What do you think of when you hear the words flight attendant safety demo? Perhaps viral YouTube videos come to mind, such as the Air New Zealand crew members covered in body paint as they talk airplane safety. Or maybe you recall the Southwest Airlines flight attendant rapping, the Cebu Pacific Airlines flight attendants dancing to Lady Gaga, or Deltalina wagging her finger as she says smoking isn’t allowed. These are certainly fun ways to put a new spin on old information.

Disappointingly, unless we sing, dance or joke our way through the safety demo many people respond with an eye-roll when we flight attendants stand in front of the cabin to point out the aircraft’s safety features. It’s important to remember we do this for a reason – not just because the FAA says we have to.

Cabin crew members have many duties and responsibilities but the most important of all is passenger safety, even if it is accompanied by some entertainment…

1. Your safety information card is found in your seat pocket, it works nicely as a fan during hot summer days. Every aircraft make and model is different. Doors and exits vary as do how they open. Does the window exit automatically open when you pull the handle or do you have to throw the exit out on to the wing? Your safety information card will tell you. Trust me, if you want to know how to get out of an aircraft quickly – or at all – in an emergency you want to know how the exits work.

2. To fasten your seat belt slide the flat end into the buckle, to release lift up. If you don’t know how to operate a seat belt, you probably shouldn’t be out in public unsupervised. Passengers have asked me a zillion times why we bother with the seat belt demo when everyone is – or should be – already buckled in by the time we’re taxing and performing our safety briefing.

You’d be surprised how many people don’t know how to fasten an airplane seat belt. I’ve helped dozens of people of all ages fasten their seat belts, but fastening isn’t the biggest concern, it’s unfastening. You see, airplane belts don’t have buttons like car seat belts, so people frequently struggle with unlatching their belts. This is especially true for the occasional or first-time flier. If you’re sitting in the dark and panicking when seconds matter, knowing how to get out of your seat belt quickly can save your life. Practice opening your belt with your eyes closed the next time you fly. Tip: Airplane seat belts open easier if the belt is fastened snugly around your hips.

3. There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are only six ways out of this aircraft. Did you know it’s human nature to exit through the door you entered. Therefore, look behind you and see where the closest exit is. There is a good chance you may have a few choices. What’s even better is knowing how many rows are behind you to the exit. In a dark or smoke-filled cabin you will not be able to rely on your sight.

4. If the oxygen masks drop while in-flight. Stop screaming, grab the mask, and pull it over your face. If you’re traveling with a child or someone acting like one secure your mask first then assist the other person. This one is pretty obvious, but here’s a question: What happens if you’re standing in the aisle waiting to use the restroom or walking around stretching your legs and the oxygen masks drop?

Every seat row has an extra oxygen mask. If there is a row of three seats, there will be four oxygen masks. If the flight isn’t full take the closest unoccupied seat and use that row’s oxygen mask. If the flight is full (likely these days), grab the closest available mask and breath. While holding on to the seats, let go of the mask and move to the next row and grab another mask and breath. Do this until you return to your seat. If you’re in the lavatory most aircraft have two masks (for a parent and child) but some aircraft do not have any. If you hear an announcement to secure oxygen masks and no masks have fallen, exit the lavatory and get to the closest mask and proceed as explained above.

5. Your seat cushions have been designed to work as a flotation device. In the event of an emergency water landing, please take them with you when you exit the aircraft, paddle to shore and feel free to keep yours as a souvenir. In addition to floatable seat cushions, flights traveling 50 miles off shore will provide emergency life vests. As the Hudson ditching proved, it’s likely some passengers will forget about their seat cushions and their life vests. What’s worse though is inflating a life vest while still inside an aircraft. If your vest is inflated and the aircraft becomes submerged you won’t be able to dive under the water to exit through a door or window. Sadly, this scenario has happened. Remember: inflate your vest only after exiting the aircraft.

As you can see, no matter how the safety information is offered, entertaining or not, it’s said and shown for a reason. The next time you fly, look over your safety information card, know where your exits are, practice unfastening your seat belt and pay attention to the flight attendant safety demo. It may save your life!

I’ve known Allyn Evans virtually for many, many years. Last summer, she marked something major off her bucket list, a scenario she has dreamed of for years – swimming with the dolphins in Bimini. But she also took her story a step further and became a facilitator and part of the workshop team. Here’s her story…

Most of my adult life, I have been aware of a hunger that pushed me, which made me continue to seek an answer to a question I could not even articulate. Looking back, I find it interesting that one of my early wake-up calls came, oddly enough, from a dolphin.

