Fake baby for a traveling companion. Looks real, feels real.

by Jamie Rhein on

Here’s an idea for anyone who wants to travel alone, but hates to travel alone when it comes to meal time. These odd thoughts came cavorting through my mind after seeing this story on a Today Show segment. Imagine the scene:

There you are all by yourself while others are paired up or in groups. You are sitting waiting for dinner, maybe reading but feeling a bit dissatisfied. Perhaps you feel like a target to unwanted advances. You wish you had a detractor. Something that lets you know that you are not alone–or at least, if you are alone, you have a way to feel differently. Or perhaps you are a bit shy and wish you had a conversation starter, something that would break the ice when talking with strangers. And if a creepy guy is lurking about, something that would send a signal “hands off.”

A fake baby might be the answer.

According to the segment, the fake babies look and feel real. That downy soft hair. The weight of them. The way they appear in a baby carrier.

Here’s a YouTube video about these fake babies which, for some reason, have a big following in Britain.

One woman interviewed on the Today Show said that holding her fake baby helps her feel calmer. Think about how this might work on the travel scene. Holding a fake baby could give you something to do if a flight is delayed or canceled. Instead of feeling riled up, you can stay calm.

Here’s another way a fake baby might be the ticket to travel bliss. A fake baby in a car seat might help with long drives and cut down on the tendency to talk on a cell phone while driving. The women interviewed said they talk to their babies. You could tell your fake baby your travel plans and concerns which could help pass time as you’re driving down a highway. If you’re lost, telling your fake baby about your direction woes might help you feel better.

Babies can also be people magnets. People will stop to coo over a baby which opens up the channel for other conversations. They’ed certainly be curious about your fake baby.

Dogs can work this way as well, come to think about it, but never mind, this is about babies.

As a person who has traveled with a real baby, I can imagine what it might be to travel with a fake one.

Once I set my son on top of a blanket pallet on a table of a restaurant in Krabe, Thailand when he was three months. He slept while I wrote. I enjoyed having his company, but there was a predicament when, after drinking coffee, water and a smoothie over the period of a couple of hours, I had to get rid of some of the liquid. I wouldn’t have worried about waking a fake baby up–or dropping him on the bathroom floor when trying to rearrange my clothes.

Just like leaving my son sleeping on the table wasn’t an option, leaving a fake baby isn’t an option either. They can cost up to $4,000. A little over $1,000 is common. If someone stole your fake baby, you’d probably feel sad. Angry even.

Actually, a fake baby traveling companion seems a bit odd to think about it–harmless, but odd.

What about dressing up a dog like a person? Now, that’s another thought. Some celebrities do it. You’ve seen the pictures. Nah. That seems as weird to me as a fake baby.

As an aside, yesterday I was talking to a woman who was holding a six-week-old baby. The baby was sleeping soundly, not moving. Guess what I thought of? Fake baby. These days, double check.

Here’s a link to Reborn Babies, a company that makes the dolls. There are several examples of what they look like.

Heathrow’s New VIP Lounge is Juvenile

by Josh Lew on

The presence of kids in the fast-paced world of airline travel can evoke as much controversy as McCain versus Obama. The harried business traveler not only has to worry about getting slowed up or annoyed by the incessant whining (real or imagined) of youthful travelers, they also have to be concerned about accidentally thumping a child on the head with a briefcase as they try to hurry to their gate.

In a nod to traveling tots, London Heathrow has created a VIP lounge specifically for families. It’s not the first, but definitely sounds the coolest. That’s right mom and dad, no need to put up with the icy glances of laptop jockeys in the regular first-class and business-class lounges. In fact, the kids’ lounge in Heathrow’s Terminal 5 doesn’t even require a business class ticket. Known as KidZone, it has an ample buffet, computers and whimsical decorations. Entrance costs $27 per trip and is also included in the membership perks of clubs like Priority Pass. Virgin Atlantic has a similar lounge at Heathrow, while some state-side airports like JFK and LAX boast child-friendly facilities as well. American Airlines will continue the trend by opening no less than 9 KidZone-like lounges at major airports in the US. Food you can eat with your hands, no worries about making noise, and I bet they have Legos too. Sounds better than the regular VIP to me. I wonder if they let you in even if you are not traveling with kids.

