Believe it or not, the air you breath on an airplane is actually cleaner than the air you will breath on a city bus, in an office building or even the air on a typical city street.  Airplane air is recirculated between 15 – 20 times per hour and goes through a complex series of filters to clean out dust, vapors, bacteria and mold.  Granted viruses may escape through the filtering process but generally viruses attach themselves to droplets which would then be trapped by the filters. 

That being said, you can still catch something on airplane if the people around you are sick and sneezing or coughing in your space, or if you are touched or if there are germs in your food.

So, what should you do to minimize your chances of catching something if you do fly?  Keep hydrated by drinking lots of water, moisturize your skin, wash your hands, change seats if the person next to you is obviously sick and most importantly, if you’re sick, don’t fly!

 Travel Warning: Swine Influenza and Severe Cases of Respiratory Illness in Mexico — Avoid Nonessential Travel to Mexico

Current Situation As of April 27, 2009, the Government of Mexico has reported 18 laboratory confirmed human cases of swine influenza A/H1N1 infection. Investigation is continuing to clarify the spread and severity of the disease in Mexico. Suspect clinical cases have been reported in 19 of the country’s 32 states. The World Health Organization (WHO), the Global Alert and Response Network (GOARN), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have sent experts to Mexico to work with health authorities. CDC has confirmed that seven of 14 respiratory specimens sent to CDC by the Mexican National Influenza Center are positive for swine influenza virus and are similar to the swine influenza viruses recently identified in the United States. On April 25, the WHO Director-General declared this event a Public Health Emergency of International Concern under the rules of the International Health Regulations. CDC and state public and animal health authorities are currently investigating 20 cases of swine flu in humans in California, Texas, Kansas, Ohio, and New York City. Some of the U.S. cases have been linked to travel to Mexico. At this time, only two of the 20 cases in the U.S. have been hospitalized and all have recovered, but deaths are reported to have occurred in Mexico. CDC is concerned that continued travel by U.S. travelers to Mexico presents a serious risk for further outbreaks of swine flu in the United States. CDC Recommendations At this time, CDC recommends that U.S. travelers avoid all nonessential travel to Mexico. Changes to this recommendation will be posted at http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/.

Shore Excursions are the mini-tours available at the different ports of call that your cruise ship will visit.  Before and during your cruise, you will hear many sales pitches by the cruise staff to prebook your excursions.  Excursions booked on board the ship or through the cruise line will be relatively expensive.  That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t book them though in some circumstances.  Here are the reasons to book prior to or aboard the ship:

1.  You require confirmed reservations and a high degree of certainty in your travel planning.

2.  You have limited mobility and/or will require assistance while on tour.

3.  You are going to a restricted area or on an adventure (helicopter, train)that will allow only a limited number of visitors.

4.  You want to make sure that you have an English speaking guide who is knowledgeable in the areas you are visiting.

However, there are several instances when you do not need to prebook your tours and ultimately you will save a lot of money by arranging them on shore.  When visiting Alaska, the Carribean, Hawaii, Mexico and other areas, you will find that as soon as you walk off the dock, there will be individuals offering both bus tours and taxi tours at a price substantially less than the ship was offering.  Most of these tours will visit the exact same places that the prepaid tours will visit and as with a taxi tour, you may alter your schedule and time it for as long as you desire.  When you purchase a tour from the people on the dock especially in a foreign country, make sure they are known by the local tourist/visitor center (generally right there on the dock) and are considered reputable.  When you purchase your tour locally, your dollars will go to benefit the local economy and they will thank you profusely.

My job prospects were diminishing, the economy was convulsing, but I said “screw it” — and took a vacation I couldn’t afford.

As I was lying beneath a lustrous sun last week, with a top-shelf daiquiri in my hand, at a luxury resort that I couldn’t afford in good economic times, I thought to myself: So what if we’re on the brink of the next Great Depression? This was a good decision.

Days earlier, I’d been informed by my boss that my consulting job could likely end in June. My wife’s freelance opportunities were drying up as well. We’d downgraded our cat from Fancy Feast to Meow Mix. And if things were about to get really bad, as some economists have been predicting, we only had a short window of time before we’d have to renegotiate the lease on our glamorous, 350-square-foot Brooklyn, N.Y., studio.

