Nevermind that it looks like a giant flying stingray. It could change things for the aviation industry - and people living in neighborhoods close to airports. Researchers from MIT and Cambridge University have spent years working on a prototype jet that would make no more noise than your average household appliance. If jets like this one were to replace standard airplanes, the thought is that airports could more easily operate within urban areas, where noise problems currently make them undesirable neighbors for city businesses and residents.

But don’t get your hopes up for these jets arriving anytime soon. The jets aren’t expected to be ready for commercial flights until 2030. Until then, just some travel food for thought.

‘Silent Jet’ Could Ease Airport Noise

Although Dan Schlossberg’s Consumer Reports story Plastic Hotel Keys Can Be a Security Risk raises alarm about the information contained on hotel room key cards, the Chicago Tribune reported earlier this year that travelers have less to worry about than they think. In most cases, it seems, hotels do not put guests’ credit card information, home addresses and other personal details on room key cards. Instead, the cards contain basic information like room number, scheduled check-out date and an unlock code.

If you read Schlossberg’s story, you could come away from it believing that every hotel stay is putting you in danger of identity theft. I tend to put more stock in the Chicago Tribune’s take on the matter. Logically, for someone to read your hotel key card, they’d have to own a card reader just like the hotel’s. That’s a pretty unlikely scenario. On top of that, many hotel chains say they don’t store personal details on the cards.

Nor do I think travelers should fear hotel employees stealing information from key cards and charging up big bucks on credit cards any more than they’d fear employees of any other businesses they patronize. Think about it. Room key cards aside, hotel employees already have access to guest information. If a hotel employee wants to steal your information, s/he doesn’t need to steal your hotel key card to get it. Going through the company computer seems like a much simpler way to find private information.

At the end of the day, travelers should trade worrying about identity theft schemes like the one described in the above Consumer Reports story for time spent carefully go over their credit card and bank statements for erroneous charges and making sure to get annual credit checks, which can alert you to identity theft.

The pre-packaged airport sandwich is more of a gamble than anything Las Vegas has to offer. You just never know how it’s going to taste or how well it will hold up from the point of sale through an hour in a crowded carry-on. And then there’s the mess factor. A delicious sandwich can become a nightmare of frightening proportions if it spewes onions and leaks dressing down your fingers when you attempt to dine hunched over your tray table. Another consideration is the smell factor. Strongly odoriferous foods can really annoy people sitting near you. I’ll never forget sitting next to a woman once who decided to slowly ingest homemade tuna fish salad that had been couped up in her backpack for god knows how long. She kept picking away at it for nearly an hour. It literally woke me from a sound sleep like someone had unleashed smelling salts beneath my nostrils. Relentless, I tell you.

Today, I found a pre-packaged sandwich that passed all of my tests: taste, mess and smell. The Wolfgang Puck Express chicken sandwich is the best pre-packaged airport sandwich I’ve ever had. I was skeptical going into the experience, but I found the foccacia to be light and fresh tasting, the chicken to be ample, the lettuce to be crisp and the pesto and caper seasoning to be flavorful, yet not overpowering. Almost no odor rose up from my sandwich when I released it from its carefully wrapped plastic packaging.

You can find Wolfgang Puck Express restaurants in many airports around the country, including Chicago O’Hare, Denver, Orange County, Los Angeles International and Seattle-Tacoma airports.

Completely unofficial update on the liquid and gel ban. I went on a trip last weekend to Idaho and flew across the country today (and boy are my arms tired, har har), and I was pretty surprised that none of the airlines checked anyone for liquid before boarding the plane. I’m not encouraging anyone to breach safety precautions, but I personally am totally undone by the fact that I can’t have my own bottle of water with me when I fly. It’s just inhumane. From what I have witnessed in the last week, it would be absolutely easy-peas to bring a beverage onboard as long as I purchased it post-security gate and stowed it in my carry-on. What’s more, I saw several off-duty airline employees waltz onto the plane today practically swinging huge delicious bottles of fresh water as they sashayed down the aisle to their seats. As far as I’m concerned, that’s like letting cops snort coke while they patrol the school yard. Okay, maybe it’s not that bad….

But now the plot thickens. My dad and I flew into the same airport today at the same time (on different flights). He was carrying a carry-on containing sunblock, after shave and various other liquid and gel products. When he departed on his outbound flight yesterday, he didn’t intend to break the rules, but he was late for his flight, grabbed a bag he’d recently used for another trip and forgot about the items. It was only after passing through security that he realized he was carrying banned items. Today, he took the return leg of his trip and decided to try to carry his bag on again, figuring he’d just check it if the security people gave him grief. For the second time, no one at security noticed the liquid items in his bag.

