Check historical on-time ratings – Airlines tip

by Gadling Staff on

The uncertainty of flight delays can be nerve-wracking. Will you make that 40 minute layover… or will you be stuck in Newark for half the day? An alchemy of time of day, current weather, and the airports involved determine your fate.

You can obsessively check, but can’t really predict, weather. The other factors, however, are a little easier to figure out ahead of time. Sites like the well-regarded FlightStats.com offer historical on-time performance for most routes. Punch in your flight info, and you’ll be rewarded with average delays and details on past performance.

Maybe, now, you can relax.

Maybe.

Ask and ye shall receive… beer glasses – Souvenir tip

by Gadling Staff on

I enjoy collecting beer glasses for national brews that I sample when traveling, but tracking down stores that sell the glasses is time-consuming and logistically difficult, if not impossible.

However, on a recent trip to Slovenia, while enjoying a locally-brewed Lasko Pivo, I asked my bartender where I might be able to buy a glass featuring the logo. After hearing about my collection, the pub owner offered to give me two glasses of his own.

Now I ask all my bartenders the same question — more often than not, they are happy to help me build my collection, at no charge.

Share postcards from YOUR hometown – International travel tip

by Gadling Staff on

Whenever I travel overseas, I always pack a stack of postcards from North Carolina and my hometown, Asheville, located in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains.

The postcards show beautiful scenery, and they pinpoint a location some non-Americans might be unfamiliar with. By sharing my postcards, anyone can start a generic conversation (e.g., “This is where I live…”) and go from there.

Bonus: by giving someone a postcard, it becomes a souvenir from our meeting. Add your contact info on the back, and you can always stay connected.

Pack sesame oil – International travel tip

by Gadling Staff on

Jetting off to the Swiss Alps or making your first trek up Kilimanjaro? Besides the basics, make a quick trip through your natural health store or local grocer and grab one last essential — a small vial of Sesame Oil.

Used extensively in India as a healing agent, and often used in Asian cuisine, this inexpensive remedy can also be used to aid breathing and prevent clogged nasal passages while in extremely cold temperatures or high altitudes.

And, while most cultures say it’s rude to insert foreign objects in one’s nostril, a quick pass with an oil-slicked finger will keep you breathing free and clear… and isn’t that always more polite than constant sniffling?