trip, though "cottage" would probably more accurately describe our pad than "villa." Still, we learned a few things that we hope will make your own villa vacay better.

more ›

Tags: / / / / /

Packing One Bag :: The Ladies Edition

May 29, 2008 at 2:50 PM | by juliana | 6 Comments

Yesterday, we were a little miffed by the packing tips of One Bag that came off as a bit sexist. (Asking ladies to pack one ugly pair of shoes and to use a bathing suit tankini top under suits? As if! Should men wear their speedos as an alternative to briefs at a big meeting?)

Thus we were spurred to create our list of packing tips for the ladies. We travel quite a bit and we never check a bag. These are some of the little things we do to make sure all our stuff fits into one stylish green Kipling carry-on suitcase.

Keep reading for our packing tips

more ›

Tags: / / / / /

HOWTO: Hedge Those Airfares

May 12, 2008 at 4:03 PM | by pbb | 2 Comments

Have you tried to book an airline ticket lately? They're getting expensive! But without a miraculous drop in the price of oil, fares are only gonna go up this summer.

Luckily, airfare obsessive Rick Seaney has a terrific tip for keeping your costs down as prices go up: Hedge. Usually it's detrimental to buy plane tickets more than about six weeks before your departure. But Rick says this summer, you're better off locking in a price now before fuel surcharges--and prices--go up yet again.

We love this tip because it's so insider-y. Airlines do the same thing when buying fuel; it's been helping the bottom lines at Southwest and JetBlue for years. If you're gonna stay within your summer travel budget, better get booking now.

Of course, we should mention that there's always the chance that fares will end up dropping on your particular route, but that's the risk you take when you're playing the oil futures market. Hey, now you know how the airlines feel!

Related Stories:
· Attention Summer Travelers: Hedge [Rick Seaney]
· Airlines Finally Passing Higher Costs on to Passengers [Jaunted]
· Airfares coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Fetchy]

Tags: / /

HOWTO: Hang with Flight Attendants off the Clock

May 5, 2008 at 12:00 PM | by pbb | 0 Comments

Do you ever feel bad for flight attendants? After getting hassled by rude passengers, spending hours and hours locked on planes and getting jerked around by management, they then have to find a place to stay for the night. (The airlines only comp hotel rooms on layovers.) You can help out--and make a few bucks--by renting flight attendants and pilots beds at your place.

Setting up a "crashpad" is easier than you think, if you've got some extra space and live close to an airport, says the LA Times:

Crashpad layouts vary with the property and may be a spare room in someone's home or an entire house devoted to airline renters...many crew members look for crashpads that have kitchen privileges, WiFi, nearby restaurants or a grocery store, laundry and, of course, close proximity or convenient transportation to the airport.

Sleeping arrangements are usually same sex and same profession: Pilots tend to bunk with other pilots and flight attendants with other flight attendants.

We can only imagine the shenanigans that you could get up to hosting a bunch of pilots and FAs at your house. Then again, like anyone else, they probably just want to chill after they're finally off the clock.

Related Stories:
· Rent a Room in Your House to Airline Crews [LAT]
· Flight Attendants coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of your potential future: r0b1]

Tags: / / / / / /

HOWTO: Ride the Heathrow Express for Free

April 24, 2008 at 9:15 AM | by amandak | 0 Comments

We've always thought that the fares from central London out to Heathrow were a bit steep, and apparently we're not alone. Former Prime Minister Tony Blair also didn't bother buying a ticket when he was heading to Heathrow to catch a flight to the US this week.

The usual fare for a first class train ticket to Heathrow is £24.50 ($49), but neither Blair nor his aide bought one before the trip. When inspectors discovered them, one of the policemen protecting Blair offered to pay for a ticket, but the inspector just told them to forget it.

So if you think the Heathrow Express prices are too high, there is a simple way to avoid them--just rule the country for a few years and nobody will make you pay. Apparently if you earn something like $4 million a year, nobody expects you have to have such a "cheap" train ticket.

Related Stories:
· Former PM Caught Without Ticket [AFP]
· London Heathrow Coverage [Jaunted]
· Tony Blair's Jet in Near-Accident [Jaunted]

[Photo: jaimelondonboy]