Great Europe Tour Tips 2012Spring

8/13/2019 Great Europe Tour Tips 2012Spring

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T r a v e l E s s e n t i a l s N e w sSpring 2012

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In This Issue

European Rail or Rental Car? Page 3

A Trip to San Diego Page 6Travel Photo Contest News Page 8

by Nancy Bestor

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A Spotlight on New andInnovative Travel Products

continued on page 2

Europe Through The Eyes of aReally Cute Teenager

Carry-on Bags:The Truthby Nancy Bestor

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by Ember Hood

My rst “real” experience abroad was

in 1983 when I traveled through Europewith my older sister Teresa. Initially, we

ew to Yugoslavia,to visit family for10 days. But thenwe set out on ourown across theAdriatic by ferry to

Bari, Italy, where we began our EuropeanBackpacking Adventure. For the next sixweeks it was just the two of us. Teresa was21 and I was 16. Yes, 16 years old.

We traveled via train through six

countries with our second class Eurailpasses. I remember getting off at our rststop in Rome and my distress at beingconfronted by aggressive touts offeringcheap hotel rooms (among other things),and thinking we had made a huge mistake;that we had no idea what we were doing.

I feared we would get cheated, robbed,raped, lost, or all of the above. We spokeonly English, and had no experience book-

ing hotels in the U.S., let alone bookingaccommodations in Europe. We werenovice travelers, but everybody’s got tostart somewhere, and we learned quicklyfrom our mistakes. First lesson learned – don’t rent a room from a train stationtout. Instead consult a guidebook, fellowtravelers or the local tourist ofce forrecommendations.

I was quite surprised to discover thescores of teenagers and college studentsriding the rails and backpacking alongwith us. Almost every single one toted

their very own copy of Let’s Go Europe (a.k.a. the backpacker’s bible), whichamazingly, we knew nothing about beforeheading across the pond. It was great toconsult with these veteran yet like-mindedtravelers on where to visit, sleep, shop,

“What’s the size of the largest

bag you can carry-on?” It’s a questioncustomers ask us every day. Althoughlots of rules have changed in the airlineindustry in the 18 years we’ve been inbusiness, the one thing that has stayedconstant is the maximum allowable sizeof a carry-on bag. When traveling inthe United States, and from the UnitedStates to other countries on a U.S. basedcarrier, a carry-on suitcase can measure22 x 14 x 9, or 45 linear inches (the threemeasurements added together). Soundssimple, right? Well….yes and no.

Bear with me here, as this is whereit starts to get a bit confusing. Almost allU.S. based airline’s measurements includea little bit of “grace” for wheels andhandles. So, when wheels and handles areincluded, a legal carry-on for them is more

We’ve just returned from theannual travel and luggage trade showand are delighted to offer several newand innovative travel products that wediscovered in our research. Luggage andtravel accessory companies continue tond new ways to make travel safer andeasier for us all. Here are a few of our newfavorites.

Aircraft Toiletry KitThe Kiva Aircraft Toiletry Kit offers

the smartest design we’ve seen yetfor carry-on toiletries. Going throughsecurity is a breeze when you un-zip theAircraft Toiletry Kit ($29.95) into twohalves, leaving you with a clear, durable,one-quart TSA-compliant bag for yourliquids. The other side of the Kit is easyto pack with a large u-shaped openingand interior pockets that are perfect foreasy organization. And, once you’re inyour hotel, the Aircraft Toiletry Kit hangsneatly from a towel rack using its handy



•Spring 2012

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Europe Through the Eyes of a Teenager...

“Remember what Bilbo used to say: it’s a dangerous business, going out your front door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet,

there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.”—J.R.R. TOLKIEN

and eat, all on the cheap. We, like all ourbackpacking peers, were very frugal,

many meals consisted of bread and cheeseor other store bought items. Fancy restau-rants? Never. Hotels? Nope.

