"I told you not to check your bag"

HALLIE EPHRON: My flight back from Key West was memorable, but not in a good way. Without Jerry along to argue me out of it, I checked my bag, paying $35 to JetBlue so I wouldn’t have to worry about finding a space for it and hoisting it into an overhead bin.

When we were about to board in an airport so small and crowded that passengers were sitting on the floor (but fortunately all masked), they announced that there'd be a delay as excess weight was offloaded.

I imagined a crane lifting some passengers out of an escape hatch, or fuel being siphoned off.

But no. It turned out they offloaded about half of the checked luggage and queued it up to go to Tampa.

Which became apparent when a crowd of us were still waiting at Logan baggage claim 45 minutes after the flight came in. Our bags still hadn’t come down the chute, and the baggage carousel came to an ominous halt.

About 30 of us queued up to file our claims with one of the 4 baggage-claim officials. Fortunately I had my baggage receipt and even more miraculously, remembered where I'd put it.

My turn came and I was given a sheet with my claim number and instructions, including a web site to check for the status of our bag.

A web site which did not work.

 The information sheet also said to await an email update... which did not come.

There was a phone number which I called the next day and waited an hour on hold to talk to someone who was able to confirm that my bags had arrived at Logan that morning and would be delivered some time later in the day.

My bag got delivered... 26 hours after I did. And I’m still figuring out how to file a claim to get a checked baggage refund.

Is this any way to run an airline??

Here are some tips you know you know, but good to remember for your next flight, should you be foolhardy enough to check a bag.

WHAT NOT TO PACK IN YOUR CHECKED BAG
Cell phone (and a camera if your cell phone doesn't have one)
Computer
Power cords and chargers
Medication
Car and house keys
Glasses
Medication
Wallet, IDs, datebook, money and credit cards
Anything else you're going to need for the next 72 hours

And be sure to:
TAG your luggage, inside and out, with information that enables them to reach you. Include your itinerary so your luggage can catch up with you.
TIE A YELLOW RIBBON or pink pompon or some other identifying thingie to your luggage -- so yours will stand out as yours

They'll ask you what's inside that will identify it as yours, so pack something unique (like my straw hat) on top.

And
REMEMBER WHERE YOU PUT YOUR LUGGAGE RECEIPT AND JUST IN CASE, TAKE A PICTURE OF IT!

Have you sworn off checking your bags... ever... or are you still willing to tempt fate? And what have you learned the hard way?

Rhys with Thoughts on Travel

RHYS BOWEN: I’ve just returned from a lot of traveling. I was six weeks in Europe, visiting England, Venice, Switzerland, Germany, Holland and France. And on returning home it was a ten city book tour, one city a day. Am I tired? Uh, yes.

And have I learned anything about how to make travel easier? The first thing for me is to upgrade to a better seat on an aircraft. I don’t need first class for short haul flights but I do need legroom and to be off that plane first. So when I get my itinerary I always rush to upgrade to the front rows. Worth every penny. (and on long hauls, yes, I splurge and get a bed I can sleep on).

But other things that make life a little easier: pack as light as possible. I went around Europe with one fairly small suitcase. And it is billed as the lightest suitcase in the world. Just 4 pounds.

Almost everything I took could be washed in a hotel sink and dried overnight. So my standard go-to wardrobe for travel is:

4 pairs of travel underwear, the kind that will dry perfectly overnight.

One silk shift to sleep in, long enough so I can face people and look decent without taking a robe.

One short sleeved white T shirt and one white tank top that can be washed in the hotel sink. Preferably Coolmax to wick away perspiration.

One long sleeved white ditto.

A long sleeved travel shirt from Travelsmith that can double as light jacket.

Long navy cardigan. Loose navy pants for sleeping in aircraft.

Light beige pants.

Navy and white long skirt. Navy and white short dress (both of T shirt material)

One light fancy jacket for evenings etc.

Scarf/pashmina for cold flights or evenings at a restaurant.

Super comfortable light sneakers. Ecco Walking sandals and Ecco fancy sandals for evenings etc.

And that’s it. Swimsuit in case the hotel has a pool. A stylish silk scarf or couple of pieces of jewelry and I have enough permutations to keep me going for ages.

Of course on a book tour it’s different. I have to look good every day. And I have to remember what I wore to certain stores the year before. There is nothing more embarrassing than someone handing me a photo she took of us last year or the year before and…. I’m wearing the same jacket.  I also know that I’ll have time to iron things in hotel room.

Other things I take when traveling abroad. A tiny/mini hair dryer because not all hotels have them. And a tiny pillow for aircraft and to put between my knees when I sleep.  It squishes to nothing in one of those packing cubes that are brilliant. All of my T shirts/skirt/dress and undies get rolled in one of those cubes. Shoes and tiny pillow in another. Good jacket and slacks on top.

