15/08/2008-The Weekly Round Up: Is "Clear" Secure? : Proper Jetiquette : Duct Tape : Carry-on Bag Sizing : Lonely Planet iPhone App : Fish On The Move

Web: www.thetravelstrategist.com -- E-Mail: fish@flyingwithfish.com

15/08/2008-The Weekly Round Up : Is "Clear" Secure? : Proper Jetiquette : Duct Tape : Carry-on Bag Sizing : Lonely Planet iPhone App : Fish On The Move

This week ends with Flying With Fish swimming into new waters. If you surf over to www.flyingwithfish.com between 5:00pm EST/10:00pm GMT today and sometime on Sunday and don't see the site DO NOT PANIC! Flying With Fish is simply changing web-hosts. If you e-mail me this weekend chances are I won't see it until Monday on my Blackberry. You can still view the site at : http://flyingwithfish.blogspot.com

To read more about Fish on the move, both online and off-line (not only am I getting a new online home, but I am getting a new home for my family this weekend as well!) feel free to check out: 15/08/2008 – Flying With Fish Is Moving!

This week started off with Verified Identity Pass (VIP) finding its missing laptop containing more the personal information of more than 30,000 'Clear Card' patron enrolled in the Registered Traveler Program. The loss and 'miraculous' recovery of this laptop with non-encrypted data puts the overall security and trust we place in this system at critical risk. Find out why I question VIP's security of secure data as it related to the Registered Traveler program here: 9/08/2008 - Stolen 'Registered Traveler' Laptop Found, But Is The Data Safe?

I have discussed passenger etiquette multiple times on Flying With Fish. I am a firm believer in being courteous and practicing basic etiquette while flying which is why I love the "Jetiquette Card." You can check out the Jetiquette Card, as brought to you by The Sky Steward (www.skysteward.com), and print one our for yourself by clicking on this link: 11/08/2008 - The "Jetiquette" Card : Passenger Etiquette Revisited

Looking for a simple solution to quickly identifying your bags? I have discussed baggage identification and labeling quite a few times to quickly spot your bags and deter airport thieves.........now read up on the extremely simple tools to label my bags by reading this post: 12/08/2008 - Baggage Identification With Duct Tape : A Simple Solution

With more than 10,000 laptops being lost at airports each week in the United States learn a simple technique to significantly increase your chances of being reunited with your laptop in this entry: 13/08/2008 - Don't Lose Your Laptop In The Airport (and if you do get it back again)

Is your roll-aboard bag legal for carry-on while flying on international flights? You might be surprised. Learn how to measure your bags for international carry-on specifications here: 14/08/2008 - Is Your Carry-On Bag Legal For 'International' Carry-On? Maybe Not

This week's iPhone 'App' of the Week is ideal for travelers who want a powerful tool to help them communicate in a foreign land. Lonely Planet's Audio Phrasebooks are top notch! Navigate the Lonely Planet Mandarin Audio Phrasebook here: 14/08/2008 – iPhone 'App' Of The Week : Lonely Planet Mandarin Audio Phrasebook

I'm off to finish packing up, wake up in one house to go photograph a wedding and return to an entirely different house to go to sleep when I'm done!

I'll have regular access to internet again in a week when it is all set up in the new house................so please bare with me if there are gaps in my posts next week.

Happy Flying!

Don't Lose Your Laptop In The Airport (and if you do get it back again)

Web: www.fishfotoworldwide.com -- E-Mail: fish@flyingwithfish.com

13/08/2008 - Don't Lose Your Laptop In The Airport (and if you do get it back again)

Every week an average of more than 10,000 laptops are lost at airports in the United States. Approximately 40% of these laptops are left at the security checkpoints with another 23% being left at the boarding gate.

Surprisingly most laptops found at have no owner identification easily found on them. The lack of easily locatable owner information results in most laptops not being returned to their owners.

I know, you're reading this thinking "I'd never leave my laptop behind," but accidents happen, especially when you're late and in a hurry. I have witnessed multiple people over the past few years pick up their laptop from the X-Ray bin, set it down next to their bag, repack their bag and walk away without placing the laptop into the bag. On quite a few occasions I have watched business travelers in an airport lounge get up and walk out while leaving their laptop on the table they were sitting at (more often than not they come running back in a few minutes later to claim their laptop).

What can you do to make your contact information easily found on your laptop?

The easiest solution is to make a simple label with your name, phone number and e-mail address (if you can access your e-mail without your laptop).

My 15" Apple PowerBook has two labels side-by-side on the keyboard. These labels have my name, web address, e-mail and phone numbers for me on three continents. My 13" Apple MacBook has a label on the top left of the screen casing, this label has my name and phone numbers in both the US & UK (I am switching it over to the two side-by-side labels before my next international trip).


Should you become separated from your laptop make sure anyone who finds it can easily contact you and return it to you.

Below are two photos so each of my travel laptops depicting where my labels are placed and information available to get the laptop returned to me.

Happy Flying!

--Click Images To Enlarge Them--