I thought it was time to have a little contest, so send me your best 2008 summer photos!

 

I'll do my part and share a photo with you!

This is a photo I took of my husband and granddaughter on the coast of Nova Scotia at a place called Baccaro Point.  And no... they really aren't as close to that wave as it looks!  It's a great place to watch the sea and, if you're lucky, you'll spot a minke whale or two!

The deadline for submissions will be 6 December 2008 with the winners being announced in the December newsletter published mid December.  Please tell me a little about the picture so I can share it with the Newsletter readers.  The only condition?  Please don't submit professional photos.  Let's enjoy the ones you took yourself!

1st place will receive a C$100.00 travel voucher
2nd place will receive a C$50.00 travel voucher
3rd place will receive a C$25.00 travel voucher
 
The contest will be judged by Leafshade Photography owned and operated by Jeff & Laura Dalton. 

Feel free to check out their awesome photos at www.leafshadephotography.com.  Leafshade is available for weddings, portraits and commercial photography. 

If you are in need of a great photographer, they can be reached at (888) 696-1221.
 

Empty Your Pockets Early
Don't wait until you reach the front of the line to start emptying your pockets. You've been waiting for 10 or 20 minutes already. Take one to stash your watch, metal-buckle belt and the contents of your pockets in your carry-on. It's one less bin to deal with in security, and you don't need your house keys until your plane touches down anyway.

Travel at the Right Time
Monday mornings tend to have the most business travelers, who typically speed through security most quickly. Weekends, and Sundays in particular, tend to have the highest ratio of infrequent flyers who slow down the process. Of course, travelers can only move as quickly as TSA officials permit, so the speed of the security line depends on the number of staffers working security that day.

Choose the Fastest Checkpoint
Some airports recently began a new three-lane security line program: one for families, special needs, and beginner travelers; a second for casual or intermediate-level travelers; and another for expert travelers. Though the lines have successfully reduced traveler anxiety and reduced alarms set off by infrequent travelers, according to the TSA, the expert line is not always the fastest. Ask a check-in attendant which is the fastest. Or, before heading to the airport, check the TSA's website for the airport's average checkpoint wait times. You can also text the TSA for the information. Send the word "wait" and the departure airport code ("wait LGA," for example) to 44636.

Don't Check Luggage
Many airports-LAX and JFK, to name two-require travelers to escort checked baggage through an additional TSA screening process. The scanning itself takes just a minute or two, but the line can crawl during peak travel times. Avoid the extra line by packing everything in a carry-on or consider shipping your checked luggage to your destination. It's less likely to get lost, and now that most airlines charge for second and third checked bags-ranging from $10 to $100 per item-shipping costs are comparatively reasonable.

Bundle Your Electronics
As of mid-August, the TSA began to permit laptops to remain in certain "checkpoint friendly" carrying cases while going through X-ray machines. They cannot have metal snaps, zippers or buckles, and security will make you take the contents out if the bag is stuffed with extension cords or disks or anything that might obscure the image. So, neatly tie computer wires and store them next to the computer in a see-through bag. And label your laptop so someone doesn't "accidentally" take it.

Dress Appropriately
Right or wrong, security searches are rarely "random"; the clean-cut, professional-looking traveler often clears security more easily than the bedraggled backpacker with a one-way ticket. Officials with training in behavioural analysis also scan for travelers who twitch, look preoccupied or sweat excessively. So stay calm, look put together, organized and comfortable-even if a security guard is patting you down. Also, wear easily removed shoes, and opt for a simple sweater or jacket, rather than a complicated overcoat.

Be Friendly
As much as we like to imagine security personnel are logical, rational and non-discriminatory, they're just working men and women with very difficult-and thankless-jobs. Don't give them an excuse to pull you aside. A simple smile and "good morning" will go a long way, and don't joke about a movie that "bombed" at the box office last week. Save the bon mots for touchdown.

Passport and BoardingPass
Keep your identification and boarding pass within easy reach, and open your passport to the photo page. Have handy your additional information, such as a work visa, too. And avoid traveling on a passport that expires in less than six months. Many countries require a passport to be valid for a minimum of three or six months after the date of arrival. Most people won't notice, but an official having a bad day may stop you.
 
Pack Smart
If you're caught trying to bring a forbidden item on-board-scuba gear, hunting tools, corkscrew, water-security is more likely to pull you aside. Some travelers have even missed their flights because of accidentally packed contraband. Know the rules-check the TSA's list of banned goods ahead of time. Besides the obvious items, don't pack gift-wrapped boxes. The wrapping can set off security, and TSA officials will want to open the package.

Security Clearance Programs
The registered travel program Clear saves time at airport security, while Nexus saves time at the U.S.-Canada border. These programs are, essentially, concierge services for security clearance. Members pay an annual fee and undergo a background check for the assurance that they will zip to the front of participating airport security lines. These privately run programs don't approve passengers for automatic clearance-shoes, for instance, must still be removed and scanned-but they ensure that wait times are typically five minutes or less.

Of course there are germs on a plane, just as there are in any place where people gather - your office, the subway, your theatre seat, a crowded bar - everywhere.
 
And while the air on a plane is drier than you might like, studies have shown that in-flight air is circulated more often than in the average office building, and micro filters do remove many offending particles, if not microscopic viruses.
 
Yes, you can get sick on a plane, but you'll probably never know whether you caught that cold or flu at 35,000 feet, in the airport before you took off, or somewhere else on your travels. There are, however, some easy things you can do to reduce the risk of, ahem, airborne infection.
 
