Traveling today? Never fear. Friday the 13th doesn’t necessarily have to mean bad travel karma. We’ve got some time-honored tips for traveling smoothly today - and, for that matter, any day:

1. Before you leave home, make sure your you’ve taken steps to Keep Your Home Secure During Vacation.

2. There’s no reason to ever get stuck paying for overweight bags. Pick up one of the Best Collapsible Travel Bags and say never again.

3. Don’t let your bags go on vacation without you. Put identification inside bags, as well as out.

4. Don’t trust your eyes to find airport power outlets, trust the Air Power Wiki.

5. Ask about your hotel’s early check-out policy before skipping out. Some hotels even have special check-out policies to help you maximize your stay.

6. Heading out of town for a wedding this weekend? Check out the Frequent Guest’s Wedding Travel Survival Guide before you go.

7. Driving to your destination? Don’t pay too much for gas. Let your cell phone find cheap fuel.

8. Renting a car? Get the low-down on car insurance from George Hobica before you fork over cash for the rental company’s insurance.

9. Hate the smell in your hotel room? Learn How to Handle Hotel Room Odors once and for all.

10. And remember, if things don’t go your way, you can always fight stress with a D.I.Y. in-flight facial.

During the busy summer travel season, travelers should think long and hard before booking a trip with short layovers. When you’re buying a ticket, it certainly doesn’t seem appealing to pass over one that includes a 60-minute layover for another that promises a three-hour one. But with flight delays being as common as they are these days, short layovers leave little room for error. And even if you make your flight by running through the airport, your checked bags are likely to end up on the next one.

If you can choose a two-hour layover instead of a 45-minute one, it may seem like a drag at the time of purchase. But you’re giving yourself built-in security should the first leg of your trip experience minor delays. One could argue that travelers simply never know which flights will be delayed - flying is largely a game of chance these days - and that it makes little sense to plan a longer trip just because a delay might screw up your connection. If you really want to plan strategically, check out the U.S. Department of Transportation’s most recent Air Travel Consumer Report to view on-time performance at the airports you’re flying through. If you notice flight delays are common at the airports you’re using - especially during the times you’ll be flying - that longer layover might make more sense.

No, Virgin isn’t changing its signature red and white colors. The green train is part of Virgin’s recent initiative to reduce its overall carbon footprint. Part of a six-month company trial launched in the UK yesterday, the train will run along six different UK routes using fuel comprised of 20 percent biodiesel. If the trial is successful, the company may switch all of its trains to biofuel in the future.

Virgin Trials First Biodiesel Passenger Train

Ask George: We are taking an Alaskan cruise on the Celebrity line’s Mercury ship and leaving from Vancouver. We bought the cruise online, and have some questions we thought you could advise us on. We are arriving in Vancouver a few days before the cruise and would like a suggestion about how to get from the airport to the city. How much does a taxi cost or is there an airport bus or public transit? Can you also suggest a good hotel that is near the dock we will be departing from?

Answer: I would take a taxi from the airport rather than the airport bus. A taxi will cost you no more than $35 and takes about 30 minutes. The airport bus costs $13 per person, but takes forever to get to the city and the service is poorly run: it operates every 20 minutes but if the bus is full, which it often is at peak times, you’ll have to wait another 20 minutes, and last time I took it there was no air conditioning. Adding to the misery, to reach some hotels, you need to transfer to yet another, smaller bus once you reach downtown. This is no way to begin the trip of a lifetime. As for your hotel, the Pan Pacific Vancouver is a top choice, especially since you’ll be able to walk from the hotel to where the Mercury docks through a covered passageway. By the way, the Mercury recently underwent a very pleasing renovation, and you’ll find the service, cuisine, and shore excursions on Celebrity to be first rate, so you made a good choice.

George Hobica is a travel writer living in New York City.

Do you have a question to ask George? Send us your question, and George may feature it in an upcoming column.

Ask George: Do you have a suggestion for a seven to 10 day trip of the Scandinavian countries with my 84-year-old mother this summer? It seems that cruises don’t give you enough time to visit the various cities, and a motor coach tour might be too hectic and scheduled.

Answer: Even 10 days might not be enough to see all of Scandinavia, so it might be better to focus on one or two countries. Assuming that your mother is mobile and agile, I’d suggest seeing the region by rail and ferry on your own, since it’s a civilized and comfortable way to travel and you can hop on and off at will. One option is to purchase Rail Europe’s “Norway in a Nutshell” pass and spend the entire vacation in Norway, where you’ll be see ocean, fjords, mountains and everything in between. The scenery is terrific. This pass allows you to travel by train, ferry and bus between two major Norwegian cities – Oslo and Bergen. The high season pass is valid for travel from May through September, with itineraries ranging from $225 to $368 per person. More information about “Norway in a Nutshell” is available visiting www.raileurope.com or through your travel agent. For more information about Norway, go to www.visitnorway.com. Rail Europe offers other Scandinavian rail passes as well, all of which let you explore the region at your own pace.