When my daughter Addy was about three years old, we saw a documentary about dolphins at the Science Spectrum. Peering up at the surround screen, it felt as if we were swimming with them. Free. Wild. Unbound. The brilliant colors, dolphin clicks and sighs, cool ocean waters swallowed us. I imagined living in the small little village by the sea, riding my bicycle to the dock every day, then spending my hours swimming and studying magnificent water creatures.

The Dolphin Lady smiled. The Dolphin Lady exuded joy. The Dolphin Lady had something I did not. I was enthralled. Longing for more freedom and joy, I saw the movie as an invitation to make a better life for myself. The movie and its message stayed with me for months. Why couldn’t I be the Dolphin Lady featured on the surround screen? No, I didn’t imagine dolphins becoming my life’s work, but I was determined to seek and find a life that would be as joyful and meaningful as life among the dolphins seemed to be.

A little over a decade later, Addy and I found ourselves in the same little village where Dolphin Lady had lived. We were there to swim with wild dolphins.

Without sounding too cliché, our dolphin swim trip in Bimini, an out island in the Bahamas, tops any vacation I have ever taken. The laid back life of the island engulfed us. As we made our daily treks to find dolphins, we were surrounded by beauty—the crystal clear waters, marine life and a sun-filled sky. Daily we snorkeled in beautiful locations including the mysterious Bimini Road, which many believe is a half-mile long stone causeway that once was part of the lost realm of Atlantis. Despite its many riches and it’s easy proximity to the United States, Bimini remains relatively undeveloped and untouristed. The island has some new upscale development but it is primarily a relaxed and unspoiled home to friendly local Bahamas residents.

When you swim with wild dolphins they bathe you in their high frequency sonar and naturally shift you into a state of euphoria that many people describe as mystical or magical.

Remember how I was talking about looking for more? Well, I continued to do that most of my adult life. Now, as I am nearing 50 years of age, I find myself living much like the Dolphin Lady.

Dolphins have become a powerful symbol for me as I sought my ‘right life.’

When I watched the movie of the Dolphin Lady as she worked with wondrous animals, I suddenly knew what my ‘right life’ would feel like. That was only a piece of the puzzle, but this one is now in place. I have the life I wished for so many years ago. Things come to me easily.

Just last October, I got a call from one of the trip organizers and now I am one of the facilitators for the swimming with dolphin workshop.

It is my hope that you, too, will be called by the dolphins and join me on a fabulous journey.

When you come to this special Dolphin Excursion program you’ll swim with wild dolphins every day for a week while you learn how to access higher states of consciousness.

And, always, the path leads on…

Allyn Evans, speaker, author, and newspaper columnist is the lead residential trainer for The Monroe Institute’s (TMI) Outreach Program. She hosts TMI workshops around the country, recently hosting workshops in NYC, Dallas, Philadelphia and Oklahoma. For more information about Allyn’s workshops, visit: Live a Powerful Life.

Every day at airports across the world, airline cabin crews have to deal with the lack of overhead bin space. We flight attendants do have wings, but unfortunately we do not have magic wands that allow us to fit every passenger’s bag aboard every flight. Airplane overhead bins are not designed to hold large amounts of suitcases, duffel bags, or musical instruments. That’s what the cargo space in the belly of the plane is for.

Luckily, not everyone brings on two bags and, if they do, they’re not all the same size which means we flight attendants usually have something to work with. You see, during boarding one of my jobs as a flight attendant is to help with luggage. This ends up being more like solving an over-sized puzzle.

It usually goes like this: “If I move this bag here and place that suitcase there, then turn this shopping bag sideways and you put your laptop case under your seat, then you can squeeze your roller bag in the overhead bin instead of having to check it.”

Time permitting, that’s what I do on every flight, whether it’s oversold or not. But sometimes it just doesn’t work. Perhaps you’re in the last boarding group and the bins are already full, which means I’ve already helped a dozen people stow their bags. Or, maybe your bag is too thick and physically won’t fit.

But there are also some things to take into consideration when you’re traveling with carry-on luggage, as well as some actions every passenger can take to ensure the best possible outcome for your carry-on bags as well as your fellow passengers. Keep these facts in mind for your next flight:

1. Not all bins are created equal. Every time I work on the Embraer 170 or 175 passengers comment on the smaller bin space and say, “It fit on the last plane.” Mainline and international flights usually have much larger equipment than regional aircraft, which means the bins are probably bigger, too.  If you’re on a super small regional aircraft, it’s likely you will have to gate check all of your carry-on luggage. As for the larger aircraft, take an Airbus 320 for example, the 22-inch roller bag I use for work will fit perfectly if I slide the top handle inward with the wheels out. If I turn it around and have the handle facing out, the bin won’t close. On some Boeing 737s, I have to turn it sideways for the bin door to close. It simply comes down to the shape of the overhead bin.