We stayed in youth hostels, withour Hostelling International membershipcards (www.hihostels.com), and rarelypaid more than $10 a night for a bed in adormitory room. Most of the hostels westayed in had kitchen and laundry facili-ties, as well as strict rules about what timeyou had to be back at the hostel, and whattime you had to leave in the morning.Many even provided social activities. I

fondly remember watching An Ameri-can Werewolf in London in Interlaken,Switzerland, with a crowd of low budgetadventurers who looked so much coolerand better traveled than I.

there was the friend we made in Venice,Mai, who when introducing herself said“my name is Mai, as in My God.” We

shared a pension for several days in Italytogether, and were sad to say goodbye.I met a guy at the rst and oldest youthhostel in Switzerland, Balmer’s (www.balmers.com), who explained to me thewhole “pay itforward” sys-tem by foldingsomeoneelse’s laundrywhile waitingfor his own todry.

We also

came up with“The FiveQuestions”.These are thequestions thatevery singleeuro backpacktraveler isguaranteedto ask everyother eurobackpack traveler that they spend longerthan ve minutes with:

Where are you from?How long have you been traveling?Where have you been so far?Where are you going next? And,How much time do you have left totravel?

The great thing about those ques-tions was that as repetitive and inevitableas they were, and still are, I suppose,everyone we ran into had a fascinating andinformative answer to each of them.

One of my strongest memories of thatrst trip is how different everything was. Iwas shocked to discover Italian pizza wasvery thin, not like the thick Round TablePizza I was used to. I even had to ask forice for my drink. If I was lucky they’dhave it, otherwise it was served roomtemperature. For the rst time I stayed in apension where the shower was in the mainpart of the bathroom, with no curtain, soone could conceivably sit on the toilet andshower simultaneously. At the time, withmy 16-year-old brain, these cultural oddi-

•••••

I stayed in a pension

where the shower

was in the main

part of the bathroom,

with no curtain, so one

could conceivably

sit on the toilet and

shower simultaneously.

ties were annoying, but in hindsight, theywere just different. It’s safe to say this tripgreatly impacted my life, as well as my

future outlook on travel.Fast-forward 29 years (yes, I’m 45

years old). These days, Rick Steves is morelikely to be my travel bible, not Let’s Go.I don’t stay in youth hostels anymore.

I even “splurge” and regularly eat inrestaurants. And I’m actually willing topay money to go up in the Leaning Towerof Pisa, rather than just look at it fromthe ground and save the 4,000 Lire (about$2.50 back then. Now it’s 15 euros whichis about 20 bucks. Big mistake not climb-ing the Tower when it was cheap. Let thatbe a lesson.). I’m also no longer annoyedby cultural differences as I have a greaterlove for new experiences. I still like to dothings on the cheap (which, it turns out, isusually the best way to “live like a local”when traveling) but not so cheap that Imiss out on the little adventures that makea trip worthwhile.

This summer I’ll be putting my 17-year-old daughter on a plane by herselffrom Milan to Paris, where she will be met(we hope!) by a French family who willhost her for two weeks. Emily is far moretraveled than I was at her age, but I’m cer-tain there will be some cultural differencesthat she nds annoying as well. I’m hope-ful however, that she won’t need to sit onthe toilet and shower at the same time.

To save money and cover moreground, we sometimes slept on trains. I re-member it not being too important exactlywhere they were going, as long as it was inthe general direction we were headed andwe could get a minimum of six hours ofsleep. As far as we were concerned, it was

more about a free night of lodging thangetting from point A to point B.

We met lots of interesting characters.There were the two girls who stole anolder couple’s Roquefort cheese on a trainin Switzerland, and who also attemptedto sneak into a youth hostel for the night.They were caught, and I must admit, Iwas glad. (I know where my daughters gettheir “rule following” tendencies.) Then



Spring 2012 •

Rail vs. Car — Which is Best for European Travel?

