Travel
These days, tacked-on fees for airline travel can cost more than the actual ticket. But with planning, it’s possible to escape paying for checked bags. Here are a few strategies to consider.
Become an effective networker even if you’re an introvert, writes Devora Zack, author of Networking for People Who Hate Networking … Know when to use—and when to skip—skycaps while traveling … Track your personal spending with two free online tools … Give your “audience”—the people around you—a new, great story.
Microsoft is working on a new technology, dubbed Street Slide. And from the looks of the demo, it would revolutionize online maps. The new technology allows users to “slide” along a street—rather than jump from snapshot to snapshot, as in Google Street View.
Here are PCMag.com’s top 5 free travel apps to make travel smoother (available on any smartphone with a data plan):
Check luggage limits and pinpoint other travel details with these two helpful web sites: LuggageLimits.com and VirtuallyThere.com.
You’re leaving for vacation, so you dutifully set up the classic “Out of the office, will reply to your message when I get back” e-mail auto-responder. But the auto-reply message doesn’t get rid of the nagging feeling that you’re missing something. Before you go on vacation, set up a custom auto-reply system that will make it easier for you to relax.
Save up to $250 by shipping your luggage via a carrier rather than checking it at the airport … Focus on the most important 10% of words you speak or write, to make them more memorable … Track your company’s competition with WatchThatPage.com, a free tool that monitors specific web pages.
Select the right hotel room for business travelers with the help of these online tools, named as some of the best by Travel + Leisure magazine: tripkick.com, raveable.com and tripadvisor.com.
Fear of flying is common; as many as one in five people suffer from some form of aviophobia. If you or your boss must fly for business, this news should help calm your fears:
Here are seven sites that every globe-trotter (or her assistant) should bookmark, according to Travel + Leisure: HopStop.com, OANDA.com, TheBathroomDiaries.com, Travel.State.Gov, Travelersnet.com, Urbanrail.net and World-airport-codes.com.
Before planning air travel, check these web sites: kayak.com, bing.com/travel, orbitz.com, flightaware.com and ifly.com.
Help travelers organize all their information tidbits with these slick online tools: Gliider … TravelMuse … NileGuide … Trekaroo.
As business travel picks up, try incorporating this savvy tip to make trips hassle-free: Ship your luggage via FedEx ahead of time, using three-day service or ground. CBS travel editor Peter Greenberg says he hasn’t checked luggage on domestic flights in nearly nine years—even before airlines began charging to check bags.
