Jet lag is something that every traveler has to deal with.  It's one thing to change your wrist watch by six or nine or twelve hours… It's whole different thing to get your body to change the same number of time zones.  

All those feelings you have… tired and grumpy, puffy, headachy… they're all part of a real physical reaction.  Your biological clock is upset when you travel rapidly across many time zones.  You're body produces certain hormones to tell it when you normally sleep, when you wake up and when you're hungry… now your watch and your brain are trying to tell it something different…. your body is lagging behind.

Crossing one or two time zones usually doesn't cause jet lag.  There really isn't enough of a time change there to really disrupt your biological clock.  And it's not linked just with the length of the flight.

Read more

Why do you feel fatigue after flights?  Ever wonder why you feel done in after traveling?  Here are some facts about why you feel that fatigue after flights.  

We're not talking jet lag here, though that fat-headed fatigue is definitely part of jet lag.  You may feel fatigue after a long north-south flight where there is little or no change in time zones or even after a daytime cross country flight with only a couple of hours of time change.

One of the main culprits is the cabin air in airplanes.  Commercial aircraft are pressurized… that means when you're flying at 35,000 ft  (10,670 meters), the cabin will be pressurized to about 8,000 feet (2440 Meters)… so it will feel like you are in the mountains… high in the mountains.  If you've been hiking or skiing at those altitudes, you know that the air is thinner, and you easily get out of breath.  There is less oxygen in each breath you take because of the lower air pressure, and that lower oxygen level tends to make your brain fuzzy.

Read more

Come the last week of July every year, you'll find airplane nuts in Oshkosh.  Pilots and airplane lovers from all over the world converge on this little town…. Its rural airport becomes the busiest airport in the world.  I know that's hard to believe… but just look at the tower.  It has a banner that says "busiest tower in the world".

Busiest in the world?  Yep, it is for that one week of the year when the EAA — The Experimental Aircraft Association — puts on its AirVenture.  "The Greatest Aviation Celebration in the World."  And it is a celebration…. if you're an airplane nut, you really should plan to make it to Oshkosh some day.

Part of the fun of Oshkosh is to tune into the tower frequencies (yes there are two) and listen as the controllers bring planes in to land…. two and three at a time.  You hear things like "Blue Cessna keep flying and land on the green dot…. , white tail-drager get it down on the numbers and get off as fast as you can… turn into the grass… off into the grass."  

Read more

You do know that a direct flight is not a non-stop flight, don't you?  

A direct flight only means that you are on a flight that will take you to your destination without having to change planes.  There will be a stop on the way…. maybe two, but you will almost always stay on the same aircraft.

In rare instances, you may have the same flight number, but you will have to change planes.  This can happen if the airline has to change aircraft for operational reasons…  so pay attention… if the flight attendants announce that there will be a change of planes…. YES, they may be talking to YOU.

Read more

Traveling is stressful enough without worrying about the safety of your luggage.  If you’ve ever tried protecting your luggage with a regular lock, then you will have learned that this is not a good idea.  Airport security are authorized to break open normal locks, if they impede them when doing their job of checking the contents of a travelers bags.  This means that you have wasted money on a lock which could now be broken, and at the very least is likely to have been left open for the duration of the trip.  This is why TSA locks are useful.

Read more

If you’re a seasoned traveler, you’re probably familiar with the small carry on bags that were fashionable back in the 1990s, and earlier.  Back then, people trusted the airlines with their luggage, and checked in large suitcases, while only bringing the bare necessities into the cabin.  

Now that low cost air travel is so common, more and more people are flying, and people seem to be taking more and more luggage on to the plane.  Perhaps some people are nervous about entrusting the airline with their favourite clothes, or perhaps they don’t want to have to wait to pick up their baggage at the other end.  Whatever the reason, huge bags have become the norm, and this causes problems as there simply isn’t enough room for all those bags in the cabin. Read more

Business travelers often travel without their spouse, but rarely without their luggage.  Luggage selection is especially important now that airlines are charging a fee for a second checked bag and many times the first bag as well when traveling economy class.  

If you’re flying first class or business class, fees don’t usually apply…yet.  Still, the savvy business traveler needs to be aware of what options are available when it comes to traveling smart and friendly. Read more

Times have changed and that means that we should adjust our approach when is  comes to certain things.  One area that we need to make adjustments is  the way we dress and pack for air travel. When you're packing and choosing your clothes, it pays to think about security at the airport as well as what you'll be doing on your trip.  Read more