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In-Air Gripes: Who’s Your Worst Fellow Traveler?

Recently, a woman flying Southwest from Los Angeles to Houston started painting her nails. Knowing the smell is sharp, she asked passenger around her if it was OK. All agreed, but not the flight attendant. There was a ruckus and the nail-painter was arrested when the flight landed.

Even if she didn’t offend anyone in-flight, there are others who do. We asked frequent flyers who are the worst five of the worst, and these were the results.

1. Seat back pusher: The inconsiderate person in front of you who suddenly tips the seat into your tender knees or loaded lunch tray.

2. Crying kid: Overtired and overwrought, the little angel in the seat next to you screams during the entire flight. Of course, the diaper doo just adds to your misery.

3. The 300-pounder: When this enormous anatomy plops down next to you and overflows into your seat, you know you’re in for a bumpy flight.

4. The great unwashed: Your seatmate is in obvious need of a bath and mouthwash, and the fragrance drifts over to your unwilling nostrils. Inevitably, the clothing and breath smells are enhanced because this is also a heavily addicted smoker.

5. The yakking seatmate: You settle down in your squeezed space to catch a few winks, listen to music or do some iPadding. The passenger next to you needs to hear your entire family and career history. Then, you’ll be obligated to listen to that person’s long, boring tale.

If you’re a frequent flyer, we’re sure you also have your own list of the worst of the worst passengers. Of course, you’re not one of them!
Las Vegas NV: Scenic Ventures Away From The Strip PDF Print E-mail


If you have your own car or rent one in the city, you can do many of the colorful day trips from Las Vegas on your own. Some of the most attractive and their distances from the Vegas Strip include:

Red Rock Recreation Area - 20 miles
Lake Mead - 30 miles
Hoover Dam - 30 miles
Valley of Fire State Park - 60 miles
Laughlin - 60 miles
Death Valley - 121 miles
Zion National Park - 160 miles
Grand Canyon - 180 miles

Most destinations require driving through dry, uninhabited desert areas. Cars with air conditioning are recommended. Drivers should be prepared with adequate gas tank fill-up, as well as a cold box with one or two day's supply of food and drink per person. Well-charged smartphones, with emergency numbers and detailed cyber maps are a must. You may prefer the convenience of being picked up at your Las Vegas hotel for a scheduled tour. Or a short taxi ride to the airport to enjoy an escorted, all-inclusive helicopter day trip. You can book any of a great variety of interesting and exciting group excursions.

For making plans, ask a clerk at your hotel desk and check the internet for day trips. Scan the entertainment magazines in your room or look for day trip companies in the city phone book.

There are scores of adventuresome scenarios for day trips, including skydiving, hiking, biking, motorcycling, dune buggies, hot air updraft gliding, fixed-wing aircraft rides and other exotic trips. Some examples:

Six-hour van or Humvee tour of Red Rock Canyon. Just a 30-minute drive from the Strip, but a world away in natural scenery. It rises out of the hot, dry Mojave Desert to cool Mount Charleston, offering tree-lined hiking trails and many native plants and animal life.

Van or bus ride to Hoover Dam includes strolling on the walkway at the top rim of the dam and viewing the Colorado River on one side and man-made Lake Mead on the other. There are lectures at the visitor's center, exploring the enormous hydroelectric facilities and a walk along the eerie tunnel at the bottom of the dam.

Helicopter flights from Las Vegas airport to the Grand Canyon and return. Some include a brief landing on one of the canyon's soaring rims to admire the spectacular views, plus time for photo/video and souvenir shopping.
 
 
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