I pack all my toiletries in ziplock bags rather than a big toilet bag because these are easy to stuff into shoes etc if I put them in the big suitcase and ready to remove for TSA if I don’t.

I have a super-light carry on bag with zillions of pockets for charger/ phone/earbuds/cosmetic bag etc.  Of course this could present a problem, as I confess with a red face. At Heathrow my bag was taken aside. “You have liquids in this,” said the man.

I replied hotly that I never had liquids in my carry on and that I had traveled through numerous airports with this bag.  He found a tiny bottle of foundation and made a fuss about that while I pointed out that if you turned it upside down it didn’t budge, thus not being a liquid.  He took it out and sent the bag back through the scanner. Still liquid. He went through every pocket until at last he fished into a pocket I hadn’t even noticed and in triumph brought out a bottle of orange soda. Imagine my embarrassment. It must have been there for weeks, since one of my train journeys and I had no idea!

So maybe you can have a bag with too many clever pockets!

And traveling domestically I always take a little bag of granola bar, nuts, Baby Bell cheese, just

One final thing I learned on this trip that is brilliant. Carry in purse a list of vital phone numbers. Make them say “Husband John. Daughter Jane etc. And a list of hotels where you will be staying.

Someone said to me “What if you collapsed on the street? They’d look in your phone and see “John. Jane etc” but they wouldn’t know who they were and who to call.

Also a tip I have learned for book tours when I’m in a different hotel every night. Take a picture of my hotel room door. Otherwise I get home, tired, and can’t remember the room number! If you’re a nervous traveler you can buy a tiny wedge to put under the door so no one can get in.

Lastly: there are stores everywhere. Buy a tiny toothpaste. When it’s done buy another one. Saving weight is the most important thing for me.

So what clever travel tips do you want to share?

The Luggage Lament: You take the high road, I'll take the low...

Steve's Journey in Red, his bag in Black

LUCY BURDETTE:  As you may have seen on Wednesday's blog, our good friend Steve accompanied us on the trip to Ireland and Scotland. He traveled on Aer Lingus from Miami and met us in Dublin.  After our visit there, he took a short hop to Edinburg, also on Aer Lingus. He was told when checking in that he could not carry on his bag, even though it was carry-on size. Unfortunately, he arrived in Edinburgh, but his luggage did not.  

He called the Aer Lingus help desk and after a long period on hold, was connected with an agent with a heavy Indian accent named Nathan. The suitcase had been sent to London. 

Steve was informed that the bag would be delivered by morning to our hotel in Peebles. It was not. 

Back on the phone with the help desk, this time he spoke with a man named Ethan, who also had a heavy a Indian accent. They assured him the luggage would meet us in our next stop. It did not. 





At this point, he was desperate enough to acquire temporary clothing. He found colorful bamboo socks at our first stop after Edinburgh, underwear which he declined to have photographed in the Straitraer grocery store, a raincoat in Peebles, a sweater in Moffat,—these were necessary purchases as our first week the weather was cold and rainy. 

Since we were taking a ferry to Northern Ireland for the next leg of the journey, the bag was promised at our stop in the Highlands. It did not come. He found t-shirts in Oban.

Fortunately, he found a pair of rinse-able travel pants at the green welly store, as our next stop might have been this clothing dumpster.  




By now Steve had spent hours on the phone talking to Nathan, Ethan, Norman, and Harvey.

Finally, the bag was retrieved and delivered by a good friend of our tour leader...eight days after it went missing.

And now Steve has lessons and tips for all of us travelers:

1.  Don’t listen to the agent at the counter who says you can’t check your carry-on. You can gate check it and collect it at the bottom of the stairs.

2.  You can get by with a lot less than you think.

3. Don't panic. They sell clothes almost everywhere.

4. Pharmaceuticals, electronics, and toiletries should be glued to your side--never checked.

5. Be persistent. Take notes.

And I would add--a positive attitude makes a big difference. Steve was a real sport! As the Scots would say, Dinna fash yersel. (Don’t upset yourself.) 

Any tips to add from your travel stories?

Travel Tips: What Would Victoria Beckham Pack?

HALLIE EPHRON: I'm just back from a 10-day trip to the back of beyond (Trinidad). No email. No Internet. No phone, mobile or otherwise. And just a smallish backpack for luggage.

As long as I don't have to bring a coat, snow boots, and a ball gown, I'm great at traveling light. I never EVER check a bag so it can't get lost, and so I can fly standby if I need to or offer to give up my seat for those big bucks (though I have never managed to actually score.)

I bring wash-and-wear that's quick-dry, along with a packet of powdered detergent. Never travel without nuts or trail mix, because you never know when the airline will run out of Snack Packs or when your plane will arrive for a layover at the same time as the airport restaurants shut down.

