What's The Best Way To Phone Home While Traveling?

It will not surprise you at all to learn that we talk a lot about travel around here, and one of the things that comes up time and time again is last-minute trips. if (WIDGETBOX) WIDGETBOX.renderWidget('5b86e5dd-6b49-45eb-bc9f-f2cfd1ddad6b'); Get the Poll Creator Pro widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox! Not seeing a widget? (More info) Obviously some vacations take more planning. You don't decide on Monday to jet off for a week in China on Friday (though feel free to prove us wrong!). But what about a long weekend at a cute B&B; that's only an hour or two away? Or taking the kids to a great indoor water park if it's suddenly too cold to play outside? Last-minute airfare sales will let you be more ambitious as well. Why not take advantage of a cheap fare to, say, Paris that just happens to leave tomorrow? Would you book a trip last-minute? Take our poll, and let us know in the comments about your spur-of-the-moment trips. Need some inspiration? Our Real Deals has a last-minute section of hot deals that expire soon—check it out! MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL Planning a Quick Getaway? Don't Make These Common Mistakes 10 Places You Would Rather Be on a Wednesday 33 Passport Stamps Worth Bragging About

What if airport check–in were as simple as arriving at your terminal, placing your baggage on a conveyor belt, and strolling through security without saying a word or having anyone lay a hand on you? These days, that scenario sounds like a fantasy, no? But it may become reality thanks to a technology that bears a striking resemblance to science fiction: iris–scanning technology. Sci–fi fans will remember that in the film Blade Runner, eye scanners help to tell the difference between humans and ultra–realistic androids known as replicants. Real–life face and eye scanners can actually do better than that—they can actually confirm that you are who you say you are. Like fingerprints, each person’s irises present a unique appearance that can serve as an accurate means of identification. AOptix, a Campbell, Calif.–based company profiled in the August 27 issue of Bloomberg Businessweek, has developed iris–scanning technology that can identify a person from about eight feet away in about two seconds—that’s a greater distance and a faster speed than previous eye–scanning technologies, potentially opening the door for its use in identifying and approving air passengers. In Qatar, the scanners, which cost about $40,000 each, are already in use to monitor comings and goings at all sea, land, and air points of entry, comparing scans with an existing database. Of course, this kind of technology, known as biometric scanning, raises questions about privacy and concerns about the possibility of identify theft. For the technology to be implemented at airports, passengers would have to agree to have their irises entered into a database—it takes about eight seconds for the initial scan. Is iris—scanning a traveler’s dream come true, or a dystopian nightmare? Tell us what you think: Would you be willing to have your irises entered into a security database in order to save time at check–in? —Robert Firpo–Cappiello MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL Top 10 TSA Checkpoint Freakouts, Humiliations, and Confrontations TSA Misstep Causes Teen to Lose Pricey Medical Equipment 7 Surprising Items That Set Off Airport Security

Are you part of the 25% of people that have some fear of flying? Then book your next flight on British Airways. On September 1, the airline is launching an in–flight video geared to calm your fears by explaining the technical side of the aircraft and why you shouldn't be concerned about turbulence. There will also be advice from clinical psychologists on relaxation techniques. BA released a short preview, where a pilot with a soothing voice explains the rigorous training pilots go through. This is all part of the airline's Flying with Confidence program, a one–day course that has been offered for more than 25 years. BA boasts that the program has helped more than 45,000 people with a 98% success rate. Despite making a career out of traveling, I'm not the world's most confident flyer. I take the approach of staying blissfully unaware of how the mechanics work and attempt to blindly trust that the plane will go up and down as scheduled. What about you? Would watching a video like this calm your nerves, or make you more anxious? MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL 11 Surprisingly Lovable Airlines 6 Graceful Strategies for Dealing with an Annoying Seatmate 4 Common Airport Security Questions—Answered

We recently asked our readers on our Facebook and Twitter pages to tell us about the worst piece of travel advice they've ever received—and the responses were overwhelming! Most ranged from misguided generalizations (never eat street food, you'll get sick!) to questionable sightseeing tips (can you really go to Paris and NOT see the Eiffel Tower?). Read on for the worst advice our readers have gotten, including our picks for the worst advice...ever! Planning It's true that travelers checks used to be the easiest way to have access to money abroad. But times have changed. Still, @faveplaceSsue followed that advice, brought travelers checks on her trip, and called them "a royal pain." Other readers were given poor advice about trip planning: one was encouraged to wait to the last minute to buy a cheap ticket to New York, which left him scrambling with whatever high–priced seats were left over. And @excursiopedia was told not bother learning the language of the place, since everyone speaks English! Transportation Someone insisting @Shemkus only take a bus tour—which she adds, "leaves no room for serendipity." Reader @drnels was told not to use trains to get around the U.K., since flying would be faster. "We ignored this and loved the sights from a restful train ride." Another reader was told not to worry about the plane ride from the U.S. to Nigeria, it isn't really that long—she later described it as "22 hours of hell, with a child." Sightseeing Barb Mardis was encouraged not to spend too much time in Dublin, and just travel west to see the best of Ireland. She said, "We filled up three days in Dublin—could have spent more—then headed west." Someone told reader Dotty Kurtz not to waste time visiting both Oxford and Cambridge, since they're both college cities, implying their similarities. She ignored their advice, visited both, and had a great time. Finally, reader Sophia Rigatou was encouraged by both French citizens and fellow travelers to skip the Eiffel Tower when she went to Paris, referring to it as "touristy" and nothing but "a heap of metal." She says, "I love everything Paris has to offer, but I also love the Eiffel Tower experience and the amazing views from the top. I've visited the Tower on each of my three trips, and plan to do so again in the future." Safety Jackie Turner, another reader, was constantly asked why she was going to Mexico, because, you know, it's not safe there. "I have traveled to the Yucatan Peninsula several times in the past three years—Cozumel, Cancun, and Playa del Carmen—and had no problems," she said. And the winner, for all-time worst travel advice: It's a tie! Sometimes bad advice is silly, but these two broke our hearts. Someone actually told @traveleditor, "Isn't that country represented at Epcot? Why don't you just go there instead?" Another person told @bradshawtara not to go someone where because it could be viewed on Google Street View—"same effect and it's free!" Not quite. Think you can top these? Let us know in the comments below. MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL 15 International Food Etiquette Rules the Might Surprise You 6 Foolproof Tricks for NOT Embarrassing Yourself in a Foreign Language What Was Your Most Embarrassing Travel Moment?