“I am proud to be an American, because an American can eat anything on the face of this

earth, as long as he has two pieces of bread.” — BILL COSBY

A crucial element in the process of

planning a European trip is decidinghow you will get from place to place.This somewhat complex choice not onlyaffects the pocketbook but is also a keydeterminant in that very important tripsuccess measure—the fun factor. Forsome, two or three weeks of driving isthe best possible way to travel. Otherswould rather eat their morning muesli withground glass than get behind the wheel ofa car in Europe. Still others go to Europe just to ride the trains. I am comfortablewith both rail and car, and given thechoice, prefer a four-hour drive or a six-

hour train ride to a 60-minute commercialairline ight.

That pretty much sums up yourchoices: car, rail, and air. If money is nota consideration, a combination of rail andcar—and once in a great while, air—willbe the best solution for trips that plan tocover a lot of ground.

Given their sometimes very lowfares, discount European airlines such asGermanwings, Brussels Airlines, easyJet,and Wind Jet are a denite option fora long trip. Europe’s rail companies,

however, have responded to the cheapights with reduced, advance-purchasefares of their own. Early this month Ifound a Berlin-Frankfurt June rail fare atthe Deutsche Bahn web site (bahn.de) for$65 …total, for two persons…and you getthere in a little over four hours. And whyy from London to the Continent whenyou can be in downtown Paris (two hours,15 minutes) or Brussels (two hours) viaEurostar for about $85 to $125, dependingon date and time of day? Still, there aretimes when intra-Europe air travel willbe the least expensive and quickest way

to get there. A Frankfurt to Rome traintrip is as cheap as $124—provided youdon’t mind sitting up on an overnighttrain. Travel during the day, however, andgemut.raileurope.com quotes $348 for aMay second-class, one-way train ticket.At its shortest, the rail journey is 11 hourswith two changes. On the other hand,Easyjet can get you there from Düsseldorfin two hours ight time for as little as $87.

However, the best answer for mosttwo or even three contiguous-countryitineraries is a combination of rail and

automobile. You might, for example,spend a few days using a Swiss Pass toride that country’s trains, postal buses,and lake boats, nipping across the borderat the end of the Swiss journey to Singen,Germany to pick up an inexpensive rentalcar that you drop a week later in Berlin.For reference, a four-consecutive-daysSwiss Pass for two persons is $496 anda compact car for a week in Germany is$188. That’s $684 for ground transportfor an 11-day, two-country independenttour—in my opinion the ideal way to seethe territory. The cheapest way, however,

would be to rent the car in Germany for 11days for $266 and tour the two countriesby car. (Note: rental cars in Switzerlandare nearly twice as expensive as they arein Germany and France).

For many travelers, however, it comesdown to train vs. rental car—one or theother. Unfortunately there is no across-the-board answer or rule of thumb to applywhen it comes to determining which isbetter. It depends on personal preferenceand a host of other factors, including: areato be traveled, countries to be visited,number in the traveling party, ratio of city

to country travel, and of course, cost. Railtravel has steadily increased in price sincethe turn of the century, while car rentalrates during that time have been morestable. In 2000, a compact car could berented for one week in Germany for $157.Today, the price with tax is $188, a 20%increase. The four-day Germany TwinPass that cost $131 per person in 2000, has jumped 60% to $209.

For the couple planning a two-weektour of three countries—say, Germany,Austria and Switzerland—the car is a

more clear-cut cost winner. A three-country Eurail Select Pass for sevennon-consecutive days travel for twopersons is $888. A compact rental car inGermany for 14 days is $338. While thatprice difference makes the car seem likea “slam-dunk” choice, it’s closer thanit looks. Fuel cost is more than ever anissue. In Germany a gallon of unleadedgas is about $8.50. A gas-powered, manual

transmission, compact car in Europeaverages about 33mpg. Thus a 1,000mile vacation (Frankfurt-Zürich-Vienna-

Munich) will consume around 30 gallonsof gas for about $255.

For these examples, we’ve beentalking about rail passes. For multiple traintrips, they are usually, but not always,more economical than buying individualcity-to-city tickets. The problem isdetermining which is less expensive;tickets or passes. Finding prices forEuropean rail tickets is not easy. Whilefares within a specic country are usuallyreadily available at the web site of thatcountry’s rail system, it’s a different storywith international fares. You will have

to check a variety of web sites, some ofwhich, like the French Rail site, are not souser-friendly.

