Free Passport Photos

Although it's a task that pops up infrequently in my life, getting an "official" photo for a passport or visa seems a bit of a rip-off, especially in today's digital camera age. Come on, why should I have to schlep down to the post office, UPS store or other "official" passport photo center and pay $10+ for a 2"x2" photo?

Turns out, now there's a better...and cheaper...way: ePassportPhoto.

ePassportPhoto is a FREE online service that lets you upload, edit, and print your own passport photos from the comfort of the nearest computer. There are simple, step-by-step instructions for taking your photos, including tips like "make sure the subject has a neutral expression with no teeth showing." Who knew the U.S. government actively discouraged smiling?

The site also publishes an insightful article that reveals what the big chain drugstores don't want you to know about passport photos, including what a giant cash cow the service is for their businesses. Um, no thanks, I'm trying to cut down on the red meat these days.

Smile (on second thought, don't), for ePassportPhoto.

Never miss an airfare sale again

I'm somewhat of a fanatic when it comes to finding the best airfare deals. When I'm planning a trip, I've been know to check (and re-check...and re-check) the various reservation web sites to see if fares have slipped by $50 or whether I can nab a last-minute airfare special. But my days of obsessively monitoring airfares may be coming to an end with my discovery of Yapta.

Yapta (which stands for "Your Amazing Personal Travel Assistant") is a handy online service that makes it easier to find the best airfare deals out there. First, install Yapta for your favorite web browser (available for Firefox and Explorer) and then start searching for fares on any of the dozen or so websites supported by Yapta.

Once you find a flight that interests you, simply “tag” it and Yapta will automatically begin monitoring its price for you. Should the price drop, Yapta will automatically email you a notification about the new fare.

Already bought your ticket? Yapta can also monitor your flights and let you know if the fare drops and tell you whether you’re eligible for a refund from the airline.

Hmmm. Looks like I’m going to have to find a new travel obsession.

One Trip = One Bag

Whenever I check in for an airline flight, I'm always amazed by the people I see lugging several HUGE pieces of luggage. What could they possibly be carrying in there? Are they going on a trip that will last several months? The truth is, most of these travelers simply can't imagine leaving home without taking along all the comforts of well, home.

Now I admit, I'm a bit of a gypsy (Hungarian being my ethnicity) and have been known to pack WAY too much for a trip. "What if it's unexpectedly cold?", I worry. "Maybe we'll be going out to a fancy restaurant," I fret. "What happens if I spill something on my shirt?," I wonder. But ideally, I try to pack only what I can carry on board my flight (carry-on vs. checked luggage is an ongoing debate in my household, I might mention).

Thankfully, One Bag is there to help.

Compiled by Doug Dyment, One Bag is an exhaustive resource for those looking to travel light. This comprehensive web site is chockablock with great advice on how to reduce your luggage to a more manageable size. Doug not only shares his philosophy on why packing light will enhance your enjoyment of traveling, but he also makes suggestions on what to pack, the best luggage choices, efficient packing, and more. There's even a a suggested packing list to help get you started.

Go forth and travel light.

Check your Passport Now

***Update: On June 8, 2007, the U.S. Departments of State and Homeland Security announced that U.S. citizens who have applied for but not yet received their passports can re-enter the United States (through September 30, 2007) by showing the following:

• A government issued photo ID
• Department of State official proof of application for a passport

This applies to air travel between the United States and Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda.


Obviously, the State Dept. read the Travel Coach and decided it better change its policy ; )

Original Post:
In case you haven't heard, the U.S. recently changed its policy and now requires all American citizens to carry passports when traveling by air to Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean and Bermuda. This new policy has created major delays at the U.S. Passport Office thanks to a surge in passport applications and renewals.

Even if you're not traveling to one of countries mentioned above—but your passport is expiring anytime soon—this could have a huge impact on your international travel plans. People report waiting up to 12 weeks to receive a new or renewed passport. Horror stories of long lines, disconnected phone calls, cancelled trips and other annoyances abound.

