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After reading Priyank’s encounter with a burglar in his home I began to think about how vulnerable our dwellings are, especially when we’re not in them. Travelers who will be gone for even a few days from their homes can take a few simple measures to protect them and deter thieves.

We take so many precautions to protect the things we travel with and you should do the same for all the things you leave behind.

• Install A Fake Security Camera - Most of the precautions you need to take are about deterrence since you won’t be able to stop a burglar once their inside. Install a fake security camera above each door to your home. Amazon sells a pretty convincing pair for about $20 each.
• Make A Sign For Your Home Monitoring  Service - Print and laminate a lawn sign for name-your-own home monitoring service or replicate one by ADT, Brinks, or any well-known local name in your area. Study after study shows these are just as effective as the actual alarm systems for warding off crooks (who just move on to the next house).
  • Used signs can also be found on eBay.
• Talk To Your Nosey Neighbors - We’ve all got that person on the block or in our apartment building that just has to know what everyone is up to. As annoying as they are, these people are great security resources. If they’re friendly ask them to keep an eye on your place and give your friend (someone who lives nearby) a ring if they see anything suspicious.

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More fees, plane crashes, and diversifying terrorists make my predictions for 2009 a bit darker than they had been back at the beginning of last year. In January 2008 I predicted quite a few things to be hopeful for - but the slowing global economy will begin to effect the travel industry, and ultimately travelers, in an increasingly negative fashion.

Here’s a look into my cloudier crystal ball this time around.

• Fees, Fees, and More Fees for Everything - Although jet fuel prices dropped dramatically during the second part of 2008, most airlines have maintained additional ‘fuel surchages’,  baggage fees, and $2 cans of soda. Airlines will not only keep these fees around and expand them to include more (currently free) services, they’ll increase existing prices as well. Think paying $15 for your first checked suitcase is bad, it will likely double by the end of 2009.
• More Delays and Plane Crashes - Business cuts from employee paychecks, quality control, and security generally lead to a general decline of service in any industry. With the airline industry in an already weak economic state at the beginning of 2008, and now the overall world economy in recession, things will get worse.
  • Airlines will begin to layoff employees causing fewer, less paid personnel to do the same amount of work. The result will be more lost baggage, overbooked flights, and fewer planes in the sky. All of these factors mean that you’ll probably be stuck at some airport during your travels. Here are 3 fun things to do and the best places to sleep.
  • Being involved in a plane crash is an extremely unlikely event, even for frequent travelers but expect a few more than ‘average’ this year. Budget cuts are already caused Southwest to skimp on FAA required inspections in 2008 and sooner or later it will catch up with the airlines and some unfortunate travelers.
• Increase In Terrorist Attacks On Alternate Modes Of Travel - Expect various terrorist groups around the world (I’m bunching in all of them here) to begin targeting cruise ships, trains, and even car drivers. While airplanes are still a high-value target, frozen assets, better intelligence, and waning popularity of (especially Islamic extremism) is going to lead to different, lower-budget attacks.

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Every Friday over the next three months I’d like to introduce you to a feature of foXnoMad. Helping you make the most out of every post, connect with your fellow travelers, and travel smarter.

Keep track of the countries and US states I’ve visited by checking out my Blog Locations. You can view the map, which I update whenever I post a story or picture from a location, below. The map also includes the nations and cities that others have written as guest posts for me in the past.

I added the Blog Locations, which you can get to from the yellow link atop every page, to make it easier to keep up with my personal travel journal. Take a look at some of my most recent posts from Myanmar or India and find out where in Africa I’ll be headed first.

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At the dawn of the new year, I’d like to thank all of you for your readership, comments, and feedback over the past year. Thank you for subscibing to foXnoMad, emailing your post ideas, and enlightening me with stories from your own travels and so much more.

Here are some of the most popular posts from the past year.

Most Page Views

1. Get US Access To Websites While Abroad With Free Download: Hotspot Shield
2. Inspire Me Africa Photo Contest: Vote For Your Favorite 3 [POLL]
3. The Best iPod Touch (and iPhone) Hacks For Travelers

Most Commented

1. 7 Up and Coming Best Places To Travel On A Weak Dollar
2. 5 Former Best Places To Travel On A Weak Dollar
3. How To Make Money With Your Travel Blog

Some of My Favorites

1. How Americans Can Blend In Abroad
2. How To Avoid A Speeding Ticket
3. Travel Unravel: Any Tips For A First Time Flight With An Infant?

I look forward to sharing 2009 with you and continuing to help you travel smarter!

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Every insightful comment you leave on a post enhances foXnoMad more than I could with even the best travel article. I appreciate every comment, hope you’ll leave more, and encourage you to do so if you never have.

