Finding airfare deals online

One of the most difficult obstacles for would-be Jetros to overcome is the idea that international air travel is prohibitively expensive. It can be, but it doesn’t have to be. Flexibility is key, and if your dates or destinations aren’t set in stone, you’ll have more cash to blow on souvenirs for the losers back home.

Some great deals will fall into your lap (or inbox, rather). For others, you’ll have to scratch the surface a bit. But I’ll show you where to scratch.

The easiest way to learn about airfare specials is to register with your favorite (or future favorite) airline’s website. Usually every week, the major airlines send emails to those on their listserv detailing domestic and international fare deals, under the moniker of E-Savers or WebSavers or E-Deals or some such gimmick. Often, these are for last-minute travel (as in, departing within the next two weeks). To keep your normal email inbox from filling up with these announcements, consider establishing an alternate email account from a free web-based service (Yahoo! or Hotmail, for instance) where you can receive these notices without them interfering with your work or personal correspondence.

Among the U.S. airlines, Continental and Delta usually have good deals to Europe, while USAirways and Spirit can send you to the Caribbean cheap. International carriers that you might register with include Air France or Lufthansa for Europe and beyond, Copa Airlines for Latin America, and Cathay Pacific for amazing fares to Asia.

In terms of digging for a low fare, all you really need to do is add a few URLs to the “favorites” list of your browser. The most famous and still relatively useful include Expedia, Travelocity, and Orbitz; of the three, Travelocity allows you to search for the most economical flight combination within a range of travel dates. These sites, in addition to information consolidators like Travelzoo, also offer promotions via email if you don’t mind the inundation. For a faster, more comprehensive search, try using Sidestep or Booking Buddy, which search several airline and travel websites simultaneously (including Orbitz and Travelocity) and often come up with the cheapest options, utilizing airline code-sharing and multiple carrier pairings to maximize savings. Plus, all of these sites offer air-hotel package deals that'll really keep your bills in the fold. Even better, Airfare Watchdog compares fares and keeps track of unpublished fare reductions and sends you alerts via email, so you get the best deals all around.

If you already know where you want to go, but don’t have your dates pegged, try this:
Check first with Travelocity to narrow down the date range. Once you have your dates, try Sidestep. If the flight combo is with the same carrier, double-check with that particular airline’s website, which can sometimes knock off the $5 or $10 surcharge Sidestep may and Travelocity always does levy. The sites usually alternate as far as which one has the best fare for a particular destination and travel date.

Admittedly, it may take a half-hour or so to find your deal, but in the end, you’ll be satisfied in knowing that there is something constructive to do on the Internet other than chat and download porn (fellas!).

Doing the math

If you hate math, traveling overseas might be somewhat of a headache. You knew the balmy reputation of Jamaica before you booked the ticket, yet you packed a couple of sweaters, just in case, when you read the average temperature was 25 degrees. And you had to do a double-take when you noticed the flight departed at 18 o’clock. What the hell is 18 o’clock, anyway?

The United States is pretty much the oddball when it comes to numerical representations—still using weights and measures descended from the British imperial system (pounds, miles, feet and inches), Fahrenheit for temperature, and a twelve-hour am-pm clock instead of the metric system, centigrade temps, and “military time” used all over the rest of the world.

So to keep you on top of the numbers game when traveling abroad, I’ve provided a couple of handy equations that will give you equivalents for the most commonly required measurements. Yes, this involves addition, subtraction, and sometimes, multiplication and division. You might find a calculator to be especially nifty if you haven’t studied any of these operations since the sixth grade.

• Time: The 12 versus 24-hour clock
  This one is easy. Most digital clocks outside of the United States (have you ever seen a traditional clock go past 12?) run on a continuous 24-hour time scheme, as does the US military. This means there’s no 6pm. There’s 18:00. The time between 1:00 and 11:59 is automatically considered morning, just as 12:00 until 12:59 is automatically considered afternoon. Once the clock strikes 13:00, the math part comes in. From every hour until 23:59, you’ll have to subtract 12 from the hour slot (18:00 – 12 = 6:00pm). The midnight hour goes from 0:00 to 0:59. Neat, right?

• Temp: Fahrenheit versus Centigrade
  A Uruguayan math teacher taught me this trick. If you’re already overseas and the temperature is something like 32 degrees Centigrade, you simply multiply by two, then add 32 for an approximate temperature in Fahrenheit. So, 32 × 2 = 64 + 32 = 96. Don’t be fooled—water don’t freeze at 32°C. For the reverse, maybe 32 degrees Fahrenheit, you have to subtract 32, then divide by two. So, 32 – 32 = 0 ÷ 0 = 0°C. Brrrrr. (For the exact temperature, use 1.8 instead of 2 to multiply or divide).