In summary; for big distances it’sprobably rail, for really big distancesconsider Europe’s discount airlines; andfor the rest it’s car rental or rail…or somecombination thereof.

Notes:

• A car is unnecessary in a large city.

• Fuel in Europe is $7-9 per gallon.

• Everything you take to Europe,

everything you acquire while in Europe,you will carry on and off every train.

• Except in small towns, hotels thatoffer free parking are nearly extinct.

• Switzerland is the only countrythat can be seen as well by public transporas by a rental car.

• Checking luggage on discountEuropean airlines is costly.

• At $3632, the three-month GlobalEurail Pass (24 countries) for two personsis a super bargain…just over $20 per

day/person.Rail web sites:

http://gemut.raileurope.com/index.html (Rail passes)bahn.de (German rail)rail.ch (Swiss rail)www.seat61.com (A guide to traintravel)http://www.oebb.at (Austrian rail)www.italiarail.com (Italian rail)www.renfe.com (Spanish rail)www.sncf.com (French rail)

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by Robert H. Bestor, Jr.



• Spring 2012

A Spotlight on New and Innovative...

“I was trampled to death by a man who believed his luggage would be the first piece off. If he were an experienced traveler, he would know that the

first piece of luggage belongs to no one. It’s just a dummy suitcase to give ever yone hope.” — ERMA BOMBECK

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continued on page 5

hook. The Aircraft Toiletry Kit’s smartdesign might just leave you wondering

how you ever traveled without it.

Eagle Creek Ease 4-Wheeled SpinnersEagle Creek has struck again with

their brand new Ease 4-Wheeled Spinners.These lightweight, structured suitcaseshave a traditional elegance, but a cutting-edge design. The four-wheel congurationallows for a much smoother and more

comfortable carry, as the bag is wheeledwhile completely upright. This set-up

takes pressure off of your hand, wrist andshoulder while you’re on the move. TheEase 4-Wheeled bags (ranging from $340-

$450) still offer Eagle Creek’s amazing“No Matter What” Warranty, which meansthat if your bag is ever damaged, no matterwhose fault, Eagle Creek will repair orreplace it. The Eagle Creek Ease line alsoincludes two-wheeled uprights, wheeledduffels, totes, and a ight bag.

ScotteVest Travel VestEver wondered just how much more

you could carry on to a plane if you onlyhad a few more pockets? With ScotteVestthe answer is: a lot more! With 17 pocketson the women’s vest and 24 pockets onthe men’s, wearing a ScotteVest TravelVest ($125) is like having an extra pieceof carry-on luggage. Pack your phone,camera, glasses, travel documents, keys,

water bottle, maps, change, batteries,

mp3 player, and more! The men’s vests(sizes medium and up) can even hold aniPad or comparable tablet. Clear touchpockets for your smart phone mean youdon’t have to remove your phone from thepocket to see who’s calling. To go throughairport security, simply take off your vestand pass it through the scanners. Witha ScotteVest, you’ll save room in yourcarry-on and have everything you need atyour ngertips.

Eagle Creek Pack It SpecterWe love using Eagle Creek’s Pack-

It Folders, Cubes, and Sacs. For years

they’ve kept our packing organized andefcient, no matter the adventure. But

with Pack-It Specter, they have neverbefore been so thin and lightweight. Pack-It Specter consists of a Specter 18” Folder($32), a Specter Cube ($16), a SpecterHalf Cube ($14), a Specter Quarter Cube($12) and a Specter Sac ($14). Thesewonderful little packing aids work just likethe original Pack-It products, only theyweigh far less — 50 to 80 percent less!And their ultra-thin nylon rip-stop is sosheer you’ll be able to see what’s inside.Pack-It Specter is a denite improvementin helping you to pack a lighter and more

organized carry-on.

