No one can deny that we live in stressful times—on a global scale and in most of our personal lives. The turmoil of everyday life can take a toll on us both physically and emotionally. No wonder we snap at the cashier in the grocery store or feel a compelling urge to ram our cars into the jerk that cut us off on the highway. The tension we let fester inside amplifies the minor problems we face everyday. So what’s the solution? Learn to laugh more. Seriously. Laughter is a proven antidote to stress hormones and it can help make the most difficult situations feel a little more tolerable. Pamela Aye Simon, a Masters Level Registered Dietitian, Lifestyle Coach and author of the newly released “Book of Blah: Random Thoughts for Boring Days” (Warren Publishing, Inc) believes that most us need a refresher course to regain our sense of humor. “I see so many people who are stressed out and find themselves going berserk over minor issues,” says Simon. “We need to learn to take a deep breath, assess the situation and then laugh at the inane nature of it all. Life feels softer if you can see the humorous story behind your frustrations. Laughing may not make the problem itself disappear but it sure helps makes things seem better.” Simon isn’t alone in valuing the benefits of humor. Researchers at Loma Linda University’s Schools of Medicine and Public Health tout the health benefits of laughter. They’ve discovered that laughter increases the body’s ability to use oxygen. It also lowers blood pressure, reduces stress hormones and even boosts the immune system, making it a key weapon in your arsenal to combat the ravages of stress. That all-natural stress relief is one of the primary reasons Simon strives to find humor in things that many people find frustrating—menopause for example. “Let’s be real; menopause is a fact of life for women, we can’t avoid it,” says Simon. “Instead of getting angry about it or complaining I look at the advantages. Thanks to my hot flashes, I can save a LOT of money on winter clothing!” Aging and hormones aren’t the only issues that we should tackle with humor. Family issues are one of the biggest and most demanding stressors we all face. Whether we have acrimonious relationships with our in-laws or an obnoxious relative that everyone tries to pretend is normal. Each family struggles with its own issues and laughter can be a great coping mechanism when it’s time to gather all the relatives together. “I have definitely learned to lighten up and laugh at family dynamics,” says Simon. “I like to sit back and observe the members of my family—dysfunctional behaviors come so naturally to us that we make unhealthy interactions look easy. It’d be a shame to wreck the fun by getting help! Seriously, learning to accept the reality of our families and see the humor of our foibles and flaws is often the best way to deal with it because we can’t change other people. But we can change our approach and learn to laugh more.”

If you've had your checked bags go missing for a day or two, or lost entirely, you'll be furious for sure. But don't get paranoid. Things happen, honest mistakes are made and checked bags go astray. Contributing to the luggage woes, no doubt, were the airlines' horrible on-time performance during the summer and fall with nearly 30% of flights arriving late. Late arrivals translate to missed connections and mishandled luggage. The delays, the DOT said, were the result of the air traffic control system and weather. So, there you are, standing by a carousel in the baggage claim area, watching passengers yank their bags off the belt and merrily head for home or a hotel. The belt goes around and around and finally stops. Your bag is not to be seen. Your heart sinks. What to do? Rule #1: Don't leave the baggage claim office without a file number, a copy of the report and the baggage service phone number. A few words about checked suitcases: When you get your boarding pass and check your luggage, make certain you look at the baggage tag to verify the information is correct -- something most fliers never do, but should. After you file a missing bag report, the baggage agent enters your information into a computer, pushes a button and it zaps the info to all the airlines -- 399 of them who are part of a sophisticated worldwide baggage tracing program called WorldTracer. The search is on. The electronic message, which contains the information about your bag, pops up on computers at baggage service offices around the world. Oftentimes a baggage service agent recognizes a bag description and calls an agent at the airport where the missing bag was reported. With the case of a bag that arrived on an earlier flight, the bag-owner reunion can take place immediately. If your bag is not found in 30 days, your airline prepares to settle your claim. As for the worldwide baggage tracking system, Richard Fiorenza, SITA's product manager, pinpointed part of the baggage problem: "The majority of mishandled bag cases–54%–occur when a bag is not transferred from one flight to another for various reasons," he said. "Usually the inbound flight for a connection is late, the passenger rushes from one flight to another, and his bag doesn't make it." Fiorenza said another 14% of mishandled bags were those of passengers checking in late, maybe 20 to 30 minutes before departure time. For passengers whose bags have gone astray, and the passenger is in dire need of amenities, or even clothes for a business meeting, carriers such as British Airways, American Airlines and others will authorize some limited purchases to ease the pain. You'll need receipts. So, during this age of the ongoing baggage mess, what can passengers do?
• Put your name and itinerary inside your bag, maybe in a big envelope so it can be seen, suggested ATA's Castelveter. If a baggage agent opens the bag, he'll know immediately whose it is and where you are.
• Check in early.
• Do not pack fragile or valuable items -- antiques, cameras, electronics, jewelry, medicines -- in your checked bags.
• Consider insurance. AIG Travel Guard's coverage for a baggage and personal effects loss is $1,000. Check your own household coverage.
• Ship your bag via FedEx or firms like luggageconcierge.com or luggageforward. com My own suggestion: Pack light and carry on.

The number of foreign visitors to the United States has plummeted since the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington because foreigners don't feel welcome, tourism professionals said. And this is in the face of a very favorable currency exchange rate for foreigners. "Since September 11, 2001, the United States has experienced a 17 percent decline in overseas travel, costing America 94 billion dollars in lost visitor spending, nearly 200,000 jobs and 16 billion dollars in lost tax revenue," the Discover America advocacy campaign said in a statement. Chairman Stevan Porter lamented the "extraordinary decline" in the number of overseas visitors to the United States, while the advocacy group's executive director, Geoff Freeman, blamed the slump on the shabby welcome many foreigners feel they get in the United States. "It's clear what's keeping people away in the post-9/11 environment: it is the perception around the world that travelers aren't welcome," Freeman told AFP. "Travelers around the world feel the US entry experience is among the world's worst," Freeman said, calling on the US government to work with the private sector to make visa acquisition more efficient, the entry process traveler-friendly, and to improve communication. There is hope that things will improve during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season.