• Distance: Miles versus Kilometers
  Get your calculators out for this one. One mile equals 1.61 kilometers. That means, if the distance between the airport and the nearest Hilton is 100 miles, it is 161 kilometers away. 100 × 1.61 = 161 (I know, I did an easy one). For the reverse, if a distance is 145 kilometers, then you multiply by 0.62 to get the mileage. 145km × 0.62 = 89.9 miles.

• Altitude: Feet versus Meters
  This one’s also for the big brains. One foot equals 0.3 meters. Damn. So someone six feet tall is only 1.8 meters (or 180 centimeters). 1 × 0.3 = 1.8. A meter, however, is 3.28 feet. That means if the altitude of a place is 3,000 meters, you’re actually 9,840 feet into the air. 3,000m × 3.28 = 9,840’.

• Weight: Pounds versus Kilos
  For the muscleheads, most gyms overseas have weights in both pounds and kilos, and many of your fellow gym rats can give you approximate conversions. But in Brazil, for instance, the gyms feel like they’re far enough away from the United States that they don’t have to use pounds, and you may end up learning the hard way that 20 kilograms absolutely does not equal 20 pounds. The rough conversion is that one pound is almost half a kilo (actually 0.45), while one kilo is a little more than two pounds (2.21 to be exact). Anyone on a structured workout plan, which can be difficult to maintain while on the road, might need exact conversions, as rough approximations can grow rougher rather quickly. A 20-kilo dumbbell equals 44.2 pounds (20kg × 2.21 = 44.2lb), while a 20-pound dumbbell weighs 9 kilos (20lb × 0.45 = 9kg). Gastronomists can also use this equation for buying rice, grains, vegetables and such at super- and flea markets.

Happy measuring.

Hot Spot: Mexico City

The title “Third Largest City* in the World” never moves beyond the abstract until you find yourself circling over the Valley of Mexico on your descent into the Mexican capital. Golden brown fields give way to barren mountain peaks that seem to reach for the underside of your jet. These give way to the sprawling mass of Mexico City, nestled on the floor of the ancient Lake Tenochtitlán, and smothered by a cloud of smoke and exhaust trapped by the ring of mountains. It’s like flying over Los Angeles, but three times bigger. Mexico City is big, huge, gargantuan, as in big-ass biscuit big.

On your final approach to Benito Juárez International Airport, you catch glimpses of expressways, tree-lined streets, apartment towers, and skyscrapers which lend a surprising sense of modernity to a place Americans in their cultural isolation typically have no thoughts about whatsoever. Just before you land over the densely-packed shotgun shacks the surround the airport—the “real” Mexico—you spot signs that this country is indeed tied economically to the US: Home Depot, Wal-Mart, and the ubiquitous Golden Arches. Don’t think you can get away that easily.

Once you arrive, the subway system, called the Metro, is an efficient, easy way to navigate this vast metroplex. The map may look daunting at first, but the lines are simple to navigate and the transit employees are helpful (Spanish is the official language. You may run into a few English speakers, but it’s best to know some phrases at least). Designed in the 1960s, the Metro doesn’t seem like it’s been refurbished since, which gives it a cool, retro look that has become stylish again. During rush hour, the trains can become packed, the a/c is sometimes broken, and peddlers push through the cars loudly offering everything from pens and notebooks to bootleg CDs and DVDs for 10 pesos each. Yes, you could buy Barbershop 2 in the Mexico City subway the week it had been released in US theaters.

With a population of 8.6 million in the Distrito Federal, and another 23 million in the metro area*, the streets of Mexico City are surprisingly clean. The air is dirty, though, and unless you’ve traveled to other Latin American cities, you will take a while to adjust to swallowing black clouds of exhaust while walking down the street. Also, being 7,300 feet in altitude, the air is much thinner than that of the low-lying East Coast. So, climbing the stairs from the Metro, doing any cardio in the gym, or getting your merengue on in the club becomes an exercise in gasping for air and having to sit down for a hot second before you have a heart attack. The girl in the gym said it takes about four days for coastal folk to become accustomed to the mountain air.

