Dishin’ with the Diva

Travel News: No free in-flight toilets?

According to this article at Yahoo News, European budget carrier Ryanair is considering charging passengers for using the loo. If you aren’t familiar with Ryanair, they tend to offer really low published fares but make their money by charging fees for checked in luggage or in-flight sales.

I have found that pay toilets are much more common overseas than they are here in the States (or at least the parts I’ve visited), but even the European press originally thought this concept was a joke. But so far, it looks like this may happen.

With the way the airline industry is suffering these days, I wonder if any American carriers would go this route. I’m sure there will be more than one executive keeping watch on how this story develops. Me, I just feel for the flight attendants, because you know there will be some cheap folks who will try to come up with their own in-flight toilet solutions.

Quick Tip – Beating Jet Lag

I’m actually a fan of the long weekend overseas jaunt. Some people look at me like I’m crazy when I talk about a three or four day trip to a European city, but I think it’s better to take a short trip than no trip at all.

One of the biggest challenges about a short trip is dealing with jet lag. Conventional wisdom says that it takes about a day for every time zone you cross for your body clock to adjust to a new time. If you’re crossing six time zones for four days, you don’t have that kind of time. So what’s a Trip Diva to do?

Well, this Trip Diva has a few tricks up her sleeve. Mostly they’re little mind games, but they seem to help me make the most of the my long weekend trips.

1. As soon as I take my seat on the plane, I set my watch for the time at my destination. If it’s a connecting flight, I set my time for the connecting city, then change it again when I get on the next plane for the next stop. As often as I can, I tell myself it’s the time on my watch, not the time I know it is wherever I began the trip. This might not work so well for someone who doesn’t feel naked without their watch the way I do, but if you start adjusting your activities as much as you can in transit, it’ll help you when you get to your destination.
2. If your flight arrives in the morning, try to get some sleep on the plane, even if only a short nap. If you flight arrives in the late afternoon or evening, try to stay awake, no matter how long a day it’s been for you. If you do sleep, try to only get maybe an hour or two. It’ll help adjust your body clock to your destination time.
3. Do not take a nap on the day of your arrival if you can help it. If you must nap, again, try to keep it to an hour or two, and don’t start your nap any later than maybe 3 p.m. local time. Make sure you get up, do something and have dinner before you go to bed for the night.
4. Spend as much of your first day outside as you can. You body will take some of its cues from the daylight and from your being active. Plus, if you tire yourself out, you’ll be more likely to fall asleep at a relatively “normal” time based on where you are rather than where you were, and you’re more likely to get a good night’s sleep rather than wake up in the middle of the night (even though it may be time for you to wake up at home).
5. Try not to think about what time it is back home, unless you’re figuring out whether or not you can call someone. Yes, it’s a mind game, but I find it helps.

So, that’s how I usually tackle jet lag. If you have any little tricks or tips to share, please leave a comment.

Quick Tip – International Airfares

When looking for international airfares, it’s worth checking national carriers that aren’t from either your departure or arrival country. You may be going to a destination that isn’t the flight’s final destination, but it still has to stop to refuel or to pick up passengers from one of its other airports.

For example, Singapore Airlines – frequently rated as the top international carrier for customer satisfaction – has just started serving my home airport in Houston. They have some great introductory fares from Houston to Singapore, but the really great fare is from Houston to Moscow, starting at $599. If I were shopping for a flight to Moscow, Singapore Airlines wouldn’t be an airlines I would typically think to check, but that’s one heck of a deal.

Another oddball route I can think of would be LAX to London on Air New Zealand, which is frequently on sale for under $500. For that kind of savings, a little extra online research is more than worth it.