Returning from my 6 months abroad in Asia, I was quickly reminded of the joys of Airport security, especially in regard to US bound flights. Excessive, annoying, pointless, humorous, time consuming, inefficient are a few adjectives my jet lagged delerious self thought of.

My experience, Flying Bangkok - Minnesota:

Leaving Bangkok: United personnel acted as security agents during checking asking ridiculous questions that I did little more than prolong the already painfully slow process at 4:00 am.

Arriving in Tokyo: After a full security check in Bangkok and leaving the plane in Tokyo, travelers continuing on must go through another security check. Not sure where during the flight I found a bomb, but whatever. An hour later of standing in snaking lines, I cleared. Who’da guessed?

Boarding in Tokyo: Before boarding my flight Tokyo-Seattle, you guessed it. Another security check, mandated by the US Government due to heightened terror threats. So not only might have I found a bomb on the Bangkok-Tokyo plane, but also in the waiting area for my flight to the US. Interesting.

After the flight was already delayed 30 minutes, before boarding the plan a 18 second pat down and bag search, serious questioning ensued:

United agent: “Do you have a knife?”

Me: um, no (trying to think of somewhere i could’ve got a knife)

United agent: Okay that’s all.

While I realize my experience was nothing excessive, time consuming, or annoying as many travelers face in the US, it is a ridiculous process that really questions the greater underlying purpose and need for everything.

A recent Wall Street Journal article Undressing the Terror Threat addresses the issue best. In short, he shows the irrationality of our overreaction to the threat of terrorism (especially in travel) when compared to the homicide and traffic fatalities rates, amongst others.

Is our constant beefing up of travel and airport security necessary? Is it justified? Are we wasting funds? Should we be concerned about other more likely threats?

Travelers - ask yourself:

Okay world globetrotters and tax paying travelers. What do you think?

• Do we need full body scans?
• Are you okay with a more cumbersome airport security process?
• Do you feel safe traveling now or is more security needed?
• Would $100 billion more for tighter security be needed or justified?

The competition between European budget airlines has been fierce for the last several years as the no frills airlines like RyanAir, EasyJet, and bmiBaby have slashed prices with huge promotions (often misleading) to fill seats and gain ridership.  As times have gotten tougher for the airlines from less air travel, it’s interesting to look at the most competitive European Budget Airline routes that are still alive and kicking for the upcoming travel season this summer.

I performed the searches and due dilligence mostly using the Low Cost Airline Guide, a very comprehensive guide to budget airlines in Europe (with some help from Martin the site’s owner).

Through the research, not surprisingly the most popular and competitive airline routes are those (more…)

My personal favorite travel network, BootsnAll.com, is a comprehensive community and network of travel tips, blogs, articles for prospective travelers seeking travel info for literally any location. The forums are the best on the net for travel topics and questions and seem to make the backbone of the network in my opinion. So when I was contacted to review their online booking site CheapTicketLinks.org, I agreed because of my high regard for the network. Much like the title suggests, the site offers a good search option when looking for Cheap airline tickets.

As for the site, it just offers a simple, easy to use search for flights, hotels, or combinations for your packages. Somewhat like other cheap airfare searches popping up online, the search returns a link list of other airline ticket providers (Kayak, CheapoAir, etc.) and transfers you to their sites with your dates and what not. The site doesn’t actually have it’s own fares, but instead just refers you to other providers in a simple easy to use fashion.

While the site is not revolutionary nor completely original, I think it fits in nicely with the rest of the Bootsnall network and is functional, one stop search tool that many BnA members and visitors will enjoy using. BnA is KISSing and it should work well, so check out CheapTeicketLinks.org when you need to find some flights or hotels, fast.

Finding the cheapest flights when planning a trip is absolutely critical, since flights often take up the largest portion of your travel budget and travel expenses, atleast for budget minded travelers. Fortunately, this thing called the internet has brought travelers websites that allow us to search more flights easier, resulting in affordable, cheap fares.

So for the ultimate guide to find cheap flights online. Really, it can be summed up in one word: Kayak. But, I will cover some more as well.

1. Kayak.com
…is your best bet for finding cheap flights online. Kayak has long been recognized as the best fare search tool that finds the cheapest flights, and through my research and usage I must agree. From being able to utilize flexible dates, seeing the “buzz” in flight searches, and having the ability to search basically every other website in seconds, Kayak is hands down the best online fare search website.. (more…)

They are out there. Credit cards that can make your next flight easy on your wallet. They are potent weapons, but easily misused.

There are plenty of choices when it comes to credit cards that earn you frequent flyer miles. But (surprise) most are not worth the trouble.

All FF-earning cards have annual fees. All have higher than normal APRs. One could easily cancel out any gains or upgrades with interest payments and fees.

There are some secrets to wielding the plastic without killing your budget.
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A hundred years ago, around the world travel was best undertaken by a combination of hot air balloon, steam train, and ocean liner. Thanks to The Brothers Wright, those days have long since past. However, with airline prices on the rise and cancellations becoming more commonplace, it might seem like a traveler is undertaking something just as substantial as Phileas Fogg did.

The advent of internet travel sites like Travelocity and Expedia has made it easier to organize your own trip around the globe. However, these sites are not likely to uncover the best deals.

Some travel agencies specialize in around the world airfares. Though prices may fluctuate depending on where travelers decide to stop, an around the world package is, in general, cheaper than anything you could piece together yourself. If you let the company choose your destinations, prices can get even cheaper. (As of this writing, a set itinerary from Air Brokers International was $1099 from New York to LA the long way around, with stops in London, Berlin, Bangkok, and Hong Kong). For $2000, travelers can stop over on each continent (save Antarctica).

The catch?

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