Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
screeners can't make you drink from
your coffee cup. Bring food in your
carry-on rather than checking it, as
explosive-detection machines used on
checked luggage have been known to
mistake food (especially chocolate, for
some reason) for bombs. Travelers in
the U.S. are allowed one carry-on bag,
plus a “personal item” such as a purse,
briefcase, or laptop bag. Carry-on
hoarders can stuff all sorts of things
into a laptop bag; as long as it has a
laptop in it, it's still considered a per-
sonal item. The Transportation Secu-
rity Administration (TSA) has issued a
list of restricted items; check its web-
site (www.tsa.gov/public/index.jsp) for
details.
At press time, the TSA is also rec-
ommending that you
not lock your
checked luggage
so screeners can
search it by hand if necessary. The
agency says to use plastic “zip ties”
instead, which can be bought at hard-
ware stores and can be easily cut off.
FLY FOR LESS: TIPS ON
GETTING THE BEST
AIRFARES
Passengers sharing the same airplane
cabin rarely pay the same fare. Here
are some ways to keep your airfare
costs down.
• Passengers who can book their
ticket
long in advance,
who can
stay over Saturday night,
or who
fly midweek
or
at less-trafficked
hours
will pay a fraction of the
full fare. If your schedule is flexi-
ble, say so, and ask if you can
secure a cheaper fare by changing
your flight plans.
• You can also save on airfares by
keeping an eye out in local news-
papers for
promotional specials
or
fare wars,
when airlines lower
prices on their most popular
routes. You rarely see fare wars
offered for peak travel times, but if
you can travel in the off-months,
you may snag a bargain.
•
Consolidators,
also known as
bucket shops, are great sources for
international tickets, although
they usually can't beat the Internet
on fares within North America.
Start by looking in Sunday news-
paper travel sections.
Warning:
Bucket shop tickets are usually
nonrefundable or rigged with stiff
cancellation penalties, often as
high as 50% to 75% of the ticket
price, and some put you on char-
ter airlines with questionable
safety records. Several reliable
consolidators are worldwide and
available on the Net.
• 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.).
BY CAR
Seattle is 1,190 miles from Los Ange-
les, 175 miles from Portland, 835
miles from Salt Lake City, 810 miles
from San Francisco, 285 miles from
Spokane, and 110 miles from Vancou-
ver, British Columbia.
I-5 is the main north-south artery
through Seattle, running south to
Portland and north to the Canadian
border. I-405 is Seattle's east-side
bypass and accesses the cities of Belle-
vue, Redmond, and Kirkland on the
east side of Lake Washington. I-90,
which ends at I-5, connects Seattle to
Spokane in the eastern part of Wash-
ington. Wash. 520 connects I-405
with Seattle just north of downtown
and also ends at I-5. Wash. 99, the
Alaskan Way Viaduct, is another
major north-south highway through
downtown Seattle; it passes through
the waterfront section of the city.
One of the most important benefits
of belonging to the
American Auto-
mobile Association (AAA)
(
&
800/
222-4357;
www.aaa.com) is that it
supplies members with emergency
road service and towing services if you