Wash Your Hands Frequently: With soap and hot water, just like Mom told you. Waterless hand sanitizer is another effective option.
 
Blow the Germs Away: Some experts believe the air vents above your head can blow germs away from you; others don't.  Your choice...
 
Get Some Rest: I have a friend who travels frequently to conferences and complains he always gets sick on the plane ride home. I point out that he was likely dancing on the lobby piano at 3 am before a 6 am flight. He still thinks it's the plane.
 
Wipe Up Your Worries: Alcohol-based sanitary wipes can be used to clean armrests and tray tables. If nothing else, you'll feel better.
 
Ne Touche Pas: Keep your fingers away from your face, unless you've just washed your hands. That means mouth, nose and eyes - common places where infections can enter your body.
 
Stay Hydrated: Dry mucous membranes can raise the risk of infection. Drink lots of water and avoid too much coffee or booze, which can further dehydrate your body. There are nasal sprays you can buy to avoid that irritated, dried-out feeling that often bothers frequent flyers.

ARLINGTON, Va. - Airline passengers starting next year will be barred from boarding planes if they refuse to provide their full name and birth date, the government said Wednesday.  "You have to give this information," Transportation Security Administration chief Kip Hawley said.
 
The rule will "dramatically reduce" the number of people hassled at airports because their name resembles a terrorist's on a government watch list, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said. Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and some children have been mistaken for terrorists.
 
Comparing a passenger's first, middle and last name and birth date to the watch list will eliminate "most" false matches by more precisely identifying a passenger, Chertoff said. Travelers now must give airlines only a last name and first initial.
 
Airlines must collect the new information starting in July for flights originating or ending in the USA. The requirement also applies to any flight traveling over the country, such as from Canada to Mexico. Some airlines may start in January, Hawley said.
In a shift, airlines will give passenger information to the TSA to compare to the watch list. The comparisons have been done for years by airlines, but that has led to "inconsistencies" because some are better than others at updating their lists as the FBI adds and drops names, Chertoff said. Having the government compare passenger names to the watch list will improve security, Chertoff said.
 
Travelers who book flights and don't give required information won't be able to print a boarding pass at home or at an airport kiosk, Hawley said. They will have to go to an airline counter and show an ID card with the required information.
 
For passengers making last-minute reservations, the TSA will check their backgrounds in seconds and report results to airlines, Hawley said.
 
Many airlines had opposed collecting new passenger information when the TSA first proposed it a year ago, saying that would complicate making reservations. Steve Lott of the International Air Transport Association said Wednesday it could be "costly and complex" for airlines to revise their computer systems to collect the new passenger information.
 
Paul Ruden of the American Society of Travel Agents said the new system "will be a big improvement" by reducing the number of false matches.

Forget Rednecks; here is what Jeff Foxworthy has to say about Canucks!
 
If your local Dairy Queen is closed from September through May...you may live in Canada.

If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don't work there...you may live in Canada.

If you measure distance in hours...you may live in Canada.

If you know several people who have hit a deer more than once...you may live in Canada.

If you can drive 90 km/hr through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching...you may live in Canada.

If you carry jumpers in your car and your wife knows how to use them...you may live in Canada.

If you design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit...you may live in Canada.

If the speed limit on the highway is 80 km, you're going 90 and everybody is passing you...you may live in Canada.

If you know all 4 seasons:  Almost winter, winter, still winter, and road construction...you may live in Canada.

If you have more miles on your snow blower than your car...you may live in Canada.
 

Visitors to the website airfarewatchdog.com were recently asked to share their top tips for managing little ones when flying.  Here's what travelers had to say:
 
Three words - Portable DVD player!
 
A bag full of toys and treats - books, stickers, paper, magazines, to help with boredom and Gameboys now if they're older.
 
Take connecting flights - The ability to get off the plane and run around before the next flight is really helpful.
 
Fly an airline with live TV - that TV is a great babysitter! (A personal note here... Absolutely true!  My 3-year-old granddaughter, on a flight in July 2008 with her car-seat, her own TV, and a window seat, was a great traveller!)
 
Request a window seat - your child can look out and lean against that without disturbing people.
 
Never do early boarding - the less time on board the better - sometimes you can sit there for an eternity while waiting for the rest of the cabin to fill - this can make the trip unbearable for a kid.
 
Don't hand out all the toys at once - milk what you've got and for as long as you can - maybe you won't have to go through the entire bag of tricks which can be a bonus for the trip back home.
 
Include a discussion on expected behaviour, including how you and others are supposed to behave.
 
For kids still in car seats, it is extremely helpful to lug that car seat with you - kids are used to sitting still when in their car seat, so it makes keeping them happy and well behaved much easier.
 
Hand them a pen and tell them to draw moustaches on all the people in the in-flight magazine - let them know they're only allowed to do this on an airplane - this will give you at least an hour of quiet contentment.
 
For kids older than 6 or so, give them an incentive to behave - perhaps pay the kids a quarter for every hour they are good - that way the children don't taunt one another.
 
For toddlers and older kids, always bring one empty sippy cup for each child - when the flight attendant comes with the drinks, just ask him/her to fill up the sippy cup instead and we don't have to worry about spills.
 
About 30 minutes before landing, make sure the children have something to drink in their cups upon touchdown.
 
Prior to any flight review the 4 essential plane rules:
NO kicking the seat in front.
Inside voice only.
Sit down and put the seat belt when told to.
No playing "up and down" with the tray.
 
Fly at naptime or bedtime whenever possible!
 
If you see/hear other children acting up or screaming, remember to thank your own child(ren) for not doing that, for being better behaved, and for setting a good example.