SDEA- R

Travel Tips

Freeway Safety

From time to time, we get useful information that we like to share with our members.  The spouse of one of our members recently had a flat tire on the freeway and found about this free freeway assistance service.  All you have to do is call 511 for help as listed below. 

FREEWAY SERVICE ASSISTANCE
The service is absolutely FREE to motorists. Simply call 511 and say “Motorist Aid” from your phone or call from a freeway callbox. The services include the following:

Changing flat tires
Jump-starting cars
Refilling radiators and taping leaky hoses
Providing up to a gallon of fuel
Tow disable vehicles to designated safe locations off the freeway

BEAT the AIRLINE FEES/PRICES!
As you have probably noticed, airline fees have increased dramatically over the past couple of years. In the second quarter of 2010, U.S. airlines raked in $2.1 billio in “ancillary revenue,” up 13% from the first quarter. Many fees are hidden.  Boarding early, sitting in the exit row, booking a ticket over the phone or in person or online are all areas that could have hidden fees. A lot of fees are embedded in the online booking process. At times, you have to click on a box to refuse an offer.  Sometimes an optional charge will pop up on screen at the airport check-in kiosk –right when you are in a hurry.  Any time an airline offers you a service, ask “Is this going to cost me?”

A friend swears that if she calls the airline directly after midnight on Tuesdays, she gets an employee who is not so busy and will work with you to get you better rates.

AVOID BAGGAGE FEES!
*PACK SMART, so you can get everything you need into a carry-on case.
*Roll up T-shirts and shorts to make them smaller and easy to fill in gaps. 
*Buy packing “cubes” and tightly pack items like clothes, underwear, toiletries into these mini-cases and then stack them in your luggage. (Online companies like Magellan or REI)
*Prevent wrinkes in delicate items by folding them over bulkier items.
*Consider buying and wearing Scottevest, a line of jackets and coats with 17-37 pockets. You will be wearing what you might have had to put in checked –in luggage. (Scottevevest.com).
*Find additional tips at OneBag.com.
*Note: This information is from AARP’s Peter Greenberg, the Road Warrior.
*FLY SOUTHWEST AIRLINES. They do not charge for checked-in bags.

TRAVEL TIDBIT:
Tourists visiting Iceland should know that tipping at a restaurant is considered an insult!