A Briggs Passport & Visa Expeditors

So you are traveling to a destination for a one week or two week vacation and have two bags. What to do? What if it is lost? Do I want to worry about it?

Well, why not ship it UPS overnight. It’s not cheap but you can bet that it gets there and will be waiting you when you arrive. And you don’t have to carry it to the car or taxi, to the airport, through check in, through security, pick it up upon arrival, take it to the car/taxi and finally to the hotel.

If you ship it UPS (our favorite carrier for friendly service and reliability and price, unlike FedEx), they come to your door and carry it to the truck. You put your basics in a back pack and your on your way. You arrive at the hotel and your luggage is waiting.

And what the heck, since I’m doing that, I’ll carry a few more things that I might want to wear but wouldn’t carry if I had to carry it all.

Want to know more? You can look into luggageforward.com who’ll do it all for you.

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Planning a trip? Is your passport up to date? Click here to order a visa and check the requirements for entry.

So you are traveling to a destination for a one week or two week vacation and have two bags. What to do? What if it is lost? Do I want to worry about it?

Well, why not ship it UPS overnight. It’s not cheap but you can bet that it gets there and will be waiting you when you arrive. And you don’t have to carry it to the car or taxi, to the airport, through check in, through security, pick it up upon arrival, take it to the car/taxi and finally to the hotel.

If you ship it UPS (our favorite carrier for friendly service and reliability and price, unlike FedEx), they come to your door and carry it to the truck. You put your basics in a back pack and your on your way. You arrive at the hotel and your luggage is waiting.

And what the heck, since I’m doing that, I’ll carry a few more things that I might want to wear but wouldn’t carry if I had to carry it all.

Want to know more? You can look into luggageforward.com who’ll do it all for you.

A

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Planning a trip? Is your passport up to date? Click here to order a visa and check the requirements for entry.

Well, this is not good news! TSA security screeners failed at two busy U.S. airports to find fake bombs hidden in the gear or clothes of undercover agents in 60% of tests. Los Angeles did even worse — they didn’t find the bombs in 75% of the cases.

TSA is determined to improve and we think they will. After all, the tests were conducted by the same agency that regulates TSA. Good for them for testing this and finding the weak link. Now go to work and protect us and make the taxpayers investment in TSA a good one.

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Planning a trip? Is your passport up to date? Click here to order a visa and check the requirements for entry.

Well, this is not good news! TSA security screeners failed at two busy U.S. airports to find fake bombs hidden in the gear or clothes of undercover agents in 60% of tests. Los Angeles did even worse — they didn’t find the bombs in 75% of the cases.

TSA is determined to improve and we think they will. After all, the tests were conducted by the same agency that regulates TSA. Good for them for testing this and finding the weak link. Now go to work and protect us and make the taxpayers investment in TSA a good one.

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Planning a trip? Is your passport up to date? Click here to order a visa and check the requirements for entry.

Alaska Airlines will be the first airline to test in-flight Internet service beginning next spring on one Boeing 737. During the test, travelers with Wi-Fi devices can connect to the service via hotspots in the cabin. Alaska hasn’t said how it will charge for the service

An antenna on the top of the plane will communicate with a satellite to make the Internet connection for the plane. A company, AirCell, is planning to build cellular towers throughout the 48 states to transmit signals to aircraft when the service goes national, which we think it will for sure in the next few years.

This is going to happen. The technology has to be worked out to ensure it is safe, and then they must figure out how to make money doing it, and then the service will quickly become universal and be taken for granted within a year or two.

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Planning a trip? Is your passport up to date? Click here to order a visa and check the requirements for entry.

Alaska Airlines will be the first airline to test in-flight Internet service beginning next spring on one Boeing 737. During the test, travelers with Wi-Fi devices can connect to the service via hotspots in the cabin. Alaska hasn’t said how it will charge for the service

An antenna on the top of the plane will communicate with a satellite to make the Internet connection for the plane. A company, AirCell, is planning to build cellular towers throughout the 48 states to transmit signals to aircraft when the service goes national, which we think it will for sure in the next few years.

This is going to happen. The technology has to be worked out to ensure it is safe, and then they must figure out how to make money doing it, and then the service will quickly become universal and be taken for granted within a year or two.

