With the holidays around the corner, travel agents with the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) offer up some advice for those traveling by air to ensure a pleasant travel experience.

Book Your Tickets Soon. Like Now. Keys to securing the best fare when traveling over the holidays are booking as soon as possible and being flexible. Consider alternative dates or an alternate airport to get the best airfare. If traveling internationally such as to Mexico or across the pond, be sure your passport is current and won’t expire for at least six months.

Be the Early Bird. When arriving to the airport, arrive early. Chances are the airport parking lot will be full, security checkpoint lines will be long and there’s the chance flights will be overbooked meaning airlines may bump passengers off flights. According to ASTA, those who arrive earliest for an overbooked flight stand the greatest chance of staying onboard. Of course, volunteering your seat for the next flight may result in a roundtrip ticket to use on a future flight. Weigh your options if you have the opportunity to give up your seat.

Avoid Getting Bumped. It’s better to be safe than sorry when it comes to getting an advance seat assignment so do it, ideally when booking your flights. Passengers with seat assignments are typically only bumped if they arrive late and their seat assignment is released. Check-in online since seat assignments not available at the time of booking your flight may be available when checking in online.

Remember  3-1-1. Regulations limit the amount of gels and liquids passengers can take through security in their carry-on luggage to travel-size toiletries of three ounces or less that fit comfortably in one quart-size, clear plastic zip-top bag and one bag per passenger must be screened. Got it?

Know Your Limits. Check with your airline to determine the amount and weight of your carry-on and checked on luggage. Some airlines charge for carry-on and checked luggage. Be smart and ship gifts ahead of time and consider shipping items home. Remember to leave gifts unwrapped and pack valuables in your carry-on.

Visit TravelSense.org for additional tips and be sure to check out all the destinations Resort Rentals Intl. can book for you this holiday season.

It’s amazing how something so small can cause so much chaos. Such as the case with the sweeping spread of bed bugs across the country. Bed bugs are not a new pest but they have certainly proliferated in beds, offices and shops. Another way they are spreading is through public transportation such as buses, subways and trains. These bloodsucking buggers are hitching a ride on unsuspecting travelers then invading their private spaces and reeking havoc.

“Anywhere that’s a public space is a place where bed bugs could be hiding. For commuters, it could be on any form of public transportation or in a waiting area. However, there are some basic precautions commuters can take to minimize the risk of bringing bed bugs into their home or office,” said Seth Tokson, co-owner of Top Dog Scent Detection of Armonk, NY.

Top Dog Scent Detection uses a specially trained dog named Trace to accurately identify sites of bed bug activity. Trace, a lab/pointer mix, graduated with more than 800 hours of bed bug scent detection training from the renowned Florida Canine Academy.

Mr. Tokson, who has over 30 years experience in the pest control business, offers these simple tips for traveling commuters:

* Look around your seat before sitting down on buses, subways and trains – look at the edge of the seat before sitting down for evidence of bed bugs. Adult bed bugs are about the size of an apple seed.
* Minimize the amount of belongings you are carrying with you to and from work.
* Keep your belongings on your lap when traveling in trains, subways and buses.
* Don’t hang your coat in a communal coat closet. Isolate your coat from other people’s coats.
* When you get home, check purses, briefcases and tote bags for bed bugs.
* Educate yourself as to what to look for and where to look for bugs, feces etc. Check out the images found on the University of Minnesota Extension website.
* While in your office, place belongings (briefcase, pocketbook, laptop case etc.) in an airtight container (Ziploc plastic bag) and seal it. Remove your bag only when you need it and when it is time to leave. Seal the plastic bag overnight or when you leave your office.

“There is no 100% guarantee when dealing with bed bugs but these measures should help minimize your risk of bringing home unwanted hitchhikers,” said Mr. Tokson.

For more specific information on how to prevent bringing bed bugs into your home from a trip visit Top Dog Scent Detection’s website at www.bed-bug-sleuth.com, or, if living in the Armonk, N.Y. area, give them a call at (914) 219-5635.

Getting lost on vacation is not fun and CoPilot Live helps travelers find their way with groovy technology for GPS enabled smartphones, whether an Android, iPhone or Windows phone. We met representatives from CoPilot Live last month during the 2nd Annual Travel Blog Exchange Conference (TBEX ‘10) in New York City to learn more about this mobile navigational system. In short, it’s like having a human co-pilot guiding the way without the bickering and backseat driver attitude.

CoPilot Live v8 rivals in-dash navigation systems by offering some sweet features. These include turn-by-turn voice directions accompanied with a map, clearer guidance at complex junctions such as instructing the driver which lane to use, speed limit indicator for those lead foots, improved voice technology for clearer spoken directions, and a walking mode with turn-by-turn directions to navigate by foot through a city.

This mobile navigation also has live weather. A practical function for use when caravanning or needing to keep track of other drivers is the ability to find CoPilot friends on-screen or online and share your location.  The premium  CoPilot Live v8 option includes real-time traffic information which is useful for assistance in re-routing due to unexpected road closures. A budget-saving option is the capability of finding the nearest and least expensive gas station.

Map coverage is available for North American countries, Europe, Australia, and several other nations.

Ready not to get lost? How about a road trip to Palm Springs or weekend getaway to Williamsburg? We have your affordable lodging needs, you just need to get there.