QR codes on tags help travelers and luggage stay together

Featured News, QR Codes, Technology News

This smartphone friendly form of identification can help bags to be returned to their owners.

The travel industry has tried all sorts of different efforts to help to make sure that luggage that goes missing will eventually make its way back to its owner, and QR codes are the latest of these attempts, playing on the common use of smartphones and other mobile devices.

By adding these barcodes to luggage tags, someone who finds misplaced baggage can contact its owner.

This effort is being spearheaded by GoCodes, a company that will have unique QR codes generated for travelers, so that if the luggage doesn’t arrive in its intended destination, the barcode can be scanned with a smartphone to reveal the contact information of the individual that has been waiting for a long time at the baggage carousel.

In theory, an airport employee or good Samaritan will scan the QR codes so that the owner can be contacted.

From that point, arrangements can be made to ensure that the baggage with the QR codes will be returned to its owner. Through the GoCodes service, there are a number of different features available in terms of various forms of barcodes and contact options. At the ground floor, it costs approximately $10 for the most basic tag.
Many upgrades are also available in order to branch out the service to individuals other than travelers. For instance, the company also has QR codes on stickers that can be added to a smartphone, tablet, mp3 player, headphones, wallet, or virtually anything else. This can help someone with good intentions to make sure that the missing item is returned to its owner.
Though the QR codes don’t guarantee that the missing possessions will be returned to their owners – as this still relies on the concept that the item will be found, scanned, and that contact will be made – they do provide an extra means for someone who has found the item to be able to find out to whom it belongs. When it comes to having belongings go missing, every little bit can help to increase the odds that it will be found again.

How to Legally Travel to Cuba

April 18, 2013 By: Newswire

 

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Even though the Obama Administration reauthorized legal educational travel to Cuba in 2011, most U.S. clients still aren’t aware they are allowed to travel with a licensed operator to the country under the Treasury Department’s people-to-people cultural exchange program. Available to any U.S. citizen, one doesn’t have to be a world-renowned pop star or navigate mounds of paperwork to discover an island formerly closed off to Americans. 

While restrictions on visitor activities are closely adhered to, it is a misperception that Cuba is off limits to Americans. In fact, tens of thousands of Americans have participated in people-to-people tours since the opportunity was reinstated more than two years ago – and programs are continuing to gain popularity.
Steps to Take to Travel to Cuba Legally
Step 1:  Know that Americans can legally travel to Cuba with an organization that has a people-to-people license issued from the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
Step 2: Search online for “travel to Cuba” or “legal travel to Cuba” to find a licensed provider of people-to-people trips.
Step 3: Keep in mind that only U.S. companies are authorized to send Americans legally (Canadian operators which sell Cuba do not qualify).
Step 4: Feel comfortable with the company’s level of experience based on the information they provide on their website, in their brochures, and which you receive from their representatives.
Step 5:  Decide on an itinerary. Some operators offer more options than others based on destinations and the types of people-to-people experiences / activities planned.  Choose what’s best for you.
Step 6: Have a valid passport. The tour operator you select will most likely help arrange your visa and licensed charter flight from Miami to Cuba.  Commercial flights are not available so don’t try looking for flights online.
Step 7: Book your trip and bring home memories of a lifetime.
Only the Third Time in Fifty Years
While this August will mark the second anniversary of Americans traveling to Cuba on people-to-people trips since President Obama reintroduced the initiative in 2011, this is only the third time in 50 years that such an opportunity has existed.  President Carter eased the travel restrictions in 1977 only to have them quickly reversed. President Clinton first introduced people-to-people travel in 2000, but the window closed again in 2003.

People-to-People Travel
Going on an approved tour to Cuba is not a typical Caribbean vacation; OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control) requires full participation in authorized daily educational activities and excursions. Going to the beach, fishing, and engaging in other leisure activities are not part of the experience. With Insight Cuba, travelers get a true glimpse of daily Cuban life through touching interactions with locals at places like the AfroCuba de Matanzas and in the homes of budding artists and musicians. They get to know the children and teachers at their schools and see what life is like in Cuba and share with them what life is like in the United States.

Visit www.insightcuba.com.

Traveling to Mexico

There have been some interesting articles recently about safety concerns in Mexico. Our agents travel to Mexico extensively and we have clients there most of the time. The last article had a very misleading title and it was not supported in the article itself. It stated killings in the resort area of Cancun. When reading the article, it mentioned a shack in the outskirts of Cancun. That is not the same. We don't send our clients to the outskirts of Cancun. Also the victims were drug dealers. They were not innocent tourists visiting the area. Please talk to your travel agent if you have any concerns. We truly care about the safety and well being of our clients, family and friends. If there would be an issue, we would share the information with you. Also we guide our clients to using good judgement when traveling anywhere. Book excursions with your hotel or vacation rep such as Apple Vacations or Funjet. Also be sure to use common sense like you would anywhere. Don't flash cash, wear expensive jewelry or forget to pay attention to your surroundings. It is the same thing if you were attending a ball game at Busch Stadium.