Many medical  experts have found that air  travelers usually experience a worse bout of jet lag when they fly from east to west.  In general, the more time zones that they cross, flying from east to west, the more severe their symptoms of jet lag will be.  However, passengers will only experience a milder problem with jet lag when their air flights are going from west to east.

Travelers can fly north and south, or south to north, for thousands of miles without experiencing any jet lag. But as soon as the pilot of the airplane starts to fly in an east to west direction and crosses more than one or two time zones, they can experience jet lag.

Passengers will not usually experience the symptoms of jet lag until they exit the plane.  That’s the time when their biological clocks will start to make internal adjustments inside their bodies to coincide more closely with the local time at their destination.  If air travelers cross one, or even two time zones, their bodies can usually adjust very quickly.  However, if a traveler is in poor health or not feeling well before the flight, jet lag can compound the problem.

The following information may lessen the effects of jet lag when you fly.

Try to catch a flight that arrives at your vacation destination in daylight hours.  Immediately fit in with the new time zone and do not go to bed.  If you feel tired and want to take a short snooze, do it in a well lighted place.

In the evening, when your tired, go to sleep in a darkened room.  The darkness will help prepare your brain for sleep.

Try to avoid looking at television or computer screens as they are bright and have high frequencies that can easily over-stimulate your brain.

Do not consume alcohol or any drinks such as coffee and soda that contain caffeine until your symptoms of jet lag wear off, as it can disrupt your sleep.

To help you adjust to the time zone at your destination, you may want to consider taking a melatonin tablet or capsule (as many air travelers do) in the early evening (your time).  You might still have to take a melatonin for the next three or four evenings in a row before you go to bed in this new location to help you readjust your biological clock.  If you not taken melatonin before, you should ask your doctor or local pharmacist for more information in regards to the suggested dosage.

Now here’s a subject every parent has had to get creative with. Whether it’s a trip to Grandma’s house, a drive to the state parks and beaches for an outing or that long road trip exploring what lays beyond the four corners of your neighborhood. Travel toys can be an ongoing challenge that’s also an absolute necessity when children are included on that trip. There are the old favorites like the “license plate” game, the alphabet game that can take up a good portion of the road trip depending on how scenic the roads you travel are. There. But sometimes children would rather entertain themselves and have something more hands on to entertain themselves with.

Take some time with your child to develop a “Travel Pack” equipped with all necessities for any long outing. These packs can include some child-friendly snacks as well as a toy or two keep them entertained. While a stuffed animal of some sort will almost certainly make the cut, there are many toys offered today that can help kids learn and enjoy themselves.

In today’s tech era, hand held video games like Gameboys and PSP’s, are grabbing the attention of young children and brain matter. Doesn’t matter where they are or what they are doing, these handheld contraptions are all the rage and they are not going away.

However, for our younger generations there are educational video games now available to parents. It comes down to a “If you can’t beat them join them” kind of philosophy. Incorporating the educational fulfillments required to raise our children into this video era was brilliant. It most assuredly raised levels of gratitude for the parents of the world as well.

Sometimes noise levels are a factor and travel toys have to have the “hush” factor built into them. This scenario is usually experienced up in the blue yonder. If you have traveled with your children on an airplane, then it’s a pretty safe assumption that looks of disapproval have been thrown your way due to the noise a child is making. Two phenomenal toys for airplane travel are the Wooden Magnetic Animal Habitat Set and the Magnetic Pattern Block Kit, by Melissa and Doug. The Animal Habitat Set includes 26 play pieces and 3 durable habitat cards featuring a farm, ocean, and the African Plains.

The Pattern Block Kit includes a magnetic hand painted wooden board, 12 durable pattern cards and 120 magnetic wood shapes. You simply slide a pattern card into the wooden frame and match the pieces with the shapes in the pictures. What makes these two toys perfect in particular is that they both come in a sturdy carrying case with an easy zip back pocket for storage. Your children can be just like Mom or Dad with their own carry on brief case, filled with fun. No fuss, no mess, it all fits into one convenient place. How’s that for making everyone happy while flying the wild blue skies, as well as making that long drive more of a pleasurable experience for all. Have a nice trip!

