The rest of Q&A

Traveling wіth pets, wіthоut proper planning аnd preparation саn bе a night-mare fоr bоth оf уоu. Depending uроn уоur destination, thе preparations аrе similar: hаvе уоur pet examined tо ensure іt іѕ healthy еnоugh fоr travel, obtain thе proper paperwork, pack fоr уоur pet’s needs, train уоur pet fоr traveling аnd іf needed, hаvе уоur pet groomed. Bу following thеѕе 7 tips, уоu аnd уоur pet саn hаvе a safe аnd enjoyable trip.

1) Hаvе уоur pet examined bу уоur vet; verify it’s healthy еnоugh fоr travel, thаt thеіr vaccinations аrе uр tо date аnd obtain a Health Certificate аnd a Rabies certificate. Vaccinations vary frоm country tо country ѕо let уоur vet know іf you’re traveling оut оf thе country. Yоu ѕhоuld аlѕо research thе destination country аѕ tо оthеr requirements fоr traveling wіth pets thеrе.

2) Paperwork required fоr traveling wіth pets іѕ usually thе ѕаmе whеthеr traveling bу air, rail, ship оr road: health & rabies certificate, vaccination history аnd sometimes; proof оf ownership.

3) Pack ѕоmе оf уоur pets’ favorite toys, bowls, blankets, food or get an adult dog food free delivery, leash аnd water. Make sure уоur pet hаѕ a collar (check іt fоr wear аnd fit) wіth ID аnd rabies tags оn іt. Don’t wait untіl you’re rеаdу tо gеt іn thе car tо teach уоur cat tо wear a collar.

4) Pack cleaned оut milk jugs оf water ѕо a change іn water doesn’t ad-versely affect thеm. Don’t feed уоur pet a full meal just bеfоrе leaving; a small meal a fеw hours bеfоrе thе trip іѕ better fоr thеm.

5) Start training уоur pet tо travel аbоut a month bеfоrе уоur trip. Obtain a traveling cage оr crate; let thеm smell іt, gо іn аnd оut оf іt оn thеіr оwn fоr whіlе, thеn start shutting thеm іn іt fоr longer аnd longer periods оf tіmе. A word оf advice; оnlу let thеm оut whеn thеу аrе calm аnd ac-cepting оf thе cage. If уоu let thеm оut whіlе thеу аrе agitated, you’re оnlу teaching thеm tо misbehave іn іt. Yоu саnnоt expect уоur pet thаt hаѕ nеvеr left thе comfort оf іtѕ home tо understand thаt thе noisy, smelly box (car) уоu just stuck thеm іn, іѕ safe.

6) Whеn traveling wіth pets, саll ahead tо ensure уоur destination allows pets, mоrе аnd mоrе hotels/motels аrе accommodating pets. Research whеrе you’ll stop еvеrу 2 оr 3 hours tо rеѕt, exercise аnd water уоur pet.

7) Traveling wіth уоur pet requires ѕоmе extra forethought, planning аnd packing, but thе reward іѕ a safe, healthy аnd enjoyable trip fоr bоth уоu by going to McDaid’s pharmacy to buy some medications and a deodorant . Hаvе a great tіmе!

Q –   I will be finally taking retirement from he auto manufacturing field in six months. My wife and I are looking forward to a life of at ;east one or two longer international trips per year, assuming there is no wall that will be built to keep us in the country. My wife has two specific questions: Should we be concerned about deep vein thrombosis and, if so, what should we do about it, and should there be a problem with getting off the aircraft in a hurry, is there a safety factor involved in greater seat pitch?  In other words is it safer, in an emergency, to be seated in Business Class?

A – Thank you for such a fun series of questions. We would suggest that you try to run up miles on the best possible airline mileage credit card you can find. You will be happier flying Business Class. Yes, long distance flights increase your chances of thrombosis but the evidence on how this works is still fairly sketchy. You can get deep-vein thrombosis traveling by car, bus, or train. The altitude is not necessarily the causal factor. Wear loose clothing with an elastic waist and really comfortable socks that do not cut off your circulation.  We don’t know about Business Class actually being safer than coach but it is nice, as the aircraft is plummeting, to be offered that final choice of orange juice or champagne.