2. There isn’t space for every passenger to bring on a roller bag. Even though everyone who boards has a confirmed seat, not everyone has confirmed stowage space. The closest you get to that is under the seat in front of you, assuming you’re not in row one. Otherwise, the overhead bin space is first-come, first-served. If your bag does have to be checked because of this you won’t have to pay – at least on the carrier I work for.

3. Crowded bins have always been a problem. Despite the fact that the airlines are charging a nice chunk of change for checked bags, the truth is, passengers have always brought on too many bags. Long before airlines started charging luggage fees, in the late ’90s, I spent many boardings standing in the back galley surrounded by piles of luggage that needed to be checked because the bin space was full.

4. Yes, luggage fees have exacerbated the bin space problem. When airlines announced that they would start charging for checked bags I knew what that meant. Luggage was going to be overstuffed and even more bags would be brought on. That’s exactly what happened.

5. Some people suffer from luggage separation anxiety. This isn’t a joke. Passengers have various reasons for wanting to keep their luggage with them. For some it’s time, such as they don’t want to wait at baggage claim, and for others it’s a fear of their bags getting lost or damaged.

6. People don’t follow the rules. Even though passengers are supposed to limit their carry on bags to two per person, they don’t. Look around the next time you fly and you’ll see.

7. One bag up and one bag down. I’ve seen one person fill up an entire bin. It’s not fair to your fellow passengers. Unless you’re sitting at a bulkhead or first row, please place only one bag in the bin and the other under the seat in front of you.

8. Coats and jackets on top. Filling an overhead bin with coats and jackets is a waste of space not to mention you risk someone ruining your items when they throw their roller bag on top of your stuff. I’ve seen jackets smudged with grease from this happening. Simply wait until all of the people are on and the bins are full then place your outerwear on top of the luggage.

9. Please don’t break the bin. Please don’t ever force a bag in a bin. Bins can crack as well as the bin door – and guess what: if a bin is broken the plane can’t fly. And that’s a whole other debacle…

10. Prepare for the worst (checking your bag) and hope for the best (finding space in the overhead bins). And while you’re at it, be sure to read my post Top 10 Luggage Tips For Flying on the Top 10 Blog.

Let’s get one thing straight: in my world the best candy store is the one I’m standing in, preferably with chocolate in hand. Looking through my thousands of photos I recently realized that I have been through a lot of candy stores over the years and every place has been a delight.

Interestingly, many The Vacation Gals posts have a candy theme as well. For example, ColoradoGal has been to Chutters in Littleton, NH, where you will find the longest candy counter. Last winter my family toured the Jelly Belly Visitor Center in Kenosha, WI and we went to the opening of  the temporary Minnesota History Center’s Chocolate: The Exhibition which included chocolate tastings from local shops. And then there was our ultimate candy adventure last fall: Hershey Park in Hershey, PA which also includes some pretty fabulous candy stores. But there have been more candy stores to add to my list…

In October my crew (I work for an airline) got stranded in Kansas City due to power outage at the airport. So what did we do for five hours? We sweet-talked the hotel van driver to take us to a local shopping center where we stumbled upon this chocolate store called the Chocolaterie Stam. This is the most elegantly decorated chocolate shop I have even seen – think gorgeous ceiling tiles, royalty-inspired furniture and sparkling chandeliers and, naturally, truffles for every palate.

During my family’s two-week long road trip to the East Coast last fall we stumbled into the Candy Man found on the main street of Lake Placid, NY. The massive assortment of chocolates and truffles made it a challenge to choose just one so we left with an overflowing bag.

Jim’s Apple Farm in Jordan, MN (aka the big yellow barn), boasts it’s the Largest Candy Store in Minnesota and indeed, it is.

Shelves and tables are neatly piled with every type of candy imaginable, including favorite classics like Dots and licorice, as well as tubs of local homemade treats. I believe I even saw some candy cigarettes (controversy anyone?). In other words, if you love it they most likely have it.

I look forward to finding more candy shops during my travels. Do you have a memorable candy store? Please share, we’re always looking for great places to satisfy our sweet tooth.

It’s no secret that one of my favorite pastimes is scouting out cool luggage. As travelers, nice quality luggage should be a top priority whether we travel weekly, daily or monthly and it always makes for a great gift. Since the holidays are upon us, today we are teaming with Luggage Online who is offering our readers the chance to win an amazing piece of luggage: the High Sierra Elevate 22-inch ($110).

