You Asked

Wow, I didn't know you guys had so many questions! So the Q&A continues today, mostly because I'm in pre-vacation mode, and can't get my brain to work. Why is it that the week before you go on vacation, things at your job always go bonkers?


Q: What do I do with Pooh Bear when I go on vacation?
A: Well, that depends. If I go somewhere without the BF, he'll watch Pooh. (They have an "understanding") If the BF and I go together, I have a pet sitter that comes in to feed him. The pet sitter leaves me notes each day that tell me if Pooh behaved. :)


Q: Do I get jet lag when I go to a destination?
A: Again, depends on the destination. I don't sleep on airplanes, so I arrive already tired. If I'm traveling in the US, I can usually adapt with a minor nap. In Europe, I'm ready for sleep at 6 p.m., and then the next day I'm fine. When I went to Ireland, I left the US at 5 p.m., got to Ireland at 6 a.m. their time, and by around 5 p.m. Ireland time, I was so tired I was speaking gibberish. Took a nap at 6 p.m., woke up at 8 p.m. for dinner, went to sleep again at 11 p.m., and then I was off and running for the rest of the trip. I'm a big fan of naps.


Q: How do I find my fun activities?
A: I am a Type A person, so I like to have my ducks in a row before I go. Part of the fun of a trip for me is the research beforehand. I'm a big Barnes and Noble groupie, and I like to sit down with a hot chocolate and just read the guidebooks. I look things up on the Internet, too. I find it helps to have a spreadsheet (told you I was type A) of what I'm doing each day. (It's not so structured as to be time-specific.) I found this really useful in both Paris and Italy, where the churches and museums that I wanted to see were only open on certain days at certain times.)


Q: So where am I off to now?
We leave next week to go to Las Vegas (and crossing my fingers that there are no more grounded flights.) After that, who knows? :)

What Kind of Traveler Are You?

The TSA is trying several things to make travel a bit easier through airports.

The first thing they are "beta testing" is a self-selecting category check-in. There are three "lanes" for you to choose from. There's the black-diamond "Expert" traveler line (yes, like the expert slopes in skiing), there's the green "Family" traveler line, and then there's the red "Casual Traveler" line. The expert traveler knows all the rules - 3-1-1 for liquids, take off your shoes, take out your computer, etc. The family traveler has things to check like strollers and milk bottles. The casual traveler isn't sure what the heck is going on.

I'm all for this, and can't wait for it to roll out everywhere (it's only in select cities right now.) Generally, in podunk Richmond, we don't have much of a security wait at the airport. But in bigger connecting cities -- especially international connecting cities that make you re-check your bag when you come back into the country -- this would be a BIG help to me. If you can't remember to get the change out of your pocket, please get out of my way. :)

The TSA is also testing out a "Serenity Now" theory of check-in. Mellow lighting, mellow tunes and happy, quiet security people (is that an oxymoron?) make for less chaos -- which is actually a help for national security. "Chaos gives camoflauge" for terrorists.

As long as it's not Celene Dion music, I think I could deal.

It also includes a radio scan of passengers' bodies that wouldn't make a stink about artificial hips or nipple rings (did you guys hear about that poor woman? With security guys sniggering while she had to rip out a nipple ring with pliers? Dude, a lawsuit is forthcoming. I would've been on the phone with Gloria Alred immediately.) Meanwhile, it WOULD detect bombs and firearms.

What would you like to see in the security line? I'd like to see:

1. A way that they could scan liquids for explosives, so I don't have to worry about whether my mascara is a liquid.
2. I'd also like to be able to keep my shoes on, becuase YUK! is what I think of the airport floors. My socks get dirty or my bare feet cringe.
3. I'd like to be able to roll my carry-on bag onto the screening table, instead of lifting it, because I pack everything I can in that thing, and it gets heavy.

Photo from TSA Website