There’s still a lot of controversy about whether or not it’s appropriate to send thank you notes via email. Sometimes, however, we need to send a note when we’re away (or the recipient is away) from home or when the occasion isn’t appropriate for a formal thank you note.

And some of us are just trying to go paperless. Now there’s stylish answer to the dilemma from Paperless Post—e-notes on elegant e-paper with customizable e-velopes, monograms, paper colors, and font styles. It’s the closest thing there is online to going to the stationery store and ordering personalized note cards.

One of the fonts I found even looks almost like my own handwriting (one of the notes I sent to a friend above). It’s also fun for the recipient to click on the envelope and see it open. The website is easy to navigate, and Paperless Post is gracious enough to offer a few introductory uses of the service before you begin paying.

In the course of my career I’ve spent more than 20,000 hours in airplanes. For a long time I was flying to Europe every week—sometimes twice (and even three times) a week! So I had to learn how to bounce back and stay fresh both mentally and physically. Here are the top 5 ways I’ve found to ensure that you’ll arrive at your destination feeling your best.

1. Eat light (that’s not too hard on a plane these days) and don’t drink anything carbonated (its called “jet-belly”).
2. Keep your brain and body hydrated by drinking at least one 8-ounce glass of water for every hour of flying time. I know its not always easy to do, so sometimes I use powdered vitamins to make the water taste better. Note, the pilots are always mindful to keep hydrated when they are flying to prevent brain fatigue. I have found that when you mentally feel better you are able deal with the stresses of travel much easier. Finally, making sure your body is properly hydrated will also keep you more flexible and will prevent your muscles from potentially cramping (think of how the athletes prevent dehydration and drink lots of water for the very same reason).
3. In general its best not to drink any alcohol when flying, but if you do drink, try to keep the alcohol to a minimum—it’s also very dehydrating and your body metabolizes it differently in the air than on the ground– remember the old saying that 1 drink in-flight= 2 drinks on the ground. [Read more →]

Most of us pack our shoes in the bottom of our suitcase (my shoes are always squeezed into my bag), which means that everything else we pack is squashing our shoes. It would be nice to help them hold their shape, but most shoe trees are heavy, so we tend to leave them at home.

I have found the perfect travel friendly solution. Dasco makes shoe trees in solid foam that weighs next to nothing but keeps your shoes in shape. They’re also lightly scented to ensure that your shoes—and the clothes they’re packed with—are always smelling fresh. And they come in several sizes (S, M, and L) because, as we all know, one size never really fits all.

Whether you’ve been away for a week or a month, you want to make it as easy as possible to get back to the reality of your everyday life. That means planning before you leave so that there are no unpleasant surprises (or forgotten chores to complete) when you put the key in the door and all you want to do is relax. Here are 5 things you can do to make that re-entry as seamless and stress-free as possible.

1.   The end of a vacation is harsh enough. I think that there is nothing better than to come home to a “stocked” clean house and fresh sheets. Take care of all those  errands that are tempting to put off like going to the dry cleaner, grocery store, and shopping for essentials. Its so much easier to come home (and off Cloud 9) when you know that you don’t have a huge TO DO list.

2.   Make sure you leave food that will keep in the freezer, refrigerator, or cupboard so that you have something in the house to eat if you arrive late at night, if your flight is delayed, or you’re just too exhausted to shop. Also, toss anything before you leave that will expire in your absence. Personally, I always leave milk in the freezer so that I can (sounds weird, but it defrosts perfectly) and have it the next morning in my coffee.

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I know how easy to slip into bad habits when you’re away from home, eating out  for every meal daily, and being tempted by an endless supply of truly amazing food. Thats one of the joys of travel, to try and taste as much of the local fare as possible. This is one of my passions as well.

However, I’m not one of those people who can eat whatever they want (like a teenage boy) and never gain an ounce, so I’ve come up with a few tricks for curbing my urge to eat everything in sight without having to deprive myself of the foods I really love.

1. Carry mixed nuts or filling nutrition bars with protein and fat to tide you over when you’re really hungry but you have a few hours before your lunch/dinner plans. When you’re out and about and famished you’re likely to eat anything you can find (everything starts to look incredibly delicious) or stop in at the nearest pizza place or ice cream shop (done that), so it’s best to be prepared.
2. Pack instant soup. Its filling and when in-flight you can always ask the flight attendant for a cup of hot water. For years I have taken packets of instant soup to eat both in-flight or even in the hotel room if I want something quick. Most hotel rooms now have electric pots for heating water, especially in Europe. Soup is filling (not fattening), and if you have a cup while you’re dressing for dinner you’ll be less likely to overeat at the restaurant. [Read more →]

Once there were a variety of services that the airlines included on the purchase price of the ticket – but those days are long gone and the industry is now raking in billions on a laundry list of extra and sometimes hidden fees. This led a congressional committee to call multiple airline executives to discuss the validity of these fees.