There is much to see and do in Mexico City, and it can all be done on a tight budget. The Frida Kahlo house in Coyoacán is a breathtaking display of the artist’s life and work, with colorful statuary and paintings on display no where else in the world. The incredible Museo Nacional de Antropología (National Museum of Anthropology) has the world's largest collection of indigenous artifacts from Central and South America. There is a great crafts market in the Cuidadela where you can get all souvenirs Mexican for the peeps back home at rock-bottom prices (if your Spanish is any good, you can talk folks down on the price). A half-day excursion to the pyramids at Teotihuacán is a must. Built over 2000 years ago by a civilization that predated both the Toltecs and the Aztecs, the pyramids are an example of man’s indomitable ingenuity and ability that existed way before Columbus dropped in to spoil the party.

Like many major cities, the people of Mexico City can seem at first cold. Don’t take it personally, they’re just busy dealing with their own lives to be worried about your problems. But if you need directions or information, they are more than happy to oblige and can recommend eclectic cafés or a $3 all-you-can-eat buffet around the corner from your hotel.

Getting there: Aero California, Aeroméxico, Air Canada, Alaska, Aviacsa, Azteca, Continental, Delta, Mexicana, Northwest, USAirways, and United all offer nonstops to Mexico City's Benito Juárez International Airport (MEX) from the United States and Canada (as of April, 2006).

Getting information:
Official Tourism Offices of the Federal District (Distrito Federal)

• Mexico City International Airport - Domestic Arrivals, Tel: 5255-5786-9002
• Anthropology Museum - in front of museum, Tel: 5255-5286-3850
• Centro - Segunda de Gante 17, Colonia Centro, Tel: 5255-5518-1869

What to see (in Mexico City, there is no need to dial 5255):

• Museo Nacional de Antropología, Avenida Paseo de la Reforma, Colonia Chapultepec Polanco, Tel: 5255-553-6266
• Museo Frida Kahlo, Londes 247, Colonia del Carmen, Coyoacán, Tel: 5255-554-5999
• Pyramids at Teotihuacán - buses departing every 15 minutes from Mexico City's Terminal Central del Norte (Eje Central Lázaro Cárdenas 4907, Colonia Magdalena de las Salinas, Tel: 5255-5587-1552, Metro: Indios Verdes)
• Mercado Artesanal de la Ciudadela, Calle Balderas, between Reforma and Chepultepec, Colonia Centro, Tel: 5255-5510-1828

Where to stay:

• Luxe: W Mexico City - Campos Eliseos 252, Colonia Chapultepec Polanco, Tel: 5255-9138-1800
• Cute: Hotel Condesa - Avenida Veracruz 102, Colonia Condesa, Tel: 5255-5241-2600
• Econ: Hotel Monte Real - Revillagigedo 23, Colonia Centro, Tel: 5255-5518-1150

Where to eat:

• Luxe: Adonis (Lebanese/Arab) - Homero 424, Colonia Polanco, Tel: 5255-5531-6940
• Cute: Cícero Centenario (Mexican) - Londres 195, Colonia Juárez, Tel: 5255-5533-4276
• Econ: VIPS - (24-hour diner) - located all over the city

Before you go:

• Buy: A Spanish phrasebook and a travel guide like Let's Go Mexico
• See: Frida, Amores Perros, and Y Tu Mamá También
• Hear: Maná, Carlos Santana, and Paulina Rubio

Getting in a travelin' mood

A true Jetrosexual is restless. He or she cannot stay put in one place for very long, lest neurosis set in. But many aspiring Jetros are not yet in the habit of stepping out the front door for anything other than work, personal errands, or picking up the Sunday paper.

With Netflix, broadband, and on-demand cable, there's no reason to leave home. For many people, being home is comfortable, as it should be. But for many of those same people, the idea of travel, of experiencing something different, is an actual desire that they may not yet know how to turn into a reality. And it's much easier (and cheaper) to catch an episode of Wild On: Panama than to actually get crunk in Panama (Panamá, that is, not Florida).

Well, we're here to change all that. You've already ordered your passport, but while you're waiting the six weeks for it to arrive, you can get your minds right and get out of the house!

Honestly, it's as simple as gassing up the car, breaking out the Rand McNally, and hitting the road.

(This may be a little difficult for car-less Jetros, but we'll make the assumption that most of that group lives in the Northeast and has rail and bus access to other cities. If you are car-less and live outside of an area with extensive public transport, you may need to consider purchasing a vehicle before considering Jetrosexuality.)

Day trips are a great way to ease yourself into more extensive travel. There's much of America to be explored within a couple-hours' drive of wherever you are. And if the mood strikes and the finances are right, weekend road-trips can always be arranged. Though the more the merrier, even solo soldiers can discover their surroundings and catch the adventure bug.

