Airline Travel Etiquette - How to Get the Most Out of Your Leisure Travel

The Sophisticated Traveler

As you board the plane, set the tone for the rest of the flight. Acknowledge the flight attendants with a smile and a warm "Hello." If you're allowed only one carry-on item, don't cheat by carrying on more. Don't move other people's belongings around in order to cram your own belongings into the overhead bin.

Nothing looks more cloddish than slogging down the aisle carrying department store shopping bags. Pack an extra collapsible tote bag with you for your return trip to handle your overflow purchases. If you're wearing a back pack, avoid clobbering passengers on the head with it as you search for your seat. Once you find that seat, excuse yourself if you need to disturb other passengers when you sit down.

No one appreciates a traveler who...

* Talks loudly during the flight attendant's safety lecture, thus denying essential information to white-knuckled novice passengers unfamiliar with safety procedures.

* Spreads out newspapers when seated in the "sandwich seat" between two other passengers.

* Rushes to the plane's magazine rack and grabs all the good magazines, leaving little for others to read besides Whale Watchers International.

* Treats flight attendants with disrespect. Cursing at an attendant or exhibiting drunken behavior can cause you to be unceremoniously escorted off the plane. Flight attendants are given a good amount of discretion in deciding what constitutes disruptive behavior. Air Transport Association rules state "if a passenger's behavior is offensive to other passengers on board, then the airline reserves the right to deny boarding or to ask for the passenger to be removed."

* Chats non-stop on the air phone.

* Leaves the restroom messy.

* Wears overpowering fragrance.

* Places shoes on the seat cushion.

* Takes up two arm rests.

* Occupies a portion of another passenger's seat.

* Adjusts the seat into a reclining position.

* Talks incessantly to another passenger, who is obviously trying to get some work done.

* Assumes that fellow passengers and attendants are on board for their entertainment.

Deflecting the Chatterbox

Know when not to carry on a conversation by being tuned into the body language of others. If your attempts to make small talk are met with short answers and no follow-on questions, you should get the hint. If your fellow passenger begins to read a book or work on a computer, the hint becomes obvious. By the same token, there is no need to feel obligated to talk to fellow passengers if you are the subject of unwelcome chatter. To discourage others from talking to you, turn on your iPod or open a magazine. If you do chat with them for a few minutes, you might then smile and say, "I really enjoyed talking to you, but I'm on a deadline to finish this work."

It's Not Your Grandparents Business Travel Anymore

Airline passengers are experiencing traveler fatigue as a result of the consistent and constant tug on security each and every time they go to the airport for a business trip. In America we knew we needed to improve airport security, even before 911 occurred.

The days of deciding to take a business and or leisure trip to a destination of our choosing is more involved than any period in the history of our country. Whether its having the proper identification, liquids in our carry on luggage or our name is on a watch list, due to no fault of our own, flying is not what it use to be.

My last long trip to Australia in 2001 was a piece of cake. I made airline reservations, hotel accommodations and purchased tickets for the Goodwill Games in Brisbane, Australia. The only thing I had to concern myself with was ensuring I had a valid visa for travel to the land down under. During the two week period of time I spent in Australia, everything went according to plan, leading up to my return to the United States on the evening of September 10, 2001.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, business and leisure travel as we knew it changed forever. When the hijacked planes flew into the World Trade Center travel and the resulting safety precautions changed overnight. Today if you plan to take a business or leisure trip to a specific destination you will likely encounter a long line at the boarding concourse, delayed flights, emergency evacuation, departure delays and a full body scan and or physical body search.

Grandmother and grandfather would likely drive to their next destination to avoid the airport today. The airline industry is under tremendous pressure to remain competitive in this economy, giving the fact the price of gas is at an all time high in the United States.

Congress is enacting legislation to ensure passenger rights, meaning airlines that delay flights will make concerted efforts to return to the gate, rather than sit on the flight line for hours without water, food and sanitary rest rooms. Make no mistake about it, take a business and or leisure trip today and you will have a unique and interesting experience as a airline passenger.