Before we tell you how to enter for your chance to win, we’d like to point out some of the features of this good-looking piece of luggage. To start, it’s constructed of High Sierra’s Grid-Weave Duralite, Mini-Weave Duralite and Duraweave. It has a recessed, telescoping lightweight aluminum handle system with locking mechanism, padded top and side carry handles and a must-have tow-strap for attaching an extra bag.

Inline skate-style wheels, are inset in protective corner-mounted housings which makes for easy airport maneuvering. We love pockets and luckily the High Sierra Elevate has  plenty including a lower front pocket for holding magazines and other small items while the upper front pocket can easily contain airline tickets or travel necessities. The main compartment expands two inches and has a book-style opening, a large mesh pocket with an interior clothing hold-down straps. Keep in mind you always have the option of purchasing luggage sets for all of your travel needs.

To top it off, the reviews I found online are fantastic! In fact, our ColoradoGal reviewed this for Practical Traveler and gave it a glowing review especially for it’s light weight of only 6.8 lbs. She says, “I sure appreciate its light weight when hefting it into planes’ overhead bins or onto airport-security counters.” That’s something we can all relate to.

If this sounds great to you and you’d like a chance to win the High Sierra Elevate for yourself or to give as a gift this holiday season, here’s not to enter:

• Leave a comment below telling us where you would use your brand-new High Sierra Elevate
• You may enter (leave a comment) once daily until 6 p.m. (Central Time) Tuesday, December 13, 2011.
• The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning.
• We’ll do our best to weed out repeat entries from the same household (duplicate IP addresses in one day), but we’re not superhuman. Please, as an individual, just comment once daily — don’t try to dupe the system.
• Immediate family members of The Vacation Gals are not eligible to enter.
• You must be 18 and have a U.S. mailing address to enter.
• We will enter the total number of comments into random.org to generate the winning comment number. Winner’s name and winning comment number will be announced at the bottom of this post December 14, 2011.
• If winner does not respond to two emails announcing his/her win within a week, another comment number will be chosen.
• Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary.

Congratulations to our winner: L. Burrows who says: I will decide at the last minute to go on a business trip with my often-traveling husband – and have a grand bag to pack my nightie in!

How many times have you had a bear cross in front of your car? Sure, it happens in the wild from time to time as backwoods explorers drive through the mountains or other isolated regions. Even during our Alaska cruise last year there were some accounts of people in our group seeing wild bears during their excursions and we certainly saw bears along the shoreline from our cruise ship – of course my experiences were nothing like SoCalGal’s brown bear sightings.

If that video leaves you wanting more and Alaska isn’t on your itinerary, but the Black Hills of South Dakota are you can have a little bear time of your own.

This past summer my family made our way through South Dakota for the first time to see Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorial. The landscape was scenic and the list of attractions in the region was plentiful, but there was one location that especially caught our attention: Bear Country USA  which is located just eight miles south of Rapid City.

After seeing the signs we thought we’d stop by for some information before checking into our hotel. As my husband gathered the details from the gate attendant the kids and I looked on the other side of the entrance gate and saw a massive elk. The kids’s eyes lit up and we knew we had to return.

The idea behind Bear Country is to allow visitors to have an up close look at animals in their natural setting which is spread across 250 acres. Nearly all of the wildlife are born at Bear Country and are hand-raised by the park staff. Bear Country also boasts being home of the largest collection of privately owned black bears in the world. Despite the name, my family discovered there is much more than bears.

The winding road – be sure to drive very slowly – crosses through seven sections which are home to Elk, Reindeer, Arctic Wolf,  Bighorn Sheep, Dall Sheep, Rocky Mountain Goat and North American Black Bear.

What my family loved most was that there’s no glass or bars to peer through and some animals are literally feet away from the car. Surprisingly, we didn’t even need our camera’s zoom lens. We sat in the bear section for quite a while. There were dozens of active bears. A few were walking around our car. The kids giggled in delight!

Adorable doesn’t even begin to describe the cute and cuddly section of Babyland. After the car tour and fabulous animal sightings the road leads to the main facility which has a snack bar, restrooms, a massive gift shop and Babyland which consists of a short walking loop. It’s here the newest additions are raised until they’re ready to join the adult members of the families. The highlight was no doubt watching the cubs rumble and tumble with each other and use their siblings as chew toys.

The Bear Country USA entry free was $55 for the car (otherwise $16 for adults and $10 for children age 5-12). We thought the price to was a little steep at first, but afterwards we decided the experience was worth it.