Family Travel Reminders

Many families will travel out of town for the holidays. Some will take the roads and some will go by air. No matter which way you and your family travel, Forbes Living TV shares some reminders to keep handy.

Who will take care of the house, mail and family pets while you are away? Now is the time to reserve the best caretakers for these valuable assets. Be sure to add some buffer time to the schedule to allow for delayed flights or heavy traffic congestion. Add an extra day to the schedule, if needed. Make a list of what needs to be done daily.

Families who are taking flights out of town should consider downloading movies on tablets or digital devices a week or more before the flight departs. Sometimes the download is slow even on a fast connection.  The same applies for adding apps and especially those related for travel.

If special meals, such as a gluten-free one, are needed for family members, place that request when reserving the flight and seats. If the reservation is already made, call the airline and add the request well in advance of the flight.

familykenkel also suggests checking the baggage restrictions for all connecting flights. Your checked suitcase may be too big and heavy for the regional airline connection to the destination point. Know before you go.

With a little advance planning, a family holiday trip can go smoothly. Why leave some things to chance?

How to Gripe and Get What You Want

Call it complaining, griping of kvetching. There is a certain way to do it and pretty much get what you want. familykenkel learns (and has tried) to complain the right way.  If griping about what you didn’t get or did get that’s not right didn’t get you anywhere, try some of the useful suggestions below from an etiquette expert.

Step back and ask yourself if you have a legitimate complaint. Or are you really having a bad day and want a little validation? Is it really worth it to complain? If so, please do let the other party try to rectify the problem before pummeling the person with barrage of bad words.

Use the right avenue to file a grievance. Social media accounts are the most public way of letting a business or company know they wronged you. And most businesses have social media accounts. Be firm, be polite and state the problem. If no result is produced, write to the CEO with your complaint. Be patient.

Avoid using foul language or to making threats. Most people do not feel they can have a rational conversation with someone who seems to want nothing more than to trash and bash. Be courteous and resist any urges to name-call.

familykenkel also knows that it’s nice to get a good review. If a business or company has resolved the issue, or has provided service that is better than expected, let them know. After all, we all need to hear kind words.

Get Spooked

Americais a big country and in it are some very haunted hotels, hospitals and houses. Familykenkel shares some of the coolest and probably most scary places to visit on or before Halloween. Hang on to someone.

Trans-Alleghany Lunatic Asylum, Weston, VA– Take someone strong with you to hold onto as this former state hospital is still be home to hundreds of patients who lived and died there. Some of them come back to visit.  Brave souls can stay overnight with an experienced ghost hunter.

Villisca Ax Murder House, Villisca, Iowa

Several people were killed in this house including some children. Visitors to the house reported spontaneous instances of hearing children's voices, falling lamps, moving ladders and flying objects. Sound like fun? Have at it.

The Marshall House, Savannah, Ga.

This is a somewhat fun and odd place to stay in the beautiful city. It once served as a Union hospital during the Civil War. Some guests who have stayed there reported waking up with an outstretched arm as if a nurse was taking their pulse. And be sure to check if your travel partner is in bed with you. Water faucets turn on spontaneously.

Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast, Fall River, Mass.

Once the home of Lizzie Borden, this historic old house is now a B&B. Borden was accused of killing her sleeping father and stepmother with an ax. People believe their spirits as well as Ms. Borden’s haunt the house. The B&B owners serve the same breakfast the Borden’s ate in an effort to lure them back. Believe it or not.

Familykenkel invites readers to share any other haunted houses, hospitals, business, theaters or any other location where the souls of those who have passed on come back to check on things.

Red White and Blue Foods

The American July Fourth holiday is this week and patriotism with its red, white and blue colors will be on full display. Of course, this means red, white and blue food also and Familykenkel offers some choices to make for the family or a group picnic.

Pull out all the stops for his great American holiday with some to easy to prepare patriotic goodies.

Dip giant ripe strawberries half way in melted white chocolate. Then dip the tips in blue sprinkles. Refrigerate until it’s time to take them out and enjoy.

Slice red tomatoes and arrange in a circle on a platter leaving a hole in the middle. Fill the hole with potato or macaroni salad. Use blueberries to make little stars.

How about a pizza that looks like the American flag? Purple potatoes, when cooked, turn blue and can be sliced to look like stars. Bacon is the perfect food to form red stripes. The pizza dough itself is great to use as the base.

The Familykenkel encourages everyone to be creative when preparing holiday food this week. There are an abundance of ideas on the Internet, even by looking up an image of “red, white and blue food”.  The dynamic show premieres July 8 at 7 AM on WE tv.

Air Travel Safety

Air travel is a quick way to get from point A to point B. As more Americans board flights for vacation this summer, Familykenkel offers some tips to keep air travel safe.

Does it seem like the space in the airline’s cabin has become smaller? Well, it is. Airlines are making sure they fit as many people onto the plane as possible. More luggage is being brought on board because travelers do not want to spend the money on checking bags. All of this means there is less breathing space. Make your flight more comfortable with a few tips to keep calm when things get a little out of hand.

As a passenger walks the aisle to find their seat, they inadvertently bump the back of your head with their carry-on bag. Instead of scowling at them, duck when you see someone coming with a large bag on their shoulder.

The person beside you accidently spills some of their drink on you. Turbulence happens. Clumsiness happens. Offer to help them clean it up and accept the apology.

Someone refuses to turn off their digital device when asked. Ring the call button and mention it to the flight attendants. There is no sense making a stubborn person mad by confronting them.

The person in front of you reclines their seat so that your tray table jams into your stomach. There is not much to do for this other than possibly closing the tray table. Passengers will usually let you know in no uncertain terms that they have a right to recline. If it’s too difficult to manage, ask if you can change your seat.

The Familykenkel realizes that air travel can be fun and also a people challenge.  Go with the flow, avoid drinking alcohol on the  flight and arrive without incident.