“How was security?”

That seems to be a common question these days asked of people who are flying. There has been a lot of talk and media attention about the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) “aggressive” pat-downs and body scans during airport security screenings. Many people have expressed concerns about the process and others assume that every traveler is subjected to these types of screenings.

While there are stories, some of which are quite alarming, emerging about screenings that some consider “cross the line,” most flyers are not experiencing anything like that. We have flown a lot in recent weeks, both internationally and domestically, and have not seen anything “out of the ordinary” at airport security. According to TSA Administrator John Pistole, writing in USA Today, less than three percent of travelers will undergo a pat-down of any kind.

The best way to avoid pat-downs and Advanced Imaging Technology scans is to not set off alarms in the first place. For most people that simply means being prepared and paying attention as they enter the screening process. Preparation begins before leaving home as you place your liquids that are 3 ounces or under into a clear quart-sized bag. It is best to put that bag where you can easily access it in your carry-on and pull it out as you approach the x-ray machine.

The TSA has identified some common items that travelers often miss which set off the metal detectors:

• Keys, loose change, mobile phones, pagers, and personal data assistants (PDAs)
• Heavy jewelry (including pins, necklaces, bracelets, rings, watches, earrings, body piercings, cuff links, lanyards or bolo ties)
• Clothing with metal buttons, snaps or studs
• Metal hair barrettes or other hair decoration
• Belt buckles
• Under-wire bras

It is important to note that just because an item, say your watch, does not set off the metal detector at one screening point that it won’t at a different one. We have seen the same watch worn through one metal detector that did not go off yet set off alarms at others. The best thing is to remove these items rather than taking a chance that they will set off the alarm—and subject you to additional screening.

Also be sure that if you are traveling with a laptop or other electronic devices that you have them easily accessible as you approach security. You will be required to scan them separately from your bag. Separate scans are also required of your shoes and any coats that you might be wearing.

One final thing, especially this time of year, relates to gifts. Gifts should NOT be wrapped. Security may actually have you remove the wrapping paper before allowing you to clear the screening, so it is best to wait on wrapping anything until you reach your destination.

Reports indicate few problems at airports this season with most travelers experiencing “business as usual” despite the media attention over enhanced security measures. If you prepare ahead of time and pay attention as you enter the screening process, you too should expect clear sailing and an easy journey through airport security.

The American short-term missionary was very excited to be in Brazil. As he met new people, he often made a gesture with his hand that to him meant “that’s great” or “A-OK.” After a few of these gestures his interpreter took him aside and explained that his gesture was actually considered quite derogatory in Brazil. The American was shocked—and never made that mistake again!

This story reminds us of the importance of international travelers doing their best to understand local cultures. While many cultural nuances take months or even years to learn, there are some basic things that travelers should familiarize themselves with before they reach their destination. Here is a list of 10 cultural questions.

1. Greetings—what is the proper way to greet someone? How and when should you do it? Is there a difference between greeting someone young and someone old?
2. Personal space—what is considered the proper distance that you should stand away from someone when speaking to them? Some cultures it is very close, while others expect a couple arms length.
3. Physical contact—is it appropriate to shake hands? What about giving a friend a hug in public? What about married couples who show affection in public? Is this frowned upon?
4. Gestures—what hand or body gestures are considered rude?
5. Eye-contact—is it appropriate to make eye contact with a stranger? What about eye-contact with someone of the opposite sex? What about eye-contact in conversations or group settings?
6. Dress—what is the cultural norm for dress? Are there different standards for men and women? Do women wear pants? What about shorts?
7. Respect—are there certain ways that elders or leaders are shown respect?
8. Gender attitudes—what are the attitudes about women? How do you show respect to both genders?
9. Loudness—is it expected to speak softly to others and in public or is being boisterous acceptable?
10. Time—what is their view of punctuality? Are they offended if you arrive early? What about arriving late? Are things expected to start on time, or just “whenever.”

