A very long time ago, in the Montgolfier home in rural France, the family laundry was drying by the fire when air trapped inside a silk nightgown caused the garment to float upwards. The surprise event got the attention of brothers Joseph and Jacques, who quickly figured out that not only does hot air rise, it has the potential to lift.  By 1783, the two had gone on to invent and launch the world’s first passenger aircraft, the hot air balloon. Their sensational discovery has long since been eclipsed in notoriety by the Wright Brothers, whose Wright Flyer has a slightly closer resemblance to the… Read More…

Hands up if you like the idea of passing through a security checkpoint without having to take off your shoes, empty your pockets, pry out your laptop or remove your jacket. This story is for you. I was kinda hoping that the future might take us to a place where there is no need for airport security but  just in case that’s not where we’re headed, the International Air Transport Association is proposing this alternative; a three-passage screening tunnel that sends fully clothed, carry-on-toting travelers through a high-tech passageway where advanced X-ray, metal, liquid and explosive detectors and a shoe scanner do their work while… Read More…

Writing from Changi Airport Singapore On my way to Singapore today I was struck by how seriously the flag carrier takes the fasten seat belt sign. Kudos to pilots of Singapore Airlines Flight 21 for turning on and sitting down its passengers and cabin crew at the first indication of turbulence. Flight attendants are the most susceptible of anyone on the airplane to injuries arising from turbulence. Despite that, I often notice they are moving about the cabin in bumpy air, as I wrote for The New York Times last year. My friend, airline pilot Pete Frey, had told me that Singapore, known for its… Read More…

The last story I reported for The New York Times and the one running tomorrow, talk about the amenities offered to fancy pants fliers, the folks who get to sit on the front end of the airplane and I’m not talking about the pilots. Premium class travelers get lots of jazzy extras including the services of flight attendants like Kimberly who works for Emirates. If asked, Kimberly will make the cushy business class seat into a lie flat bed and put the linens on for you. Yep turn-down service at 36,000 feet. But there’s something else that Kimberly will do that is even more valuable…. Read More…

Everything I preach about enjoying the journey as well as the destination should not be undone when I tell you that on a recent trip to Frankfurt, I flew Lufthansa business class. Yes indeed, that’s a significantly different experience than flying coach. “Sure,” you’re saying, “who doesn’t enjoy the journey when you’re traveling premium class?”  But that’s not what I’m going to write about here, not now and probably never. There are plenty of other travel websites that cover that experience, In fact, I did write a story about this for The New York Times a few weeks ago, which you can read here. Suffice… Read More…

Last month, I was “stuck” at Chicago O’Hare overnight. I put “stuck” in quote marks because I was actually thrilled to be there, holed up in the fabulous O’Hare Hilton with big glass windows looking out over the airport. You can read more about my 24 hours of airplane heaven at my other blog, FLYING LESSONS. But this video, which I just found on You Tube, makes my little evening of plane spotting pale. So I invite you to sit back, relax and enjoy the flights. Christine NegroniAuthor of The New York Times bestseller, The Crash Detectives, I am also a journalist, public speaker and… Read More…

Lots of people love to travel. Those crowded airplanes? That’s what they’re telling us.  On this blog, Go How, I do intend to pander to your love of travel, ‘cuz I’m like you. I need no excuse to pack a bag. I’ve visited every continent but Antarctica, fifty countries and most of the states in the US. But I also have a goal that’s larger than just writing about destinations and sharing my photos and interviews with people I’ve met. Exploring the world just isn’t big enough for me! I want to expand the notion of travel to include how we go. If you consider… Read More…