Whether you are flying somewhere with your family for a much-needed vacation or solo for a routine business trip, air travel comes with its own challenges. It is very common for people to get bored, restless or uncomfortable during flights, and these problems are easily eliminated with a little planning.

The best thing you can do to improve your in-flight experience is to bring the comforts of home with you. You are always allowed at least one carry-on bag, so make it count. Here are some tips:

·         Sanitation: Although it’s not a pleasant thought, it pays to consider cleanliness and plan ahead by bringing sanitary wipes and hand gel. The surfaces on airplanes get touched by many different people every day, and that includes the bathroom fixtures as well as your seat handles, pull-down trays and anything else you touch. Whip out your wipes as soon as you sit down and go over the main surfaces you will touch in-flight, and do the same when you go into the washroom (never enter airplane washrooms with stocking feet!). Use non-wash hand gel before eating and then again after exiting the aircraft. Take these quick precautions and you’ll save yourself from potentially getting sick on your vacation or trip. Just remember to keep any little bottles under 100Ml or they will be confiscated at the gate.

·         Healthy Snacks: While you may get food on the plane, ensure you won’t be hungry and that you’ll eat what you want by bringing along healthy snacks. Check with your airline or customs as to whether you can bring food through the gate, or buy some small items you like inside the gate, before boarding. This is especially helpful when the in-flight crew cannot get to you in a timely manner due to turbulence or other concerns, and you feel famished. Try to keep your snacks on the healthy side, as mentioned – salty snacks will only make you feel thirsty and dehydrated.

·         Reading material: A book or magazine will go a long way toward keeping you busy during your flight. If you forget, you can usually grab some reading material at the airport.

·         Audio: To drown out noisy kids or just to relax, in flight audio works like a charm. Many airlines offer movies or other entertainment, but not all offer free headsets these days. Bring along a headset of your own – iPod headsets fit into most airline audio sockets. You can also, of course, load your iPod or other listening device with music or stories to keep you entertained on your flight.

·         Reflection: You may want to bring a notebook or journal in which to record your thoughts. Away from the norms of your everyday life, you can make use of the chance to reflect by writing out goals, plans or other personal thoughts.  WORK TIP: Even if you are heading somewhere to get away from all your work-related concerns, flying time offers a unique opportunity for you to get some clarity. Consider using this time to ponder your current work set-up, how it can be improved and what your professional goals may be for the next few months and years. No matter what you do for a living, there is always room for improvement – in both your performance and effectiveness and well as your sense of satisfaction – and entrepreneurs, especially, often forget to step back and work ‘on’ their business rather than ‘in’ it all the time. Use this time to get a little perspective and you may find some new, exciting plans come to mind.

·         Comfort: Airplanes are very dry, so bring small items such as lip balm, saline eye drops and nose spray. Drink lots of water while on board, and keep your skin moisturized. You may also want to bring a small blanket or scarf and maybe even a mini-pillow, as many airlines no longer offer these as complimentary items, and you find yourself sleepy or cold with no recourse but to be uncomfortable. Also consider a sleep mask and earplugs if you plan on resting.

·         Relaxation: Listen to relaxing music or meditations to pass the time, and to alleviate nervousness if you are prone to it. Load your iPod with soothing guided meditations or calming music. Some enterprising airlines even offer these as part of their in-flight entertainment system.

Before, traveling overseas can cost you a fortune. And to get a good and cheap air travel would require you to pull out several tricks just to make sure travel agents will give you what you want. But in the end, you have to settle for the rates that your travel agent has given you.

