Wardrobe report: Zaragoza

Just got back from a week exploring Zaragoza and the surrounding area in the Spanish region of Aragon and I thought I’d report in on things that worked and didn’t work, wardrobe wise.

I had a challenge going in because I was looking at temperatures from the 40s to high 70s with light rain as well as occasions ranging from tramping through vineyards to city sightseeing to relatively fancy dinners.

I did not entirely meet that challenge.

Continue reading “Wardrobe report: Zaragoza”

7 Must-Haves to Fly like a Boss in Economy

FullSizeRenderLet’s be real here. Flying business or first class is 100 percent, totally awesome and no amount of hacks can fully duplicate that feeling.

Let’s be realer: Flying upfront in the airplane these days costs roughly $5 million, and that’s not an option for most of us.

But even though you’re stuck in steerage, here are seven must-have items that will make that 11-hour transatlantic haul just a bit more bearable.

1. Earplugs. Sometimes the airlines hand these out in little care packages but the ones they give you are usually hard as the dickens and don’t really do the job. What you want are Hearos*, available in most drug stores. Take a few extra, that way if you drop them you can just pull out a spare rather than scrabbling around under the seats like a weirdo.

2. Sleep mask. Again, you may get a handout but it won’t be the same as your own, comfy, upscale version. I like these from Flight 001.

3. Compression socks. Some of you don’t have a cankle problem, a condition in which fluids collect in your extremities and swell up when you’re hot or have been sitting for a spell. To which I say, Good for you! But even if your circulation is A-OK, being able to slip on a pair of soothing, supporting socks is still a good idea. And as long as we’re on the subject: No naked feet. Ever.

4. Inflatable neck pillow. I like the inflatable kind because I travel light (backpack, small roll-on) and want to be able to collapse it when I’m done. It’s important you get one with a soft, removable cover, otherwise you’ll have plastic edges digging into your neck.

5. Evian water mister. A bit of an extravagance and it does take up room in your one-quart liquids allowance, but this is a lovely way to feel pampered about eight hours in to your delightful middle seat flight wedged between Guy With Really Long Arms and Legs and Four-year-old Who Is Not Really Ready for This.

6. Bose noise-canceling ear buds. These are tremendously expensive, around $300. And I resisted buying them for a while, getting the cheaper, regular ones. Then I took a press trip with a guy who Would. Not. Stop. Talking. and I thought to myself, Hmmm, maybe my own little “off” switch wouldn’t be such a bad investment. The first time I sat on a plane and clicked the little enhancement button, I was transported from a high-decibel hell of throbbing engines, crying babies and squawky public address announcements to a tranquil island where the only soundtrack was Beethoven’s 6th. Absolutely worth it.

7. butterLONDON balm. This is a British cosmetics company although oddly enough I came across their products at the Seattle airport. The balm stick is an all-purpose product that can be used for lips, hands, whatever. Just the ticket for fighting flight dehydration and it’s a solid so won’t have to go in your liquids bag.

All of the above can be tucked into a Flight 001 travel bag which is very handy with lots of separate zippered pockets. There’s even a slot to stick in your credit card so you can buy yourself a much needed G&T without having to dig through your under-the-seat bag.

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*Trying something new with this post and signed up for the Amazon Associates program. I get money, not a lot, if you click on the images for more info and end up buying the product.

Related post: Flying Delta Business Elite

Flying With Class

plane2Sometimes the stars line up just right, which is why I’m able to bring you a review of what it’s like to fly first class on Delta’s transatlantic Business Elite service.

It happened on recent flight back to the United States and was due to an upgrade, oh blessed, blessed upgrade. The flight was from Heathrow to San Francisco with a connection in Minneapolis and for the important leg of the trip, the crossing the pond bit, I flew Delta Business Elite.

Even though I am neither very business-like nor elite.

As it happened, there was a little bit of excitement before we boarded because this was the morning a plane had mechanical troubles after taking off from Heathrow and had to return for an emergency landing after streaming smoke across the sky above London.

Do you know how disturbing it is to sit at the gate watching footage of an injured plane making an emergency landing in the very airport you are about to take off from?

Very disturbing.

Normally, I would have freaked the freak out. But not this time. I was too excited thinking about the luxury in store.

