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Long gone are the days when an airline passenger is able to go straight to the gate and catch their flight. As you all know, the way we think about travel has been profoundly changed by the events of Sept. 11 and their aftermath. These shifts have had a practical and psychological impact on all of us. Most of these changes have taken place in the airline industry although other parts of the travel industry and the nation as a whole have been forced to adjust also. Immediately after Sept. 11, as you know, travel was drastically reduced virtually across the planet. In the past year, it has been steadily picking up. However, in most cases, it has not reached pre-September 11 levels. Domestic travel In the United States has recovered much more quickly than international travel. In fact, domestic travel has been very strong this summer, with some destinations such as the national parks are reporting record breaking numbers of visitors. International travel has been picking up too, but more slowly. Recently, more people are beginning to plan international trips again.

How has Sept. 11 affected the traveler? Well, many of you are no doubt familiar with the practical changes that have come about after 9-11. These have especially impacted air travelers. Airport security is much tighter. Access is much more rigorously restricted. Long lines are visible inside terminals and sometimes along the sidewalks outside the airport buildings. In short, you have to wait longer and in more lines than you used to. As a result, whether you are flying domestically or internationally, it is necessary to arrive at airports earlier than before, and make sure that all your documents are in order. One of the more drastic changes is that all security screeners at United States airports have been professionally trained. Passenger’s carry on items are passed through an X-ray machine where they are checked for what in today’s terms are considered dangerous items such as knives, corkscrews, etc. Until just recently, scissors were considered a threatening item. They are now allowed in carry-on bags as long as they are no more than 4″ at blade length. Screeners are now more frequently performing random searches of baggage and performing passenger pat downs. 100% of all checked baggage is checked for explosives and other dangerous items. Now all passengers are required to go to the ticket counter before check in. Passengers must have some form of government issued ID such as a state drivers’ license or passport. If you do not have ID, you are not getting on an airplane. Most airports allow only ticketed passengers to go to the departing gate, and you now have to walk quite a stretch before your loved ones can greet you upon arrival.

Even the airplanes themselves are more secure. After 9/11, when the Department of Homeland Security was put into place, they were given the task of performing vulnerability assessments on over 75 of the United States’ major airports and actual airline security systems. As a result, every US larger passenger aircraft has now been equipped with hardened cockpit doors. Thousands of federal air marshals were assigned to flights in order to help ensure the safety of passengers, and to guard against terrorist acts. We have just recently witnessed an unfortunate event where a person on an aircraft claiming to have a bomb was shot by an air marshal. Make no mistake about it; these security measures are very serious.

Psychologically, the changes have been profound. Americans are skittish travelers, and they tend to somewhat indiscriminately lump together vast portions of the world. After Sept. 11, they have tended to avoid travel to any country in the Middle East and much of Asia, as well as India and Pakistan. For the traveler, one of the results of travel in a post-9/11 world is that you need to be better informed about your destination. It is a good idea to read up on the places you are planning to visit, to understand their history, laws, cultures, customs and current conditions. The more you know about your destination, the better prepared you will be to anticipate problems that could have been avoided.

Changes within the travel insurance industry as well have taken place as a result of the September 11th terrorist attacks. Currently some travel insurance companies provide coverage for terrorist attacks committed in the United States of America such as CSA Travel Protection (http://www.csatravelprotection.com). Prior to 9/11, travel insurance only covered terrorist attacks committed overseas. Along with the travel insurance industry the methods Americans use to plan their trips have changed because of 9/11. More than 60% of US vacationers are now using the Internet to plan their vacations either alone or with assistance of a professional travel agent. Americans had already known about travel information and travel business on the Internet prior to September 11th, but many more began to utilize it after the attacks. A lot of online travel deals became available from airline companies and hotels desperate to regain business directly after 9/11. It soon became widely known that great travel deals were available online. Many comprehensive or all-inclusive packages have become popular due to value-added offers that have enticed many Americans to re-evaluate and re-adjust their take on travel. With the proper planning and contextual awareness, traveling can be enjoyable again

Although the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 are in no way seen as something positive, these same horrific events have lead to many improvements to the safety and security of travel within the United States. Some of these new security practices may seem like an inconvenience but they have been set up to ensure the safety and continuity of American and friendly foreign travelers traumatized by the events of September 11th.

This article was written by Rita R. Powers with support from CSA Travel Protection, providers of Travel Insurance and travel assistance services. Unlike other insurance companies, CSA offers travel protection for you and your domestic partner. Find out more by visiting http://www.csatravelprotection.com. Any reproductions of this article must provide a link back to CSA Travel Protection.