The best way to travel today is to plan your trip as far in advance as you possibly can, get the best rate possible. Ensure you speak with the airline carrier about what you can and cannot take on the flight, get a good nights rest and arrive at the airport early to prepare for departure.

In other words, be patient and resolve yourself to accept the reality, travel by air is not what it use to be, but you can still enjoy yourself. Here is to a successful flight during your next business and or leisure flight.

Eurostar Plus for Leisure Travel and Its Benefits

Eurostar is a high speed train service that offers its services from UK to various destinations of the European continent. Eurostar services are very popular since they are super fast, reliable, convenient and overall better in comparison to other means of transport. For its regular customers Eurostar has introduced a new program that is indeed a leisure loyalty program known as Eurostar Plus.

Eurostar Plus that is an extension of Eurostarservices offers avariety of discounts for its travelers who usethe passenger trains of Eurostar. If you are using Eurostar Plus Your each pound is rewarded with the cash bank that you spent on your Eurostar ticket

How to use Eurostar Plus and its benefits?

Firstly you have to create an account on the Eurostar website. Once your account is created for every £1 that you will spend on Eurostar travel; you will also earn one point. When you will have a sum of 300 points then you will automatically receive an e voucher of £20. This e voucher will be valid for one year. You can use this e voucher during your next travel on Eurostar.

You can also use your Eurostar Plus for various other options like Eurostar plus Shopping, where it will provide you good discounts and you can also be lucky to get a invitation for private fashion show on Paris' chic boulevard Haussman at Lafayette flagship store Galeries. By using EurostarPlus Trip-planner youcan create your perfect personal schedule by using interactive maps almost all the destinations in Europe. In addition to this Eurostar also provides services like Eurostar plus Culture i.e. entry at the optimum galleries and museums of Europe by just showing your Eurostar tickets.

Leisure Travel Helps Travel Industry Show Increase

High fuel costs and economic stress are taking their toll on yet another industry. The travel industry. An industry with multiyear growth is beginning to level off at mid year. And may only have a slight chance of ending the year with an increase, thanks to leisure travel sales.

The continued rising gasoline prices have already forced some consumers to cancel their vacation plans, according to a key consumer survey. Although leisure travel is still expected to continue growing this year, even if families are forced to vacation closer to home.

Although the number of domestic trips taken this year and next are not expected to decline, it has been suggested that the spending patterns and consumer choices may change. Substituting domestic travel for international trips, trading down in hotel quality, foregoing in-trip shopping or entertainment spending, and shorter stays are all viable options that will be considered.

Leisure travel was predicted to grow by 0.8% in the second quarter of 2008, and then pick up more speed with a 1.1% increase in the third quarter. Leisure travel is predicted to greatly increase in the second half of the year as Americans spend part or all of their tax rebate on travel. Time will tell if this prediction comes true.

The travel industry growth is being hurt mainly by the decline in business travel due to corporate cost controls and increased reliance on technology-based alternatives. This is expected to carry on through into the year 2009, as well. Unless we see some sign of relief at the pump, then some of these changes may be more temporary in nature.

But on a high note for our economy, the International travel to the United States will continue to grow. Due to the fact that our foreign visitors will continue benefiting from exchange rates and other factors that have combined to create an increase of international visitation. This is following strong increases from last year as well. It has been forecasted for foreign visits to reach 62.1 million next year, which is even 4.8% higher than the current year stats.

Although some reports indicate leisure travel to weaken in 2009, if problems caused by the credit and housing crises continue to hurt the overall economy. The total number of trips could decline by 0.4%, to 1.996 million, and leisure travel would see its first decline since 2003.

As a person that loves to travel and enjoys time away from the daily routine, I believe I speak for all of us when I say that I hope the economy starts to turn around soon. I wouldn't want us to have to go home to our families and break the news that there will be no summer vacation next year.