Babies on a Plane

From Shine.Yahoo.com

In a split second, everything you know about the safety of air travel can change.

That’s what happened to the 114 passengers on a United Airlines flight this past President’s Day.

Unexpected turbulence hit mid-flight, catching even the crew off guard. People went flying, two passengers were sent to the hospital, and the mother of an infant was unable to hold on to her baby in her lap — other passengers reported her heartbreaking cries as she called out for her little one in the chaos that followed. Read More »

Traveling With A Baby–Guest Post

This week we have a guest post from a wonderful blogger named Erin with Unconventional Mommy Tails. <–check out here blog! Erin is an avid blogger who features posts about being a mom, being a wife, and even tips and advice for having pets. She was kind enough to let us feature her blog post about Tips for Packing & Traveling with a Baby Under One. If you enjoy Erin’s post, follow her on facebook here! Enjoy.

“I have a lot of experience on this topic because of the fact that my husband and I are about 1400 miles away from all of our friends and family. We’ve been traveling by plane with our son since he was 7 weeks old. This week Thursday we will be making yet another trip to Michigan to celebrate his first birthday. While packing and preparing I decided to share some of the most important things I’ve learned by trial and error with everyone.” Read More »

Travel Tech Gadgets

Road trip? International flight? Here’s what you will need

Whether it’s a road trip to the next state along or a transatlantic flight across the pond, you’ll need an assortment of technology to keep you connected, powered up, and organized.

Long Flight Tips

A lot of us have been there. We’ve been on that almost unbearablly long flight when 30 passing minutes seems to take 3 hours. Every little annoyance can seem amplified to present themselves like long fingernails on a chalkboard. You pull out your trusty Ipod and give that a try, but after 3-4 songs, you are counting the seconds as you watch each song pass by on that little lit up screen.

All you have in mind is getting to your final destination. The thought of finally being able to lay down a bed, beach or boogie board is your top priority. Free of crying babies, smelly feet or your neighbor in the window seat hogging the view of the horizon.

But there is hope! Below I have compiled a list of things you can do to keep your peace of mind and your sanity. Next time you feel yourself getting anxious in that plane seat, try these methods out! Read More »

Taking A Pet Overseas

If you decide to take your pet with you when you go abroad, check with the embassies of the destination countries as to specific requirements that must be met before a pet may be brought into the country. Many countries have strict health, quarantine, agriculture, wildlife, and customs requirements and prohibitions. The Department of State has compiled a list of foreign embassies and consulates but their contact information may also be found on the Country Specific Information for each country.

In a crisis in which chartered or military aircraft or ships are used to evacuate U.S. citizens from a danger area, pets will not normally be permitted on the carrier. The pet owner will need to make other arrangements to remove the pet from the area. (Service animals, such as guide dogs, are not considered pets and will be accommodated if possible.)

Copyright © 2013, U.S. Department of State

The Safest Seat on a Plane

Something you may not know about this past weekend’s airplane crash is that as Asiana flight 214 came in for a landing at San Francisco’s International Airport, the flight attendants were conducting what’s known as a 30 second review. A 30 second review is a silent review of emergency procedures anytime a flight attendant occupies his or her jumpseat. Flight attendants are trained to get passengers off of an aircraft within 90 seconds after the plane comes to a complete stop. Sara Nelson, Vice President of the Association of Flight Attendants, says in an evacuation every second counts, “That entire fuselage can burn up in 90 seconds so if you have wasted 10 or 15 seconds as everyone else is getting off the plane, you’re potentially putting a fourth of the airplane in jeopardy of losing their lives in that scenario. That’s how serious this is.”

I know you’ve heard it before: “Flying is one of the safest things you can do.” And this past weekend’s crash with 305 of the 307 passengers surviving helps to prove that. According to an article by Discovery.com, you have a one in 1.2 million chance of being involved in a plane crash. If you did happen to be on that one in 1.2 million flight, you have a 95.7 percent chance of surviving it. Amazing, right? Flight attendants go through approximately six weeks of initial training, depending on the airline and 90 percent of their training is based on the safety aspects of flying. Everything from emergency evacuations to emergency medical care is covered and there is yearly training to keep flight attendants up to date and refreshed.

Surviving a plane crash comes down to surviving the initial impact and getting out fast. With this in mind, what can you do to up the odds of survival and is there a “safer” place to sit on a flight?

Find out what the safest seat on a plane is here!

Who Are The Best Tippers?

Americans may be some of the world’s worst tourists, but according to a new survey, at least that reputation hasn’t been earned for skimping on the bill.

The survey, conducted by TripAdvisor, found that 57 percent of Americans always tip while traveling abroad, placing them second only to Germans, who tip at a rate of 69 percent.

TripAdvisor’s results are based on a survey of more than 9,000 travelers from eight different countries around the world: Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Spain, England, and the United States. Of the eight countries, respondents who self-identified as “always tipping” ranged from a high of 69 percent (Germans) to a surprising low of 23 percent (Italians).

Read the remaining information here!

Is the Water at the Beach Safe?

This story originally appeared on Condé Nast Traveler’s Website.

As a parent, I take great care about the foods my children eat, and the safety of the products they use. But on a vacation at the beach, it’s easy to forget about the invisible bacteria and chemicals in the water that, if they exist in high quantities, can cause stomach flu, colds, and skin rashes.

Here are some steps to check on water quality at the beaches you’ll be visiting on vacation:

• Every year the Natural Resources Defense Council publishes a guide to water quality at vacation beaches that gives an excellent state-by-state overview of both water quality issues and frequency of closures for vacation beaches in the US. You can also look at historical information for the most popular beaches.

Find out if your favorite beach is safe here!

Cheap Travel Tips

The economy may be wobbly, but our travel dreams are still strong — for good reason. Europe is every bit as magical as ever, and no recession can change that. What matters is how well you manage your travel budget, and how you use those skills to create a better trip. Playing your cards right, and spending less will lower the barrier that separates you and the culture you’ve traveled so far to experience.

To help you keep your dream trip affordable, here are 50 thrifty ways to stretch your travel dollar in Europe…

A B&B offers double the warmth and cultural intimacy for half the price of a hotel. You’ll find them in most countries if you know the local word: Husrom is Norwegian for sobe which is Slovenian for Zimmer which is German for rooms in a private home.

Avoid touristy restaurants with “We speak English signs” and multilingual menus. Those that are filled with locals serve better food for less money. I look for a short, handwritten menu in the local language only. Go with the daily specials.

Fly open-jaws — that’s into one city and out of another. Save time and money by avoiding a needless costly return to your starting point. When considering the beginning and end points of a long trip, try to start in mild countries (such as England) and work into the places with greater culture shock (such as Turkey). This way you’ll minimize stress, and save countries offering the cheapest shopping — and greatest health risks — for the end of your trip.

Read the other cheap travel  tips!

Non-Smoking Hotel Rooms Not What You Think

Think you’re saving yourself from cigarette smoke by booking non-smoking hotel rooms? Think again.

A new study in the journal Tobacco Control shows evidence that “thirdhand smoke” — which is air that’s been polluted by tobacco smoke — is present in both smoking and non-smoking rooms.

“Partial smoking bans in hotels do not protect non-smoking guests from exposure to tobacco smoke and tobacco-specific carcinogens,” San Diego State University researchers wrote in the study. “Non-smokers are advised to stay in hotels with complete smoking bans. Existing policies exempting hotels from complete smoking bans are ineffective.”

Read the rest of the dangers about non smoking rooms here!