Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Times, Los Angeles Times,
and
Miami Herald.
Beware:
Bucket
shop tickets are usually nonre-
fundable or rigged with stiff can-
cellation penalties, often as high as
50% to 75% of the ticket price,
and some put you on charter air-
lines with questionable safety
records. Several reliable consolida-
tors are worldwide and available
on the Net.
STA Travel
(
&
800/
781-4040;
www.statravel.com) is
now the world's leader in student
travel, thanks to their purchase of
Council Travel. It also offers good
fares for travelers of all ages.
• Join
frequent-flier clubs.
Accrue
enough miles, and you'll be
rewarded with free flights and elite
status. It's free, and you'll get the
best choice of seats, faster response
to phone inquiries, and prompter
service if your luggage is stolen,
your flight is canceled or delayed,
or if you want to change your seat.
You don't need to fly to build
frequent-flier miles—
frequent-
flier credit cards
can provide
thousands of miles for doing your
everyday shopping.
• For many more tips about air
travel, including a rundown of the
major frequent-flier credit cards,
pick up a copy of
Frommer's Fly
Safe, Fly Smart
(Wiley Publishing,
Inc.).
LONG-HAUL FLIGHTS: HOW
TO STAY COMFORTABLE
Long flights can be trying; stuffy air
and cramped seats can make you feel as
if you're being sent parcel post in a
small box. But with a little advance
planning, you can make an otherwise
unpleasant experience almost bearable.
• Your choice of airline and airplane
will definitely affect your legroom.
Research firm Skytrax has posted a
list of average seat pitches for
international airlines at www.
airlinequality.com.
• Emergency exit seats and bulk-
head seats typically have the most
Coping with Jet Lag
Jet lag is a pitfall of traveling across time zones. If you're flying north-
south, say from Canada to Australia, and you feel sluggish when you touch
down, your symptoms will be caused by dehydration and the general stress
of air travel. When you travel east to west or vice-versa, however, your
body becomes thoroughly confused about what time it is, and everything
from your digestion to your brain gets knocked for a loop. Traveling east
is more difficult on your internal clock than traveling west, as most people's
bodies find it more acceptable to stay up late than to fall asleep early.
Here are some tips for combating jet lag:
• Reset your watch to your destination time before you board the plane.
• Drink lots of water before, during, and after your flight. Avoid alcohol.
• Exercise and sleep well for a few days before your trip.
• If you have trouble sleeping on planes, fly eastward on morning flights.
• Daylight is the key to resetting your body clock. At the website for Out-
side In (www.bodyclock.com), you can get a customized plan of when
to seek and avoid light.
• If you need help getting to sleep earlier than you usually would, doc-
tors recommend taking either the hormone melatonin or the sleeping
pill Ambien—but not together. Take 2 to 5 milligrams of melatonin
about 2 hours before your planned bedtime.
Tips