Even if you're traveling in say, October, and your passport doesn't expire until December, you may still be affected. For instance, many countries require that your passport be valid for a specific amount of time AFTER you enter the country. For instance, Greece requires that a traveler's passport be valid for at least three months beyond length of stay. Morocco requires six months of validity. To check out the passport requirements of your international destination, go here, navigate to the correct country, and then select "Passport/Visa" from the right-hand menu.

What are you waiting for? Go check your passport...NOW!

Escape from Phone Tree Hell

Does this sound familiar? You call a travel company to book a trip, make a complaint, request information, check on a reservation, or do some other relatively simple task, and suddenly, you're stuck in PHONE TREE HELL! It's that maddening world of endless phone prompts, droning announcements, and countless button pushes that get you nowhere...except to yet another recording. There's no escape!

Thankfully, the gentle folks at GetHuman offer some relief. This handy-dandy online database details the phone numbers and secret button combinations you need to dial to get connected directly to an actual human being. There's even a special Travel section on the site listing airlines, hotels, and other travel-related businesses.

For even more "secret" phone numbers (travel related and otherwise), be sure to also bookmark the appropriately named Hard to Find 800 Numbers. Here you'll find additional tricks for getting through those endless corporate phone mazes.

Happy dialing!

Where in the World Have You Been?

With two months since my last post, you'd be forgiven for asking yourself the same question about the Travel Coach: "Where in the world have you been?" And thanks to the handy Travbuddy Travel Map, I have a ready answer for you: Everywhere!

In addition to helping you hook up with fellow travelers, and share your travel stories, the Travbuddy web site also lets you create a global map that shows graphically where in the heck in the world you've visited.

Turns out, the Travel Coach has visited a paltry 12% of the countries in the world. With 193 countries worldwide, it looks like I've still got a lifetime of travel ahead of me. (Whew!)

So where in the world have YOU been?

Make Summer Camping Reservations Now

With the rush of the holidays upon us, even the Travel Coach can forgive you for not thinking about your vacation plans for next year. But if you've got your heart set on camping at at one of our more popular (i.e. crowded) National Parks in the summer of 2007, now is the time to be reserving your favorite site. Because the National Parks Service opens up reservations for any given day five months in advance, some of the most popular summer time periods will become available over the next several weeks.

For instance, Memorial Day weekend (May 25-28) will be available for booking starting Christmas day. The handy-dandy table to the right (provided by the National Park Services) shows the crucial reservations dates for the entire year.

For more information, including further reservations restrictions and to book your site, visit the online National Parks Reservations Service.

FREE phone calls from Google Maps

If you're planning an out-of-town trip, long-distance phone calls to make inquires or reservations at hotels, restaurants, theaters, tour companies and other businesses can start to add up. But a new feature on Google Maps changes all that by offering FREE phone calls to any business in the United States.

To use this new cost-saving new feature, simply search Google Maps for any U.S. business you want. Then just click the "call" link that's located at the end of the business listing. Next, enter your phone number in the box provided, and click "Connect for Free". Google Maps will immediately call you, and once you answer the phone, connect you to the business. You can even check a box to have Google Maps remember your phone number so you won't have to enter it every time.

Of course, you could use this handy feature for reasons other than travel, such as ordering flowers from a local florist in a friend's hometown, calling an ill relative at a distant hospital, or simply phoning someone at work to chat...all for free. Check out Google Maps cool new call feature today.

Winning at the Security Checkpoint Game

With the holidays nearly upon us, more people than usual will be flying the "friendly" skies to visit family and friends. And if you're one of these lucky individuals, that means you're likely to find yourself enduring impossibly long wait times at airport security checkpoints around the country. But thankfully, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has a handy online tool that might ease your pain...just a little.

The Security Checkpoint Wait Times tool (catchy name, huh?) lets you easily determine how long you can expect to wait in the security line before your flight, based on airport, day of the week, and time of your departure. Mind you, these are historical figures that show the "average" time spent in line, but at least they'll give you an idea of how early you need to head to the airport. But just in case, make sure you pack a good book or magazine in your carry-on.

Safe flying!