There’d be plenty of time for boiling raccoon bones into soup broth, I rationalized, should a full-fledged depression hit, but for now I was going to enjoy my drink and watch the azure waves crest into gold. I was on a beach in the lovely town of Tulum, Mexico. And I was relaxed. This was my “last hurrah” vacation.

There’s no denying that I should have been stressed. In the days since, the jobless rate has risen to an unsettling 8.5 percent. Wall Street remains unstable. The government has committed taxpayers to $800 billion in new spending. What’s more, some communities have been hit so hard by the economic downturn, they’ve started printing their own money. The times feel so apocalyptic, I even get jumpy checking the status of my bank account online. I mistook the buzzing sound my computer makes while booting up for a plague of locusts.

But despite the economic abyss potentially lurking on the horizon, some carpe diem vacationers continue to live in denial. According to the Air Transport Association, air travel is down 20 percent, and yet I keep running into other people who, against their better judgment, are taking vacations precisely because of the stress related to uncertain economic times.

“I call it the ‘f***-it phenomenon,’” said Matt Wallaert, a social psychologist with the financial advice site Thrive. “Everywhere you go the media tells you that things aren’t going to get better any time soon,” he said. “But if you feel like life has dealt you a bad hand, it’s easy to say, ‘F*** it, I deserve this.’”

Matt Casper, a marketing consultant who lives in San Diego, is no stranger to the f***-it phenomenon.

“I am between successes,” Casper confessed to me, making light of the fact that he hasn’t had steady work in months. Casper, 40, recently booked his own last hurrah vacation to New York with his wife and two children.

“I am looking [at] about two months of money left, no real job prospects,” he said. “I need a vacation and I just decided not to worry about the money.”

With a jobless rate of 10.5 percent, California has been hit hard by the recession, yet Casper refuses to be dissuaded by the shakeup.

“I basically started envisioning a return to a simpler existence that includes churning your own butter,” he said, only half-joking. “I’m basically thinking, hey, we can build a chicken coop.”

While in Tulum, my wife and I came across dozens of vacationers echoing the sentiment. Travel may be on the decline, but there was no shortage of people basking in the sun as their 401Ks suffered an extreme burn at home. We overheard one couple at a beachfront bar take a break from their Scrabble game to make a toast. “To poverty,” they said with a smirk, raising their matching Montejo lagers in the air. And as we tried to steer clear of a stalking mariachi band that seemed to know only two songs, “La Bamba” and “Guantanamera,” we coincidentally ran into one of my wife’s friends from college. She was staying at an adjacent resort. Our conversation inevitably turned to the elephant in the room, how none of us could afford the vacation we were currently enjoying.

Wallaert, who has offered financial advice to thousands of young people, worries that refusing to buckle down in these tough economic times is indicative of a culture of entitlement.

“If I lost my job I would not be taking a vacation,” said Wallaert. He acknowledged the unsettling reality behind last hurrah vacations, since overspending and living on credit is what catalyzed the economic meltdown in the first place.

“What a recession does is push people to be more of what they already were,” said Wallaert. “The people who were probably overspending in the first place are going to overspend more.”

Not surprisingly, the airlines have become willing enablers to the impulsiveness, enticing customers to throw caution to the wind with their dramatically low fares. In the last two months, many flight fares have been slashed up to 50 percent. Flights to Mexico and Florida are the lowest they’ve been in years and American Airlines is offering summer flights to London, Manchester and Dublin for under $200, with a round-trip fare from Chicago to Dublin for $147.

Intrepid Travel is even offering discounts to people who’ve recently been laid off.

“Laid off? How about taking off?” suggests its latest promotion. It promises 15 percent off to the recently unemployed.

In a similar vein is the JetBlue Promise Program, which encourages people to book a vacation with the promise that their fares will be refunded should they get canned. (Which seems gracious enough if you operate under the assumption that all newly unemployed customers will actually cancel. “Unpack your bags, son, Daddy just got fired. We can’t afford Disneyland.”)

Adding fuel to our temptations, hotel rates in most major chains are offering rooms at record low prices at up to 50 percent, some with free room upgrades, spa treatments and credits on meals.

Cruise lines are practically doing a striptease to get people on board. They’ve lowered their fares and launched aggressive ads, including a Carnival campaign that turned urban vacant storefronts into interactive screens that advertise an escape to better, warmer climates. And it’s working! In March, Carnival boasted a record number of bookings.