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Planning a trip? Is your passport up to date? Click here to order a visa and check the requirements for entry.

If you are traveling to Puerto Rico, be sure and read this article about 3,200 suspected cases of dengue fever on the island of Puerto Rico.

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Planning a trip? Is your passport up to date? Click here to order or renew your passport.

DOT Issues Safe Travel Guide for Consumers

Under the Safe Travel Initiative, the Department of Transportation (DOT) has issued a quick pocket-guide providing travelers with some tips they can take to make their trips safer when traveling with electronic devices and batteries. For example, the guide recommends passengers keep spare batteries in their original retail packaging; keep loose batteries covered with insulating tape to protect them from contact with metal objects; place each battery in its own protective case, plastic bag, or package; and pack spare batteries in carry-on baggage, rather than checked baggage. Also, passengers should use only chargers designed for the battery type and take steps to prevent crushing, puncturing or dropping batteries.

The DOT is asking that travel agents and anyone issuing e-tickets and other pre-flight electronic correspondence provide this guide to their clients, as well as link their Web site to the Safe Travel site. To learn more or download the guide, click here.

Security is a hot topic today, even when it’s not making the 6 o’clock news. Many of us feel most vulnerable when we are traveling alone. An unfamiliar spot, unfamiliar faces, and unusual customs can make us feel out of place. A perfect way to fit in anywhere and to really enjoy a trip is to swap homes.

When travelers think safe travel, they may imagine extra security at hotels or extra locks on doors, but vacation home exchange, or home swapping as it is offer referred to, offers a much more personal and comfortable option that will have you feeling at home anywhere in the world.

When you exchange homes with someone, you enjoy the comfort of living in a residential area, not a tourist area where criminals may target newcomers. Plus, many hosts leave phone numbers of friends and neighbors who will very often go out of their way to welcome you to the neighborhood. Basically, you are an invited guest wherever you choose to travel.

All this means that you seem less like a tourist - and you always have a friendly face looking out for your interests. This will be a great comfort if your need directions or assistance while your visiting.

If you are worried about traveling alone, there are several ways to add some safety measures to your next home exchange:

• Get to know your hosts. Exchanging emails, phone calls, and photos with your hosts will make your new home seem more familiar long before you arrive. In fact, Lindsey Jennings, an enthusiastic fan of home swapping admits that although “We have never met the couple we exchanged with, we remain friendly with them and still email with them all the time with our latest family news.” It is a sentiment shared by many home exchange fans: once you start to swap homes, you will quickly get to know people who act as your hosts. Feeling this comfortable helps ensure that you feel safe when you arrive at your destination.
• Ask for contact numbers. Your hosts may provide local numbers you can call in case you need help. Many home exchange fans also find that neighbors and friends prove very helpful and friendly, helping to ensure complete safety. Lindsey certainly found that neighbors could add to safety as well as comfort: “The neighbors made a lovely brunch for us with traditional English food one afternoon. The stepfather of the homeowner came to meet us and brought us a huge box full of chocolates, cheeses, wines which were delicious and so thoughtful.”
• Use a reputable company. Using a company such as Digsville.com ensures that you make use of a friendly home exchange community. Through blogs, home listings, member reviews, and tips, Digsville.com strives to make every home exchange fan feel prepared and comfortable in planning their vacation exchanges.
• Keep the right attitude. When it comes to home exchange, openness and flexibility are key. By giving your guests a comfortable stay in your own home and allowing yourself to trust that the home you have researched carefully will be safe also, you are allowing yourself to enjoy a great travel experience.

Home exchange is really a very safe way to travel and to see the world - provided that you do a bit of research ahead of time.

With no impersonal rooms and no stringent security staff, you can enjoy your host home and truly relax on your trip, settling into a home that feels like your own for a few days or a few months.

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Planning a trip? Click here to arrange your passport or visa.
About the Author:

Helen Bergstein is the founder of the Digsville Home Exchange Club and an internationally recognized expert on home exchange. Helen has written countless articles, newsletters, and surveys about home swapping and has won awards for her online home exchange service. Even though she keeps busy acting as chief, editor, customer service leader, and domain expert for Digsville.com, Helen still finds time to exchange her own home and do what fueled her passion for home exchange travel.