Being elite and all I was at the front of the line and was zipping along when a guy with a mere premium economy ticket, wearing, incidentally, a black turtleneck and tragically hip glasses, tried to step in front of me. Did I remonstrate vulgarly? Try to cut him off with my 19″ spinner? Not a bit of it. I merely paused and gave the pained stare of the privileged while a gate agent quickly stepped forward and blocked Mr. Turtleneck with a stern, “Just a minute, sir.”

Ha. Peasant.

I sailed serenely forward to my cabin in the sky.

Oh the space! The pristine leather seat! The flight attendant greeting me with a smile and a drink! I had a window seat which meant I essentially had my own little mini-cabin, ample storage space above, all kinds of extras including a TUMI Dopp kit filled with essentials and, of course, a good sized screen loaded with more entertainment than I could reasonably get through in one flight.

The food — well, to be perfectly frank, the food was still airplane food. Served on china with real cutlery so it was definitely superior to being back in steerage sawing away at rubber pasta with a spork, but that’s about it. The appetizer of smoked salmon was tasty, but the main dish was your basic chicken.

But food, drink, entertainment — these are just foreplay. The real draw is the flat-bed seat, available on the 767-400ER I flew. I was worn out from a week of gin tasting — Don’t laugh. It’s exhausting. — and could not wait to set that bad boy down and bundle up in my comfy duvet. With full-size pillow!

I know what you’re thinking. How much more was all this? Too much more, I am sorry to say. The regular ticket is about $1,500; flying business is more than double that. It’s not likely I’d ever pony that up from my own pocket even if I had it.

However, I am able to report the experience was, without a doubt, the best flight I ever had. When we arrived and were being whisked off the plane first, who should make a reappearance but Mr. Turtleneck, shoving his oversized carry-on (containing, what, a month’s supply of black clothing?) in front of me. Did I complain? I did not. With a gracious, “After you,” I waved him on.

I would like to say that hours of heavenly luxury had made me a better person. But in truth I was loath to get off that plane and go back to my decidedly economy-class life.

Cheers, classily.

 

Traveling with Global Entry TSA Precheck

plane2Even though I am British by birth, I am not found of queues, aka standing in line. So when I heard about Global Entry, the preclearance program that sends you to the front of the U.S. Customs line when you return from abroad, I signed up right away. And now that you can use your Global Entry Trusted Traveler number to join the TSA Precheck program, I couldn’t be happier.

Signing up for Global Entry requires a little effort and $100, but it’s worth it. You start by going to this website, filling out an application and paying the nonrefundable $100 fee. Your application is reviewed and if everything looks right, you get an email prompting you to go to the nearest Global Entry Enrollment Centers, usually at your local airport. You go in, chat with a customs officer briefly, give them your fingerprints and get your photograph taken. A week or so later your card is mailed to you and it’s good for five years.

For international travel, having the card means you don’t have to fill out the customs form on the airplane or wait in the often long line at U.S. Customs. Instead, you head straight for one of the Global Entry kiosks, insert your passport, picture page open, into the reader and follow the instructions on the screen. You’ll be asked the same questions that are on the printed form, but just have to touch the screen to answer yes or no. This is timed, so don’t take all day about it. Not all airports have Global Entry kiosks, but most of the big hubs are getting them, which is where lines tend to be a problem anyway.

Pro tip: You have to place your fingers on a glass panel to prove you are the owner of the correct set of fingerprints. Try laying your fingers flat rather than pushing down on the tips; that can warp the sworls. (Sometimes the machines act up, as machines are wont to do. In this case, you have the right to go to the head of a line, although make eye contact and wait for the officer to wave you on if you don’t want to start a small riot.) When things work right, you get a printed receipt which you show to whoever’s monitoring the exit line at passport control, get it checked, and then either pick up your bags at Baggage Claim, or, if you have just carry-on luggage, proceed to Customs, following the “Nothing to Declare,” sign, unless of course you do. There’s usually a dedicated line marked “Global Entry,” you go there and hand your printed receipt to the officer and that’s it.