The government asserts that airline customers are having what amounts to an impossible time trying to determine how much it will actually cost them to fly and are looking at increased regulation to make sure the airlines are playing fair.

The airlines generated revenue of nearly $8 billion during 2008-2009 from a combination of baggage fees, cancellation penalties and reservation change charges.

The house committee noted that the airlines are guilty of using complexity and confusion to hit each customer with an onslaught of hidden fees that should be advertised up front.

Some of the government “full disclosure proposals include:

1. Listing of mandatory costs, taxes and fees
2. Spelled out optional fees for checked bags, seat selection and food
3. Baggage Fee refunds for luggage not delivered in a timely manner

You’re finally leaving on your hard-earned summer vacation or your hundredth business trip this year, and you’re looking forward to your final destination but wouldn’t mind a little in-flight escape, as well.

Do you know what you need? The perfect “plane read!” We suggest picking up New York Times Bestselling Author Brenda Novak’s new Department 6 Trilogy. Set in the Arizona desert during the heat of the summer, these atmospheric romantic suspense novels have been called “the best high action thrillers of 2010” (Susie Housley, Midwest Book Reviews). Sue Grimshaw, national romance buyer for Borders/Waldenbooks adds, “Brenda is really one of the best storytellers.”

The first in the series, White Heat, is available on July 27th and will soon be followed by Body Heat on August 31st and Killer Heat on September 28th. And if you’re looking for a little diversion either at home or while traveling, you’ll definitely want to attend Brenda’s Twitter party on August 4th, 8 – 10 p.m. eastern time. She’ll be discussing her work and giving away three iPads and other fun goodies. To receive a snail mail “party pack” containing your raffle tickets, register at www.brendanovak.com.

Even on your home turf it can sometimes be confusing—am I supposed to tip this person, and if so, how much? When you’re traveling, however, the confusion can be compounded.

For example, in the US 15 % of the bill is considered the least we should leave in a restaurant, but in many other countries the gratuity is automatically added to your total, so no additional tip is required. And if it isn’t added, 10 to 15 % is generally what’s expected—except in countries like Japan where tipping is considered an insult.

But what about all those other people we depend on when we travel—the housekeeper, the concierge, the bell hop, the doorman, taxi drivers, and airport sky caps? In most countries it’s customary to tip them all when they perform a service for you. But again, how much?

Here’s a guide to use as a general rule of thumb, although none of this is written in stone.

Housekeeper: $2 to $5 per day, paid daily since the person taking care of your room may change from one day to the next.

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I was impressed that 2 mothers came up with this great idea to create Little Passports. It is a unique way to increase kids’ curiosity about countries around the world, and it’s nothing like the geography classes you sat through in school.

The first month children receive a travel suitcase and passport with an introductory letter from “Sam and Sophia,” a map of the world, assorted stickers, and a “boarding pass” that give them access to online games and activities.

Then, for the next eleven months, as Sam and Sophia travel to a different country, they’ll send the child a monthly kit consisting of a letter describing their latest adventures as well as souvenirs that bring the country to life and a “secret code” that gives kids access to more online interactive games and activities.

Sign up your own kids or give it as a great gift to a niece, a nephew, or a friend’s child (as I did) who’ll be sure to remember you throughout the year to come.

Stains are almost inevitable, no matter how careful you are, and when you’re traveling you may not have time to get clothes cleaned—or you may have a special garment you don’t want to trust to the local cleaner. And I am thinking especially of you, Brides-to-be and anyone who has a special occasion planned … this is something you should definitely take with you!*

Stain sticks are great, but far from perfect—but I understand that the TSA has been known to confiscate them from carry-on luggage (apparently the liquid inside the stain stick is viewed as a hazardous substance). One TSA-friendly answer I’ve found is a professional, three-step stain removal kit made by Madame Paulette, one of the most respected dry cleaners in New York.

The kit comes with three different foil-sealed wipes, each one containing a stain-remover formulated for a specific kind of stain, a second packet containing a distilled water wipe to use after the stain remover (Did you know that distilled water doesn’t leave a ring? I certainly didn’t), and a third with an absorbent cloth to hold under the material to absorb the stain while you work.

*Madame Paulette is generously offering In-Flight Insider followers 15% off the purchase of this amazing stain kit. Enter the code 15STAINKIT online at Madame Paulette.