By Tracy Stewart
Airfarewatchdog.com

1. Show up early! Really really early.

Yeah, we know, airports can be a tad dull, but we'll gladly risk boredom over rolling up at the last minute, sprinting through a mob of travelers, only to watch sad-faced as your plane leaves the gate. And running with a carry-on? Not cute. So show up early, allow yourself enough time to deal with any snags that may occur and, who knows, you may even encounter a gate agent willing to put you through on an earlier flight.

2. Spend a little money on a day pass for the airport lounge.

Hey, it's a holiday, and you deserve it, right? And should there be a delay, a cancellation, or any other form of unwanted wonkiness, chances are you'll get better customer service in the lounge. So, grab an eggnog and a handful of those little quiches that you like so much (hey, load up, they're free!) and live a little.

3. Get the extra legroom seat!

C'mon, it's not that much more, and won't you be happy without your own knees in your face for five hours? Yes, you will. Also? You'll actually have enough space to comfortably use a laptop, no matter how far back the guy in front of you slams his seat back. Some airlines, such as JetBlue, even throw in snazzy privileges like priority check-in and boarding. Fancy! Here's a rundown of what the airlines offer.

4. Don't check a bag!

And don't try cramming everything into some mammoth carry-on either. Send them four or five days ahead via FedEx Ground or UPS. It's often cheaper than paying checked bag fees. No standing in line to check a bag, no waiting on a bag at the carousel, no lugging around a bag, no fighting for overhead space … none of that! And FedEx has much better tracking, and they'll even insure your valuables (airlines won't). Save your cash for that extra legroom seat.

5. Don't fritter away your miles on some dinky seat in economy!

Instead, use them to upgrade. Redeeming 15,000 Miles on United gets you an upgrade from your $300 coach fare to a $1,500 (or more) business or first-class seat, which is cuh-learly a better value.

6. Be nice to airline staff, even when you don't want to be.

Turning into a human geyser of curses, rolling your eyes, or getting snippety with the agent will -- in most cases -- probably only make things worse. Plus, too much 'tude at the airport nowadays, and you could very well be hauled off by the police. And won't that make for a memorable holiday story for years to come! So if you find yourself getting steamed, find your happy place, and kill 'em with kindness! Flash a little smile, ask how they're holding up during all this crazy holiday hullabaloo, offer a compliment, and be nice.

7. Splurge on the noise-canceling headphones.

When that kid starts crying at top volume in the next row, or the guy from Accounts Payable is barking nonstop into his BlackBerry, you won't have to suffer through any of it. Our favorite: the Bose NC-15 model. Pricey, but worth it!

8. OK, so those neck pillows you always see at the airport?

You may roll your eyes, they may look ridiculous, but they are pretty comfy. So grab one. Nobody says you have to wear it around the airport. In fact, don't. Hide it in a tote bag if you're too embarrassed to be seen with one. But trust us, when you're stuck in the middle seat, you'll be thrilled to have it. And so will your seatmates when you're not flopping around like a bobble head in your sleep. Everybody wins!

9. Load up your iPad, laptop, Kindle, and other gadgets with plenty of in-flight entertainment.

Now's a great time to make a dent in whatever series everyone was raving about that you have yet to see. The Wire! Lost! Family Matters! Isn't that Grandma Winslow a crack up? Just, you know, nothing risqué or NC-17. Keep it classy! And if your battery power starts to fade, have a book handy.

10. You'll get cranky on an empty stomach, so remember to eat a little something.

And don't rely on the airline to feed you. Pack a few things in your carry-on, such as fruit or a granola bar, and don't forget to stay hydrated, or eat something yummy at the airport (some airports actually do have good grub). If they do happen to offer food on your flight, avoid the crazy stuff. Eating a sweaty dish of chilaquiles at 30,000 feet may do more harm than good, so maybe just stick to the cheese plate and a ginger ale.

Here's my puppy Odessa. I'm calling her "Odie" for short. We had a Catahoula dog growing up as a kid. His name was Otis. So I named Odessa in tribute to him. And it totally helps matters that they look exactly alike.

I adopted Odie from Animal Control and I've also discovered that they have a great website that they're very good about keeping up to date if you ever want to browse the dogs they have there for adoption. There is NO greater feeling than adopting a puppy from a shelter. I've always adopted my dogs and they end up being SO loyal.