For day trips, fuel is usually the primary cost factor ("costly" being an understatement these days). But to compensate, stop by a grocery store and stock up on fruit and snacks, or maybe pack a cooler with some lunchmeat and a loaf of bread. It sounds collegiate, but college is where you should have learned how to live lean but still live. You can be grand and get the deli-sliced imported turkey from France to go with your Grey Poupon, but it's still more fun and less time consuming than wasting hours waiting for food in a restaurant when you should be enjoying the journey (unless, of course, that particular restaurant is a focus of the trip...some folks drive hours just for some Jenkins' Barbecue in Jacksonville, Florida).

Don't know where to go? Most large cities in coastal states, even if they aren't located on beaches themselves, are within a two hour drive of a beach or waterfront area. National and state parks are always excellent bets for nature lovers (the National Park Foundation offers a great $50 twelve-month pass to all US national parks that require an entrance fee...more incentive to get outdoors). Alternative newspapers like the Village Voice, Washington City Paper, or Creative Loafing are loaded with info about places to go in and more importantly out of the immediate vicinity (usually just the print versions, though). Also, most cities and regions of the country have ready-made Internet guides with insight on where to go, where to eat, where to shop, and where to stay. Use an Internet seach engine to find local city guides and tourism websites, as well as other independent sources. Among some of the day tripping websites that caught our eye:

USAToday offers a great article on "seven fabulous escapes" from New York City.

AllAcrossTexas.com has a section that features day trips from all the major Texas cities like Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio.

Day trips around the nation's capital, Washington DC, are even outlined on the US Senate website in a comprehensive, if not graphically appealing way.

ATLiens are blessed with both urban and rural excursions nearby, as covered by the Journal-Constitution's day trip page, while AOL serves up info for South Floridians needing a break from the 305.

Chicagoans can hit up Metra's "day trips by train" page and not have to shovel their car out until Monday morning.

And when it's not raining in Southern California (they tell me never), check out AllGetaway's LA page.

In fact, AllGetaways has the most comprehensive listing of interesting excursions that we've found, covering almost the entire US.

Lastly, if you still need advice on where to go for a day or quick weekend escape, ask around. Surely your friends, neighbors, co-workers, or even strangers might have an idea of something, anything to do that doesn't involve a remote control.

Getting your walking papers

Being a Jetrosexual implies international travel, and I don't mean Detroit-Windsor, or Niagara Falls-Niagara Falls, or even San Diego-Tijuana. In fact, even these old drivers' license/birth certificate standbys will require a passport by 2008.

By age thirty, most everyone should have a passport. If you are over thirty and don't have one, I won't waste any time criticizing. I'll just say that there's no better time than now to start the process, and we here at SI have made the process a little easier by sifting through the US State Department's travel site - travel.state.gov - for information on obtaining a US passport.

The State Department operates several passport agencies, located in Boston, Chicago, Denver, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Norwalk (CT), Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington (click the city name for info on that particular agency). Lastly, passport applications can be picked up and submitted at almost all US Post Offices.

You can also download and print a first-time passport application: here.

The total cost (in United States Dollars) for a first-time passport is $97 for anyone aged 16 and over and $82 for anyone under 16. The charge is broken down into the passport fee ($55 for 16 and over/$40 for under 16), the security surcharge ($12 for both), and the execution fee ($30 for both). If you apply for your passport directly through the State Department at a passport agency, the total cost may be made in one payment and in several methods. If applying through the post office, the passport fee and security surcharge must be made payable to the Department of State, while the execution fee must be made payable to the US Postal Service (check or money order only).

Additional requirements include a copy of your birth certificate as proof of United States citizenship and a state- or federal government-issued photo id for proof of identity, along with two 2x2-inch passport photos that can be taken at any FedEx-Kinko's or certain stores and pharmacies like Walgreens, CVS, or Wal-Mart. A list of other acceptable documents and forms of id can be found here.

Passports can take up to 6 weeks to arrive, but can be expedited by visiting a passport agency, or requesting rush service with the application at the post office, for an additional $60. More information on an expedited passport can be found here.

You can also check on the status of your passport application here.

Passports for adults are usually valid for 10 years. Passports for children are valid for less time and require a different application procedure (check here).

Most foreign governments require that a US passport be valid for at least another six months after the conclusion of the trip. An adult renewal passport costs $67, and more information can be found here.

For Jetros who are running out of room in their still-valid passports, extra pages can be ordered, or you can get a newer, thicker passport here.

Any other information you might want, need, or forgot to ask...check the website, because we're through with this.