Dr. Marlin Potash, a psychologist and founder of the blog Feeling Up in Down Times, noted that the adjectives used by marketers in the travel industry have changed.

“Instead of advertising something as being ‘luxury,’ marketers are now more likely to emphasize the word ‘discount,’” said Potash. Even high-end tourism brands, she said, that traditionally didn’t want to be associated with terms like “bargain” and “cheap” — such as W Hotels and Four Seasons — are offering recession discounts.

Potash worries that young people, especially those who have never had to endure sustained economic difficulties, are being snookered by the so-called travel savings, when they should be putting money in the bank or, at the very least, staying put and sucking it up.

“There is a kind of adolescent thinking that does not pay attention to the fact that there are times when you can’t have everything you want,” said Potash. “Many young people, and people in their 30s, have always had it good. They aren’t used to living without, and it’s going to take them a little bit longer to adjust.”

Brock Boddie, 31, was happy to take the bait of discount tickets. He just returned from his own last hurrah trip to Antigua — a $1,200 all-inclusive package — with his fiancée Jenna Goodman, 33.

“We stayed at some horrible place called the Grand Pineapple,” he said, mocking the corniness of the name.

Boddie currently works as a Web consultant at the United Nations Development Programme, but his contract will expire mid-summer. He’s worried he’ll have few prospects if the economy keeps tanking. His fiancée is a teacher at Brooklyn Friends School, a job that, as Boddie points out, is dependent upon people having money to send their children to private school. Goodman and Boddie recently postponed their wedding, largely because of financial concerns.

“What the hell are we doing? We just canceled our wedding,” Boddie said with a laugh, acknowledging the contradiction. “It was the most spontaneous trip we’d ever taken. I just needed to take a break from life.”

And who doesn’t want that? Grim days have left many of us scrambling to find the escape hatch. And there’s something intensely gratifying, however unwise and fleeting, in giving the economy the finger — if only for six days and seven nights at a beachfront resort with all-you-can-eat chicken wings.

But for some, these last hurrah vacations have taken on deeper meanings. One of the few silver linings in the merciless rounds of layoffs has been that they offered many people an exit from the suffocating sameness of their lives. Yes, the recession brought increased anxiety as well. But for many, that fear became a catalyst. It’s enabled them to strive for something more meaningful in their lives, even if that means a temporary break from common sense.

Lauren (not her real name) is a 37-year-old business owner who owns a small restaurant in Brooklyn with her husband. They were on target to make a profit last year, until getting pummeled in the last quarter.

“We’ve decided to slash our asking price in half,” she said. “We’re getting out at the worst possible time. But we have to do this for our sanity.”

If they’re able to find a buyer, they plan to travel across Europe, even though they’ll both be returning to New York sans employment and with a depleted bank account.

“Fiscally it may not be wise,” she acknowledged. But Lauren says the chaotic economic climate has made her more impulsive.

“And who knows,” she said, excited by the prospect of starting over, “maybe some [employment] doors will open while we’re abroad.”

Meanwhile, photographer Christopher Wray-McCann, 35, is planning a similarly brash trip to Africa. As the slowdown gains momentum, he’s found that his bread-and-butter contractors, including Condé Nast, have stopped calling. The trip, he says, will be his last hurrah before he’s forced to really buckle down.

“The advertising market has almost completely dried up,” said Wray-McCann. “It’s the worst I’ve seen it since after 9/11. Last month I asked my business managers how much time I had before I had to give up my studio and join the Navy,” he joked. “They told me three months.”

Later in April, Wray-McCann is taking the opportunity to travel to Ghana to begin a collaborative video project with author (and friend) Mohammed Naseehu Ali. It’s a stretch financially, but he’s committed to spending a portion of his remaining assets to begin work on the project.

“Mohammed and I have been talking about this trip for years, and when the bottom dropped out, the stars aligned, and we said, ‘F*** it. Let’s go.’”

