The 2007 Thanksgiving travel period is supposed to be so bad this year that even the Pres has taken notice and opened restricted military airspace for commercial airplanes traveling up and down the busy East Coast flight corridor. For its part, the TSA has promised to open up as many security lines as it can and put more screeners on duty.

As much as we like to look on the bright side (at least you’re not at work, right?), we’re not gonna lie. Getting to and from your Turkey Day destination this week might be a wee bit hectic. In fact, you might as well count on wanting to kill someone at least once during your travels. That way, you’11 be pleasantly surprised if everything goes according to plan.

We’ve put together some tried-and-true tips to help you during your travels. They’re simple. And they work:

1. Have a zen moment. Sometime before you strike out for the airport, take a moment to level with yourself and your traveling companions. Admit that the next few hours of your life are likely to be marred by too many people trying to get too many places in too little time. And know that you’re going to be in the thick of it. And someone on the plane near you is probably going to have noxious body odor or an annoying voice or an elbow that keeps creeping into your precious personal space. Ponder these realities. Then take a deep breath, exhale and just get to it. Sometimes, preparing yourself mentally for the mayhem can make all the difference. Or at least, that’s what we keep telling ourselves.

2. Go online before you leave. It may seem like a pedestrian point in this day and age, but use the power of the Internet before you head to the airport. You can check-in, check flight status, upgrade to exit row seats, check traffic reports and make off-airport parking reservations before you leave the house.

3. Get there early. Just do it. Just this once. Through Sunday, plan to arrive at the airport no later than an hour and a half before domestic flights.

4. Be your own Wolfgang Puck. Don’t rely on the airline or the airport to feed you. A week ago, I was shocked to find only one kind of nasty pre-packaged sandwich in the airport terminal in which I happened to be waiting. I was really surprised – but yeah, there was only one option. And it was beyond foul. Bringing travel-friendly snacks can be a lifesaver during the holiday travel season – especially if you have kids. Here are of my favorite snacks that travel well:

- Crackers and cheese
- Apples, grapes and nuts
- Sandwiches with the lettuce and tomato packed separately
- Cold pizza (seriously, what else tastes as good at room temperature?)

5. Know the rules. In the last few years, airlines have made lots of little changes to rules governing checked bags. Most charge fairly high fees for overweight bags and passengers checking more than two bags. Many airlines won’t check bags in after a specified cut-off time. Be sure to know the rules and restrictions that apply to you and your travel companions.

6. Pack essentials in a small carry-on. Using a small carry-on (not a large one that will be subject to mandatory checking if the airplane you’re on runs out of overhead space before you have a chance to board) to stow medicine, phone chargers, computer power cords, a toothbrush and other essentials is one of the smartest things you can do. Running out of battery power while you’re stranded in the airport or arriving at your destination only to find your luggage hasn’t made it can put a major wrench in your plans.

7. Distract thyself. Whether you’re driving three hours to grandma’s house or flying cross-country, never underestimate the power of an enticing distraction. Stop by the bookstore for a new book you’ve been dying to read, create a new iPod playlist (or 12), bring a stack of note cards and start your holiday greetings, knit up a storm. We don’t care. Just figure out something to keep your mind occupied during long periods of downtime.

8. Take care of yourself. Down an Airborne tablet before you go. Wash your hands like a crazy person. Drink water like a fish. Stand up and stretch. Circle your ankles. Bring a pack of tissues and some Tylenol. Do whatever you can to stay healthy and avoid the colds and sniffles that hit so many travelers after a long flight.

9. Dress the part. Wear clothing that will cut time in the security line and remain comfortable throughout your trip. Remember that belts, shoes and outerwear have to come off before you clear security. Slip-on shoes are ideal. Take a sweater or extra layer on the plane – you never know what cabin temperatures are going to be like.

10. Don’t blame the innocent. Now this one’s obviously less for travelers and more for the common good. Blaming employees when planes get delayed, flights get canceled, storms strike, hotels run out of rooms or traffic jams gum up the works really only accomplishes two things: it pisses the employees off and make them less likely to help you. Neither are beneficial to you. Being nice won’t work miracles, but masking your surly attitude can help. And it’ll save you from getting booted from the plane or out of a rebooking line.