Today, to get cheap air rates whenever you plan to travel overseas it is not a great task. And with the help of the Internet, you can find several cheap air travel sites that can offer you deal that are really affordable. With a little navigation skill further, you can even dig dipper and get the best of the best deals available. To help you do this, here are some of the ways to get yourself a cheap air travel you have always wanted:

Do research. Do it thoroughly if you want. The Internet offers a lot to those who look closely and thoroughly. Visit several sites that offer cheap air travel deals. Use the search engine to pinpoint the sites that can help in your search. Read online articles regarding cheap air travel; they often offer several links that could lead you to travel agents that provide cheap air travel. If you have found a site, add it to your “favorites”. In this way, you can easily get back to it once you search for more sites. Compare the rates of all the sites you have chosen.

Sometimes, online research is not enough. If this happens, contact travel companies or tour operators and ask for cheap air travel rates or packages they offer.

Consider package deals. Especially if you are traveling for holiday vacation, taking package deals would give you cheap rates. When you arrange this, include to the list your plane tickets, hotel accommodation, car rental and other necessary itineraries like food coupons you think might help to lower the air travel rates.

Travel in a group. Several cheap air travel agencies offer big discounts when you travel with a group. If you are traveling alone, join open groups. Although you might not know who’s with you, you can always choose not to be with them.

Travel during off-peak season. Air travel rates are a lot cheaper when you visit a country in its off-peak season. Usually, the summer season is the most expensive time to schedule your trip. Except summer, you can get cheap air travel rate throughout the season (depending on the popularity of the destination).

Buy return flights. Although it is always a practice to buy return flights, you still cannot disregard the savings it could give to you. Buying two one-way tickets are more expensive than the return air tickets.

Make you flight open. Tell your airline operator that you are willing to get bumped. If you are after discount, this is for you. You might not get your scheduled flight but you can get discounts you can use on your next flight.

Fly on one airline. In this way, you can accumulate miles of points where you can use on your next flights.

There are more tips you can use to get cheap air travel but generally but the mentioned above is the most common. Be sure to do at least one or two and you are surely on your way to other country without spending so much.

My girl friend fears to move travel for long distances be it by air or vehicles. It is not her alone but many people have that fear before boarding their next plane. What could be the reason?

Is it hereditary, is it a natural fear? Why it is that some don’t fall sick after or before a long journey on a plane. On this article get to know how to solve some problems concerned with long journey psychological problems.

Others call it aviophobia I don’t know how you will call it. But it was in 1988 when I hard a long distance from my homeland to our capital city. I moved with older women and men who were not comfortable with this journey. I can remember o good number of them vomited in vehicle. By then I was still young but kept thinking why others didn’t vomit including me.

It was in 2003 on my journey from London to New York when I experienced another incidence of such where another woman vomited on our journey and I felt that, may be there was a certain type of people who fear to travel.

On my world travels I have come to know that naturally, there are people who have that fear in their body and I have managed to gather enough information on how one can avoid this to happen again in future.

I ‘m sure if you are going to a long journey, you have to plan it. And if your last journey was not good, you should have known the cause. The best way is to make sure to avoid the mistakes you made before the journey.

I remember asking the lady what happened I moved with in1988, and I can remember well when she said that the air from the exhaust pipe was not good and made her vomit. But what amused me was that she never wanted to go to next clinic for medical care. How about this one in the air conditioned plane from London to New York?

You will not have committed any crime but if you can avoid it, it can save you a great degree of humiliation.

There are some tablets that can stop this to happen in the course of your journey. But does that solve the future problem?

The best alternative is to visit a psychotherapist near you. These people are experience in distinguished fields and can help you. There are also machines which are made for such people to make a person ready for that journey.

Some of us were luck to be born in middle class home where we got the chance to move in a vehicle at an early age and therefore don’t have that phobia. But what I have come to know of recent is that, those who fear normally are people who were not used to flying at an early age or they have a history of having lost somebody in a related accident and therefore fear to travel. But other wise no one should fear to travel by plane as they are the best means of transport

Air Tickets –Tips for Cheaper travel

Air travel has become just a daily routine. Do you ever realize that in the present times, one does not use his car as often as he travels by air to different cities for meetings and business?