But invariably after 10 hours in the air and waiting around in airports, my (ahem) digestive system shuts down, and then it's a few days before "things" start moving again.

So I'm looking for tips about how to keep the digestive system in motion when you're on the move. What to eat? What not to eat? What to take? Exercises en route? And any other tips for arriving a) refreshed, b) richer, or c) "regular."

And how do you manage to pack something that looks classy and fancy and still travel light?

RHYS BOWEN: We went around the Australian Outback with one small suitcase for three weeks. Secret -- color coordination, T shirts, pants, one khaki skirt, one pair shorts. Buy underpants and socks that can be washed out in sink overnight.

When I travel on business I stick to black pants, a couple of good jackets, white tops and a couple of scarves.

My secret for staying healthy: drink plenty of water. When people think they have an upset stomach it's often simple dehydration. Water is also necessary to keep you "regular" Hallie. Never eat unpeeled fruit or salad in less advanced countries.

Things I always take with me: inflatable pillow for those long flights, flashlight in case hotel electricity goes out, change of underwear and toothbrush in carry-on in case bag goes to Bombay when I'm going to Barbados, mini clothes-pins, eye mask, ear plugs.

ROSEMARY HARRIS: I don't usually have many health issues when I travel although I do try to be mindful of them. Last month I flew to Dar es Salaam and since I knew I'd have so many hours on planes I bought a supposedly hypo-allergenic seat cover - seat, backrest, tray table. I used it once and felt like an idiot. I bring a baggie of vitamins and a bottle of Airborne chewables. Moisturize, drink water. Sometimes on trips when I know vegetables will be scarce, I bring a travel-sized bottle of olive oil. Changes everything.

As far as looking better than you feel - I like to fly in black yoga pants and a cami with a big sweater. Sunglasses, a big scarf and anything but sneakers. I don't know how fancy it is, but I convince myself it's what Victoria Beckham might be wearing.

LUCY BURDETTE: Hmmm, a little dumb here, but what the heck do you do with the olive oil??

We never check a bag anymore either, though no one could pack as lightly as Hallie! And I did borrow the yoga pants idea from Ro last year when we went to Hungary on our bike trip. Unfortunately the look was spoiled because I had to wear my clodhopper hiking boots--too bulky to pack but I had to have them.

Oh Ro, wish we had a photo of you in that hypoallergenic seat and tray cover! My neighbor has me convinced to bring those little sani-wipes and wipe everything down before you get settled...

And about that other matter, Hallie, walk as much of the terminal as you can. I don't take the automated walkway unless the plane is late. Oh, and always pack a sandwich at home. The problem is I usually eat it before I get to the airport...

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Oh, I know, Lucy! Once I know the sandwich is there, I HAVE to eat it!

HALLIE: My favorite takealong: homemade fried chicken and an orange. It's no wonder I start each trip with grease spots. Which reminds me: SHOUT stain remover packets with those little towelettes. Indispensable.

JAN BROGAN: Okay, I've just gotten the best advice ever from Rosemary and I'm taking notes. Olive oil? That advice could only come from a travel pro. And if there's anything I have A LOT of in my wardrobe it's black yoga pants. Also hate sneakers for travel, and not just because they look like you've given up, but because they are hard to take off and on during security. So I try to wear shoes that slip on and off.

Agree totally with Rhys on lots of water. And Emergence-C works great when you are insanely dehydrated. As far as traveling light? My husband would laugh his head off if I pretended to give anyone advice on that subject.

HANK: I have reformed so much from my old ways of overpacking!

I have a carry on suitcase.. And whatever I can fit into that, goes. Wear socks under my travel Uggs. Really ugly but warm comfy and can also be slippers. Travel shawl , black , doubles as blanket on plane and evening wrap. Water water water and I always have a bag of almonds. Almonds are always appropriate. I never drink on the plane. And I always eat breakfast-- egg whites are the best.

HALLIE: Now I know what to do with the olive oil. Sprinkle it on the egg whites!

DEBORAH CROMBIE: From Pappadeux Seafood restaurant, DFW Terminal A, en route to Orlando. Roll on size bag checked because I'm carrying my laptop, as always, in roll on backpack.

Travel musts: emergency meds, including immodium, naproxen, benedryl, and prescription anti nausea pills (many unpleasant experiences with overseas bugs an d no available doctor. And once in London my daughter had a bad allergic reaction to something she ate, so benedryl a staple.)

On plane, socks, blanket (since they no longer give them to you on domestic flights) and comfy sweater. Bottle of water. Earbuds or headphones.

Emergen-c is great rehydrator, I agree with Jan. I carry fish oil caps, fiber caps, and magnesium, but olive oil great idea too. And LOTS of water.

And now, bon voyage!

HALLIE: Let's hear it for water and olive oil!

So, Red Readers, what are your most cherished travel tips, and who do you want to look like when you're on the road?