How to Get a Better Travel Experience Using Social Media

Is there a point to social media? Non-believers might want to give social media a second chance. Travel + Leisure recently sent me to Portland for a quick weekend getaway. My mission: To experience how travel companies respond to social media. After all, no one wants to be greeted with the sound of crickets.

Would my tweets and posts vanish into the Interwebs? And from a trip-planning perspective, could I eat my way through Portland using suggestions gleaned from Gogobot, Yelp, Foursquare, and Foodspotting?

Well, I certainly tried. From booking hotel deals to asking a blogger where to eat, these "9 Rules for Using Social Media on the Road" pretty much sum up what I learned. (Here's the online slideshow.) My only regret is not checking the Twitter feed of Blue Star Donuts sooner. If I had, I would've known that they sell out quickly—and I wouldn't be haunted by this sad photo.

I will be going back for the blueberry bourbon basil doughnut. That's a promise.



Photo credit: Travel + Leisure (top), Amy Chen (bottom)

More Self-Service Kiosks At Airports, Please

It's been a rough week for air travel. First, a blizzard blew through the East Coast and Midwest, canceling hundreds of flights. Now a thwarted terrorist attack aboard Detroit-bound Northwest Flight 253 on Christmas Day has renewed interest in (and criticism of) airport security.

In the past three weeks, I've been in and out of four airports. And not that I'm counting or anything, but that's two delayed flights, one canceled flight, and several phone calls to get rebooked. Not horrible, all things considered.

Maybe it's because I've spent too much time at JFK lately, but I'm now intrigued by self-service kiosks from companies like Best Buy and Sephora. I used to wonder who would be suckered into buying anything from those kiosks. But with increased security measures on the way, I know I'll be looking to leave more things at home, even if it means having to buy items after the checkpoint or at my final destination.

The Sephora kiosk, for example, sells this Philosophy travel-size set for $35, the same that you'd pay at a Sephora store or at Sephora.com.

I hope to see more affordable brands roll out similar self-service kiosks in airports. Better yet, I'd love to buy travel-size toothpaste and contact lens solution from an airport kiosk one day.



Photos: Amy Chen

What Not to Pack for the Holidays

The votes are in. Carry-on bags are still the way to go.

To get the most out of your carry-on, here are some basic reminders:

1. Don’t wrap Christmas presents. TSA officers reserve the right to snoop, even if it means tearing open your exquisitely wrapped gift. Besides, the wrapping paper and fancy bows will just get crushed while in transit. Sometimes I’ll pack gift bags and tissue paper in case the present needs to be ready when I land.

2. Skip the gourmet gift basket. The increasingly ridiculous list of prohibited items includes jams, jellies, maple syrup, salsa, sauces, oils and vinegars, etc... TSA advises that you check those items in your bag, ship them ahead, or just leave them at home. Poor Harry and David.

Even though I try to stay on top of the latest TSA rules, a checkpoint officer once stopped me, screened my bag again, and then searched it. Turns out a candle in my bag looked like a jar of jam. Happy Holidays indeed.

3. Oh, and just to round out the list of banned stuff, no snowglobes. If you're trying to avoid checking a bag, looks like you'll have to find another cheesy souvenir.

Holiday Travel: Navigating Airport Security

Getting through security is stressful. When it comes down to it, though, going through security is actually pretty simple -- so why does it always seem so chaotic?

I've developed a relatively straightforward routine that works, oh, about 90 percent of the time. I chalk the 10 percent failure rate up to overzealous TSA agents who are just doing their jobs.

1. Tuck your hat, gloves, and scarf into your carry-on bag.

2. Remove your heavy coat (no use struggling with it when it's your turn and there are dozens of people behind you who are just waiting for a reason to go ballistic).

3. Prep your shoes for quick removal: I prefer to unzip my boots ahead of time or at least loosen the laces.

4. Get out your ID and boarding pass. After the ID check, I immediately slide it into the back pocket of my jeans. (I've seen too many people leave their ID in a tray on the conveyor belt). When going through the metal detector, you have to show the boarding pass again so make sure you hang on to it -- don't leave the pass in the bin with the rest of your stuff. Admit it, you groan whenever someone forgets and has to backtrack.

5. Take out your Ziploc bag with toiletries (always 3 ounces or less, please!)

Whenever possible, seek out the black-diamond lane for expert travelers.

Once you're through security, put your driver's license back in your wallet. You won't need it again unless you order a rum and coke on the plane and get carded.