The night blooming cereus...cling to the old school wall

What is EC 261? The airlines would prefer you didn't know.

In the United States, airline companies are the ones to decide how to (or how not to) compensate travelers when flights are delayed or canceled. In the European Union, airlines are required to compensate travelers or pay for hotel rooms and meals, even if the reason for delay or cancellation is not the airline's fault.

How does this benefit Americans?
The law applies to all flights departing from the European Union, regardless of the airlines and regardless of the passenger's nationality. So if an American Airlines flight from any state in the European Union flying to the U.S. is disrupted, you should be compensated.

This recent NY Times article explains how you can file a claim and where to seek help if the airline refuses to provide the compensation required: http://travel.nytimes.com/2010/07/18/travel/18prac.html?ref=travel

Places to go one day

These are places I would like to go, listed in alphabetical order (I couldn't possibly list them in order of preference). There are places that I wish to return to over and over again (Hawaii, Atlanta while Adam is there, Columbus while Jeffy is there) and others that I am so curious about, and hope to one day have the experience of being there.


Antarctica
Antigua and Barbuda
Aqaba
Argentina
Arizona (time it with Country Thunder)
Atlanta (over & over)
Austin
Bahrain
Belize
Bhutan
Bolivia
Cambodia
Cambria (over & over)
Chile and Easter Island
China and Bali with Jeffy
Columbus (over & over)
Cordoba and Granada (the Alhambra)
Croatia
Czech Republic
DC Book Fest
Denver
Dubai
France - I will always go back to Paris and Lannion
Georgia (the country)
Giovinazzo
Grand Canyon
Hawaii (over & over)
Hawaii during Holoku and Carnival
Hungary
Iceland
Iran
Iraq (one day...to see its amazing art: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/14/arts/design/14moma.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=iraq%20arts&st=cse / http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/14/iraqs-imperiled-modern-art/?ref=design)
Israel
Jordan - Aqaba, Petra, Wadi Rum Desert, and the Dead Sea
Kauai (hike Na Pali Coast)
Kiribati
Ladakh and Leh, India
Laos
Lebanon
Libya
Macchu Picchu
Maldives
Mauritius
Micronesia
Montenegro
Monterey
Myanmar
Nashville with my honey because we met there
Nepal
New York (over & over)
Oaxaca
Philippines
Pitcairn Islands
Qatar
Ravenna
Redwood Forest
River Rafting in Idaho or Utah
Samoa
Sarajevo
Sayulita
Seychelles
Sitka
Smithers
Sri Lanka
Switzerland
Syria
Thailand (Ko Phi Phi and Chiang Mai)
Tunisia
Turkey
Turks and Caicos
Vermont
Vico Equense near Sorrento
Vietnam
White Sands National Monument (Grand Sands), New Mexico
Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park
Yosemite

Lisa’s “Know Before You Go”

Lisa’s “Know Before You Go”
(a work in progress)

Make sure you don’t forget anything -use Independent Traveler's Interactive Packing List
Determine if you should check or ship your bags with Independent Traveler's tips
Check seat maps for your plane and read seat reviews at SeatGuru.com
Airline Passengers Get New Bill of Rights – not necessary to read, but have it in your phone in case you need to access it

Travel Today

I just read an article about rudeness on the airlines. Peggy Post, great-granddaughter-in-law of Emily Post, is quoted saying that traveling "used to be a treat and people got dressed up. Today people say it's a cattle car. So they view it differently. That's understandable. But rude behavior is never okay." http://www.usatoday.com/travel/experts/mcgee/2010-07-06-travel-etiquette_N.htm

I don’t dress up for the airplane; I wear my sweatpants and probably look pretty goofy. But, I definitely still view travel as a treat, even after doing a lot of it.

Some of the readers’ comments discussed their dislike for airplane travel and complained about how rude people can be. So I did something I have never done before. I posted a comment:

One of my favorite things to do is travel. I realize that many people feel the same way but they dislike the process of getting to their destinations. I find comfort in the process. And I have taken probably 250 airplane rides over the past 6 years. I bring a good book and headphones and I wait. Because that is all I can do. At home I am distracted by the dirty dishes and the emails I have to respond to. At the airport and on the plane I don't feel bad neglecting those tasks because I have no other option. Maybe it's my attitude - and the fact that I like being there - that has allowed me to be open to interacting with others in a positive way. I recently had an upbeat and hilarious conversation with a flight attendant about chocolate eclairs. I heard the TSA guy say I had a nice smile in my license picture (which reminded me, on an occasion where I didn't want to be at the airport - I had just said good-bye to my boyfriend - that I should smile more in real life). I have gotten on earlier flights out, not because I expected the employee to do me the favor but because I was nice and I respected that they don't have to do this for me...they may even risk getting into trouble...but they wanted to help because they could empathize. Someone commented that airlines used to care about their passengers and go the extra mile to make travelers' needs better. I say make them care. It's not a right to have someone care about you. It doesn't happen automatically. I work in the travel industry and I will absolutely help the people more who aren't rude or passive aggressive to get what they want.