RFIDtec WalletsRFIDtec wallets from PacSafe are

designed to block the RFID signals inyour passport and credit cards. RFID (orradio frequency identication) chips arefound in many credit cards and all U.S.

passports issued since 2006. These chipsemit a radio frequency that contains yourbanking and personal information. Withthis new technology comes a new formof theft. Hackers can scan for these radio



Spring 2012 •

“They’re professionals at this in Russia, so no matter how many Jell-O shots or Jager shooters you might have downed at college mixers, no matter

how good a drinker you might think you are, don’t forget that the Russians - any Russian - can drink you under the table.” — ANTHONY BOURDAIN

A Spotlight on New and Innovative...continued from page 4

frequencies simply by standing near youwhile your card is in your pocket or bag.

Luckily, it is easy to protect your sensitiveinformation with an RFID blocking wallet.PacSafe’s RFIDtec products are linedwith a proprietary material that preventsunwanted access. RFIDtec wallets (from$25-$40) look and feel just like any otherwallet, but they easily and effectivelyprotect you from electronic theft.

Briggs & Riley BRX LuggageWe are excited to carry BRX from

Briggs & Riley — their lightest luggageline yet. BRX bags are soft-sided but stillstructured enough to maintain their shapeand protect your belongings. They have a

simple, casual style that is both appealing

and functional for many types of travel. Aclever pocketing system provides built-in organization and Briggs & Riley’spatented “outsider” handle system leavesyou with a completely at packing spaceinside. The entire line is covered byBriggs & Riley’s amazing “Simple asThat” lifetime warranty, so you’ll neverhave to worry about your BRX bag beingdamaged. The line includes wheeleduprights ranging from 19 to 25 inches(from $280-$320), a 28 inch RollingDuffel, a rugged and organized computerbackpack, and a compact toiletry kit.

PacSafe Slashproof BagsWe always turn to PacSafe when we

need a bag that will protect our valuables.

Their newly redesigned G2 line uses thesame great slash-proof, lockable protectionas before and has evolved to includeRFID-blocking pockets in all of their newwaist packs, shoulder bags and purses. TheMetroSafe 200 G2 ($79.99) is one of ourfavorite shoulder bags. Made from sturdy

ballistic nylon, the MetroSafe boastsinternal stainless steel wires in the frontpanel and shoulder strap to thwart attemptsat cutting into your bag. If you’re lookingfor something more feminine, the CitySafe200 G2 ($79.99) offers the same safetyfeatures as the MetroSafe with a morepurse-like look and feel. Both of thesebags are also available in smaller versionsfor those who’d like to carry less.

Evolution Neck PillowFalling asleep on an airplane can be

a pain in the neck! But the new EvolutionPillow ($29.95) from Cabeau solves thatproblem by cradling your head for perfectslumber—even in cramped airline seats.A toggle-tie on the front ensures that thepillow won’t shift out of position or fall

when you’re asleep. It also allows you totwist the pillow around to the side or frontto hold your head in the right position foryou. A slip pocket on the side is handy forholding your iPod, so you can lull yourselfto sleep with music. Or, if you prefersilence, the Evolution pillow comes witha pair of deluxe memory foam earplugs.It also comes with a handy storage pouchthat includes a snap loop for attaching

the pillow to the exterior of your purse orcarry-on bag.

Kiva 21” Lightweight Carry-OnKiva’s new 21” Upright Light Carry-

On ($199.95) is a sporty and durablesuitcase, and weighs an impressivelylightweight 6.5 lbs! It comes in three funcolors and is made from 100% recycledfabric. Simple and easy-to-pack, the Kiva21” Upright has plenty of organization,too—including two front pockets, a sidewater-bottle pocket, and a mesh pocketon the inside of the lid. If you’re havingtrouble tting everything you need, you’llnd an expansion zipper that provides

about 15% more packing space. It canhandily add space to your bag, or you canuse it to neatly compress your belongingsafter closing your stuffed bag.



