Any travel agent can issue a ticket or book a cruise . . .
We create Travel Experiences . . . that extra effort is our hallmark!

1.  Try to avoid booking the last flight of the day to your destination, particularly at times of the year when weather might cause delays.  and if you have a choice, avoid making connections in cities where weather is more likely to create problems.  Best choice is to book the earliest flight and to choose nonstop or direct flights (your flight does stop but you don't change planes).  Also if you have to choose a connecting flight, then try to go south rather than north during the winter.

2.  If your flight gets cancelled, be assertive, but stay polite.  The gate agents didn't make the decision to ground your plane and they don't have the power to fix it or change the weather - but they do have the power to get you home more quickly, or to make you more comfortable while you are stranded.

3.  If the lines to talk to a gate agent are long, use your cell phone or go to a phone instead, and call the airline or your travel agent to check your options.   Speed counts when there's a crush of cancelled flights, as flights and hotel rooms fill up quickly, says consumer advocate, Ed Perkins.  And it probably will be faster to re-book on the phone than to wait at the gate.  In any event, the more specific information you have about other flights, the better.

4.  Don't be afraid to ask to be put on another airline.  The airline will prefer to book you on its next available flight, but most major airlines have interline agreements that allow them to transfer you to another carrier.  (If you do this, make sure you get the airline to validate your transfer, so you don't have to pay anything to the new airline).

5.  Know the basic rules of what the airline owes you.  If a cancellation is the airline's fault, you ought to get lodging and food on its dime.  If it's anything else - from weather to air-traffic control problems to airport delays -- the airline probably owes you nothing, but may be willing to accomodate some requests.  It never hurts to ask.  In addition to rooms and meals, many will give away long-distance phone cards worth up to $10 and toiletry kits for those who can't reclaim their baggage.

6.  If you're not given free accomodations, ask for a list of hotels that offer "distressed passenger rates"; these are discounts offered to passengers that are having trouble with their flights.

7.  If you are traveling with travel insurance and it looks like you might get reimbursement for travel delay or baggage delay, keep copies of all your receipts and a detailed account of what happened.  This will speed up your claim when you return.  If you have to check out of a hotel and return home because of sickness, make sure you go to a doctor and get something in writing and also get something in writing from the hotel stating why you have to leave.  Bottom line - document, document, document and read the brochure on your travel insurance so you know what you qualify for.