Why are these the world’s best airports?



Click the image to find out!

Fire in tunnel under the English Channel halts Eurostar traffic

by Jamie Rhein on

When my six-year old son and I pulled into Manhattan on the Amtrak train, and again on a Trailways bus last month, we went underground. I’m not sure where Amtrak goes, but Trailways goes through the Holland Tunnel under the Hudson River in order to deposit passengers into Port Authority terminal.

As we passed through the tunnel, –the Holland Tunnel, he wondered why the river didn’t come caving in on us. Because the tunnel is well lit, you can see the inside of the tunnel perfectly. On the train, it’s dark outside the train’s window for the most part. Looking out the window means looking at your own reflection.

My son’s question was one of those moments when I realized I really didn’t have a clue. Kind of know, but don’t really know, but willing to trust engineering and the principles of physics. As I explained the safety of such a tunnel, I looked at all that expanse of tile and wondered a bit. Actually, I thought of how awful it would be to be stuck in it for any length of time with exhaust fumes spewing if there was a car wreck. That’s when you say to yourself, “Stay in our own lanes, people, and don’t go too fast. Pay attention.”

In the tunnel going under the English Channel yesterday, a wreck didn’t cause the travel snafu, but a fire on a train going between England and France. According to this article, the train was carrying trucks and only 32 people–mostly drivers of those trucks.

For passengers hoping to go through the tunnel on the train, they had to find alternative ways to get to France or stay where they were. Just like weather is something that airlines say they have no control over and won’t fork over assistance, so are fires in train tunnels. Eurostar said that because they have no control over fires they won’t help with plane tickets or hotel rooms. You can, however, get a refund or exchange tickets for another time. (I found this out on the Eurostar Web site.)

Because the fire is still going, trains are not heading through that tunnel today. I bet the ferries are packed with people lucky to snag a ticket. For the rest of the stuck people, lots of luck. (The photo by OliverN5 is of Eurostar trains at the Gard du Nord in Paris, France.)

British Airports May Lift Liquid Ban Soon

by Josh Lew on

Passengers on both sides of the Atlantic are barred from bringing liquids through airport security checkpoints. That might be changing soon. British airports hope to have scanning devices that can sense explosive liquids in place soon. Security services are already in the final stages of testing the machines. Once the testers give the go ahead, airports can put the scanners to work.

Four airports, including London Heathrow, have already purchased scanners. However, it is likely that the ban on liquids will not be lifted until all the country’s international airports are similarly equipped and their security personnel trained to operate the scanners. In other words, don’t get overexcited and try to carry that $200 bottle of cognac onto your flight out of the U.K. tomorrow.

Airlines have been complaining about the restrictions for some time now. They say that the rules make England’s airports less attractive. However, the ban was first put in place after a terrorist plot to blow up airplanes using liquid explosives was uncovered. Being sure you’re not going to get blown up is pretty damn attractive…or maybe that’s just me. If the liquid scanners work in England, US airports will probably follow their lead in short order.

Fungus in plane ketchup and air conditioning. Tutut.

by Abha Malpani on

Two fungus-in-aircraft stories are worth note and worry: An Indian Airlines flight served a passenger snacks with ketchup that had fungus on it. The passenger noted the contaminated packet and made a complaint, the airline dutifully apologized.

Fungus can be hazardous to health and can cause allergies, asthma, and even cardiac arrest. There would probably have been a grand issue should the fungus-ketchup have been consumed by a child or an elderly person. The airline said that they will investigate the situation and the suppliers from which they receive products.

That’s all fine but I don’t understand how the cabin crew member who served the fungus laden ketchup, didn’t notice it. And, if the fungus is on the pouch of the ketchup, it’s probably because it’s old and/or expired, which has nothing to do with the supplier. This was an easily avoidable situation.

Another fungus situation was in Ryanair: A flight from Hungary to Ireland had to divert because fungus laden ice started to drip onto a passenger from an overhead locker, triggering an allergic reaction in the passenger who started coughing. It was discovered that the fungus had contaminated the aircraft’s air conditioning system.

Thanks to jackhynes for the flickr photo.