This certainly isn’t an exhaustive list, but it should be enough to get you started! Hopefully by finding out the answers to a few cultural questions before you travel, you will save yourself from some embarrassing moments abroad.

In our last post, we began exploring the world of frequent flyer miles and other loyalty programs. Today we see that not every program is created equal. Some offer a much better value and flexibility for your miles or points than others. Since the programs are often quite different, it can be hard to determine which is best. One of the best ways to cut through the fog is by determining the actual dollar value of your points.

For example, Chase Credit Card Ultimate Rewards operates on a 100 points=$1 scale. So if you have 10,000 Ultimate Rewards points and you want to book a $100 hotel room, you can pay for it all with your points. American Express Membership Rewards is 200 points=$1, half of Chase. These straight-forward approaches make it easy to figure out how much in reward dollars you have to work with when you are looking to book a hotel or flight. Plus, these two cards and some others will allow you to combine points and cash to pay for many travel items. So if that hotel was actually $130, then you could use your points to cover $100 and just pay the $30 difference. In addition, Chase credit card customers can use 25,000 points to purchase a round-trip airline ticket valued at up to $335, which is an even greater value for the points.

Capital One, which has aggressively advertised their rewards program, operates on a tiered scale. You need 15,000 miles for travel that costs up to $150; 35,000 for travel costing $150.01-$350.00; 60,000 miles for travel costing $350.01-$600 and 100 times the travel cost for travel $600.01 and higher. So if you buy a $350 airline ticket, the value of your points is the same as Chase. But if you buy a ticket costing $350.01—just a penny above the second tier—your point value is cut in half.

Assigning dollar values to hotel points is more difficult as hotels typically have several rewards levels for their different properties rather than a point per dollar amount. Plus you cannot assume that more expensive hotels are going to require more points than less expensive ones. A night’s stay at the Hilton Arc de Triomphe Paris hotel, for example, runs about $445 per night or you can stay there for 50,000 points. The Trianon Palace Versailles, also a Hilton hotel in Paris, runs $265 per night or you can get it for the same 50,000 points. The Hilton Paris La Defense is $237 a night, close to the price of the Trianon, but you can get it for 40,000 points.

Now that you know to ask the value question on your loyalty points, we’ll discover in our next post five additional tips for getting more from loyalty rewards programs.

Frequent flyer miles. Car rental points. Hotel stay credits.

Loyalty points of one sort or another have become a mainstay in many people’s lives. Whether flying, eating or getting car repairs done, it seems like everything we do racks up some kind of points with some loyalty program somewhere. While some people tell stories of exotic vacations paid for entirely with these points, others never seem to benefit from them. Well if the later is you, here are some tips for maximizing those points for free or nearly-free travel.

Familiarize yourself with the primary programs that you use. What airline do you fly the most and have the most points with? What rewards credit card do you use? What hotel chain do you stay at the most? Know how these points can be accumulated, but most of all, know how they can be spent. Some airlines, for example, will only allow you to use frequent flyer mileage for air travel, while others give the option of redeeming for hotel stays, gifts and more.

Book early if you are planning to use airline miles for a trip. Most airlines typically allot a very small number of seats per flight for award redemption. Once those seats are gone they either won’t allow awards to be used or they drastically increase the number of points needed to get the flight.

Be flexible. A Dallas, Texas couple wanted to celebrate their April anniversary by using USAirways miles to fly round trip to Europe. They needed 90,000 miles each, which was far more than they had. So, they backed up their travel dates into February to take advantage of “off-peak” days and got tickets for 35,000 miles each–a 61% savings. Now you may not have that kind of flexibility, but sometimes just changing the days of the week that you travel will reduce the needed miles (weekends typically require more points).

In our next two posts, we’ll look at more tips for maximizing your loyalty program points.

In our last post, we began the adventure into the arena of airplane seating as we tried to understand the different seating arrangements on long-haul flights. We sorted through British Airways and Lufthansa, looking at their offerings for the different sections of their planes. Today we look at Delta, KLM and South African Airways.