• Spring 2012

years old. The kitchens onboard servedas many as 13,000 meals a day, and thesize of cookware on display in the galleyis enormous. There were more than 1,500

telephones on the Midway. One link inits anchor weighs 130 pounds. More thanthree million gallons of ship and aviationfuel could be stored in its tanks. Anotherawe-inspiring stop on the tour was thebunk rooms for low level enlisted men.There were at least six men to a room withbarely any room to move, let alone haveany privacy.

The Midway really was a city atsea. Visitors can seethe jail, the post ofce,the laundry room, three

barber shops and asmany as 60 displays ofshipboard life throughoutthe vessel. One of myfavorite sections is theaforementioned ightdeck, where 27 restoredaircraft that saw actionin wars from World WarII to Operation DesertStorm are on display.The price of a visit is$18 for adults, and $10for children, and the

self-guided audio tour takes about threehours. We onlyhad an hour and ahalf and wished wecould have stayedlonger, but the restof beautiful SanDiego beckoned.

We spent afew hours walkingSan Diego’sGaslamp district,a busy downtownneighborhood full

of bustling bars,restaurants, andshops. Our favoritestop was The Field(www.theeld.com), an Irish Pub

and Restaurant, where we stopped to hearlive Irish music and quaff a Guinness.

We took a beautiful hike along thecliffs of Torrey Pines State Reserve

“Funny, isn’t it? The airlines go to all that trouble to keep you from taking a gun on board, then they

just hand you a dinner roll you could kill a musk ox with.” —DAVE BARRY

by Nancy Bestor

continued on page 7

I’ve never had any desire to be in the

armed forces. And although my youngestdaughter was intrigued when she heardthat the military would pay for collegeafter enlisting, I’m pretty sure neitherof my kids will join up either. But I’vealways had some fascination with theArmy, Navy, Air Force and Marines.Maybe it’s because my father served in theAir Force, or because Bob’s father was anofcer in the Navy, but maybe the truth ismuch more shallow than that – maybe it’sbecause a man in uniform is awfully cute.Whatever the reason, I was delighted tovisit the S.S. Midway in San Diego last

month, on a college visits road trip ourfamily took to Southern California.

The Midway (www.midway.org) wasone of America’s longest serving aircraftcarriers. Decommissioned in 1992, it is972 feet long, and when fully operationalcould house more than 4,000 men andwomen at one time. And it was itsawesome size that impressed me most. Aperson could get lost on the ship tour, andthe ight deck could easily host severalfootball games or dozens of basketballgames at once. (An NCAA basketballgame has been scheduled for the ight

deck in November of 2012, between SanDiego State and Syracuse.)

Here are a few facts. The typicalsailor who served on the Midway was 19

(torreypine.org) in La Jolla, down toTorrey Pines State Beach. We walkedthrough the majestic Hotel del Coronado,and sat on the back deck of the “Del”,

eating ice cream, chatting, and gazingat the ocean. Another stop on CoronadoIsland was a movie at the newly restoredArt-Deco movie house, The VillageTheater. This 1947 theater reopened lastyear, after being closed more than tenyears. The theater boasts wonderfullymodern seats, sound and screen and a veryfun retro vibe.

Our food adventure began with a visit

to Little Italy, a San Diego neighborhood just outside of downtown, to see a friendand former Travel Essentials’ employee,Ditsy Claterbos (now a lawyer with theSan Diego D.A.’s ofce!). Our Little Italydining started with delicious breakfastcrepes and excellent coffee at Fabrison’sFrench Creperie Café (www.fabrisons.com). At midday we snacked on yogurt atYogurtland (www.yogurt-land.com). Somecall it “the mecca of frozen yogurt” and Imust say, my tangerine and vanilla yogurtwith fresh bananas, kiwi and strawberrieswas outstanding. For dinner we chose

the traditional Italian restaurant, Filippi’sPizza Grotto (www.realcheesepizza.com),solely because the line to get in was outthe door. We all shared a good pizza with“the works”, and Bob had the sausageand meatball ravioli. Mind you, theraviolis were lled with meat, and a largeItalian sausage was laid over the raviolisand sauce. The food was good and theatmosphere old school family-style Italian

Another good San Diego meal wassh tacos at the Blue Water Seafood

Off We Go Into the Wild Blue Yonder & San Diego Too



Spring 2012 •

The Truth About Carry-On Bags...continued from page 1

“Life for the Italians was what it was, no more and no less, an interlude between meals.”

