Air travel must haves and maybe nots.

by Jamie Rhein on

Here is an article I came across that made me wonder what’s wrong with me that I don’t have any special gadgets to bring on an airplane. I have owned a fold up luggage cart, but I can’t find it. I don’t have anything that is transportable that plays music. I have yet to buy a cell phone even. And my favorite thing to do on an airplane is to read the in-flight magazine from cover to cover.

According to former flight attendant and travel columnist James Wysong, (and author of The Plane Truth: Shift at 35,000 Feet) in his article, “In-flight gadgets, sublime and ridiculous,” I could really stock up on some nifty stuff-or the ridiculous. He’s seen people in action with both. Here are a few of his suggestions. A couple make me want to go shopping.

The nifty?

The questionable?

  • Flatulence Filter Let’s just say that you sit on it after you’ve eaten some beans or some other particularly gaseous meal.
  • Knee Defender This somehow prevents the person in front of you from reclining. (as also described in Neil Woodburn’s post, Jan. 2, 2007)

There are more suggestions for what to buy and funny observations of the not needed in the article. Look for the one that helps protect you from radiation. It might be something you can make at home.

SkyMall Demographic Data Visualizations

by Justin Glow on

No matter how many times I fly, I always, always pick up the latest issue of SkyMall and browse through all the crap you can buy at 35,000 feet. I’ve never bought anything, nor do I have any intention of ever doing so, yet I still glance through each and every page, noting all the useless stuff available for purchase. It’s a great way to pass the time.

My favorite product is the lovely Travel Pillow (pictured), designed to make your next flight both comfortable and uniquely bizarre for fellow passengers. “What the hell is that thing attached to his face?” they’ll say. “I don’t know, honey, but it sure looks stupid!”

This guy took a different approach to using the SkyMall catalogue to pass the time. Instead of browsing through page after page of pointless products, he took the time to cut out every single face and arrange them into a “data visualizations of SkyMall demographics.” Men vs. Women? Black vs. White? Blonde vs. Brunette? It’s all there.

[via cynical-c]

GADLING’S TAKE FIVE: Week of January 28

by Adrienne Wilson on

Instead of hunting for the quirky posts you may have slipped past I decided to reflect on travel advice and stories to help you during your own jaunts, because that’s what this whole thing is really all about – useful news.

5. Free WiFi for Vista Users:
One can never find enough free Wi-Fi while traveling, but for new Windows Vista users you can count on T-Mobile having your back. Well, at least until April 30th, but you’ll need to check out this plug from Dave to gain more details.

4. US Airways to Stop Serving Alcohol on New Mexico Flights, For Now:
Interesting and bizarre story on a man who guzzled too much on his US Airways flight, drank more after he de-planed and later lost his life as well as taking others. One effect from the whole situation – the airlines has to stop serving alcohol. Huh?

3. Come to America: We’re Not So Bad:
Exciting news if you are a foreigner looking to check out the scenes in America. From this piece it sounds as though America is looking to cut waiting times on visas and start additional welcome programs at major international airports so foreigners will surely know we’re friendly.

2. Tapping into Relief Organizations for Travel Advice:
Here is a super place to help with your travel searches if the area happens to be prone to natural or political disaster. Neil points us to a relief site geared more towards helping relief workers, but can certainly help the curious mind wanting to travel to shaky lands.

1. 8 Ways to Waste Money on the Road:
If I had a nickel for every dollar I wasted on some piece of junk, cheesy souvenir, or mismanagement of my tight shoe-string budget from some of my travels way back when I’d be a millionaire and probably wasting much more money. Check out these 8 ways to waste your money and then check out 8 ways to save money on the road.

Ask Nan at BabyBoomersTrips.com. and you’ll get an answer

by Jamie Rhein on

If you’ve ever had a travel related question and have been stumped about where to find the answer, there’s help. Her name is Nan. I just found out about Nan a couple days ago and thought, now that’s clever.

At BabyBoomersTrips.com, Nancy Zimmerman, former talk show co-host of WE TV’s StyleWorld, answers readers’ questions that range from ghost town jaunts to what in the world is going on with airline seats these days. It turns out that if I had read “Ask Nan” in December, I may have taken some time out to go to St. Augustine. (We were heading in a non-direct route from Orlando through St. Petersburg to Ft. Lauderdale.) St. Petersburg was a lunch stop off visit with my husband’s aunt. We could have combined this with a tour of the St. Augustine’s haunted hot spots. Evidently, there are plenty and the Ripley’s Ghost Train would have taken us to them.

About the airline seats. Nan’s news kind of makes a person never want to sit down again, unless, there’s something between the seat and you. Airline seats are a real germ carnival. She suggests bring along a stole or an airplane size blanket (cuddly) to put between you and the seat.

BabyBoomersTrips.com is also filled with other detailed tidbits divided into catagories of “Budget Boomers,” “Big Shot Boomers” and “Beauty Boomers.” Passport information, spa vacations and how to get the best travel deals are part of the offerings. It’s interesting to see what people want to know about. So, if you have any questions, “Ask Nan.” Or you can always ask us at Gadling. There are plenty of travel questions to go around.

Contraband Snow Globes

by Neil Woodburn on

In the wrong hands, snow globes could, conceivably be a dangerous weapon – or so the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) believes.

Unfortunately for collectors of kitsch, those cute little festive globes of shaken joy and wintry mirth contain more than the allotted 3-ounces of liquid and are therefore prohibited from entering an airplane via your carry-on.

Be prepared because TSA employees will confiscate any snow globe passengers are carrying and add it to their already fine collection of sharp objects and liquid/gel toiletry items.

I’m not sure what I find more amusing here; the house of some TSA employee littered with confiscated snow globes, or some hair-brained terrorist injecting chemicals into his “No Place like Nome” snow globe and hoping that no one comes along and shakes it.