Dear Editors:

We recently booked airline reservations. We didn't realize that the names on our driver's licenses do not match the names exactly as they appear on the tickets (ie. Andy instead of Andrew, middle initials missing). Will this be a problem at airport check-in/boarding? If so, what do we need to do ahead of time?

--Sherri

Update: This continues to be a very popular post so I thought I'd update the information since airline policies for bereavement fares tend to change. But first I'd like to thank all of the travelers who wrote about their experiences in the comments section of this post. I know that losing a loved one is hard and booking a compassion fare is very stressful. Your advice is wonderful and you're helping other people navigate this challenging period.

General Info: Bereavement or compassion fares aren't always the best option for those traveling at the last minute. Let's weigh the pros and cons.

Hey Steve,

It's been a while since we talked. First up, I just wanted to say thanks again for my MacBook and my iPhone. They have completely revolutionized how I travel, which is well documented here and here and here.

There are travelers out there who firmly believe that gadget-free is the only way to go globetrotting, but don't worry. The Gadget Guru is always trying to win hearts and minds to the ways technology can enhance a travel experience.

Which leads me to my reason for writing. Do you have a moment to chat? Steve, Steve, Steve. I had Wednesday, January 27th marked on my iPhone calendar as Tablet Day! No one was more excited than me about TABLET DAY!!!

Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days. - Benjamin Franklin

Whether you're crashing on Aunt Edna's floral couch or hosting your in-laws for a week, the holidays are about bonding with loved ones in cramped quarters. We asked our readers to send us their most hair-raising tales of guests gone bad. Here are your houseguest horror stories!

The most advanced camera I've ever owned is on my desk right now--integrated into my cell phone. I know, I know. It's no digital SLR. But have you held one of those things? You may as well be hoofing around with an extraordinarily-expensive boulder in tow. Not an ideal situation for most vacationers--myself included.

But here's the thing: you don't need a leviathan of a camera to take crisp, professional-looking photos. You just need to think like a photographer. Try these simple tips for starters:

The gadget guru is back! My iPhone has completely revolutionized how I travel and I'm not just talking about having access to my email and Google maps. Here are my top 10 travel apps I can't live without when I'm on the road. I've noted what devices they are compliant with and their cost. And please chime in with your favorite apps in the comments section. I'm all ears!

I'm all about getting sporty on my trips. When I was training for the NYC marathon, I had to visit Washington, D.C. at a crucial point of my training. Instead of halting training or spending hours running on the hotel treadmill, I hired a running guide through City Running Tours who took me on a sightseeing run through our nation's capital.

So when I heard about a physical fitness event  -- again, in Washington, DC -- coming up on October 11, I thought I would share it with you. Bike for the Heart is a day-long event put on by the Sister to Sister organization, a group dedicated to educating women about heart health and risk prevention and providing free heart health checkups.

The day consists of four events:

 - a family-friendly five-mile bike ride around our nation's capital (this would be my choice)

Please join us in welcoming Kristin Luna to The Window Seat. She lives in San Francisco and is the writer of the Bloggie-award-winning travel blog Camels and Chocolate.

When I scheduled my 28-hour stopover in Helsinki, I thought I’d do a whirlwind tour of the city, snapping some quality architecture shots in true shutterbug fashion and doing little else. Au contraire, naïve one. Instead, I spent the majority of my time in Finland getting acquainted with the downtown poliisi precinct.

On my way to the ferry station to purchase my ticket to Estonia, I was crossing at the green crosswalk like the law-abiding citizen I am. Out of nowhere, a minivan cab came whipping around the way, and performed an illegal U-turn—at a red light at that—before I had time to contemplate my next move.

Baseball fever is in the air and in just a few days Major League Baseball will be kicking off opening day in the City of Brotherly Love, where the World Champion Philadelphia Phillies will play against the Atlanta Braves.

And if there's one thing is for sure, die-hard baseball fans will be traveling miles away, braving the rainstorms, humidity, cold, or the extra long ball games (you know, the ones that goes into extra innings and neither team scores a run until the 12th inning) to cheer on their teams.

Last season, as a compromise with my significant other over baseball and shoe shopping, I accompanied him to three baseball games across the East Coast from Boston to Philadelphia to follow his New York Mets team and suprisingly, I had a wonderful time!

Last time I visited home, I had been away too long and missed my mother’s cooking. So she insisted on packing my bags full of home-made pork buns, sweet bread, chocolate chip cookies, and chicken noodle soup so I could bring them back east (I didn‘t have the heart to tell her that I now get my cookie fixes from Rocco’s).

Many people heading back after the holidays have to figure out how to schlep their home-made goodies and gifts all the way back while trying to deal with the complex security restrictions on food. For this reason, it’s no surprise that according to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the number one question travelers have for the TSA Contact center is, “Can I take my pie with me on the plane?”