staliman93 asked:


How much does an average American family spend on travel and vacation in the span of one year?

Including things like, visiting family, vacations, travel expenses, air fare, food, touring, and lodging?
Listing the average expense for your family would be appreciated too.

NORMA

Susan Dean asked:


Traveling internationally means something different to all of us. Some will be going on a holiday while others may be traveling for business purposes for example. Either way many people will choose the option for discount international air travel. Of course this really does depend on your financial situation and whether or not you are happy to accept the compromises that go with this form of traveling. What I mean by this is that to keep airfares at discounted prices the airlines will offer you for example alternatives such as layovers instead of direct flights. Now this may not be a bother to some people but to others it can be very disruptive to their travel plans.

I would seriously suggest to you that before you purchase your discount international air travel tickets you should really do your homework and find out whether these compromises are worth the reduced prices. For instance if you are flying with young children, you may wish to get to your destination as quickly as possible (for the sanity of all) without the hassle of stopping over at airports for hours waiting to catch the connecting flight. Children do not cope terribly well with long delays in airports. They can become quite irritable and understandably so.

Some discount international air travel options also can mean that you may not be landing at the nearest airport to where you want to go to, meaning you will have to find alternative transport to get you to your final destination. This may become quite costly. So when you add it all up it may have been much better to go for a more expensive flight. This is why I stress that you do your homework first.

Some airlines may also cut back on the extras that you get during your onboard flight. This may mean less to eat and drink. They may offer you snacks to buy which can be expensive too. Again, this may not bother some while it will bother others. Make sure when you are purchasing your tickets either through the airline or the travel agency that you ask lots of questions to make sure that you will be happy with the flight. After all whether you are flying full price or discounted it is still a lot of money to be spending when you fly internationally.

I suppose the good thing these days though is that there really is the option in the first place to be able to acquire discount international air travel. This opens up the world to so many people who probably would never have been able to afford to go overseas before but now can. So, save your money, do your homework and enjoy your time away from home for whatever reason it is that you are.



JOYCE

Darlene Berkel asked:


First of all, let me assure you that there are ways to fly with your pets cross country, and even out-of-country, without any damage. You can relax, well, at least a bit anyway. From the research we have done about pet travel and specifically about flying with pets, it seems that most pets are completely safe and unharmed while traveling by airplane.

Still not convinced? Then you should take a look at two great pet air travel websites: Petflight and PetAir. Pet flight is a great site about pet-friendly flights and safe shipping of your pets. It was inspired by a special dog named Brent. Brent and his “pet Dad” discuss how they moved to Hawaii from the USA and they provide invaluable air travel and flight information for flying with pets.

Be sure to read the Pet Travel Reports . Petflight provides monthly reports on the loss, injury, and death of pets during air travel. In addition, you will find great pet travel tips and hard-to-find airline information. We highly recommend Brent’s website as a resource when planning to fly with your pets.

Pet Air is another great resource you could tap into. Pet Air has a 28 -year reputation for transporting animals safely. They deal with both wild as well as domesticated animals. We hope studying the information on these 2 websites and any others you may come across, will help to convince you that it should be perfectly safe to fly with pets IF you arm yourself with all the relevant information and use the right channels.

And if you really don’t like the idea of the cargo hold for your “babies” then hiring a private jet might be the way to go!

Knowing all the rules of pet travel can be confusing since not all airlines allow pets to fly in the cabin. Do your research and contact the airlines directly for all relevant pet air travel information, since pet travel policies vary from airline to airline, and the different policies can be confusing.

Lots of pet travel information is available on the internet, so you can easily acquaint yourself with the rules of pet friendly travel. There are some basic rules that both you and the airlines must follow such as:

-your pet must be at least 8 weeks old and under 100 pounds

-your pet will not be allowed to be outside of its pet carrier

-non traditional pets are not allowed ( sorry, you’ll have to leave your pet snake with his favorite sitter)

-you will need a health certificate from a vet that is no more than 10 days old if your animal will travel in the cargo hold.

These are just a few pet travel rules to keep in mind, but there are many more pet travel tips and resources to help make your pet travel experiences pleasurable for you, the airlines, and above all, for your beloved pet.



Omar

Wolfgang Jaegel asked:


Air travel has revolutionized the way the people travel. No matter it is a business trip, honeymoon trip, or family vacation, traveling by air is an essential segment of any trip. In other words, it has now become a prominent means of transportation for long distance travel as well as tourism and business purposes.

