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The right airline travel tip can help you squeeze a little bit more comfort out of your travel plans. Speaking of squeezing, flights these days are more crowded than ever--the most anyone can hope for is an empty seat next door. There are a few sneaky ways to get one, but a crucial one is getting to the airport early.

Some Airline Travel Tips to Make Your Flight a Bit More Comfortable

Too big for the regular airline seat? If you're tall, sit in an emergency exit row; you'll have to pay extra attention during the announcements, but you'll get to stretch out those long legs. A more common desire, though, is wider seats--airline seats haven't grown the way most Americans have in the last few decades, but there are ways to be next to an empty seat.

Here are a few airline travel tips for when you are booking your flight. Ask right away to be seated next to an empty seat; this works better when you book directly with the airline. Another tip is to book on less crowded flights, like red-eyes, or--if you can afford it--in less crowded areas; i.e., upgrade to a better class.

The best airline travel tip for your travel day is to check in as early as possible. This guarantees your checked-in bags will make it on your flight, lets you take your time going through security, and on some airlines--most notably, Southwest--it puts you in front of the open-seating line. And if you do board early, pop up the armrest: it'll give you a bit more room and discourage others from sitting there unless they absolutely have to.

TRAVEL IN COMFORT

Travel in comfort or pay the price. It's true: traveling today, if done without foresight, can be a frustrating, uncomfortable nightmare. I travel about once a month and see all the frequent flyers. They don't look nearly as miserable as I feel because they know all the secrets.

To Travel in Comfort, Start at Home
It may seem obvious to some, but a comfortable trip begins at home--long before you go. Book a flight during off-peak hours if you want to have an empty seat next to you. Pack ahead of time, get plenty of sleep, and have a few routes for the airport--and get there early for less stress and better seats.

On the day of your flight, you can travel in comfort by getting all the right gadgets: pressure-regulating earplugs that take the pressure off your ear drums, noise reducing headphones to cut the background noise, and vibrating alarm clocks to keep you in synch with your sleep cycle. And don't forget your own blankets, neck pillows, and sleep masks to make your stiff chair seem more like a soft bed.

Did you know that about one in five airplane travelers get a cold within a week of flying? To travel in comfort means to be healthy, too; cramped cabins are a breeding ground for all sorts of colds and other viruses. There are a number of homeopathic medicines that boost your immunity while flying and cut back the effects of jet lag, too.

TOP AIRPLANE TRAVEL ACCESSORY

My favorite airplane travel accessory is a set of headphones. Although I don't travel nearly as much as I used to, I'm still on an airplane about once a month, and I know what works best for me. A book is another great airplane travel accessory--you don't have to turn it off for take-offs or landings--but nothing blocks out noise like headphones.

My first long airplane trip was from New York to Frankfurt, Germany; it was my post-college backpacking trip through Europe. I didn't want to pack anything that I wouldn't use often, so I left my Walkman at home, rationalizing that to get good use from it, I'd have to bring a lot of tapes. (This was back in the day when music was bulky; a Walkman was a smallish tape player.)

On my long flights to and from Europe, I wished I had something to listen to instead of the crying children, multi-lingual chatter, and engine noise. The flight attendant gave me some ear plugs, which helped a little, but I learned the hard way that long flights have long delays and long lay-overs; that's a long time to hear a lot of noise. Now, I always bring something I want to listen to.

Get an Airplane Travel Accessory for Your Specific Needs
Not everyone is bothered by noise the way that I am; some people just need a sleep mask and they can catch some Zs at a bowling alley. If you don't fly much and don't know which airplane travel accessory you'll need, think about what's important to you. Tall people bring knee protectors for the seat-backs in front of them, music people bring quality headphones, sleepy people bring their own blankets or pillows--to each his own.

TRAVEL AUCTIONS

If you love to travel but cannot afford the high prices that go along with it, you can finally get the deals you want with travel auctions. Essentially, travel auctions online allow you to place bids on specific travel vacations, starting with a minimum bid across the board. You do have the option to go in and enter a maximum bid for yourself, as this can help facilitate the process. Most online sites require you to register with them first before you can begin making bids on their travel packages.

Registering only takes a few minutes, and then you are free to bid on as many travel vacations as you would like. Keep in mind that if you bid on several vacations at once, you may win all of them. If you are not prepared to pay for more than one vacation at a time, it is wise to refrain from bidding on multiple trips. Some companies will not let you back out of a winning bid unless for some reason they cannot accommodate any of your travel dates. Otherwise, you would be obligated to pay for all of your winning bids.

Before you register with an online site, you should take a moment to browse through their offerings. A good travel auction site will offer numerous vacations, from wild African safaris to romantic trips to Tuscany to scuba diving excursions in the Bahamas. If you do not see any vacation packages that really make your heart sing, it may be wise to move on and keep looking for other online sites.

Register to Win with Travel Auctions
Travel is a gift that many people around the world relish. If you often find yourself staring out your office window dreaming of faraway places, you would likely derive great pleasure in travel auctions. Imagine being able to finally take that 10-day cruise to Belize or Cozumel simply because you were the winning bidder online. There is perhaps nothing sweeter than being able to see exotic places, experience new cultures, and meet different people, especially when you can save a tremendous amount of money in the process.

Travel auctions are a traveler's greatest ally. When you take a moment to think about how expensive it can be to book airline tickets, not to mention paying for hotel accommodations, ground travel, and meals, travel auctions are a great deal. You can bid on an entire package, including airfare, hotel, transportation to and from the airport to your hotel, food, as well as all fees and taxes. Forget about paying for each item a la carte. This is only going to drain your funds faster, limiting your options.

Purchasing a total package allows you to get the most for your money, and when you are traveling, any money you can save is a blessing. If you have always wanted to go on a diving excursion in the Seychelles followed by a wild African safari in Kenya, now you can. Travel auctions can literally save you thousands of dollars on fabulous vacations without skimping on the quality of accommodations. You can stay in a luxury oceanfront hotel or sleep in a tented camp out in the bush if that is more to your liking. The point is, travel auctions give you options, and that is always a good thing.

Travel the Smart Way
When booking your winning bid, it is best to include your first choice for travel dates as well as some second and third choices. You must be open to some flexibility in scheduling because that is how most online auction travel sites are able to secure such low prices. If you can only travel during the week of December 2nd, you may find yourself in a pinch. Some travel auction sites will refund your money if they cannot secure your airline tickets or hotel rooms during your requested travel dates. However, some companies will not be as accommodating, simply because they cannot afford to be.

Travel auctions work well for the person who has some degree of flexibility in their schedule, and who does not mind the concept of bidding against others in order to get ultra-low prices on a vacation packages. Most travelers would be thrilled to save big money on top-notch vacation packages, regardless of how they went about doing so. If you cherish the gift of travel but don't have a big budget to fund your excursions, travel auctions could be just the ticket for you.