Columnist Muriel Stevens: Be prepared for travel troubles

Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2001 | 8:29 a.m.

Muriel Stevens' shopping and travel columns appear Wednesday. Her dining columns appear Friday. Reach her at 259-4080 or muriel@lasvegassun.com.

When I first watched the news on the morning of Sept. 11 it didn't register that what I was watching was real. Not until the second hijacked plane took out the second World Trade Center tower did the enormity of the tragedy that was unfolding sink in.

I was scheduled to go to Boston on Thursday to check out new restaurants. Boston, like other major American cities, is enjoying a restaurant renaissance. I would visit a number of the new ones.

By Wednesday I knew I wasn't going anywhere and canceled my flight. I'll reschedule Boston when a semblance of normalcy returns to our airports. But what if I had gone? What if I had been one of those people trapped at the airports? What would I have done?

We've all had bad flights and bad travel experiences, but who could have imagined a situation such as this one? Through my years of independent travel I've learned a number of strategies. Would they have worked if I had been in a New York airport on Sept. 11 trying to get home? Probably not. Who could anticipate such horror? But sooner or later we will resume our normal travel habits so the information I share could be useful.

Ask your travel agent or airline for a paper ticket. E-tickets are fine if nothing goes wrong, but things do go wrong and only the airline that issued the e-confirmation will honor it. If you have to change airlines you'll have to change to a paper ticket. The last time I wrote about this I received a number of calls disputing what I'd said, but I'm convinced a paper ticket rarely lets you down (unless you lose it); an e-ticket could.

Cell phones don't always work inside airports, so have with you plenty of change for phone calls. I get rolls of quarters at our airport. I was once stuck in St. Louis because of an unexpected storm. It was late at night and most of the airport was closed. No eateries, no hot drinks, no open newstands -- no nothing. I was able to call the hotel in Washington, D.C., where I was staying and advise the staff of my late arrival. I do have a phone card, but I've been in airports where there wasn't a phone that took the cards.

Sitting for endless hours in an airport can be miserable, so come prepared to entertain yourself. I always have a bag filled with books, crossword puzzles and slices of hard cheese. You'd be surprised how cheering a dry piece of cheese can be when you've not had dinner.

One of my friends keeps an electronic game in her handbag. Totally absorbed, she forgets the delay.

Tempers do get short when things happen, but this is the time to be as charming as possible. Mouthing off at the check-in counter is guaranteed to get you nothing. Stay calm and stay cool. During the hours spent in St. Louis I checked in regularly with the counter folks and always made pleasantries. When our flight was finally called I discovered I'd been bumped up to first class.

Above all, travel light. Being stuck in an airport with more than one bag just adds to the misery.

In view of what happened on Sept. 11, overseas travel doesn't seem appealing right now. It's time to revisit America. A paddle-wheel steamer down the Mississippi sounds just right.