Ché responds to the 11 Commandments of a Jetrosexual

In order to advance to the level of a true jetrosexual, grasshoppers, you must not only commit these to memory (in theory, at least), but you must live by the mantras espoused here in your everyday actions:

11. Thou shall have thine passport ready to go at a moment’s notice.

Ché says: Naturally.

10. Thou shalt have a favorite airport and be prepared to explain why it is thine fave.

Ché says: The new Hong Kong International. A triumph of glass, steel, and light, HKG at Chek Lap Kok is a monumental yet supremely user-friendly temple to transcontinental air travel. You could get lost, but there’s plenty of English around to make sure you don’t wander onto the runway. If only they could keep the new terminal but bring back that classic Kai Tak landing.

9. Thou shalt not be a Chatty Cathy with thine seatmate.

Ché says: Never. In fact, the eyes are lowered into a vintage Toni Morrison before the seatbelt light goes on.

8. Thou shalt never hold up the security line.

Ché says: Even though it is ridiculous that only United States security personnel require shoes to be removed, it’s even more ridiculous to continually set off the alarm with the Herringbone you got last weekend at Flea Market USA.

7. Thou shalt be able to order a beer in at least six different languages.

Ché says: Let’s up the ante a little on this one, shall we?
Vodka martini. Shaken, not stirred.
Martini de vodka. Sacudarido, no revuelto.
Vodka martini. Secoué, non remué.
Vodka martini. Ristet, ikke rørt.
Martini, που τινάζεται βότκα μην ανακατωμένος.
揺れるウォッカマルティーニかき混ぜられない。

6. Thou shalt respect the five minute rule when using thine lavatory.

Ché says: This is a tough one on those 17-hour New York to Bangkok flights. Just try to go before you leave home. And don't eat too much.

5. Thou shalt be able to pack a week’s worth of clothes into a single carry-on bag.

Ché says: A good laundry service at your destination and appropriate clothing selection can stretch that week to a month if necessary.

4. Thou shalt not own one of those inflatable neck pillows.

Ché says: While they may be comfortable, they look horrid. Style and comfort must be balanced.

3. Thou shalt have at least one passport stamp from a country that now goes by a different name.

Ché says: This may be difficult for some of the less-seasoned jetrosexuals. A stamp from a country on the US State Department's travel advisory list will do.

2. Thou shalt travel Economy class, on rare occasions, just to keep thine self humble.

Ché says: This is relatively easy when thou payeth for thine own ticket.

1. Thou shalt leave terra firma behind in order to move business and culture forward.

Ché says: Done.

Now, copy and paste this handy pocket-sized list of jetrosexual commandments to print for quick reference in the event of kidnapping or memory loss.

welcome . bienvenidos . karibu . 歓迎

Hello. I'm Ché, card-carrying Jetrosexual-at-Large, and I'd like to welcome you to Salón Internacional: virtual departure lounge for those hip, urbane wunderkinds who move business and culture forward.

Contrary to popular opinion, the jet set is not an exclusive domain limited to those with exorbitant amounts of money or power. Jetrosexuals can come from all walks of life and socioeconomic situations. All it takes is a little creativity, a little attitude, a little internet surfing time, and a lot of get-up-and-go, and you'll be in the mile-high club before your luggage even makes it onto the plane.

The term jetrosexual was coined in a 2005 marketing campaign by the UK's Virgin Atlantic Airways as a way to put the glamour and excitement back into air travel - to spawn a new Jet Age, populated by a group of "high fliers" whose mission is "to achieve greatness" and "raise the bar in their industry or simply succeed where no one else could." These go-getters who get around were dubbed jetrosexuals. Well, we here at Jettin' have appropriated that concept (giving Virgin full credit) as a way to encourage more would-be adventurers to get up, brush the potato chip crumbs off their trousers, and get themselves to the nearest airport to advance their own professional objectives or to add a little flair to their otherwise vapid existences.

Here you'll find out how to score cheap airfares, pack appropriately for a two-week hot- and cold-climate voyage in the same carry-on, elbow up to VIPs in the airport Champagne Room, haggle for the best price on that souvenir Incan death mask, and much much more. Soon, you'll be telling us about which business class service has the best merlot and why only slackers fly British Airways (that was a joke, BA).

Whether you're already a platinum elite plus member with enough miles for a free first class ticket to Alpha Centauri, or you're a Customs and Immigration virgin, there's sure to be something you'll find of use or interest here at Jettin'.

Please check back regularly, as the information here is subject to frequent change and updates. You don't want to be the one who missed out on that sweepstakes for a week in Paris gratis because you forgot to stop by and speak to your friend, Ché.