And all of this brings me to my point. If it’s so easy for travelers to smuggle liquid items onboard, then how safe are we? And are these new security measures even working? Or are they just making us run around like hamsters on a wheel? In my opinion, it doesn’t make any sense to have a security rule enforced primarily by the honor system. I mean, the conscientious travelers out there aren’t people you need to worry about in the first place, and the dangerous ones are going to quickly find holes in the system.

When next I board a plane, I’ll still be checking my liquid and gel items, but you’d better believe I’m sneaking on a bottle of water.

Shoe whores, finally an answer: Hammacher Schlemmer 16-Shoe Travel Bag. You could also use it to consolidate your entire family’s shoes into one bag. Separate compartments hold eight pairs of shoes, so no matter whether you’re carrying delicate heels or muddy running shoes, you’ll be able to keep your footwear from interacting with your clothes and other gear. And it’s also just cool because of the novelty factor…

As everyone knows, today is the 5th anniversary of 9/11. It’s hard for me to believe it’s been five years since that fateful morning. I can still remember exactly where I was when the planes hit the Twin Towers. I was groggily (I’m on the West Coast) making my way to the bathroom to get ready to head to work when I saw my roommate standing in his bedroom, totally silent, staring at the television. I walked into his room and stared, too. The first plane had hit, but not the second. The images I saw were almost the visual equivalent of trying to understand another language. I simply could not comprehend what I was witnessing. What was happening? How could this be happening? Was I even really awake?

That morning changed our world in so many ways. And as we all know, the fallout continues to affect daily life across the country. Here’s hoping that you find time in your day today to reflect upon the past, entertain silent reverence for what was lost and summon up hope for the future.

I was planning to be a proactive little blogger and test MyWetStuff’s service, which launched yesterday, during a trip I’m taking this weekend. Basically, MyWetStuff is a new service that ships liquid and gel toiletries to hotels so travelers can still carry-on despite the ban. You can read more about the premise in this previous post. I wasn’t planning to carry-on - I’m much too high maintenance to survive a weekend without my usual legion of toiletries - but I thought I’d check the service out and report back on it so other travelers would know what to expect.

I visited the site today, diligently picked several items for my shopping cart and went to the trouble to enter my hotel’s address, telephone number and my reservation confirmation number. Then the site asked me to specify my arrival date - which is Friday. Alas, the system informed me that I had to choose an arrival date at least three days away. So I changed the arrival date to Saturday. Got the same message. I moved the date to Sunday, even though I’m checking out that day (I was really curious how much the shipping was going to cost). Next, I get a message that says the earliest available ship date is Sept. 29, 2006. What is that about?

At that point, I abandoned my quest for the shipping details. Looks like the business launched before it had the oomph to get off the ground in a meaningful way. After this experience, this blogger is not impressed with MyWetStuff. I like the concept, but I was hoping it would actually work.

MyWetStuff

Gay and lesbian travelers seeking travel advice on gay-friendly lodging, destinations and activities now have a new resource: PinkChoice.com. The site launched in August and offers features, advice and reviews.

Perhaps you’re jonesing for some of that French rap you heard in gay Paris or the Afro-Peruvian beats you soaked in on Peru’s coast. Hey, you may get back there someday to hear your favorite international music genres in person, but in the mean time, check out National Geographic’s World Music department. You can listen to a bajillion genres you’ve never even heard of, listen to and download your favorites. And there are free downloads offered each week. Cool beans.

I learned of this new development via World Hum. Must give credit where credit is due.

I don’t usually post about personal things here, but I attended the memorial service of a friend today, and it reminded me - in that way these sorts of events remind you of things you already know but often forget to remember - that the time to travel, to see the world, to walk down streets in a city you’d never thought you’d actually visit, the time for that is now. Sometimes life is short. At other times, it seems to last and last. The trouble is, you never know which one you’re going to get until it’s too late. My friend, who died of cancer at the young age of 39, lived life with an enthusiasm and zeal and curiosity that surpasses what most of us are able to muster up in our day to day lives. Reflecting on his life today, I kept thinking of all sorts of cliches. No time like the present. This ain’t a dress rehearsal. Carpe diem. The list goes on. But those sayings are cliches for a reason. Because they’re just so right and true when you get down to the bottom of it all.

So, in honor of my friend’s memory, my wish for you is this: Embark upon your next adventure sooner than you’d planned. Worry a little less about vacation days and plane ticket prices and the perfect itinerary. Just enjoy your trip.