Most of the times, one has to leave at very short notice. Therefore it is usually difficult to make prior arrangements for booking a ticket. Normally one would reach for his Travel Agent for a ticket. After receiving a confirmed ticket, he will just clear the payments.

To your surprise “There are certain secret flight deals that are not even accessible by most travel agents themselves”.

You can always bargain for dirt cheap prices on your international air tickets. You can book your flight on specific days of the week to receive considerably discounted tickets.

There is a magical time of the day when you can go online and expect to find fares at ridiculously low prices. There are little known truth about prices posted on big travel sites that most people are never aware about.

Do you know that according to your profession you may be eligible to receive enormous amounts of discounts on your ticket.

During your international flights, you can claim free lodging with 80% off on your tickets. You can even ask your airlines to provide you with free coupons to free food, cab fares and hotels.

There are amazing was to gain FREE first class upgrades.

There are ways to receive travel related equipments like cameras, luggage sets –all FREE of charge.

There are true secrets on Travel Insurance that no travel agent would ever have the courage to tell you.

The federal government has set a certain limit on how much airlines can be held liable for a lost or damaged baggage. If you are aware you can easily hold them responsible and file claims.

Besides there are many more things which you can gain from airlines since you are a Frequent Flier.

ng to fly the friendly skies with your furry, four-legged, or feathered companion? Following some common sense tips will help ensure a happy and safe flight for you and your pet.

Before you begin your trip, be sure that your pet is “up” for the journey. This means a visit to the vet for a medical checkup and to ensure that your pet is up-to-date with all necessary vaccinations. Be sure to tell your vet about your plans to travel by air. Your vet can recommend to you whether your pet is medically prepared for this method of travel. However, you must also take into consideration the demeanor and temperament of your pet when determining whether airline travel is a good choice for your little friend. You know your pet best. Once you’ve got the green light, here are some tips that will help make you and your pet’s air travel happy and safe.

- During your pre-trip vet appointment, ask your vet to issue a health certificate for your pet. This typically needs to be dated within ten days of departure. Carry this with you while traveling with your pet, as it may be required at different points throughout your travel.

- Have everything packed early and leave early to allow plenty of time to deal with normal air travel as well as your pet’s needs. Keep yourself calm before the flight as pets sense your stress and anxiety.

- Select the right airline approved pet carrier. Carriers are available in both hard-sided and soft-sided. Soft-sided carriers are more suitable for carry-on and tend to fit better under the seat. Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations as far as the appropriate size carrier for your pet. The proper size carrier should allow your pet to be able to lie down comfortably, stand up and turn around. Ensure for proper ventilation and comfort.

- Give your pet at least a month before your flight to become familiar with the travel carrier. This will minimize his or her stress during travel.

- Consider booking a non-peak flight, which typically means less passengers and more cabin room. This will help ease potential stress for your pet.

- Use direct flights. Changing planes with your pet may cause undue stress on your pet, particularly if layover time is not adequate for a pet walk and bathroom break.

- Always travel on the same flight as your pet. Ask the airline if you can watch your pet being loaded and unloaded below the cabin.

- When you board the plane, notify the captain and at least one flight attendant that your pet is traveling with you and whether your pet is with you or below the cabin. If the captain knows that pets are on board, he or she may take special precautions.

- Do not ship pug-nosed dogs or cats such as Pekingese, Chow Chows, and Persians in the cargo hold. These breeds have short nasal passages that leave them vulnerable to oxygen deprivation and heat stroke in cargo holds.

- If traveling during the summer or winter months, choose flights that will accommodate the temperature extremes, particularly if your pet is traveling below the cabin.

- Try not to fly with your pet during busy travel times such as holidays and the summer. Your pet is more likely to undergo stress during hectic travel periods.

- Fit your pet with with a collar that can’t get caught in carrier doors. Affix two pieces of identification on the collar—a permanent ID with your name and home address and telephone number and a temporary travel ID with the address and telephone number where you or a contact person can be reached.

