Issues: April 2008 Archives

It seems like this is the year of things getting worse just when you think they can't get any worse.

The horrible housing market. Layoffs. Gas prices that leap by quarters and dimes every day with seemingly no end in sight.

Lately, you can add air travel to that list.

Not only do you have to jump through security hoops that make you wonder how secure we really are, but the planes are more crowded. The airlines are charging more and offering fewer flight options. Delays and cancellations and lost luggage are becoming the rule rather than the exception.

The past few weeks have been filled with news about maintenance oversights and bankruptcies among the big carriers. It seems small airlines are dropping from the skies.

And you can't just say you'll drive instead of paying fares that rose eight times already this year, because you really can't afford to do that either.

For once, I don't envy people with plans to fly this summer because they say it will be so miserable that you'll probably need a vacation to recover from the hassles of getting to your vacation.

It seems our country's transportation system is failing and failing miserably. Who is going to take responsibility for this? What can be done to fix it? How's a traveler to survive in the meantime?

Virginia Hobbs took Ella Hobbs, 3, Lexi Rosario, 8, and Ethan Hobbs, 5, on a walk around their Thornbury Hunt neighborhood in Manchester Township Monday to pick up trash.

On Tuesday -- Earth Day -- they distributed fliers to more than 80 homes in the neighborhood with a photo of what they collected and a reminder to help keep the neighborhood and planet clean.

If you're reading this blog, it probably means you care about travel and the outdoors and keeping the precious places we enjoy in good shape. Earth Day is a reminder that without individual efforts like these, we wouldn't have clean lakes, parks and natural wonders.

Did you do anything to mark Earth Day? What do you do on a regular basis to do your part in caring for the environment? Post a comment and share.

Sometime last Tuesday afternoon -- in the air between Seattle and Detroit -- my body started to ache. By the time I boarded a late-night flight to Harrisburg, I felt as banged up as my luggage.

Travel, a time difference, a change of climate and seasons -- I attributed my malaise to all of the above and showed up at work Wednesday feeling not-so-hot.

You see, calling in sick when you come back from vacation isn't really an option. Bosses tend to think you're trying to extend your time off. You're so behind in your work that you can't afford to lose another day of productivity.

I thought it was just me, but this story from the San Jose Mercury News proves that carry-on space in airplane overhead bins is at a premium everywhere these days.

I typically carry a purse large enough to fit my laptop and a backpack with my camera stuff in it onto the plane.

I'm not the kind of passenger who jumps into line at the gate the second they announce boarding. I'd rather relax than stand in line.

Lately though, I've started thinking maybe I had better because by the time I get onto planes, all of the overhead space is spoken for. Flying to Seattle this weekend, I had difficulty even finding a small space for my mini camera backpack.

I have considered how I will respond should a flight attendant ask me to check my camera backpack. And I don't think it would be pleasant.

Have you ever been asked to check a carry-on for lack of space in the overhead bins? How did you deal with it?