Here is Animal Control's website:
CLICK HERE.

And you can check out all the aniamls they have there via the pet finder link. *Warm and Fuzzies* Michelle

Couples' Worst Vacation Nightmares

These unlucky travelers shared how their dream getaways turned vacation nightmares on TheNest.com. Hope this doesn't happen to you!

By Kristin Koch


"We booked a hotel in Tennessee that we thought was reputable, but when we got there, the room was full of roaches." 
—1969june

"My husband got food poisoning on an overnight flight from Toronto to England. He ended up wearing my clothes off the plane." 
—Aunds

"We rented a motorbike in Cozumel ... and wrecked it! The left side of my body was bandaged for the whole rest of our honeymoon, and we had to pay for damages to the bike." 
—EmilyS2

"This rotten kid at Disney kept poking us in line and bumping into us, and his parents never said anything!"
—cecora8488

"We went on vacation with my parents, sister, and brother-in-law. On the first day, I broke the back taillight on my sister's vehicle by hitting a tree. Let's just say it made for a tense rest of the week." 
—okcgirl24

"We went on a cruise for our honeymoon, and it turned out no ships were allowed to stop in Cozumel, where we were headed, because there was a swine flu outbreak there. So we were stuck on the ship for a lot longer than we had planned. Not fun!" 
—dvickers

"We were evacuated from our honeymoon on Ambergris Caye, Belize, by a Category 5 hurricane." 
—nikinikinine

"We took a long weekend to go camping. The first night, rain turned into snow with high-speed winds. Our tent leaked, our sleeping bags were soaked, and our lips were blue by the next morning." 
— Jservadio

"When we were in Hawaii, we decided to check out one of the more secluded beaches. We had to climb over some rocks to get there, and we’d put our stuff down before noticing that we were at a nude beach — and, unfortunately, we had come on senior (as in over 55) day. We were not prepared to see those kinds of 'sights'." — majorwife

"We ran right into a barracuda while swimming on vacation in Anguilla. Oh, and we also got stuck in a hurricane — same trip." 
— amy21tom

"We rented a house at the beach and ended up getting locked out after skinny-dipping one night. We had to go knock on a neighbor's door in just our towels and ask to use his phone." 
— Arielle123

"I let my husband plan our honeymoon, and it's the last time I'll let him plan a trip. He booked a resort in the Poconos that was a disaster. One look at this room, and I wanted to sleep in the car. There was dirty pink carpet on the floor and walls, mirrors everywhere, and the light bulbs in the ceiling were red. There was a radiator chained to the wall, a heart-shaped tub, and the linens looked like they were from 1972. The carpet was so gross that we laid down towels to walk on it. The property was even worse: There was a roller-skating rink in the gymnasium (middle school?), no cable, and since it rained most of the days, our only entertainment was to go to the resort's shows — which were, predictably, terrible!" 
— caden

"My husband and I went on a rafting trip in Austria. During a practice run-through of the commands, which were in German (neither of us speak German), the woman across from me accidentally swung her oar smack across my face. I was bleeding and had a black eye and couldn't do anything because we were in choppy rapids and we didn't know how to yell to the leader in German." 
— smcbady

"We rented scooters in the Cayman Islands to get around to the restaurants and bars. After having a few cocktails at dinner, we got back on our scooters without realizing how much alcohol was in our mai tais. We ended up getting pulled over by the police for drunken scootering and landed in jail." 
— tealover_56

"My sister-in-law invited us to go in on a vacation rental with her family, and we agreed, thinking it'd be just the four of us and their three kids. But about a month before the trip (and after we were already committed), she let us know that her in-laws would also be coming. We tried to back out, but my husband felt bad, so we ended up going. The mother-in-law turned out to be a complete control freak and wanted everything her way. Needless to say, we should have never gone in on a place with them, and we ended up leaving three days early."
— capecodbaby

"We went to Germany for vacation to visit my in-laws. Not only was I bored out of my mind and feeling claustrophobic, but on top of it, I walked in as my father-in-law was walking out of the bathroom completely naked. Oh, and no one in the family thought it was weird to leave the door open when using the bathroom!" 
— Germanwife2b