August 2008
In this issue
- Welcome To the Newsletter
- Cruise Industry News
- Entertainer of The Month
- Green Room News
- Combating Jet Lag
- Tax Tips / Travel News
- Choosing The Right Frequent Flyer Program
Welcome to the Second issue of the Entslist / Green Room Newsletter. We'll be bringing you the latest news and information from entslist.com and our interactive social network The Green Room. We will also bring you travel & health information geared to the professional entertainer.
TO YOUR HEALTH
By Jim Coston
Be it travelling for business or pleasure, the further your trip the more chance you stand of being plagued by jet lag.
Some travellers are lucky and never seem to be affected, however for others jet lag can be quite severe.
This is why it is so important to try to minimise the affects of jet lag. Here are a few tips...
Avoid alcohol in flight, pressurized air in the cabin dehydrates your body substantially, and alcohol affects the body clock by not giving you a full and refreshing sleep.
Drinking plenty of non-alcoholic fluids counters this. Water is better than coffee, tea and fruit juices
It is recommended to move around when in-flight, walk up and down the plane, do some stretching exercises to keep the blood circulating and stop the joints from stiffening.
When in your seat, swirl your ankles around from time to time. Get off the plane if possible at stopovers, and take a walk.
Set your watch to the local time of your destination as you board, and sleep according to that. This will help you start the change in your "body clock".
If when you arrive to your destination, it is day time, try not to go to sleep.Try to go outdoors and into the sunshine , this helps to alter your body clock, and will mean you will be back to normal a lot quicker.
Jim Coston is not only a frequent flyer but was an ACLS Paramedic for 12 years.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT FREQUENT FLYER PROGRAM
How to choose a Frequent Flyer Programs (FFP) generates as much interest and heated discussion as politics or religion among seasoned travellers.
While each FFP has it's plusses and minuses, unless you fly a lot (in which case you might as well have ALL the major FFP cards) there is one key consideration when choosing a program.
Choose ONE Program
By consolidating your mileage into a single FFP account, you have the best chance to (a) qualify for elite status, and therefore for elite benefits and recognition, and (b) qualify for the most desirable travel awards.
Since most miles are earned for airline flights, the choice of FFP comes down to the choice of airline which best meets your travel needs.
In most cases, that will be the airline with the most flights from/to your home airport.
If your local airport is a "hub" airport for one of the major carriers, join the FFP of that carrier.
If. for example, you live in Minneapolis, you will be flying mostly on Northwest - the reason being NWA operates almost 80% of the flights into and out of the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport.
The same principle applies to Delta at Atlanta, United at Denver, US Airways at Pittsburgh, etc.
If you live in a city like LA or New York, which are each served by multiple airports and many airlines, the choice is a little more challenging.
In this case, join the FFP of the airline which flies most often to the cities you visit most often.
If you travel internationally, your choice may ultimately be influenced by the Airline Mileage Partners that are included in the FFP.
Still not sure? For more info about FFP's , go to webflyer.com or frequentflier.com.
Despite the mounting problems in the Travel Industry, nine new cruise ships are being launched in the next 12 months! Come to the Cruise Forum to discuss these new builds and their impact on the industry.
| Cruise Line | Ship Name | Launch Date | Tonnage | Passengers |
| Princess | Ruby Princess | Nov 08 | 113,000 | 3,080 |
| MSC | MSC Fantasia | Nov 08 | 133,500 | 3,300 |
| Celebrity | Solstice | Fall 08 | 118,000 | 2,850 |
| MSC | MSC Splendida | Spring 09 | 133,500 | 3,300 |
| Costa | Costa Luminosa | Spring 09 | 92,700 | 2,260 |
| Costa | Costa Pacifica | Spring 09 | 130,000 | 3,652 |
| Seabourn | Seabourn Odyssey | June 09 | 32,000 | 450 |
| Pearl Seas Cruises | Unnamed | Summer 09 | 7,600 | 165 |
| Sea Cloud Cruises | Sea Cloud Hussar | Sep. 09 | N/A | 136 |
ENTERTAINER OF THE MONTH
This months feature Entertainer is ...... PHILLIP HUBER
PHILLIP HUBER, a world-renowned “marionette artist”, is most widely known for his work in the 3-time Academy Award nominated film BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, and a new film, THE LEGEND OF TILLAMOOK GOLD.
Phillip’s stage credits feature BUSKER ALLEY starring Tommy Tune, IT’S MAGIC starring Harry Anderson, THAT’S CHRISTMAS starring Sandy Duncan, CHISTMAS WITH FRIENDS & NABORS starring Jim Nabors, and THE ROAD TO HOLLYWOOD with Tony-winning director Walter Bobby.
See Phillip at The Green Room!!
GREEN ROOM NEWS
We've added a new Instant Message panel on every page of the Green Room. Now you automatically know who is online and you can chat directly with them by simply clicking on their icon.
We are averaging three new members a day since we first went online and should be near the 200 mark before this issue goes to press. We are very pleased with the response but would like to uge ALL members to take a moment and INVITE entertainers they know check out The Green Room.
The more members we have, the more vibrant a community we will become!
TAX TIPS
The IRS has officially announced that as of July 1st, 2008 through December 31st, 2008, the standard mileage rate for the use of a car (including vans, pickups or panel trucks) is increasing to:
58.5 cents per mile
for business miles driven
Don't forget , when you drive yourself to Audition and Callback Locations it's important to log your mileage as this can be a legitimate tax-deductible business expense for performers!
Travelers' Laptops May Be Detained At Border
No Suspicion Required Under DHS Policies
Did you know that Federal Agents may take a traveler's laptop or other electronic device to an off-site location for an unspecified period of time without any suspicion of wrongdoing, as part of border search policies the Department of Homeland Security?
Additionally, officials may share copies of the laptop's contents with other agencies and private entities for language translation, data decryption or other reasons, according to the policies, dated July 16 and issued by two DHS agencies, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
"In April, the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco upheld the government's power to conduct searches of an international traveler's laptop without suspicion of wrongdoing. The Customs policy can be viewed here.
IN OUR NEXT ISSUE
Air Passenger Rights - Part 1
Travel Medicine 101
Entertainer of the Month
Industry News Briefs
... and much more!!!