- Affix a travel label to the carrier with your name, permanent address and telephone number, final destination, and where you or a contact person can be reached as soon as the flight arrives.

- Bring along a current photo of your pet. This will make it easier for others to help you find your pet should your pet get separated from you.

- Make sure that your pet’s nails have been clipped to protect against their hooking in the carrier’s door, holes, and other crevices.

- Do not give your pet tranquilizers unless they are prescribed by your veterinarian. Make sure your veterinarian understands that the prescription is for air travel.

- Do not feed your pet for four to six hours prior to air travel. Small amounts of water can be given before the trip. If possible, put ice cubes in the water tray attached to the inside of your pet’s kennel. A full water bowl will only spill and cause discomfort.

- Carry a leash with you so that you may walk your pet before check-in and after arrival. Do not place the leash inside the kennel or attach it to the outside of the kennel

- When you arrive at your destination, open the carrier as soon as you are in a safe place and examine your pet. If anything seems wrong, take your pet to a veterinarian immediately. Get the results of the examination in writing, including the date and time.

There are very few people who like to pay full price for just about anything. Most of the time we have little choice as to what price to pay when we purchase an item. That doesn’t mean we aren’t on the lookout for good deals wherever possible, particularly when we travel by air.

Nobody wants to pay full price for airfare but most of the time we have little choice. Fortunately if you know where to look and how the ticketing system works it is possible to find really cheap airplane tickets to just about anywhere.

If you normally purchase your ticket through a travel agent you might want to rethink that strategy. While they do offer a level of convenience and can find good deals at times you have to remember that selling airline tickets and travel packages are how they make their living. There is normally an added fee for using their services that adds to an already expensive ticket.

If you are looking for inexpensive airfares here are 4 strategies you can use to hunt down highly discounted tickets.

1. Airline Ticketing Search Engines – The internet is a wonderful thing when it comes to planning, pricing, and buying any type of travel package. The problem is wading through all the different travel sites trying to find the cheapest tickets. It can literally take you a couple of days if you were to try and look at every site and find the best deal. Now you can use airline booking search engines that do all that work for you. They search the hundreds of travel sites for you looking for the best deals that fit your travel plans, saving you time and money.

2. Call the Airlines – Pick up the phone and call the airlines ticketing representatives and ask them what kind of discounts they have available. Most airlines offer daily specials but they seldom advertise them to the general public. Here’s a tip to really cash in on calling direct. Everyday the airlines ticketing system updates all its fare information, including dirt cheap airline tickets, at midnight. If you call just after midnight you stand a good chance of scoring a big savings on your next air travel date.

3. Plan Ahead – If you know you are going to need to travel a few months in advance then take advantage and find some inexpensive tickets. The window of opportunity is generally between 4 months and 18 to 24 days before a flight is scheduled to depart. Anything more than 4 months out will see little in the way of discounts and once you get to two weeks before a flight the airlines know they can charge the premium ticket price.

4. Be Flexible – Travel at off peak times such as the middle of the week or the off hours of the day. You can usually find savings if you do. If you want to be really flexible you can even score free tickets at the airport by giving up your seat on what is becoming a continuing airline overbooking problem. When they make that call looking for people to give up their seats for a later flight they will usually give vouchers for free tickets to anywhere they fly. Free is about as cheap as it gets.

Once you start to understand how the airline ticketing system works and where you can find the best deals it becomes much easier to find those really cheap airplane tickets. Having extra cash in your pocket because you are able to purchase inexpensive airfares makes learning how to work the system that much better, and who doesn’t want extra money to spend at their destination anyway.

Finding great air travel discounts isn’t as hard as you might think. If you’re willing to put in a little work you can end up saving hundreds of dollars on both domestic and international flights. Here are some great places to find deals on airfare:

Online – Often airlines offer huge air travel discounts when customers book online. Different brokerage Websites negotiate special deals with the airlines so that they can offer tickets at lower prices than other sites. Going online and comparing flights in real time can make a huge difference in the cost of the ticket that you buy.

