What happened: On a trip with a connection in Atlanta, your incoming leg was delayed, so you missed the next leg of your flight which, of course, was the last one of the day.

What the airline should do for you: If the delay was the airline’s fault (example: a mechanical problem), request overnight lodging and a meal voucher, plus transportation to and from the hotel. Ask nicely and out of earshot of other passengers, as the airline may not have enough accommodations to go around. There is no law requiring the airline to grant your requests. If the delay was beyond the airline’s control like the result of bad weather or air-traffic congestion, then you may simply be out of luck.

Next time: If possible, don’t take a flight with connections if there’s a nonstop available. If you must take a flight with connections then start your journey first thing in the morning since earlier flights tend to experience fewer delays.

If you absolutely must arrive on time, give yourself extra time in between your connections.

The flight attendants will show you how to buckle a seat belt, but unfortunately there’s no in-flight guide on keeping the peace with fellow passengers.

Problem: The child behind you is kicking your seat.

Solution: Appeal to the parents’ sense of empathy. Say, “Do you mind asking him to stop kicking my seat? I’d love to take a nap.” If the child doesn’t stop shortly after your initial plea, kindly ask the adult if she would be willing to switch seats with the child.

Problem: You want to enjoy a little peace and quiet; your neighbor wants to trade life stories.

Solution: Grab a book or a magazine and she should get the hint. If she continues talking, tell her, “I’m sorry — I don’t mean to be rude, but I’m dying to read this.” Another strong signal that you don’t want to chat would be putting headphones on.

Problem: You have to go to the bathroom, but your sleeping neighbor is blocking the way.

Solution: It may be tempting to climb over her while she’s snoozing, but you risk awkwardly straddling her as she wakes up. Instead, give her a gentle pat and say, “Excuse me.”

Problem: You and your neighbor are jockeying for the shared armrest.

Solution: The armrest should go back and forth between you and your seatmate. If you feel as if it is being hogged, stake your claim while your neighbor is using the bathroom and hold your position when he returns.

Set your luggage apart from the pack.
Tying a red ribbon to your black bag is not the most effective way to distinguish it. When you use ribbons and bows, they can be torn off in the transporting process. Not to mention the fact that you’ll probably see dozens of other red ribbons circling on the baggage carousel. Your best move is to purchase a suitcase in an unusual color.

Get Free Samples to Take
To save precious quart-bag space on overnight trips, carry samples of cosmetics, moisturizers, and prescription creams. Go to walmart.triaddigital.com/free-samples.aspx or www.freesamplesblog.com for a variety of regularly updated freebie offers.

BYO blanket (and disinfecting wipes, too).
Tray tables are rarely cleaned, so wipe them off before you use them. And steer clear of the blankets and pillows. You don’t know when or how often they are cleaned. It’s just easier to take your own blanket and pillow. You’ll stay healthier this way.

Pack your electronics in a single layer.
You will increase your chances of speeding through security if you take the time to lay your electronics flat. When things are tossed in haphazardly or jumbled together, TSA spends more time determining what they are from the X-ray and they have to manually check bags.

Do your own bag check before you leave.
To keep from getting stalled in security and losing innocent, sharp items you forgot were in your bag carefully check each piece of luggage at home first.

What happened: You arrived at the airport with what you thought was plenty of time, but the check-in and security lines were so long that the plane left you behind.

What the airline should do for you: Airlines routinely advise passengers to get to the airport at least an hour prior to departure for domestic flights and two or three hours before international ones and that’s all they’re obligated to do. If you don’t arrive early enough, the airline owes you nothing.

Next time: A good travel agent can warn you of potential logjams. When flying from an airport you’ve never used before, leave yourself extra time in case of unexpected obstacles. Getting your boarding pass online or using an automated check-in kiosk will save you time as well. If all else fails, it certainly doesn’t hurt to let security know that you’re late for your flight. You may be allowed to move to the front of the line.

Call for help.
If you’ve missed a connection, don’t stand in line to rebook with a gate agent. Instead, use your cell phone to call the airline’s customer-service number. You may speak to someone faster, giving you a better shot at a seat on the next flight.

Utilize cell-phone lots.
These free-parking areas, where drivers can wait for a phone call saying that the person is there for 30 minutes or longer, have sprung up at more than 50 airports in the last few years. For a complete list of these lots, visit the Airports Council International website at www.aci-na.org.

Get fed fast
It’s late. You’ve just landed, and you’re starving. To have dinner waiting in your hotel room when you arrive, call and order room service from the road.

On the Plane
Bring a car seat for your child. Car seats aren’t just safer for children, they also help kids stay calmer since they’re used to being in them. Invest in a car seat–stroller combination. The seat slides right out of the stroller part and you can check that at the gate.

