Buying the correct travel size liquid containers is not cost effective and for some reason any of the “travel size” containers I’ve bought and filled myself have broken and caused a mess (thank goodness for ziploc bags!)

If you forget and pack your correct travel size items in that pretty bag Auntie Martha made for you as a way to show her you’re actually using it, you get a stern talking to for not having all personal items viewable in a see through bag. (Doesn’t the nature of “personal items” mean that they are personal and not for the general publics’ viewing pleasure?)

With airline cutbacks, you are not always offered refreshments once on board. Yet, you cannot bring liquid in from the outside so if you care for anything to eat or drink, you are pretty much forced to spend $12 for a can of coke and a stale sandwich.

I could go on - but the point is that the list of rules is ridiculous and is ever changing. You almost have to have a degree in airline travel or be perfectly happy taking nothing more than a book with you in flight and waiting around for an hour or two to pick up the rest of your belongings to avoid other problems. Add to that the stress and frustration of both travelers and airline workers who are both becoming impossible to deal with rationally and you’ve got one huge problem.

We just got great rates on flights from Las Vegas to Boston, Boston to Cleveland, and Cleveland back to Vegas, for our Christmas/New Years trip. We’re flying to Boston on the 23rd (Sunday), which actually was like $100 less for each ticket than flying on either Christmas eve or the 22nd (Saturday). Go figure! We got the tickets directly from the airline and it was cheaper than Expedia.

I have used Priceline to buy hotel rooms. I have had good luck most of the time. You usually get a decent room at a much cheaper price.

I think most people are really intimidated by the crowds and confinement more than anything. So I’m saving up for NetJets.

I sure hope so. I’m traveling on Christmas Eve because I don’t have a choice. Which is probably why those days are always busy. We’re coming back on the train, though, which ought to be relaxing.

If you buy your tickets 3-4 months in advance you can pretty much always get a darn good price. If you have a higher risk tolerance, and you’re flexible with dates, there is often a window (about six weeks out) when airlines start bringing prices down. Airfarewatchdog’s Q&A section has lots of good tips on this sort of thing.

The key thing is checking everyday for at least a week and jumping on a good fare if you find one. There is huge variation from day to day, in my experience.

it does have a few rules, however, that make it less than ideal for some circumstances. for instance:

* you can only pick up rental cars from airport locations. this can be a little inconvenient if you’re not flying in (the trip to LGA from my house via subway/bus takes an hour).

* you do not get to see the name of the hotel/rental car company ahead of time - only after you have booked and paid (and there are no refunds). this has never been an issue for me, as they use all the name brands that you’re used to, but for someone with specific likes or who wants to take advantage of a reward program, this would be a drawback.

* for some of their best rates, you do not get to choose the exact time of your flight. they only say that you will get a departure between 6am and 10pm with 0-1 stops each way. great if you’ve got some flexibility, bad if you need to know exact times. of course, with the state of air travel these days, you can never rely on departure or arrival times anyway!

I also use kayak.com to seek out low fares when I know my travel dates, but I always buy tickets through the airline’s site.

Two years ago, I went to New York for the first time and got stuck in that ‘largest blizzard since 1850-something’. Flights were all cancelled. Hotels were booked. People had to spend the night in the airport! The airport was mayhem once they resumed flights. Yet, erm, strangely enough, I loved it. Not a sadistic joy of others suffering, but fun enjoying the experience.

also, i’m a BIG fan of dramamine…

I rarely travel on a flexible schedule so I miss out on many of the benefits of booking my air travel that way but their hotel deals can be quite good. Their four- and five-star hotel deals have saved me hundreds of dollars, allowing me to stay in prime locations and luxury hotels for little more than I’d pay at a Holiday Inn or worse in a less-appealing area of whatever city I was visiting.