George Hobica is a travel writer living in New York City.

Got a little European travel news for you today. Starting June 10, travelers will be able to take a train from Paris to Suttgart, Germany in half the time it now takes to travel that route - and for less money. The new high-speed TGV train will depart Paris Est station (not hard to reach from the Paris Nord station’s Eurostar terminal, which means travelers from London can easily use this new service, too) and reach its destination in 3 hours, 39 minutes (now it takes about 6 hours, 15 minutes and involves multiple transfers). The one-way ticket price for the new high-speed train will run 95 GBP, while it now costs about 102 GBP for the longer route.

High-speed Trains to Link Paris with Two Key Business Cities in Germany

Carbon offsetting is a big buzz term among travelers these days. But when you start to hunt around online, figuring out the differences between all the varied carbon offset programs out there can be confusing. If you’re interested in purchasing carbon offsets to balance the CO2 emissions generated by your travel activities and you’ve got a spare 30 minutes, consider skimming Clean Air Cool Planet’s Consumers Guide to Carbon Offsetting. Not only does it give all the background info you need to understand carbon offsetting, but it also catalogs carbon offset calculators and discusses the pros and cons of some of the top programs out there right now. This is a great resource for those of you who like to read primary sources…

According to MSNBC’s Amtrak Can’t Run Its Trains On Time, passengers on its trains are more likely in some areas of the country to experience delayed arrivals than on time arrivals. Folks in the Northeast have it the best, with Amtrak’s Acela route between Boston and Washington, DC showing about 85 percent on time arrivals last year. But in other parts of the country, Amtrak’s performance borders on the abysmal. Here are some of the routes most likely to experience delays and late arrivals:

Seattle to Los Angeles on the Coast Starlight was on time just 4 percent of the time last year

Chicago to San Francisco on the California Zephyr was one time 7 percent of the time last year

Chicago to Washington, DC on the Capitol Limited was on time 11 percent of the time last year

Overall, Amtrak trains arrived on-schedule 68 percent of the time last year.

According to MSNBC’s Amtrak Can’t Run Its Trains On Time, passengers on its trains are more likely in some areas of the country to experience delayed arrivals than on time arrivals. Folks in the Northeast have it the best, with Amtrak’s Acela route between Boston and Washington, DC showing about 85 percent on time arrivals last year. But in other parts of the country, Amtrak’s performance borders on the abysmal. Here are some of the routes most likely to experience delays and late arrivals:

Seattle to Los Angeles on the Coast Starlight was on time just 4 percent of the time last year

Chicago to San Francisco on the California Zephyr was one time 7 percent of the time last year

Chicago to Washington, DC on the Capitol Limited was on time 11 percent of the time last year

Overall, Amtrak trains arrived on-schedule 68 percent of the time last year.

I’m heading out to Vail today (yes! yes!), so I’ve got snow sports on the brain. When I saw CNN’s 5 Rookie Ski Trip Mistakes this morning, I knew I had to post it - and come up with a few suggestions of my own. If you’re new to skiing or snowboarding, here are five tips from the TravelPost.com Insider to ensure a good time is had by all:

1. Rent before you go. If you’re visiting a ski resort within driving distance of your home town, consider renting equipment before you leave instead of waiting to do it at the mountain. You’ll usually save a decent amount on rentals, and you won’t have to schlep through crowded rental lines on your first morning out. That can really kill momentum.

2. Wear a helmet. Too many people choose cute snow hats over protective helmets. When you’re learning to ski or snowboard, you will fall and, trust me, it hurts. Nothing quite botches up the learning process like a nice concussion.

3. Strike a balance with your gear. Try to find a happy medium between spending boatloads of cash on fancy gear you may never use again and taking the ultra stingy route, which can leave you shivering and hating the very sports you set out to learn. Any kind of waterproof shell pants over ample long underwear will work on your first day out - no need to spend $200 on hot looking pants. But do shell out for waterproof gloves, the right socks and a pair of long underwear.

4. Pace yourself. Many first-timers think they have to go nuts on the first day. It’s much, much easier to injure yourself when you start getting tired. Don’t feel bad about cutting out early and heading for the lodge. You can always hit the slopes another day - unless, of course, you’ve got a broken wrist.

5. Be independent. Tell your hotshot pals they can take their black diamond runs and shove them. At least until you gain more skill and confidence. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard a new skiier or boarder swear off a just-burgeoning relationship with snow sports after being pushed into trying a run that was just too plain scary and difficult.