Get your in-flight necessities ready for the flight
Blocking the aisle during boarding while you dig for gum, a book, or a snack can delay the entire plane.

What happened: You showed up at the gate a generous 45 minutes before departure, and the agent informed you that your flight was oversold. The airline asked for volunteers to give up their seats, but not enough people came forward, so you ended up missing the wedding you were traveling to.

What the airline should do for you: It’s all too common for airlines to overbook flights, in order to avoid getting stuck with empty seats from late cancellations and no-shows. But under U.S. law, as long as you checked in for the flight within the airline’s minimum time window — usually 30 minutes for domestic flights — and the aircraft you’re scheduled to fly on carries more than 60 passengers, you’re entitled to monetary compensation if you’re involuntarily bumped from your flight.

If you’re able to reach your destination between one and two hours after your originally scheduled arrival on a domestic flight or one and four hours later on international routes, the compensation is $200 or the face value of the segment you got bumped from, whichever is less.

If you’re delayed more than two hours (domestic) or four (international), the mandatory compensation rises to double the one-way fare, up to a maximum of $400. Although the airline may offer you a round-trip ticket as compensatio instead take the check because the tickets are issued in the same class as frequent-flier fares, which are often hard to book seats for.

Next time: Arrive at the check-in desk or automated kiosk an hour or more before departure. Airlines tend to bump starting with the passengers who check in last. You can check the Department of Transportation’s monthly reports at airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/reports for a look at other airlines’ oversale records. Your best bet is to call ahead to confirm your airline’s minimum time window for check-in.

Know the difference between “direct” and “nonstop” flights, and always opt for the latter.

Unlike nonstops, direct flights can touch down at other airports on the way to their ultimate destinations. And while stops are built in to the total travel time, the potential delays they can cause aren’t. Whenever possible, fly nonstop.

Make sure you purchase your ticket under the exact name that appears on your ID.

It might seem obvious to you that Betsy is a nickname for Elizabeth, but it may not to a desk agent or a security officer — any one of whom could ask you to show identification with that name before boarding.

Select your seats as soon as possible

If you have a disability and need a premium seat in the bulkhead, tell the agent when you make your reservation rather than at the airport. Other passengers might be able to get those seats 24 hours before the flight, when they’re made available to everyone through the airline’s website.

Get to your gateway city as early as you can

Since delays stack up as the day progresses, it’s smart to book the first flight you can into a hub if you have a connecting flight. Spending a few extra hours at the airport is better than missing your connection because your first flight was late.

Double-check foreign document requirements.

Some countries — like Chile, Kenya, and India — require a visa for entry; others, like South Africa, won’t allow entrance unless a traveler’s passport contains at least two blank, unstamped pages. You need to be aware of those requirements before you make your flight reservations or you could get stuck Stateside. For a complete list of entrance regulations, visit www.travel.state.gov/travel.

In this modern day of worldwide independent travel, trunks are long gone and carry-on luggage has become the preferred baggage of the frequent traveler. By carrying your luggage with you on the plane, you save valuable travel time, and you never need to worry about the airline losing your luggage or having it miss the plane. Just have this happen to you once when you’re in a hurry and you’ll be a carry-on traveler for life. Here are some helpful tips on how to choose the right bag, what to bring with you and how to pack it.

When looking for carry-on luggage, make sure you get something that will fit under the seat in front of you. In general, try to select a bag with dimensions not exceeding 14″ x 9″ x 22″, including all straps and wheels. Policies may vary, so always check with the airline for its limits on the size, weight or number of carry-on pieces. If you are using more than one airline, you might want to call ahead to find out all baggage requirements.

Good quality, softsided carry-on bags are lightweight, sturdy and washable, and they absorb shock better than hardsided luggage. Look for durable, waterproof nylon with a high-density weave, strong double zippers that can be locked, and comfortable handles and shoulder straps. It’s good to have a removable shoulder strap in case you do need to check the bag so it won’t get caught in the luggage carousel. A great bet are carry-ons with two or three separate compartments and three-quarter zippers that allow you to open the bag up and lay it flat like a suitcase.

We highly recommend the carry-ons with wheels and retractable luggage handles which will save you from having to carry your luggage long distances in airports. There are also some convertible backpacks on the market which are quite good, particularly if you expect to do a lot of walking with your luggage or are traveling by train through Europe. If you’re not using a rolling carry-on or convertible backpack and plan on walking a lot with your luggage, consider a luggage cart.