For the TSA Precheck advantage,  you need to enter your Trusted Traveler number when making reservations. This number is on your Global Entry card. Also check your frequent flier programs, many will let you enter this number into your profile which is convenient. Make sure your boarding pass has the designation “TSA Precheck” on it and when you present this and your ID to the control officer at the front of the security line you’ll be directed to the Precheck line. Having this clearance means you can keep on most shoes, light coat, belt, and you don’t have to take your laptop and 3-ounce liquids out of your carry-on. I did this for the first time recently and it is so, so much less hassle than having to half-strip and then hurriedly get dressed at the other end, all the while keeping an eye on your iPad to make sure it doesn’t go, shall we say, astray.

If you don’t have a Global Entry number you can apply directly to the TSA here.

A few other countries are accepting Global Entry as a Customs shortcut including New Zealand. You can also apply for expedited entry through the Dutch Privium program, the Korean SES program, and the Mexican Viajero Confiable.

I suppose ultimately, everyone will be in the Trusted Traveler line, which will kind of cut into the whole shortcut thing. Don’t know what will happen then. But for now, being in these programs is as much fun as zipping across the Bay Bridge in the carpool lane at 8:30 a.m.

The only hard part is keeping that smug look off your face. I recommend thinking about the fact that airline seats have now shrunk to about 17 inches across.

Traveling with Global Entry and TSA Precheck

plane3Even though I am British by birth, I am not found of queues, aka standing in line. So when I heard about Global Entry, the preclearance program that sends you to the front of the U.S. Customs line when you return from abroad, I signed up right away. And now that you can use your Global Entry Trusted Traveler number to join the TSA Precheck program, I couldn’t be happier.

Signing up for Global Entry requires a little effort and $100, but it’s worth it. You start by going to this website, filling out an application and paying the nonrefundable $100 fee. Your application is reviewed and if everything looks right, you get an email prompting you to go to the nearest Global Entry Enrollment Centers, usually at your local airport. You go in, chat with a customs officer briefly, give them your fingerprints and get your photograph taken. A week or so later your card is mailed to you and it’s good for five years.

For international travel, having the card means you don’t have to fill out the customs form on the airplane or wait in the often long line at U.S. Customs. Instead, you head straight for one of the Global Entry kiosks, insert your passport, picture page open, into the reader and follow the instructions on the screen. You’ll be asked the same questions that are on the printed form, but just have to touch the screen to answer yes or no. This is timed, so don’t take all day about it. Not all airports have Global Entry kiosks, but most of the big hubs are getting them, which is where lines tend to be a problem anyway.

Pro tip: You have to place your fingers on a glass panel to prove you are the owner of the correct set of fingerprints. Try laying your fingers flat rather than pushing down on the tips; that can warp the sworls. (Sometimes the machines act up, as machines are wont to do. In this case, you have the right to go to the head of a line, although make eye contact and wait for the officer to wave you on if you don’t want to start a small riot.) When things work right, you get a printed receipt which you show to whoever’s monitoring the exit line at passport control, get it checked, and then either pick up your bags at Baggage Claim, or, if you have just carry-on luggage, proceed to Customs, following the “Nothing to Declare,” sign, unless of course you do. There’s usually a dedicated line marked “Global Entry,” you go there and hand your printed receipt to the officer and that’s it.

For the TSA Precheck advantage,  you need to enter your Trusted Traveler number when making reservations. This number is on your Global Entry card. Also check your frequent flier programs, many will let you enter this number into your profile which is convenient. Make sure your boarding pass has the designation “TSA Precheck” on it and when you present this and your ID to the control officer at the front of the security line you’ll be directed to the Precheck line. Having this clearance means you can keep on most shoes, light coat, belt, and you don’t have to take your laptop and 3-ounce liquids out of your carry-on. I did this for the first time recently and it is so, so much less hassle than having to half-strip and then hurriedly get dressed at the other end, all the while keeping an eye on your iPad to make sure it doesn’t go, shall we say, astray.

If you don’t have a Global Entry number you can apply directly to the TSA here.

A few other countries are accepting Global Entry as a Customs shortcut including New Zealand. You can also apply for expedited entry through the Dutch Privium program, the Korean SES program, and the Mexican Viajero Confiable.

I suppose ultimately, everyone will be in the Trusted Traveler line, which will kind of cut into the whole shortcut thing. Don’t know what will happen then. But for now, being in these programs is as much fun as zipping across the Bay Bridge in the carpool lane at 8:30 a.m.