Not that we’re all that surprised, seeing as we are well aware of how awesome SideStep is, but it’s always reaffirming to get a pat on the back from the likes of Travel + Leisure magazine. In its recent feature on the Top 25 Travel Web Sites, SideStep was at the top of the list. Here’s what the mag had to say about TravelPost.com’s parent company:

Comparing top aggregators Sidestep and Kayak, we found that eight-year-old Sidestep’s flight tool has a slight edge: A handy matrix at the top of the results page gives an overview of the lowest prices pulled from 600 airlines across 200 sites. And refining the search by departure time or airport is a breeze.

Woot! Other sites I was glad to see on the list? Foodie site Chowhound, Xe.com, The Bathroom Diaries and many more!

Boo! Did we scare you? Yes, Halloween is a ways off, but the season is already getting started. Here are Hauntworld Magazine’s picks for the 2007 Top 13 Professional Haunted Attractions:

1. NETHERWORLD Haunted House, Atlanta, GA

2. 13th Gate Haunted House, Baton Rouge, LA

3. The Bates Motel, Philadelphia, PA

4. Headless Horseman Hayrides and Haunted Houses, Ulster Park, NY

5. The Darkness, St. Louis, MO

6. Eastern State Penitentiary’s Terror Behind the Walls, presented by LUKOIL, Philadelphia, PA

7. Erebus Four Story Haunted Attraction, Detroit, MI

8. 7 Floors of Hell, Cleveland, OH

9. Kersey Valley SpookyWoods and Maize Adventure, Greensboro, NC

10. Universal Studios House of Horrors, Hollywood CA

11. Queen Mary’s Shipwreck Annual Halloween Terror Fest, Long Beach, CA

12. Dreamreapers Haunted House, Chicago, IL

13. The Haunted Hotel, San Diego, CA

Other notable haunts recognized by Hauntworld Magazine include:

Best Home Haunted House

1. Castle Blood, Pittsburgh, PA

2. Haunted Overload, Lee, NH

3. Terror Syndicate, Pittsburgh, PA

4. Rot Haunted House, Thousand Oaks, CA

Best Amusement Park Halloween Events:

1. Universal Studios Horror Nights, Orlando, FL

2. Knott’s Scary Farm, Buena Park, CA

3. Busch Gardens HallowScream, Tampa Bay, FL

Skytrax recently released its 2007 World Airline Rankings, which grade airlines from one to five stars. And of the five star picks, there’s not a U.S. airline in the bunch. It probably won’t surprise you to learn that, when you troll through the four-star rankings, the U.S. airlines that make the grade aren’t the large ones. Instead Jet Blue, Frontier and Midwest Airlines are the ones on the list. You can check out all the rankings on your own, but here are the lucky few who won five stars:

Asiana Airlines

Malaysia Airlines

Qatar Airways

Singapore Airlines

Cathay Pacific Airlines

Which travel companies make Christopher Elliott’s blacklist? Drawing from his widely-read troubleshooter column, Elliott puts together a list of four companies who repeatedly end up on travelers’ sh*t lists. And the winners are (drum roll puhlease):

1. US Airways

2. Days Inn

3. Thrifty

4. Princess Cruise Line

To find out why each company made the list, read Elliott’s Blacklisted: 4 Travel Companies People Avoid on MSNBC.

Whether summer vacation is but a distant memory or still in full throttle for you and yours, you can dig into the spirit of summer vacation with Entertainment Weekly’s list of 15 Favorite Summer Vacation Movies. Sleepaway Camp, anyone? Now that’s one freaky movie.

According to the Telegraph (UK), the Ritz-Carlton Central Park, the Four Seasons New York and Hotel Gansevoort are New York’s best business hotels. One of the draws at the Four Seasons? The swanky hotel bar pictured here - taken by TravelPoster jill03.