South African Airways (SAA) offers two classes of service–Business and Economy. The seats in Business can adjust to a fully flat position and feature a private television with 8.6” screen and on-demand audio/video. The seats, however, do not offer the privacy partitions found on some other airlines. SAA Business also offers gourmet meals.

KLM offers three classes of travel—Economy, Economy Comfort Zone and World Business. World Business Class seats recline 175 degrees and are equipped with a massage option and feature privacy screens. The entertainment system has the latest films, TV series and audio books plus the ability to send messages to any telephone or email address in the world. KLM also offers Business passengers gift items.

Seats in KLM’s Economy Comfort Zone give passengers four extra inches of legroom and recline twice as much. This zone is also located in the front of the Economy Class cabin for faster disembarkation. In addition, KLM offers seats with extra legroom—up to 50 inches of extra space. Economy Comfort is available for an extra $100-$200 each way, depending on flight duration. Extra legroom seats are an extra $25-$90. Standard Economy seats offer 30 inches of legroom and recline 3.5 inches. Like Business, Economy seats also offer an interactive entertainment system with a choice of 80 movies and other audio/video features.

Delta provides three service classes—BusinessElite, First Class and Economy. BusinessElite is Delta’s premium seating with more comfort, dining and entertainment options than other seats. They offer in-flight Internet access (for a fee) and seats that recline 150 degrees with 55” of legroom. Select routes have 180 degree flat bed seats, which will be standard on most routes within three years. The on-demand entertainment system features a 7” screen plus there is an electrical outlet and USB port for charging personal electronic devices.

While most readers probably know that Ministry Travel offers discounts on economy seats, you may be surprised to learn that Ministry Travel also offers Business and First class tickets as well. So no matter how you prefer to fly, Ministry Travel can accommodate you at a great rate. Contact a Ministry Travel agent today at 1-877-541-5726 for a no-obligation airfare quote or complete the quote request form on the website at www.ministrytravel.com.

Once upon a time in a sky far, far away there were just two seating options for airplane passengers. You had your choice of first or coach, just like you had two meal options–chicken or beef. Times have changed, at least for international flights. (“Ice in your water?” has replaced the “chicken or beef” question once posed on domestic flights). While the new airline seating options afforded the modern long-haul passenger is a good thing, they also can be quite confusing. You see, every airline is its own kingdom offering its own variations of seating. Not to fear, however, as a knight in shining armor is here to challenge the airlines to clarity.

First to take up the gauntlet is British Airways. BA offers four travel classes on its transcontinental flights: First, Club World, World Traveler Plus and World Traveler. Privacy, comfort and ambiance characterize BA’s first class seating. It includes personal windows incorporating electronic blinds spanning two windows. Seats are 60% wider at the shoulder and have their own unique lighting system. BA also gives you your own wardrobe and provides a full flat bed with a quilted mattress to sleep on.

Club World is BA’s business class. Select flights offer sleeper service as part of Club World. Entertainment options include 100 movies and TV programs, 50 music CDs and audio books, plus 20 interactive games–all available on your own schedule. Seats look like a personal deluxe cubicle with privacy screen and include a memory foam headrest.

World Traveler Plus is BA’s “premier” economy, where you get “added extra privacy, relaxation and expert service,” meaning larger seats and fewer rows in that section of the aircraft. World Traveler is the basic economy section.

The next airline to answer the call is Lufthansa, which actually doesn’t need any clarity policing. Their seating is a straightforward First, Business and Economy. First allows you to be social and “take part in what is going on in the cabin” or use the adjustable privacy screen to create your own “personal environment.” Although Lufthansa’s First Class resembles other airlines’ Business Class, they are upgrading their First Class offerings on more aircraft starting in 2011.

Lufthansa has upgraded their meal offerings for Business Class. Business Class also offers fully adjustable seats and an extensive entertainment selection with 30 feature films, 25 TV programs and more. Economy seats include personal entertainment touch-screens with 12 of the latest movies, music and children’s programming.

We’ll adventure into the seating classes of more airlines in our next post.