DIY Friday: Travel Tips

So you’ve been thinking that this would be a nice year to give that special someone a DIY project, to demonstrate your skills and show that a gift made with love is more valuable than one bought with cash.

But who are you kidding?  Time is running out. If you don’t have your holiday shopping mostly wrapped up by now, a DIY project is probably out of the question.

Get thee to a gift certificate, and quickly.

But you can utilize your DIY skills if you’re traveling this season.  And you may need that take-charge gene over the coming days. As Wired reports, "The year 2007 was the worst for flight delays since the government began keeping stats more than a decade ago. In 2002, 17 percent of flights arrived late (defined by the FAA as delayed 15 minutes or more)."

 

Here are four travel tips to help you navigate the holiday airport nightmare. 

  1. Google has a new feature that you may not know about: flight-tracking. Just type your airline and flight number into the search box, and get the departure and arrival location and estimated time.
  2. So your flight is on time, but you’re wondering if you’ll be able to make that connecting flight at O’Hare? Well, first of all — what were you thinking flying through O’Hare during the holidays!? But okay, the plans are set. Use Wired magazine’s handy Google  map of airport delays (pictured above) to see how long you’ll be on the tarmac.
  3. When you’re on the way to the airport — and thinking that the sudden snow squall you’re driving through might cause a delay — use 4INFO from your cell phone to get the latest update. Simply text your airline and flight number  to the mobile search service at 4INFO (44636) to get the latest. And slow down! Snow is slippery to drive through.
  4. Are you worried that the bad kids up to no good? Check out the Global Incident Map if fears of terrorism are giving you the holiday heartache.

From all of us at Really Rocket Science, have a safe and happy Holiday Season!