On The Road Again

As I plan my summer vacation, travel is on my mind. So here is some news chum related to travel, with some articles you might find of use:

• Customs and Immigration. Here are some tips on how to avoid long custom and immigration lines if you travel internationally. The focus of the article is on an app called Mobile Passport that can evidently save loads of time. I don’t know; I haven’t traveled internationally since the 1980s.
• AirBnB Tips. I have a friend that, essentially, lives in AirBNBs. She’s built up a collection of tips and advice on finding a good AirBNB. Essentially, these tips are how to define your profile to make your expectations clear, and the warning signs to look for in listings of AirBNBs you look at.
• Carry On Sizing. Airlines continue to make things difficult. One of the more recent things is shrinking the size of your carryon back. What worked 10 years ago may not work today. Here’s a chart of the carry-on sizes for all airlines, for handy reference.
• Hotel Shampoo. Two interesting articles related to hotel shampoo. The first looks at the issue in terms of privilege: the right shampoo for hair care differs by ethnicity, and the default type of shampoo in almost all hotel rooms is designed for white, Caucasian hair. You want a great example of microagressions and privilege, look no further than that little bottle. Most non-white travelers will either need to bring their own, go shopping for the right shampoo, or use the wrong shampoo. All wrong choices. Further (potentially making matters worse), hotels are now getting rid of those little bottles and replacing them with larger bottles, mounted to the wall, that have pumps. The surface explanation for this is using less plastic and being environmentally aware, but there are hidden statements about people taking the little bottles for private use, and saving money by not paying for the little bottles (and there is no guarantee they aren’t refilling with the cheapest thing). Sharing the bottles may also be less sanitary.

 

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