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Ok, this is a rather tongue-in-cheek article since I’m not a big shot, a high roller or a celebrity-look-alike trophy wife. But I am a rabid observer of people and Las Vegas is one of the best places to observe the big shots.

I’m talking the rich of the rich here - the ultra, mega-watt, oil-barren, Gucci dripping rich. So you’re going to Las Vegas and you want to look like a big shot?

Here are 3 ways to look like a big shot in Vegas and have people falling all over themselves to serve you.

#1) Mind the Details

Truly rich people - true big shots - know about the details and can easily spot a fake because most of those people don’t mind the details.

What kind of details? The small things like your nails, your hair, your purse, your shoes, your cufflinks, or your watch.

For example, you can have the designer blouse and tailored tweed pants - but if you’re purse is a Wal-mart special, you’re sunk. Mind the details and even the hardened casino hostesses will be fooled.

Even if you relax on the big stuff - mind the details and people will ‘just know’ you’re one of the big players because the details are right.

#2) Mind Your Movements

Having sat and watched the ultra rich for hours on end, I’ve noticed something that no one else is pointing out - big shots move differently.

If you don’t believe me just grab a seat at the Bellagio or the Venetian in Las Vegas and watch them.

You’ll notice a distinct difference in the way the big shots move. Even if they’re wearing jeans and sneakers, you can still see it.

Big shots move like big shots. A little slower than the rest of us, they’re in no hurry because the world comes to them. They have a calm demeanor that seems to say ‘I can buy this place if I want to’.

The next time you want to look like a big shot, slow down your movements and add a little extra lazy confidence to your gestures - people will be staring at you wondering ‘Who is THAT?’

#3) Mind Your Manners - But Not The Way Mom Told You

Most of us are used to being polite, even timid when it comes to social settings like restaurants, coffee shops, stores, etc. But the big shots can often be - well - bold and outrageously assertive.

They aren’t timid or even polite at times. They go after what they want, with a calm deserving attitude. If they want to sit somewhere and the hostess is heading in the other direction, they stop her and tell her they want to sit ‘over there’. If they want their cafe latte a certain way they very specifically tell the server what they want - and they won’t settle for anything less.

We may see these people and think ‘How rude!’ but the truth is that they get what they want. They send the subliminal message that they will have their way, one way or another.

I’m not telling you to be rude. In fact, true big shots recognize that real class involves being kind - to everyone. But make sure you go after what you want in social settings. Adopt the attitude that you deserve it - and you’ll quickly be recognized as the ultimate big shot. People will be falling all over themselves to accommodate you.

So those are 3 ways to look like a big shot in Las Vegas (or anywhere else for that matter). Of course if these fail you can always just book a suite at the Bellagio, rent a thousand dollar mink coat and hire a white limo with a tuxedoed driver. That works too.

Cait Farrell is a contributing writer for Book Vegas Online - a website helping you save hundreds of dollars on your next Las Vegas vacation.

For more tips on how to have your dream Las Vegas vacation visit our Vegas Tips section at:

http://www.BookVegasOnline.com/Las_Vegas_Travel_Tips.html

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How do you go about making an archaeological tour? A number of first rate ingredients are required - great sites, seamless logistics, and a passionate and knowledgeable guide. Perhaps the biggest element of all for me when planning a tour is the story. I don’t want to simply arrange a route around a series of isolated historical ruins, instead I want to weave a fascinating tale, a historical back-story where each ancient city we visit is like a jigsaw piece that sheds ever more light on the region’s history and culture. Some stories are intrinsically obvious like travelling across Turkey in the footsteps of Alexander the Great, but others require much more careful consideration.

It all starts with a ‘recce’, going out to make an on the ground reconnaissance of the sites in a proposed tour area. To me this is like a marvellous adventure, I’m like a child in a sweet shop trying to decide where and what I should start with, perhaps something Greek or maybe Byzantine, perhaps a small but untouched temple standing romantically lost in olive groves or a giant Roman city, like Ephesus, packed with tourists. I love the energy and buzz of visiting new sites, but on a recce I am preoccupied with all the practical things that need to be thought through, especially how to pick and then unite the most special of sites into a compelling and cohesive tour.

I remember the first time I ever led an archaeological tour back in the spring of 1996. I was asked by a UK travel company to step in as tour leader eight days before a trip exploring ancient Caria in Turkey. At first I declined because I hadn’t visited half the sites on the itinerary and wouldn’t dream of taking a group anywhere I hadn’t been. When they called the next day and asked me again, I agreed provided they fly me out the next day and hire me a jeep with driver so I could tear around the sites on a whirlwind recce. It was a baptism of fire, but one that has stood me in very good stead. One of the most important lessons I learned was it doesn’t matter how much you know of a site’s history if you don’t know your way around.

