Q: I’m a mature woman who travels regularly on business, and this just happened to me once too often. On my last flight, an annoying couple plopped down next to me, and immediately began to ask all kinds of questions about myself.

They had obviously been drinking heavily in the airport bar, and their breath and clothing reeked of old tobacco and booze. After take off, and I could leave my seat, I asked the flight attendant to move me. She said all seats were taken. I had a miserable flight, but what could I do?

A: In most cases, they are. To take advantage of them, you must be ready with your bags packed, passport in hand and ready to head for the port or airport within a few hours’ notice. That means retirees are usually in the best situation to take advantage of them.

Also, you need a sense of what-the-hell adventure, because the cruise with the best last-minute bargain at any moment may be sailing out of Fort Lauderdale to the Bahamas, or from San Diego to the Mexican Riviera. If you’re in that situation, do your homework every day, maybe several times a day. You could find cruises at better than 50% less than advertised retail prices, and/or free upgrades of lower-deck cabins to balcony suites.

All that running, just to be bumped?

Q: A couple of friends are really ticked off about being involuntarily bumped from a flight. Their taxi was caught in traffic and they got to the loading gate five minutes before the flight. The airline had already given their seats to stand-by passengers, but found them a later flight, and they missed connecting flights. They complained, but got no explanation nor offer to pay for their delays. What did they do wrong?

A: They may have done nothing wrong if they followed the rules. There are situations where being bumped involuntarily should have some cooperation from the airline. First, if you are bumped, immediately get a written statement from the check-in clerk and in many cases you should be eligible for recompensation. Ask to get on the next flight to your destination by that airline or on any other available one with similar flight schedules.

Cliff diving may not be the only danger in Acapulco

Q: We’re worried about our college freshman grandkid on her choice of spring break destination. Her sorority is sponsoring a trip to Acapulco, and there have been disturbing reports of violence there lately and in other parts of Mexico. What can we do to talk her out of it? Sam and Jeanne P., Ocean City NJ

A: Of course, the news out of some areas of Mexico now, including Acapulco, is troubling. But, as it concerns it as a spring break location, try to keep it in context. The dangers to young people are always out there, not just in Mexico. A positive thought is that Acapulco officials realize the city’s major industry is tourism, and news of violence there does great damage to their economy. You can be sure they’ll do everything possible to protect visitors, including spring break celebrants.