Memorable Travel Reading Made Easy

When I go traveling , I often like to take along a book to read that's set in the place I'll be visiting. In fact, one of my most memorable travel experiences was riding trains through Italy reading The Agony and the Ecstasy, Irving Stone's excellent biographical novel about Michelangelo.

I recently discovered a handy website that makes finding an appropriate book for any upcoming trip extremely simple. Entitled the Vacation Book Review, this exhaustive website collects reader reviews from Amazon.com to organize its top book recommendations by geographical location. With just a few clicks, I can find literary gems about Greece, a country I'm planning to visit with friends next summer.

For a more general recommendation of great travel writing, be sure to also check out this list recently compiled by the World Hum website: Top 30 Travel Books of All Time.

Got a favorite travel book you'd like to share? Post your recommendations on the Travel Coach forums. Happy reading.

The Travel Coach in U.S.A. Today

Be sure to check out this article in the November 2nd edition of U.S.A. Today on the increase in marketing aimed at gay consumers. The piece discusses the fact that more and more advertising dollars today are being spent trying to woo gay consumers along with their higher-than-average discretionary incomes. But even more significant to my faithful readers is that yours truly, the Travel Coach, is quoted at the very end of the article.

You can tell your friends you "knew me when." Please, no autographs.

All-in-one United Airlines Promo Signup

Signing up for limited-time bonus mile offers is one of the easiest ways to pad your frequent flyer accounts. But keeping up with all the various offers, and then taking the time to actually register for all of them, could easily become a full-time job. But things have gotten a bit easier for United Airlines frequent fliers, thanks to a handy online tool recently posted by self-proclaimed geek, Kristopher Linquist.

Kristopher's clever creation lets you sign up for ALL current United promo offers at once. Just enter your Mileage Plus Number, hit the "Enter" button, and you're instantly registered. You also get presented with a list of individual links with details about each special offer. As an added bonus, you can also register to have yourself automatically signed up for United promotions on a weekly or monthly basis.

Check it out for yourself here. And to further maximize your frequent flyer miles, don't forget to check in with the Mileage Maven.

Cash in your Mileage Penny Jar

If you're like most people, you probably have a big jar or bowl in your house where you throw all your loose change. And if you've ever bothered to cash it in, you know that all those pennies, nickels, and dimes can quickly add up to some serious money.

That's why you need to know about the Mileage Converter from InsideFlyer.com.

Like the aforementioned change, you probably have small amounts of frequent flyer miles stashed away in the programs of many different airlines. Airlines you'll rarely (if ever) fly again. But the Mileage Converter can quickly show you how to take those unused (and useless) miles and consolidate them into one frequent flyer account where they can do you some good.

For instance, I have 11,563 miles on Continental Airlines that I probably earned back in the mid-1980's flying between Boston and the Midwest. At this rate, it'll be another two decades before I've accumulated enough miles for a free Continental ticket. But the Mileage Converter reveals that through a series of transfers between various mileage programs, I can turn my 11,000+ Continental miles into 3,000 American AAdvantage miles. Even though I'll lose 8,000 miles in the process, it's better to have 3,000 miles I can use rather than 11,000 miles that are just gathering dust somewhere.

Looks like it's time to empty out your penny jar with the Mileage Converter.

DING! Time to save with Southwest Airlines

Although previously covered on the Travel Coach, DING! from Southwest Airlines is definitely worth mentioning again. To recap, DING! is a small computer utility that quietly monitors and then notifies you of special sale fares from Southwest Airlines. These special fares are only available for a VERY limited time (4 to 6 hours) and ONLY available to DING! customers.

For instance, I just scored a $221 roundtrip airfare via DING!—a respectable $68 savings over the cheapest fare for the exact same flights and times found using the regular Southwest reservation page. And DING! just keeps improving. It's now available for Macintosh users (as well as Windows machines) plus you can now customize DING! to only show fares to/from your preferred Southwest airports.

Download DING! today, and soon you could be hearing the sweet sound of savings on the next Southwest flight you book.

The Travel Coach is Back!