In case you don’t get a chance to follow the latest comments in the sidebar, or read through a viewer, here are some of the best comments of the month.

• Luis warns Stina that donkeys can be very dangerous.
• Sound advice from Priyank that terrorism must be dealt with at the source, not the destination.
• Like most of us, Deniz didn’t realize that airline pillows and blankets are not washed.
• Despite the dropping British pound, Marta’s hoping Thailand is still a good deal.
• Andy is on his way from Panajachel, Guatemala to Antigua this week.
• Cuckoo says I look more Indian than Turkish and translates some Hindi for me.
• Although Kim was wrong, I’m glad that these two predictions of his were off.

There were plenty of new commenters this month chiming in especially on the Inspire Me Africa Photo Contest. Thank you to all of you who left a comment this month. If you’ve never left a comment or it’s been a long time, drop a comment on this post and tell everyone hello, we’d love to hear from you

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The traveler’s insurance company, Cheap Travel Insurance, has been offering its services to backpackers and travelers of all ages since 2000. The company, which is currently available to UK residents only has a variety of policies for individuals, couples, and families for trips ranging from a few days to several months. Cheap Travel Insurance’s policies cover a large range of physical and financial hardships you may face while away from home.

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A representation of air traffic patterns across the world during a typical 24 hours span using data from delay predictor FlightStats.

It seems as though most flights flow from the US to Europe, then back again. FlightStats is a great way to predict potential delays in advance. If you’re traveling in the US, you can use the the FAA status map or Google hack to find out about current delays and find out how long you’ll be waiting in security lines from the TSA.

[via: Upgrade: Travel Better]

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Rising airfare prices, airline mergers, and an increase in foreigners being targeted by extremists are just some of the predictions I made for 2008 earlier this year. With the year drawing to a close I’d like to look back with you at my predictions and see how each of them turned out.

1. Airline Prices Will Continue To Rise - “The major air carriers, especially US companies, have been poor to adjust to their competition and the needs of travelers in general. Expect airlines to raise fares.“

Outcome: Correct. According to Rick Seaney in 2007 there were 17 total base airfare hikes. Compare that to 2008, where airlines have increase prices on standard routes 15 times - from January to August. United and Delta were the main culprits using fuel surcharges to increase base fees by $10-20 an average of every other week.

• 2.  Alternative Modes Of 
  Travel Will Become Less Popular - “The use of trains, buses, and other modes of  transportation have and will continue to decline in ridership as people look to the skies to get around quicker.“

Outcome: Inconclusive. Air travel continues to rise slightly at approximately 1-2% from the United States and at similar rates globally. While land travel is decreasing, more people are traveling by boat.

• 3. Green Travel Vacations Will Become Available - “Vacation packages for eco-friendly globe roamers are out there but will hit the mainstream over the course of 2008.“

Outcome: Wrong. Let’s put it this way, talk of green travel has increased over the course of 2008 as marketers try to appeal to the consciousness of every traveler. Aside from the Germans taking staycations more people are visiting emerging nations on the tourism scene. Many of these places are third world counties whose lavish accommodations wreak havoc on the local ecology. Here are 33 ways to green your travels no matter where you go.

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I’ll be taking this week off, trying to enjoy some traveling without thinking about travel writing! I know that many of you will be traveling over the next week for Christmas or just to enjoy the time off (in the US and most of the ‘Western’ world).

So tell me in the comments, where are you traveling to over the next week?

I’d like to hear from you - even if you’re not going anywhere! I’ll be recharging my travel battery over the next week and resume regular posting about places to travel, the best ways to get there, and of course, how to travel smarter on Monday, December 27.

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Post Highlights are a selection of the best and most popular posts from the past two weeks updated every other Saturday. Another great way to get the best of foXnoMad is to subscribe to my RSS feed (what is RSS?).

Sunset At Vidhana Soudha, Bangalore India

Here is the first picture from my most recent trip to Bangalore, which I’ll be posting about more this week.

Cabin Cuddler Review

As shown in the photo to the right, the
Cabin Cuddler is a 100% polyester
travel blanket that wraps around your body and feet.

Why Making Hotel Terrorism Saftey Plans Are A Waste of Time

The statistics don’t support it, a single plan only protects you from a specific threat, and you’d need to be a damn good psychic in order to be successful.

Interview With Cabin Cuddler Creator Jim Levings

Jim is a fascinating fellow who was kind enough to let me ask him a few questions about his product the Cabin Cuddler, how he found out that airplane blankets aren’t washed, and his career as a pilot.

Shiva Temple - Bangalore, India

You can see the rest of my pictures from this Shiva Temple, with impressive statues of the deity here.

Inspire Me Africa Photo Contest Results

The voting for the top prize in the Inspire Me Africa Photo Contest went down to the very end last night.

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