Speak to your physician about deep-vein thrombosis as your specific condition will dictate the advice your receive. Don’t worry about safety in the air. In fact, sitting on a long-distance flight is one of the safest things you can do on this planet. If you want to worry, think about a strategy to get you safely from the house to the airport. Statistically, that is, by a wide margin, the most dangerous part of your journey.

Q – We will be departing for Tanzania and Kenya next month. I have been watching the pre/post election turnout in Kenya. Everything appears to be calm now. How concerned should we be about spending one day in Nairobi before flying home? We are also wondering of the hippo attack earlier this month in Tanzania is the kind of incident that is under-reported by the press. IO can;t seem to find out where this happened. Are there types of incidents under-reported to protect tourism?

A –  We are extremely uncomfortable about your upcoming trip based on the nature of your questions. You really should be in contact with the safari provider, who you have not named, to make certain that all of your concerns and fears have been addressed. Any trip to East or Southern Africa has the potential to literally be the Trip of Your Lifetime but you need to be well prepared by both your travel consultant and your safari tours company.

Hippos kill an estimated 500 humans per year. They are an extremely dangerous mammal and it is well to respect their space. A 75-year old tourist from Michigan was recently killed on safari in Tanzania, the victim of a hippo attack. . She was a well-respected entrepreneur and it was a highly unusual accident.

Every state has its own laws regarding car accidents and the various facets involved in them like litigation and insurance. Though the basic frame is the same all over the variations in the laws are state specific, with a lot of them being unique to a particular state. Hence, it is essential for someone to hire good car accident law firms to represent him or her in case of an accident.

Car accident law firms specialize in fighting accident cases. What this means for the victims is that there are specialists who have the skill and expertise to fight car accident cases. These specialists know the ins and outs of the pertaining legalities. Victims will get a better representation in court and a better deal from the insurance firms. Not only will the attorneys fight tooth and nail for a ruling favoring the client, but will also negotiate with the insurance company to get the best possible compensation for the victim. If you are looking for the best Atlanta Car Accident Law Firm, you can navigate here.

Not surprisingly, statistics show that car crash victims represented by car accident law firms often win more than three times the claims from the insurance companies.

The reason for this is that a car accident often involves many of complex issues that include various parties with an intricate connection existing between them. There are a lot of things that determine the final outcome of such a case. Only a car accident law firm knows well how each issue will impact each case individually.

These days, countless cars and other types of vehicles are driving around the streets, throughout the world. Such automobiles nowadays have made transportation and mobility easier. But, due to several reasons, a number of car accidents take place frequently and many people end up the victims of those accidents. These accidents involve anything from a slight injury to even death.

Sometimes some severely injured victims survive, but they are handicapped for rest of their life. Such accidents usually happen because of unskilled drivers or their negligence to obey traffic rules properly. An individual who becomes the victim of such an awful accident may end up dying or at least have to suffer from severe injuries for a period of time. The attorneys from Babcock helps you in the car crash attorney.

While suffering from the injury, victims also face some other difficulties. For instance, they lose a great deal of money because they become unable to work during their illness. Every person has the right to have compensation for their sufferings for an accident that happened due to someone else’s fault.

The accident victim, who is suffering and feeling all the physical pain and financial loss, only needs to take some legal steps against the responsible party for the accident. And in order to do this, a car accident attorney is definitely the right person to assist the victim.

A car accident lawyer is a specialist lawyer who knows better than anyone about the laws of automobile accidents; therefore, they can guide the sufferers properly to get their desired recompense.

A good car accident attorney also knows about civil rights, as well as, limitations of such issues. They can easily classify the category of an accident and determine how severe that accident is and how much compensation the sufferer may get.

The car accident attorney will organize all the facts for you so that you can win the case and get a logical compensation for your traumatic experience.

Nairobi is a safe place to spend the night provided you are in a secure hotel. We won’t venture an opinion until we know which company has organized your trip and which hotel they are using in Nairobi. It is one of good place where car accidents takes place rarely as there is bollards are installed on roads. TKbollards aims to provide good quality of bollards. It is definite that number of accidents can be reduced by separation on highway’s  through bollards.