F*** it. Let’s go. It’s become a common mantra, as we wait and wonder — bank accounts dwindling — if we’re headed for an economic black hole. Maybe we should collectively heed the wisdom of our Depression-era grandparents and learn how to quilt trousers out of flour sacks. But most of us grew up spending, and we’re having a hard time stopping now. Irresponsible? Perhaps. But I think it’s also evidence that we are refinancing our priorities. Changing the accounting on what’s important. And we’re perfectly aware — well, hopefully many of us are — that tighter budgets must follow. Last hurrahs, after all, should be a prelude to change.

“There’s an expectation in America,” said Dr. Potash, “that you can enjoy whatever you want now and the money will eventually roll in. It’s good to be optimistic but at some point one has to face reality.”

She’s right. And let’s be clear, if the proverbial floor does drop out, we’ll all have to make some painful sacrifices. But as everything that we once depended on shifts and changes unpredictably around us, it’s refreshing to see people beginning to devalue the significance of the almighty dollar in their lives. Even if it is a bit reckless.

“Seeing my family and spending time with them on this trip is more important than worrying. And if I have to take a job at a video store to pay for it, I guess that’s OK,” said Casper. “The vast pyramid scheme that is our economy has collapsed and now that money is worthless it’s less important to me,” he continued, acknowledging that his trip to New York, like so many last hurrah vacations, will be financed by credit.

reprinted courtesy of Salon.com, Robert Lanham, April 13, 2009

Since 1955, The Disney Company has been the world’s leader in theme park vacations when the original Disneyland opened it’s doors in Anaheim, California. The park expanded and become the Disneyland Resort in 2001 by adding the California Adventure park. In 1971, the Disney World Resort opened in Lake Buena Vista, Florida bringing with it a carbon copy of Disneyland, a science adventure park called Epcot, the Hollywood Studios park and now the Animal Kingdom. In addition, Disney World is surrounded by many water parks, shopping, entertainment and golf courses.

When planning a trip to Disney, both resorts have high end luxury properties available as well as budget properties on a near the parks perimeters and everything else in between. Shuttle service is available to the parks at most hotels but if you would like the option of returning to your hotel midday or mutliple times during the day, staying in a property on the monorail line will be beneficial.

Disney vacations can very quickly get very expensive. The entry fee for each park will vary by age and the number of days you are visiting as well as if you want park hopping privileges or the ability to leave one park and visit another on the same day. Your entry fee covers admission to the attractions, both the rides and any shows. Be aware that food prices in the park are very, very high. If you have the ability to pack drinks and snacks for your family and carry them around with you, do so. Be aware that any bags you bring in will be inspected upon entry to the parks.

The best time to visit a Disney Resort is during a non-peak period. During holidays and school breaks, lines may be so long that the number of attractions you visit will be significantly reduced. On a typical mid-week day during a non-peak period you can enjoy a whole park in 1 – 1 1/2 days with short waits. Unfortunately, repairs and maintenance to the attractions happen during those non busy periods so not all of them may be open on the day you visit.

Air consolidators are businesses which have contracts with one or more airlines to sell their seats at bulk rates. Often there are only limited flights that these rates are available on and certain classes of service must be available as well. Consolidators primarily sell international flights but there are some domestic consolidators out there too.

Sometimes, a consolidated fare will save you a lot of money. Going to Europe during the summer is often $300 – $500 cheaper on a consolidated ticket than if you were to just purchase it normally even if you are able to get a super saver fare. If you are faced with a full fare coach ticket because of last minute requirements, it is worth it to shop a consolidated fare which may not have the same advance purchase requirements.

When purchasing a consolidated ticket, the airline will specify ticketing and conditions of carriage rules which often have unique conditions. Some of these conditions include change or cancellation penalties and whether or not you may accumulate frequent flyer miles for these flights. Don’t assume that you will have the same penalties and ability to change flights as a “normal” ticket. Make sure you read all the fine print and understand completely what you are buying.

To purchase a consolidated ticket, your best bet would be to contact a travel agent. They generally work with a select group of consolidators that they have had a good experience with. Let the travel agent shop around for you and see where they can get you the best price. They will tack on their commission to the consolidated fare but you will still save money. You can shop consolidators online as well. Start by visiting www.usaca.com for a comparison of consolidators and then shop the websites of those you deem trustworthy.

The point of using a consolidated ticket is to save money of course. Be educated though. Understand the rules of the ticket, make sure that you will not have to make changes once you have begun your travel and whatever you do, buy travel insurance just in case.