—ABRAHAM VERGHESE, CUTTING FOR STONE

like 23.5 x 15 x 10 even though it says 22x 14 x 9 on their web sites. No nonsense

carriers Southwest Airlines and VirginAmerica are the exception here. They eachlist a maximum measurement of 24 x 16 x10. Their measurements logically includehandles and wheels. Got it?

Now if you’re traveling on a foreignbased airline, it gets a little tricky.While for the most part these airlineshave similar sized carry-on restrictionsas above, there are some curve balls tobe aware of. Qantas for example listsa maximum carry-on size of 45 linearinches, but limits that same carry-onto 15 pounds. There is no way a fully

packed 22-inch wheeled carry-on is goingto weigh anywhere near 15 pounds. Soalways check your airline’s web site forthe complete run down of sizes, weights,and most importantly, fees.

Bob and I traveled to Barcelonalast fall via United Airlines with twomaximum carry-on bags. We had notrouble carrying the bags on during theight over, but on our return ight fromBarcelona to Frankfurt, we were yingLufthansa (even though we were ticketedby United), and our carry-ons were too

big. Next to all the Europeans who carriedon their tiny bags, I felt like a super-sized American; in comparison our bagswere huge. It wasn’t a problem though,as Lufthansa/United just checked themall the way through to Medford. On thedown side, we did have to wait for them inMedford, which is always a little irritatingat the end of a long trip.

A recent development in carry-

on suitcases is the 20-inch wide body.Since so many travelers are carrying onluggage these days, ight attendants askpassengers when possible to stow their

suitcase in the overhead “wheels out” or“head rst”. This allows more bags to t.Depending on the plane, and the shapeof a 22-inch suitcase, sometimes a legalcarry-on bag won’t t “wheels out” (atleast if the overhead bin door has to shut!).

Thus luggage companies introduced the20-inch wide body. Because it’s shorter,the 20-inch wide body ts more easily“wheels out”, but the two extra inches ofwidth make the packing capacity about thesame as a standard 22-inch bag.

Let me stress though that the sizeslisted above are the “legal” carry-on limits.There are certainly times when bags ofany size are denied carry-on. One reason isthat although your suitcase may measure22 x 14 x 9, if you’ve over-stuffed theoutside pockets, its actual measurementsmay end up larger than the legal limit,and if you’re asked to put your suitcaseinto the carry-on box to see if it is legal

carry-on size, it may not t, even if youpush it as hard as possible (I’m speakingfrom experience here). You can also bedenied if you board later in the process

and other passengers have already lledthe overhead bins. This is an excellentreason to board your ight as soon as yoursection is called. While I hate sitting in acramped airline seat longer than I have to,I’m willing to do it if it means my carry-on bag gets on the plane.

Generally speaking, the currentrules of carry-ons are as follows: eachpassenger is allowed one maximum sizedcarry-on bag for overhead storage and one“personal item” to be stored under the seatin front of you. Keep in mind that there are

no guidelines for the personal item, so agate attendant can deny your personal itemas being too big at any time. Most airlinesloosely dene a personal item as a smallbackpack, a purse, or briefcase.

Also be aware that at any time,an airline can change their carry-onrules. So once again, always check yourairline’s web site for the most up-to-dateinformation. Allegiant Air for example just announced they will begin charging$25 for a carry-on bag that has to go intothe overhead compartment. If you cansqueeze it under your seat, a carry-on bag

on Allegiant is still free.

One way airline passengers aregetting around the whole carry-onrestriction is by wearing a multi-pocketedtravel vest. Our favorite, by ScotteVest(see page 4), boasts 17-24 pockets (thewomen’s vest has fewer pockets thanthe men’s) and can t everything from apassport or phone to a water bottle or iPadWear your carry-on bag? Why not?