I just realized today that there has been an ongoing technical problem with my blog, and that Travel Coach subscribers have not been receiving notifications about new postings. My apologies! Everything is in working order now, so be sure to visit the Travel Coach to see what you might have missed over the past month or so.

Happy Travels.

To buy, or not to buy...

Trying to purchase airline tickets at the cheapest price has always been a tricky cat-and-mouse game. Buy too early, and you could miss out on a last-minute sale. Buy too late, and the cheap seats may all be gone.

Help is on the way from Farecast.com.



Farecast takes much of the guesswork out of deciding when to actually make your ticket purchase. Using sophisticated prediction and modeling technologies, Farecast determines whether a particular fare is likely to go up or to go down from now until the time you plan to fly. Still in beta testing (the site only works for flights to/from Boston and to/from Seattle), the site provides you with a "Fare Prediction" and "Fare History" for your route—and here's the coolest part—suggests whether you should BUY NOW or WAIT to purchase your tickets. Plus there's a flexible search function that lets you compare fares for a 30-day period so you can see the cheapest days to fly. Finally, the site shows you actual fares for your trip, along with links for making your final booking. Which means there are none of those added booking fees that some other sites charge.

Check out Farecast.com today. And while you're there, be sure to VOTE for your favorite/home airport to help ensure it will be one of the first added to the site as it expands in the future.

Maximize your Miles with the MileMaven

It's not often that I find a web site that's as useful as the MileMaven. This brilliant travel tool helps make sure you get the absolute MOST frequent flyer miles before you book your next trip. Planning to fly from San Francisco to New York City? Enter those cities on the MileMaven home page, and you'll see bonus mileage opportunities on SFO to NYC flights from 11 different airlines. Plus MileMaven lists the average airfare paid AND the on-time record for each airline flying that particular route. MileMaven will also let you know which major hotel chains at your destination are offering frequent flyer miles for booking a room. There are also a couple of other nifty gadgets such as the Mileage Calculator that lets you know how many frequent flyer miles you'll be earning on your flight. From now on, the Travel Coach will ALWAYS consult the MileMaven.

Roundtrip to New Zealand: $765!

New Zealand is definitely high on my list of travel destinations. Everyone I know who's been there raves about the amazing scenery and wonderful inhabitants of this farflung island. So although a trip to New Zealand is not within my near travel plans, I'm hoping some Travel Coach readers CAN take advantage of this fantastic airfare deal from Air New Zealand: as low as $765 roundtrip from San Francisco or Los Angeles to Auckland and other cities in New Zealand. But you can't dawdle too much because you've got to book by June 5 and begin your travels by June 27 to get this great fare.

Go ahead, be spontaneous and take a last-minute trip to New Zealand. Then send me an email and let me know all the great things I'm missing. I can't wait to hear from you!

FREE Airline Ticket with American Credit Card

Here's a credit card offer that's scorchingly hot: Apply for a Citibank American Airlines MasterCard, charge just $250 to the card, and get 25,000 frequent flyer miles on American Airlines...enough for a free roundtrip domestic ticket. Even better, if you apply today, May 18, you'll ALSO receive a FREE companion ticket on American Airlines with the purchase of a $299 ticket or higher PLUS the $85/year fee for the card will be waived for the first year! Whew! If you've missed the May 18 window of opportunity, you may want to try and apply through the above link...American might just go ahead and honor the offer anyway. If not, here's another offer on the card that gives 20,000 frequent flyer miles after just one purchase and waives the fee for the first year.

Happy flying!

The Perfect Carry-on

"Love you more than my luggage," my friends are fond of saying. But if they carried the Delsey Helium Lite 100 Personal Bag, they might think twice before saying it ever again. I LOVE this carry-on bag (and believe me, I've tried alot of different models). It holds a ton of stuff considering its compact design, sports lots of handy pockets, and is really well built. If you don't believe me, check out the reviews from other satisfied buyers. In fact, I was so impressed, I bought one of its companions, the Delsey Helium Lite 100 Carry-on Expandable Suiter Trolley. Love you MORE than my luggage? Hmmm...I'll get back to you on that after my next trip.