12 lessons learned from a life on the road

Traveling is hard work. Here's how to make the best of itRule No. 1: Travel is no funReally. If you think it’s all about smiling stewardesses attending to your every whim, friendly hotels offering fawning service, and romantic sunsets on the beach, it’s time for a reality check.Your stewardess will probably stop smiling when you refer to her as one, because no one calls a flight attendant a stewardess and gets away with it today. Your hotel? They’ll be pleasant until you check out. The moment you complain about that surprise $20-a-day resort fee...

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5 worst things that can happen to a traveler

What’s the worst thing that can happen when you’re traveling?A traffic accident? Terrorist hijacking? Hotel fire?Travel is risky, of course. But there’s just no way of knowing when your number will be up, and your plane will go down.There are other worst-case scenarios that aren’t as random. I’m talking about preventable incidents that might — and probably will — happen to you on your next trip. Things you can anticipate. Things you should anticipate.Here are the five worst, along with my suggestions for sidestepping them:1. In the air: a creeping...

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5 things travelers aren’t grateful for

Air travel is affordable. The nation’s roads have never been safer. And hotels offer more amenities than ever.Given all that, you would think travelers would be a grateful lot.They aren’t.Check out the latest customer surveys, and it’s clear that people are profoundly ungrateful when it comes to their travels. They give the airline industry worse grades than the Internal Revenue Service, they complain about traffic, and they gripe about high room rates.So at a time of the year when everyone else seems to be giving thanks, the contrarian in me wonders:...

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10 Ways To Avoid Air Travel Inconvenience

This has been the worst year ever in the United States for flight delays and cancellations. Planes are full, making it difficult to find a seat on another flight should your flight experience problems. Here are some tips from Airfarewatchdog.com to help you avoid inconvenience when you're traveling.Avoid connecting flights altogether: They are the flyer's worst enemy. Yes, airlines often charge more for nonstops, but it's worth the extra money.Build...

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