New York’s Best Business Hotels

Budget Travel’s latest issue evaluates major cruise lines and ranks them by age group, so you can determine which cruise lines, in Budget Travel’s estimation at least, will be the best for your family:

Best Cruises for Kids

Discover Boating offers up its picks for the Top 10 Best Places to Watch Fireworks from a Boat, copied directly from the site below:

– Austin, Texas: Marked by beautiful symphony music and a spectacular
fireworks display, Austin’s Town Lake is the place to be for this
annual celebration. Rent a kayak or bring your own boat to find the
best seat in the house on the water. (July 4, 9:30 p.m., Zilker Park)

— Chicago, Ill.: Join family and friends aboard a boat as the skies above
Lake Michigan and Chicago’s famous skyline are illuminated with
accompaniment from the Grant Park Orchestra and U.S. Air Force Singing
Sergeants. (July 4, 9 p.m., Grant Park)

— Los Angeles, Calif.: Enjoy a variety of live music and big booms over
the main channel in Marina Del Rey for free family fun and a patriotic
fireworks display. (July 4, 9 p.m., Marina Del Rey)

— Memphis, Tenn.: The Beale Street Fourth of July celebration is a
festive time with great food, live music that the city is famous for
and, of course, a thunderous grand finale of fireworks. Enjoy the
boisterous display on the mighty Mississippi as the fireworks burst
over Tom Lee Park. (July 4, 9 p.m., Tom Lee Park)

— Milwaukee, Wis.: Named Discover Boating’s “2006 Top City to Watch
Fourth of July Fireworks from a Boat,” Milwaukee’s annual Summerfest
hopes to help this fantastic fireworks display return to defend its
title. On July 3, thousands gather along the Lake Michigan shoreline to
watch the U.S. Bank fireworks show, but being aboard a boat for the
display provides an unmatched panoramic view. (July 3, 9:30 p.m.,
Veterans Park)

— Myrtle Beach, S.C.: With an entertainment megaplex featuring shops,
restaurants, nightclubs, theatres, miniature golf course, Ripley’s
Aquarium and a 23-acre lake, Broadway at the Beach is the place to be
for fireworks on the Fourth of July. (July 4, 10 p.m., Broadway at the
Beach over Lake Broadway)

— New York, N.Y.: With more than 35,000 pyrotechnic shells in a half-hour
display, Macy’s dazzles viewers each year with the nation’s biggest
birthday fireworks display. Fireworks are launched from two East River
locations, anchored in the East River is sure to be the best seat in
the house. (July 4, 9 p.m., East River between 23rd & 42nd Streets)

— Philadelphia, Penn.: In the city of our nation’s birth, July 4 is all
about history, music, fun and fireworks. After visiting the Liberty
Bell and Independence Mall, hop aboard a boat on the Delaware River to
view the flashes and booms of a roaring fireworks display as the City
of Brotherly Love shines in the background. (July 4, 8:30 p.m., along
the Delaware River)

— St. Paul, Minn.: St. Paul’s “Taste of Minnesota” is a six-day food and
music extravaganza at Harriet Island and is the perfect place for
family fun this Fourth of July. As the sun sets, hop aboard a boat to
watch the largest fireworks display in the Midwest over the Mississippi
River. (July 4, 10:20 p.m., Harriet Island)

— Tacoma, Wash.: Freedom Fair events cover two miles of the Ruston Way
waterfront on July 4. After the annual log boom competition, Tacoma
boaters anchor to end the day with the Tacoma Air Show and spectacular
Emerald Queen Grand Finale Fireworks Extravaganza. (July 4, 10 p.m.,
Ruston Way waterfront)

There are umpteen million travel resources out there for people planning their own weddings, but what about those of us who end up attending multiple whirlwind wedding weekends each summer? Where’s the travel advice for us? Huh?

Please allow us to intervene. We’ve come up with a list of basic travel tips especially for out-of-town guests traveling to weddings. Enjoy!

The Frequent Guest’s Wedding Travel Survival Guide