Off We Go Into the Wild Blue Yonder...continued from page 6

Market and Grill (www.bluewater.sandiegan.com). Another line out the doorpromised good things, as did Guy Fieri on Diner’s, Drive-In’s and Dives. Althoughwe waited a long time for our food, thetacos did not disappoint. The sh wasfresh, and my mahi-mahi and ahi tunatacos were excellent.

We stopped for a brief time at OldTown San Diego State Historic Park(www.oldtownsandiego.org), but it didn’thold our interest for long. Other than aninteresting display of a stagecoach andluggage from the 1800’s in the WellsFargo Museum (we do own a travel store,so of course we’d nd this interesting!),the State Historic Park was mostly, inour opinion, a collection of Mexican

restaurants for gringos and tchotchkestores in restored historical buildings.

The main reason for our visit to SanDiego was to take our daughters on a tourof the University of San Diego (www.sandiego.edu), and it’s worth a stop, evenif you are not thinking about college.Beautifully situated on a hill overlookingSan Diego, the 180-acre campus isstunning. And forget about my daughters,I’m thinking about going back to collegethere myself. Maybe I’ll major in militarystudies.



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12th Annual Photo Contest and Other Travel Tidbits

Budding travel photographers take

note! Details will soon be forthcomingon Travel Essentials’ 12th Annual TravelPhoto Contest. This year we’ll be offeringour best prizes ever, including a four pieceset of Briggs & Riley luggage, worthmore than $800, travel clothing fromExOfcio, Tilley hats, travel underwear,a Yala Silk Dreamsack and much more.But wait, enter the photo contest andyou’ll also have the chance to win a setof Ginsu knives (just kidding!). Thephoto contest dates, rules, and detailswill be announced via email and onour Facebook page, so if you don’t getemails from us, now is the time to signup!

If you send us your email address,you’ll get our monthly e-news brief, fullof rst person travel stories and updatedtravel news. You’ll also be the rst toknow about great sales we offer online andin the store. To sign up, send an email withyour name, city, and state to:

[email protected].

Rest assured, we’ll never sell or give awayyour information.

We’re always looking for new travelrelated web sites, to inspire us to hit the

road, help us nd the best deal, and to readreviews and information on places to visitand stay. The longer I sit at the computerand surf the internet, the more useful websites I nd. Hard to believe just 20 yearsago I relied solely on a travel agent to helpme with my travel plans.

Here are a few web sites that youmight not have heard of that I currentlyfrequent:

www.airfarewatchdog.com — This is agood site for (you guessed it) watchingairfares. Today they list the cheapest

fares for me out of Medford, Oregonto Oakland, CA. How did they knowI’m looking for ights for my kids onthis route this summer? Just one of theinternet’s many mysteries.

www.nerdwallet.com — A website whosetagline is “we do the homework for you.”Where were they in 1987 when I had towrite a 10 page paper on the future of journalism? (FYI, I wrote that newspaperswould be around forever. Ha!) In additionto comparing gas prices and checkingaccount and credit card fees, nerdwallet

also compares airline fees and travel creditcard charges.

blog.tsa.gov — Yes, this is in fact theblog of current happenings at the TravelSecurity Administration, and it mightsound nerdy that I like reading thiswebsite, but I do! Among other TSA andtravel news, TSA employee Blogger Bobwrites a week in review with updateson such things as how many concealedrearms were found in carry-on luggage.Last week’s review included a story abouta man who when told he could not carrya can of soup on a ight, tried to hide it inhis pants. Blogger Bob wrote “no soup for

you.” True story. I couldn’t make it up ifI tried.

www.lovehomeswap.com — One of thesedays, I’m going to try a home swap. I stayin someone’s home for a week (preferablyin Majorca) and they stay in mine. Nodollars will be exchanged. There are manyhome swap programs out there (includingwww.homeexchange.com), but this one’sgetting a lot of press lately. And thewebsite looks a lot like a match-makingsite (not that I’ve looked at any, Bob).

Great Europe Tour Tips 2012Spring

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