At last, fall has blown in like a much needed cool breeze and travel life has resumed to a more relaxed, more normal flow. Even the on-time performance levels are looking better recently. We travelers tend to think normal is always better because those pesky families and kids are back to school and our airports are largely dominated by well-heeled travelers like us who know the ropes and can handle the routine more adeptly.

But I've been thinking that perhaps our definition of normal is not quite right. Perhaps the norm should really be these holidays that bring out the masses. With the biggest travel days of the year just weeks away I've asked other travelers what they think of the current state of air travel.

What I found was a little frightening. Many air travelers are not in sync with what is really happening out there. One glaring example is that only 2% of respondents say they expect delays after security and yet one in four flights are delayed. Another finding showed that the majority of respondents considered more than a half an hour to be excessive waiting time. Though there is no official tracking of how long people wait for any given flight, most airlines pad their schedules and can therefore make up for a limited amount of waiting without being officially "delayed." Yet these days, I consider a half an hour of waiting likely. (See complete poll results.)

Photo provided by IgoUgu member MichaelJM

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Posted in Air Travel, Holiday & Seasonal, News & Alerts, Polls & Studies
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One need not look too hard to find some article declaring the impotence of the American educational system in teaching any semblance of geography to its students. In grade school, we had a relatively rigorous geography class which included anything from being able to draw and label every African country on a blank outline of the continent—and include capital cities—to knowing what was the most susceptible country to cyclones and what its main export was. The answer was Bangladesh, and jute. I never thought I’d have much use for the info. Well, to be honest, aside from being able to say “jute” more than I thought I ever would, I don’t. However, I thought I was fairly well-versed in the world, able to identify my place, and the place of other places, within it.

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Posted in Educational & Historic, Polls & Studies
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In my youth, I spent a good deal of time playing after-school sports on Randall’s Island in the shadows of Manhattan. On Sunday, however, I sat on the hay and grass field next to Icahn Stadium and took in some great music at Farm Aid. Though the spirit of most open-air concerts, particularly ones headed by Willie Nelson and promoting homegrown food, tends to be pretty friendly, I was still reminded of New York at another time. Immediately after 9/11, New York was transformed in so many ways: it was scarred, terrified, and numb. It was also friendly, kind, and supportive. While I witnessed the typical kindnesses amongst people at the concert—bumming cigarettes, sharing sunscreen, dancing, and chatting—it all felt reminiscent of those precarious days of aftermath when doors, along with handshakes, hugs, and goodbyes, were held for just a little bit longer.

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Posted in New York City, Polls & Studies, Security & Safety
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I’m torn. Austin or San Francisco?

Travel+Leisure magazine asks travelers to rank America’s favorite cities in a poll that features 25 of the countries best destinations. Some of my personal favorites made the ballot – Charleston, New Orleans, New York, Austin and San Francisco – but my vote for number one came down to two inspiring cities that are actually very similar to one another.

Both Austin and San Francisco have a hip and funky vibe, but the similarities that stand out to me are their live music hot spots, love of food and outdoor pursuits. Growing up in Texas, Austin has always been one of my favorite weekend getaways. It’s a haven for music junkies and bar flies with blocks and blocks of local pubs, Mexican food joints and live music dives. Similarly, SF (my new home) boasts a bar on every block, worldly cuisine and iconic music venues.

With these two cities on the list, I’m struggling to cast my vote (maybe I’ll just cheat and vote for both!). What’s your favorite American city?

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Posted in Austin, Polls & Studies, San Francisco
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I’m off on a quick trip to Chicago next month, and I’m trying to resolve the dilemma of bringing two laptops. There’s my work one, of course--I’ll want to stay in touch with colleagues and check e-mail--and then there’s my personal one, the shiny white iBook with all my music and bookmarks and photos. I’ve always carried one computer with me on my vacations--the idea of potentially being out of touch makes me hyperventilate just a tad--but am I over-egging the pudding a little with two?

It seems we can't stop, any of us. According to an Associated Press-Ipsos poll released last week, one in five people took their laptop on their last vacation, and the same number admitted to doing some work when they were supposed to be relaxing. Twice as many checked their e-mail.

My biggest problem, really, isn’t which laptop to bring--or whether I should even bring a laptop; frankly, that’s not up for discussion--but how I’m going to get both on the plane with me. Most airlines only allow you to bring one laptop bag, in addition to another piece of carry-on luggage. What I need, I think, is the bag equivalent of the double stroller. Anyone know where I can get one of those?