In fact the first thing I do when I get to a site is let all the history disappear from my head. For me the first walk around a site is all about practicalities, not least where do I want to begin. More often than not I choose to avoid the specified main entrance and approach a site from a different angle - both physically and historically. I like to enter on an ancient road if possible, like the sacred way leading to the temple of Apollo at Didyma. I like to create a sense of drama, as at Stratonikeia, a Hellenistic foundation in Caria. A mile away from the main entrance I take groups on a small path through trees, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, which suddenly caves away into a vast theatre with a breathtaking view. If the site is overgrown, and in rural Turkey one goat path looks pretty much like the others, sometimes it’s just a case of finding the best way around.

Once I’ve figured out my route around the site, I rewalk the whole route again, and again. Navigation around a site is paramount. When I’m showing a group around I don’t want to be spending my time trying to find my way, and I certainly want my route pre-planned to the best historical and dramatic effect.

After that it’s a case of scouring the libraries to pull out the latest excavation and survey reports. That’s where a top quality tour guide comes into their own, fresh knowledge and a lively perspective, rather than a spiel learned by rote, or material regurgitated from age old guide books.

Back in the office maps are pulled out and it all comes down to matching up the sites, the story, and the logistics. Many of the tours I arrange are archaeological cruises in Turkey aboard handbuilt wooden gulets. They’re a marvellous way to step back in time, not only do you avoid the hotel changes, the roads, and traffic, but it’s often the best means of exploring ancient civilisations, like the Lycians, who were essentially maritime, geared to the sea. What finer way to visit a city like Knidos, where Praxiteles infamous naked statue of Aphrodite once stood, than to sail straight into its old commercial harbour and drop anchor beside its ancient mooring stones. Travel is a key element in the stories I tell, and whether a tour is based on roads or the sea I always try and make a virtue of the transport, by drawing on ancient parallels - be it shipwrecks, travel writing, or the classical tourists and pilgrims who visited the same sites and even bought tacky souvenirs.

When creating the final tour itinerary, geography and logistics often carry the deciding vote, but if possible I love to start small and build. I think our Lycian cruise works that idea almost perfectly. The first few sites are in breathtaking locations, but in themselves the ruins are scant. They give everyone a chance to get their bearings, to settle into the landscape, and perhaps marvel at one broken tomb, a few inscribed stones, or the odd piece of sculpture lying on the ground. As the days go by, the sites get bigger and more impressive, one has a Byzantine church, the next has a theatre, another has a baths so each location adds another layer of understanding, another facet of ancient architecture and city life. By the time we reach some of the greatest sites in the world - Aspendos, with one of the best preserved Roman theatres and aqueducts, Perge, a city with great boulevards and agoras lined with columns and baths swathed in marble - the group has already seen the basics and can revel in such size and magnificence.

Perhaps the other essential element in creating an archaeological tour is timing. Above all don’t cram in too much. I’d much rather give everyone a chance to sit in a theatre and savour the scene, nevermind the view, the birdsong, and the atmosphere, than cram in three sites a day on a whirlwind mission. Don’t travel in the hottest months, and even when it’s a cooler season, avoid the heat of the day, for a start the light is all the better early in the morning and later in the afternoon.

Whether it’s getting to a restaurant for lunch, making sure the drives aren’t too long, or something unique like swimming at Patara where St Nicholas was born, as the sun sinks like an orange orb into the sea, timing is paramount. If that means leaving some great sites out of a tour itinerary, that’s fine, I always think it’s a good rule of thumb to leave some places unexplored so there’s always something special to come back for.

Peter runs a specialist travel company, Peter Sommer Travels http://www.petersommer.com, offering archaeological tours and cruises in Turkey. In 1994 he walked 2,000 miles retracing Alexander the Great’s route across Turkey and fell in love with the country. You can find out more about Peter at http://www.petersommer.com/peter.html
An archaeologist and documentary producer he has worked on many acclaimed BBC/PBS/CNN TV series including In the footsteps of Alexander the Great, and Tales from the Green Valley, about life on a Welsh farm in the year 1620, which was shown to rave reviews on BBC2 in the UK in 2005.

He has had travel articles published in newspapers incl. The Times (UK), The Brisbane Sunday Mail & The South China Morning Post, and in various magazines. He is a member of the Outdoor Writers’ Guild, the UK’s best established guild of professional outdoor & travel writers. You can read a range of his articles at http://www.petersommer.com/writing_index.html

email Peter at info@petersommer.com or Tel +44 (0)1600 861 929

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