The only hard part is keeping that smug look off your face. I recommend thinking about the fact that airline seats have now shrunk to about 17 inches across.

TSA: No corkscrews with blades in carry-ons

klm-landing-airplaneAttention wine lovers: The TSA has retracted its decision saying it’s OK to carry corkscrews that have a foil-cutter attachment in your carry-on luggage.

Corkscrews never were banned (neither were knitting needles or nail clippers, despite reports you may have heard) but under previous rules you could only take the fairly useless kind with no handy blade attachment. The good models, which have a tiny little knife that swings out and can be used to cut the foil covering the top of the bottle, were a no-go. As the TSA put it in a 2009 blog post, “Fancy schmancy corkscrews with knives, no. Cheap corkscrews with no knife, yes.”

But under new rules announced in March, “fancy schmancy” corkscrews got a pass.

The change, which was to have taken effect April 25, 2013,  was part of a general relaxing of rules intended to allow TSA agents to focus on the big things and stopping sweating the small stuff.

Unions representing flight attendants didn’t agree, saying even small blades could be dangerous in the wrong hands.

Here’s the complete list of things that were briefly off the prohibited list: Knives that do not lock, and have blades that are 2.36 inches or 6 centimeters or less in length and are less than 1/2 inch in width, novelty-sized and toy bats, billiard cues, ski poles, hockey sticks, lacrosse sticks and two golf clubs.

For more on what the TSA will and won’t allow, go here.

Seven ways to straighten up and fly right

 

www.bigfoto.com

Somewhere around hour 11 of a recent 26-hour marathon trip by train, plane and automobile from Soave to San Francisco I was struck by a thought: Have you ever noticed that the people hauling the biggest suitcases around airports are often not really dressed that well? As in you almost want to ask if they’ve got 25 other ugly orange shirt/green pants outfits stuffed into that super-sized Samsonite that just gave you a nasty knock on the ankle. Also, little known fact: You will not actually add a year to your life for every time you cheat the carry-on size limits.

And don’t get me started on how flying folks behave once the plane is aloft. Seriously, 22c? You decided you had to get up and do the cha-cha-cha in the aisle for 20 minutes the second I’d finally settled into a fitful doze? To be fair, it may have been hard for you to figure out what I was doing since it was midnight, I had reclined my seat, covered up with a blanket, inserted ear plugs and had a sleeping mask over my face.

Still, since insulting strangers is never a good plan, I’ve come up with these handy little tips on how to travel in hopes they will gently spread a message of flying with poise and panache.

DON’T: Use air travel as an excuse to dress like someone fleeing a national disaster. I don’t want to see your faded sweatpants, stained T-shirt or mud-splashed fake Ugg boots. Velour leisure suits are acceptable … if you are over 65 and know short people who call you Grandma.

DO: Wear stretchy, comfortable clothing. Leggings under a tunic top are a good option if you are of the female persuasion. A long knit skirt with a cardigan over a camisole also works. Guys, your trusty khakis and a polo shirt won’t let you down.

DO: Take comfy socks to wear in-flight. I can’t guarantee they will ward off the dreaded traveler’s disease known as “cankles,” but they can help.

DON’T: Hog the armrests. You get one rest for your own. Usually, the other belongs to the person sitting next to you. Respect the boundary. It’s a little known fact that Dante’s 10th circle of hell was reserved for people who stick both elbows out.

DO: Use the armrests for support when getting up. They are stronger and are a much more efficient method than pulling mightily on the headrest of the person in front of you, causing their poor head to bounce like a dinghy in a nor’wester. I’m looking at you, 29E, Delta Flight 087.

DON’T: Spend 10 minutes quizzing the flight attendant about the dinner. If you have dietary issues, say so when making your reservation. But acting like you’re deciding whether to get the seared foie gras or truffle-stuffed quail at Chez Snob is just annoying. It’s airline food, chicken or beef, pick a side.

DON’T: Bring pungent food on board. Save the tuna sandwich and salami stick for a time where 75 people won’t have to live with their olfactory legacy from Sacramento to Denver.

And there you have it, seven tips for trips that should fill the skies with well-dressed and well-behaved people in no time flat.

If you want to thank me, I’ll be the one in socks, not pulling on  the head rests and directing a multilingual glare at the dude dancing up and down the aisle.

Cheers.