Air travel is simply a form of transportation that uses an air plane. With the rapid changes in lifestyle, this mode of travel became imperative to cope up with today’s busy business schedules. Travel via air has been categorized into charter and scheduled means. Mostly, included in the charter options are people traveling on a package holiday on a charter plane, which in turn are owned and operated by tour operators with which they are traveling. One of the features of charter facilities is that they vend seat-only deals in order to fill their flights.

On the other hand, in the case of scheduled airlines, they sell on seat-only basis, but run as per the timetable. Likewise, scheduled airlines operate flights mostly on the basis of holiday demand, and hence do not run flights every day to the same destination. Also, an important category of air travel is low cost airlines. As the name indicates, this category of airlines render exceptionally low fares, al though it may be attached with only few services in contrast to other two categories.

Whether you are a business or a leisurely traveler, a host of benefits could be derived via air travel. In terms of business purposes, one of the key benefits of it is that it enables corporate business firms as well as employees to save considerable time and money. This in turn is beneficial for time management.

Another prime benefit of this means of travel is that it allows for enhanced employee productivity. Also, a strategic benefit is that it helps to minimize time away from office and home. Improved industrial security, maximized personal safety, increased efficiency and reliability, and positive corporate image are the other prime benefits of air travel, from the point of view of business purposes.

However, the advantages of air travel are not just confined to corporate or business needs, but beyond that. With air travel, one can reach a destination within as well as outside the country within in hours. Further, since many of the leading airlines have slashed the rates, this has even allowed common men to opt for this type of travel. Above all, this mode of travel is extremely safe, since very few fatalities and injuries have been associated with travel by air. In short, air travel is in deed a boon to mankind.

Now we will discuss how to get maximum out of air travel. In other words, you can get maximum benefits via air travel, provided you are ready to do some leg work. The internet is regarded as one of the best sources to shop around for best deals on travel by air. Many of the travel sites on the web provide cheap air flights in the form of travel discounts as well as in-country discounts. This in turn is achieved through a number of ways such as credit card incentives and membership with certain reputable organizations including some reputable organizations. Advanced booking and airfare bookings online could also undoubtedly provide you great savings on travel through air.

Travel via air could be made an enjoyable experience, provided you take into consideration certain simple guidelines and regulations. First of all, as mentioned earlier, make airline reservations in advance. Similarly, if you are traveling with people with any disability, then inform this in advance to your travel agent who can arrange for all facilities including accommodation and equipments such as wheelchair.

Further, if you tour with your babies or children, then carry with you all necessary stuffs such as medicines and cribs. If you suffer from any kind of ailments such as diabetes or high BP, then it is recommended to take required medicines as well as prescriptions. Additionally, arrive early at the airport. However, prior to arriving at the airport, it is important you should have a clear idea on the policies and regulations of an airline. This in turn allows you to save a lot of probable hassles.



Benito

Elisha Burberry asked:


Unfortunately, flying can be a turbulent experience - and that’s before you even get into the air. With the crowds, the queues and security checks that take longer than ever before, airports can be stressful places, especially if you’re not familiar with the way things work.

The most important thing you can do to make your flying experience as pleasant as possible is to allow yourself plenty of time to get to the airport. This means arriving at least two hours before your plane is scheduled to leave or, if possible, even earlier.

There is nothing more stressful than sitting in a traffic jam and seeing the time until your plane’s planned departure tick away. This is the absolute worst way to commence a journey, so ensure you double check all flight times before departure and allow yourself plenty of time to get to the airport. Don’t forget to take into account the chance of heavy traffic, delays or possible security checks of vehicles.

If you have an early morning departure, then it’s a good idea to travel down to the airport the night before your flight and take advantage of an airport hotel. Almost all large airports have hotels on site, from Heathrow to Honolulu, and will allow you a full night’s sleep, avoiding the hassle and stress of having to rush to the airport in the early hours. Instead, you’ll be able to enjoy a leisurely breakfast and take a shuttle bus, (which most airport hotels provide for free) to the airport.

Once you arrive at the airport, locate the correct check in desk by looking at the large screens which show the flight timetables. If you have hand luggage only, some airports and airlines offer a new service called “online check in”, through which you can print off your own ticket and avoid the check in queue altogether. This is especially useful for short haul and business travellers, but unlikely to be of much use to those who are going on holiday and therefore have large amounts of baggage.

Don’t underestimate the amount of time needed to pass through security and into the departure lounge. During peak time this can take up to half an hour, so it’s essential you budget for this. Another mistake that novice travellers have been known to make is not allowing enough time to reach their departure gate. At large international airports, getting to the gate can take twenty minutes or more, and may even require travellers to take internal transport system.

So as long as your plan your journey and allow yourself plenty of time, it’s easy to take the turbulence out of flying!



ELLA