Remember, you’re going to be carrying your own bag through airports, train stations and looking for hotels. Make sure you can carry it comfortably for at least a mile. If you’re still don’t know what to bring and what not to then take the luggage hike test. Go for a mile-long walk with your bag. When you get back it will be a lot easier to decide what you don’t need!

Stay hydrated. It turns out that drinking plenty of water will not only counter the overall dehydrating effects of air travel, which can lead to headaches, stomach problems, cramps, fatigue and more, but can actually fortify your preemptive natural immune mechanisms to function considerably better. As your body dries out, your nose and throat go with them. Of course, this is the case in normal daily life — when exercising, during prolonged sun exposure, etc.; even caffeine and alcohol consumption can dry you out. However, in an airplane, where your nose and throat are on the front lines of the war with exceedingly dry air, these are the first places to suffer; most travelers have felt the sting of a brutally arid mouth, throat and nose in flight.

Sipping water or some other fluid regularly throughout the flight may be more effective than drinking a lot of water at one time before or during the flight; this will keep your protective system from long dry spells. (And we do mean to single out water here — as noted above, alcohol and caffeinated drinks such as coffee or sodas can actually dehydrate you.)

Nasal mists have been found to be very effective in keeping this system working in your nose. Additionally, hot drinks are a good way to keep your protective mucous membranes working — first, to assist in keeping you generally hydrated; second, by triggering the system into gear; and third, by directly providing moisture in the form of steam. Note that this is not a treatment, it just keeps your defenses strong and functioning.

Keep your hands clean. Your hands are the most consistent point of first contact with cold, flu and other germs. It is a direct line from armrest/seatback/handshake to fingers to fork to mouth to full-blown fever a few days later. According to a National Institutes of Health factsheet, the type of virus that causes the common cold and the flu has been found to survive for up to three hours on your skin or on objects such as armrests, TV remote control handsets, tray tables and other similar surfaces. However, the simple act of washing your hands with hot water and soap is a formidable rampart against this transfer of harmful microorganisms.

Hand washing is not just for restaurant workers and travelers; health professionals and researchers working to combat communicable diseases in many third-world countries are waging a fierce campaign to encourage residents to adopt this simple practice into their daily routines. If possible, wash your hands before any in-flight meals, and after your flight as well.

Of course, airplane cabins are tight places, and getting out of your seat to wash up before and after every snack time can be almost impossible, as the flight attendants command the aisles, your seatmates are trying to eat, tray tables are down cabin-wide, and no one involved really wants to have folks getting up and down and roaming around the cabin. In these cases, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends alcohol-based products made specifically for washing hands.

Don’t forget the dental hygiene. Just as keeping your hands clean can prevent transmission of germs, using a germ-killing mouthwash in-flight may add another layer of protection while simultaneously helping to keep your throat moist. Just make sure your mouthwash bottle is three ounces or smaller to comply with the latest carry-on rules for liquids and gels.

Take your vitamins. The rapid response effect of vitamins is unproven, but many travelers swear by them. The National Institute of Health concurs, sort of, offering that no conclusive data has shown that large doses of vitamin C will prevent colds, although it may reduce the severity or duration of symptoms.

Wear a face mask. The National Institute of Health cites airborne germs as one of the top two sources of cold virus infection; some travelers have taken to wearing masks either to prevent infection, or when they themselves are already infected. Personally, I would not last more than a half-hour or so behind a hot mask, but this may be an effective prevention tactic nonetheless.

This method of packing is a favorite of many travelers. It’s difficult to explain. You need luggage that opens up and lays flat to do this. You will also need a flat, soft, pouch-like rectangular “core” with dimensions that are at least 1/2 to 3/4 the size of your luggage compartment. This can be a pouch filled with underwear or something similar.

Start with your sports jacket or the longest, most wrinkle-prone item you have. With the collar or waistband flat, place it against the bottom edge of the bag and drape the rest of the garment over the opposite side of the bag. Take another garment and place it in the opposite direction, flattening and smoothing out both garments in the bag and draping the remainder over the side. If you have trousers or other narrow items, do the same with them in the narrow direction of the bag. Keep alternating your items, ending up with the most wrinkle-resistant clothes you have.

When you finish, place your “core” in the middle. Now you’re going to start folding the garments over the core and each other in the reverse order you put them in. If you fold something over and there’s excess draping over the sides of the bag, tuck it underneath the bundle you are creating.

What you will end up with is a bundle of all of your clothes that looks like a pillow. You can pick it up in one piece. It’s compactly packed and doesn’t waste an available space in your luggage. Plus, because of the way things are folded, your clothes will wrinkle less.

To find something in the bundle, lay it flat and unwrap until you reach the layer you want. Take the item out and refold the remainder. If done properly each layer should result in a self contained bundle at each layer.