Neither tourism boards, whose job it is to actively promote tourism, and the safari companies themselves, highlight negative news. There is certainly some under-reporting of these incidents which is one reason that we encourage international travelers to always read several issues of the local newspapers before departure. With Google Translate that is a relatively easy task.

Traveling to Africa is serious business. If you are not prepared to pay to be in the hands of the safest operators utilizing the skills of the best guides, we would suggest you postpone your trip until your financial situation improves. We also suggest that all travelers considering East Africa have a serious conversation with their travel planner regarding the current status of terror group advisories. 

Q –  Really love this site but one criticism. You deal a lot with things as they are – not as they might be. As an architect and designer specializing in modular housing, I am intrigued by the potential of the airline industry to develop aircraft that has seating that can be easily converted in minutes to a totally new configuration. Let’s say, for instance, tight seating when a flight is less than two hours but when the next segment is longer the seating changes as new seats are easily placed on a track. Is anyone actually working on this? I’m really curious. Keep up the good work. 

A – It might be fun to get some architect friends and futurists together to do a web site focused on what could be given our current abilities to utilize technology-driven. You would just have to remember that everything in the Airline sector is driven by profit per seat per mile. Passenger comfort is never the prime motivator for design.

Actually, Airbus has been working on a new modular system that can transform an aircraft from high-density seating to luxury with lounges and stand-up bars in the time it takes to do a normal turn–around. This project was being run out of Airbus’ innovation lab called A3 but they have now gone public with the project and named it ‘transpose”. The goal is to essentially change a re-design of the seating and interior layout on an aircraft, a process that normally takes three weeks on average, to allow completion within a half hour. This can be achieved by using modular everything and simply sliding out and sliding in seating and other materials . It would be similar to swapping out cargo in the hold – a process that already exists. The exciting this about this project is that it does not require the design of new aircraft. The designs are being developed to use existing aircraft. This project is currently thought to be anywhere from five to ten years away from final application. But we are skeptical. It will cost a great deal and we’re not sure it will greatly enhance revenue since most current seating plans are already designed for near-maximum capacity goals.

Q – Although we sense your advice has been to delay travel to Cuba for a few years, we have decided to join my brother-in-law and his family on a cruise on Oceania to Cuba. Our travel agent feels we will be safe but we are wondering if there are any precautions or particularly, things to bring along just in case. 

A –  Just two specifics – make certain that you don’t touch the tap water. Bottled water only. If you are drinking in a bar it is likely, but not guaranteed, that the ice in your drinks is filtered. The most important precaution is to put together a small case filled with a travel medical supplies. We’d like you to bring your favorite form of aspirin, an anti- diarrea medication, as well as something for constipation.  Also try to locate an anti-mosquito spray with deet. Other than that, you’re good to go.

Q – I have read and re-read this as well as several of your sister sites. Love the information and the attitude. But you are a bit ahead of us readers. In one of your last Q and A’s you said that Korean Air was  a Four-star airline. Really? Well how do I find that out. I want to know the rating of every airline I’m flying. I also want to know about something your referenced in a response about hotel inspection reports. How do I get those as well? I do a ton of international travel for business. Let me know if you need any correspondents – I’d love to add comments from my travels and observations. But, bottom line, if I could know how good my airline is and what my hotel is really like, instead of what TripAssiser says it is, I’d be ahead of the game. Finally, I notice that some of your sites are password-protected and exclusively for your clients. Does that mean that some of the “truth” is held back for those who use your services? 

A – We never print anything from PR firms, writers who receive free trips, or folks wanting to plug some entity with which they are associated. But we would be pleased to share well-written travel reports from our readers with other readers. What we won’t do is open up a dialogue that could quickly go off-road. We aim for honest questions and honest responses. A simple concept really – but since it is non-profit, there aren’t many takers.

We put together our own rankings of the world’s airlines based on industry statistics and reports. We always share this information with our clients. The Hotel Inspection Reports are invaluable. It is a private service available to professional consultants and is unavailable online. Most of the top-tier travel consultants offer these inspection reports to their clients. And yes – we do hold back and we don’t share everything. But you knew that.