Want a great way to visit a bunch of fabulous European cities but not spend all your time on a bus or airplane? Want to unpack once and have all your meals and entertainment included? Wish a cruise ship could take you inland? Go for a river cruise! Many of Europes most renowed cities are on the banks of rivers including Paris, Amsterdam, Vienna, Budapest and Prague. The ships dock in the city centers from which you can go out and explore everything there is to see including historic places, shopping centers and attractions. River ships take between 100 and 200 passengers and are much more relaxed and easy-going than ocean going cruise ships. Yet, you get the same benefits as the large ships including all inclusive pricing which can be much less than traveling from city to city by air, rail or bus and then paying for each meal. River cruises are available in France, Scotland, England, Ireland, Holland, Italy, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Hungary, China Egypt and even in America on Majestic America Cruise Line’s 224 passenger ship, the Empress.

Absolutely yes, as long as you still have your income. Yes, it’s awful that there are so many people unemployed right now. Yes, it’s terrible that so many people are suffering. But, if you are okay in your circumstances, it will not help those other people for you to sit on your hands and stay home. It will help the economy and it will help others from joining the unemployment ranks if you go out and spend some money on a vacation. If you have the means to take that 2 week cruise or spend 10 days on Maui then do it. Think of all the service personnel that will remain employed because you are using their hotel rooms and eating in their restaurants. Not to mention all the airline employees and ultimately aircraft manufacturer employees who will stay employed as well.

If things are tight for you, then scale back your vacation but still, go out and enjoy. There are lots of ways to vacation on the cheap from staking a tent in a local or not so local campground, renting a condo or a house at the beach for a week or two, to renting a camper and driving across this beautiful country. If you prefer the water to highways, check into renting a boat. There are plenty of folks out there with sailboats and small yachts that would love to let you rent it rather than have it sit at the dock. All of these options allow you to shop for and cook your own food saving you lots and lots of $$$$. But don’t do it everyday! Treat the cook in your family to at least a few days vacation and enjoy the local eateries. Remember keep this economy moving!

If you need more ideas for inexpensive vacations, email me or leave a comment.

Also, if you have friends or family members who are in those ranks of unemployed and financially strapped, why not rent a bigger house or condo and bring them along with you. It won’t cost much more but will certainly cheer them up.

The U.S. State Department has issued a warning cautioning U.S. citizens heading to Mexico of a surge in drug-related murder and mayhem south of the border that has left more than 6,000 people dead. For more information, see the State Department announcement. Although, the greatest increase in violence has occurred near the U.S. border the State Department has urged travelers to be vigilant in unfamiliar areas and be conscious of their surroundings at all times.

“It is imperative that travelers understand the risks of travel to Mexico, how best to avoid dangerous situations, and whom to contact if one becomes a crime victim” the State Department cautions. “Common-sense precautions such as visiting only legitimate business and tourist areas during daylight hours, and avoiding areas where prostitution and drug dealing might occur, can help ensure that travel to Mexico is safe and enjoyable.”

Millions of Americans safely travel to Mexico each year to conduct business, vacation and study and the risk appears to be low for the vast majority of travelers. Ultimately, the individual traveler has discretion to make an assessment of the level of risk he or she can tolerate. Nevertheless, agents are advised to pay attention to news headlines and State Department warnings regarding the uptick in violence. Until the violence subsides, agents would be prudent to warn their clients of the potential risks associated with traveling to Mexico. Failure to warn of these travel hazards could result in liability for negligence.

Yes, if you want to go on vacation with your kids. Some people like to vacation away from their kids. In either case, a cruise is a good compromise. If you are traveling with kids and they are under the age of 16, look for a ship that has a good kids program. This means, there will be hosted activities by counselors (just like camp) during the days that the ship is at sea. This will give you the opportunity to have some time away from the kids while they are at their kids center as well as family time during meals and on port days. Additionally, babysitting services are available for a nominal fee after hours when the kid’s center is closed or at other times such as port days. If you have an infant not old enough for the kids center, babysitting services might be available for her as well. Have your travel agent check with the ship prior to booking just to make sure.

A further note, while I have taken kids as young as 4 months all the way up to 16 year olds on cruises, I have found that the older my kids get, the less interested they are in going. Unless there are other young adults in their age group on board, they may very well get bored which could make your vacation less enjoyable.