Ask about discounts – Are you a senior citizen? Or a member of the military? Often you and your family are eligible to big air travel discounts that don’t get publicized. Call a customer representative and ask what discounts are available. You and your family members may qualify for discounts that you didn’t know about that can make it much cheaper for you to fly on your next trip. If you are flying with your friends or with your extended family call the airline directly and ask if the airline is willing to offer a group discount. Some airlines will give customers great air travel discounts for traveling in groups of 5 or more.

Use your credit card rewards and frequent flier miles – More than 75% of the people who have frequent flier miles or credit card reward points that they can turn in for air travel discounts never use them. Those discounts can add up fast and you can even get free tickets depending on how many rewards points or frequent flier miles you have. Sometimes you might have to fly during off peak hours or take other flight restrictions into consideration when you use them but the savings can be worth a few inconveniences.

Apart from the above things there are also some budget airlines like SpiceJet Airlines which offer low air fares as compared to other airline operators.

Mostly, people choose airplane travel because it’s faster. But to those who wanted to try a cruise travel, you might want to try to purchase Cruise insurance. Traveling via the sea isn’t as cozy as you have dreamed, there are people who gets seasick or injured while on board a ship. And purchasing cruise insurance will be of big help to you, most specially if you bring with you your whole family. Conditions such as traveler’s diarrhea, a sprained ankle, a broken hip, a stroke, a heart attack or something even more serious may occur during the travel and the help you will get from the on board doctor or nurse might not be enough to help you. Before boarding a cruise ship, purchase insurance either online or through a travel agent near you.

This insurance type will reimburse you if the cruise line or tour operator goes out of business. It would also provide coverage if you have to cancel the trip due to sickness, a death in the family or another calamity listed in the policy. In addition, if you or an immediate family member becomes seriously ill or is injured during the trip most policies would reimburse you for the unused portion of the vacation. The cost is generally 5% to 7% of the price of the vacation, so as an example a $5,000 trip would cost roughly $250 to $350 to insure. Trip cancellation is very different from a Cancellation Waiver that many cruise and tour operators offer. Waivers are relatively inexpensive, costing approximately $40 to $60. They provide coverage if you have to cancel the trip, but they have many restrictions. They must be purchased when you book the trip and will usually not cover you immediately before departure (the time period most people cancel) or after the trip has begun. Most importantly, waivers are not insurance. Cancellation Waivers are not regulated by the state department of insurance, so if your tour or cruise operator gets into financial difficulty, you may not be able to collect anything at all.

This would provide coverage if your personal belongings are suddenly lost, stolen or damaged during the trip. To insure $1,000 worth of personal belongings for a week, it would cost about $50 per year. Before purchasing this type of coverage, find out how much insurance the airline or trip operator will provide for your belongings. Also, it may help if you check your homeowners or renters policy. It usually provides coverage for off-premises theft. So, if your luggage is stolen, your insurer will pay to replace for it, less the deductible. If you are traveling with expensive electronic equipment like personal laptop, jewelry or sporting gear, it might be more cost-effective to purchase a floater or endorsement to your homeowners or renters policy. Then the cost to insure a $1,000 ring would be between $10 and $40 per annum. This will provide full coverage for the lost item, anywhere you go, usually for one year.

This will provide insurance and medical assistance for travelers. It will cover for you if you had to be airlifted off a mountain due to a skiing or hiking accident, or if you had to stay for a prolonged period of time in a foreign hospital. It will also provide coverage if you got seriously sick or was injured and needed to be flown directly to your home. Also, some commercial airlines require very sick passengers to travel on a stretcher with an accompanying doctor or nurse. This means that you might have to purchase 10 or more seats on a plane that will give you a possible cost of over $10,000. Before purchasing this type of coverage, check with your own health insurance carrier. Find out what type of coverage you have when traveling abroad and if there are any limitations. Also, ask if the policy will pay to fly you home or to a country with first-rate medical care.