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Posted in Air Travel, Business Travel, Packing & Baggage, Polls & Studies
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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: flying domestically within the U.S. is like flying in a third world country.

In fact, it’s worse than flying in a third world country. I should know. Last fall, I made the trip from tiny Bagan, Myanmar (formerly Burma) to tiny Inle Lake, Myanmar on the modest Air Mandalay. Aside from the fact that I’d picked up some tropical parasite and felt like death warmed up for the full hour and a quarter, it was one of the most pleasant flights I’ve had. The aircraft was clean, new, and perfectly punctual, the crew was delightful--several flight attendants even offered me Ibuprofen when they saw I wasn’t well--and we were (gasp!) actually given food we didn’t have to pay for. Sure, the flight was announced by a man yelling through cupped hands, and the same woman took the payment for our ticket, checked us in, and--for all we know--even flew the plane, but the experience was still better than any I’ve had flying within the U.S.

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Posted in Air Travel, International Travel, News & Alerts, Polls & Studies
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I’m all about taking surveys. I can’t get enough of answering questions. I actually arrive at the doctor’s office embarrassingly early so that I can devote as much time as I want to filling all the forms out. And so when Travel + Leisure magazine and CNN Headline News launch their America Favorite Cities survey on April 30, you can bet I’ll be at the head of the line waiting to take it.

Last conducted in 2004--when Washington, D.C. was voted the best city for sightseeing, Honolulu the best city for romance, and New York the best city for family trips--the survey asks participants to dish on the cities they’re familiar with, ranking the restaurant scene, shopping options, and historical and cultural sights. You can even, if you like, give your opinion on your fellow residents, answering questions on their friendliness, their intelligence, and--gulp!--even their attractiveness and fashion sense.

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Posted in California, Dallas/Fort Worth, New York City, Polls & Studies
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Peppermint or strawberry scrub? Rosemary or sage and lemon wrap? If you’ve ever indulged in a day at the spa, you know that the menu reads more like the bill of fare at a decadent sweet shop rather than a list of services at a health resort. Even better, these treats are a calorie-free, guilt-free way to give your body a boost.

With more travelers focusing on health and wellness in recent years, Spa Finder surveyed travel agents and discovered that spa vacations are on the rise. Being a traveler who doesn’t exactly like to “rough it” while on vacation, I, too, contribute to the growing numbers.

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Posted in Health & Wellness, Polls & Studies, Spas
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While I don’t discount the efficiency of the subway or the ease of hailing a cab, I’ve always thought the best way to discover a new city was by walking. I’ve hoofed it through Hanoi, sauntered around Shanghai, and pounded the pavement in Paris. And since I’m likely to be both on a budget and indulging in a host of new gastronomic delicacies when traveling, it certainly doesn’t hurt that walking is not only free but also excellent exercise.

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Posted in Health & Wellness, Polls & Studies, San Francisco
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Maybe I've read too many women's magazines in my lifetime, or maybe I'm a just a sucker for a quiz. So when I was reading an article in the January issue of Condé Nast Traveler that had a test in it, I immediately jumped online to take the 15-question Travel Personality Test. I mean, who doesn't want to know what their travel type is, right?

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Posted in Polls & Studies
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It’s no secret that American’s favorability around the world is on the decline. I was reminded of this earlier in the year when I traveled to Quebec with a slightly obnoxious stars-and-stripes luggage identifier tied to my suitcase, which mysteriously wound up getting “lost.” After speaking to the airline agent in Canada, who chuckled when I told her of the tag, I began to wonder if my missing piece of luggage had more to do with the red, white and blue than I could have anticipated.

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Posted in Business Travel, International Travel, Polls & Studies
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Editor’s Note: Travelocity’s Thanksgiving Task Force monitored crowd conditions Monday through Wednesday at 10 of the busiest airports in the country: Atlanta-Hartsfield; Chicago O’Hare; Dallas-Fort Worth International; Denver International; Phoenix International; Las Vegas McCarran; Los Angeles International; New York La Guardia; Orlando International; Reagan National.

I am in shock. Travel shock that is. Seriously, do you know how good travel has been so far this Thanksgiving? Phenomenally good, that's how much. If you're reading this you've no doubt read some of our other reports and learned that passengers were moving through security much faster than expected for such a busy time. Overall, security lines were less than 10 minutes at each of the airports, according to the Travelocity Thanksgiving Task Force team who tracked these findings throughout the week.

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Posted in Air Travel, Holiday & Seasonal, Polls & Studies, Security & Safety, Thanksgiving '06
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