Q – This is the coolest site so I come to you with a specific question. I’m flying on Korean Airlines to Seoul for a four-day series of meetings. My first time and I have no idea what to bring back for work colleagues. Is there anything they are famous for or you think would make a nice gift for a workforce mostly int heir thirties and forties.  By the way, how good is Korean. Thanks so much.

A –  Korean Airlines currently enjoys a four-star rating which places it above the major carriers from the United States. We are definitely recommending you look at cosmetics. Korean women spend approximately double what their American counterparts spent on beauty supplies. They are generally of a high quality and rather affordable. Korean men also far outspend American men when it comes to grooming supplies. Just look for items that are locally popular but unavailable for export. The best area for you to find cosmetics is Myeong-dong, an eight-block area that attracts those seeking skin that feels like butta. 

Q – This may be a little out of your areas of expertise but I wonder if you have any advice. I have just accepted a new sales position in my company that will require about 70% domestic travel to major cities throughout the country. Given the Bill O’Reilly debacle, I suppose I am even more concerned about staff entering my room for deliveries etc. I am wondering if you have any advice at all. I am sure there are other readers who have similar concerns. 

A –  This is a serious topic and one that is just starting to be taken seriously by hotels. Try  to determine if there are “female staff only” access rules in place for solo female guests. Some hotels, like the Virgin brand, provide separate areas that can be closed when rooms service or other deliveries are being dropped off. Hyatt hotels has been studying this issue, determining that almost 50% of all single business travelers are women and this number is growing with the arrival of female sales people from China.

At one time, the hotel industry was headed toward the establishment of “female guests only” floors. This is no longer in vogue and is thought to be a dated idea. Women more than men are concerned with security and we have emphasized our belief that no hotel should ever be booked until you are provided with a professional hotel inspection report and an update on security. 

Many female travelers instruct the front desk that only female staff should be given access to their rooms. We believe that corporations have a responsibility to approve upgraded accommodations for single female travelers where that is necessary to ensure a more safe environment.

We always thought it was creepy to see Bill on the TV inside our hotel room, knowing the numerous payoffs and allegations related to sexual misconduct. If it turns out that O’Reilly has now accepted a position as a room service waiter at Marriott, we would suggest asking him to leave the tray outside the door.

Q – I am one of your followers in Spain. Although many of your answers seem tilted to Americans, we still find the responses amusing and interesting. Some of the questions really amaze us!

So to my question: I am certain my fiance does not read this blog. I will be in Melbourne, Australia in two weeks. I will only be there on business for two days and my finance will be flying over to join me from Toledo. (ours – not yours). I want to be in a lovely room and pop the question followed by a nice dinner that is at a fun spot with great food but casual. But it is the room that is causing the problem. Would be forever grateful for a recommendation. 

A – Even though you called us a “blog” we’re going to do all possible to help you. Book room # 401 at the Lyall hotel. It is called the “Tattinger Suite”,  a 766 sq. ft. rooftop suite with has two terraces and great sunsets. We would have the hotel book you the nicest possible table at nearby France-Soir. Order the oysters – lots of them.

Q – Based partly on your advise, we are moving up our plans to stay in an over-the-water bungalow in the Maldives. We are frequent Delta flyers and we have some miles with American. We are wondering how we should plan on getting there, Online it looks like a really long haul. Also, advice for a romantic resort with great food and the “bungalows” would be appreciated. Love the site but we want “daily” updates!.

A –  Every situation is different but we would suggest that you not use miles for this trip and fly Emirates into Dubai. Stay a few days on the front or back end in between your flights between Dubai and the Maldives. You will be on a top-rated airline and Dubai is one of the world’s great gateway airports.

You are correct, getting to the Maldives is a bear. You are looking at more than 24 hour of travel time. That is why we think you ought to break it up. Emirates came close to joining United in the Star Alliance but they finally decided they do not need an alliance. Use your miles for something else. If that is not an option if or you and you don’t fly much, look at Delta partner Air France’s schedules. 

We like the 45-villa French resort, Cheval Blanc Randheli. Great food and beautiful location. Don;t be surprised if Jimmy Kimmel and Matt Damon are sharing the villa next door.