Not so bleedin' fast, Russ Campbell!

You'd miss the Aleutians by quite a bit but you'd have to thread very carefully through the Kurile (or Kuril) Islands, which extend down from the (Russian) Kamchatka Peninsula (well-known to anyone who's ever played Risk) to the northernmost Japanese island of Hokkaido, forming the Sea of Okhotsk behind it towards Sakhalin.

My globe puts Seattle at about the latitude of the island of Onekotan, but Wikipedia says that according to that latitude of 47°36' N you'd hit further south, at the island of Ketoy, though if you did a little shimmy you might pass between Ketoy and Simushir just to the south.

Both of these islands are uninhabited, and only a few thousand live in all 56 of the Kuriles combined, but they've been a bone of contention between Japan and Russia since 1875 at least.

What are your interests? Are you looking for tourist stuff or art or historical stuff or shopping or what. I'm pretty sure this has been asked before so look through the past answers

Asteria has given an excellent practical solution to the question. I will just add a little bit from my own meandering experience as a traveler and aviation geek.

Peter Greenberg, NBC's travel guru, has filled entire chapters of books on this subject with very outdated and irrelevant information. As an impressionable teenage jetsetter, I bought and devoured all of them.

I can tell you that once upon a time upgrades were handed out much more freely than they are now. With the rise of airline "alliances," the freebies are usually gobbled up by elite-level flyers from the airline in question or one of their partners.

From Greenberg's books, and my own personal experience, I can tell you that there are four factors that can increase or decrease your chance of scoring a free first class upgrade.

1) Dress the part. People in tracksuits or Budweiser t-shirts don't get bumped up to first class. People who dress like professionals and look like they belong in the front of the airplane do. Wearing business casual or better clothing will increase your chances of getting an upgrade.

2) Early is on time and on time is late. Show up to the check-in counter and boarding gate as early as possible. If there is a free upgrade to be had, the early bird gets the worm. When you go up to the counter be Mr. or Ms. Congeniality. Ask the agent how their day is going, be friendly, and then casually drop the question. "Are there any upgrades available?"

3) Be flexible. Let it be known when you're talking to the agent that you are willing to volunteer to take a later flight if they are oversold. Also, if a flight attendant or gate agent makes an announcement asking if anyone is willing to move to a different seat for whatever reason, jump on it. I was once upgraded to First Class on a flight from Charlotte to Dallas because I was the only one on the entire 757 willing to move to let a family sit together.

4) Higher fares get priority. As you probably know, airline fares are byzantine, and there are often several different fares for the same coach ticket on the same flight. If you paid $99 to fly from Seattle to LAX and the guy next to you paid $400, then all things being equal, he's going to get the upgrade. If you're traveling on somebody else's dime, and money is no object, book a higher fare. You're more likely to get bumped up into First. So called "full fare coach" or Y-class tickets are often converted to First if there is room available, however those are pricey tickets and there is no guarantee that they'll have room for you up front.

Bottom line, the best way to get into First Class for free is to become an elite-level frequent flier or pay cold hard cash for the upgrade. Barring that, I hope these four tips are helpful. They've served me well over the years. May the road rise to meet you, and may you fly in VFR with tailwinds.

I can only speak to my previous experience flying between Seattle and Anchorage on Continental. I buy a coach ("Economy") ticket directly through their site, and then as soon as the online check-in opens up (24 hours in advance) I check-in and buy a first-class upgrade if it's available.

It usually costs $89 each way to upgrade, but I think it's worth it because I always have two bags to check, and that alone is going to cost $60 each way in luggage fees. You get to check 2 bags free in First Class.

When you factor in the luggage fees, it only costs me $58 extra to upgrade round trip. Seattle to Anchorage Economy tickets are $545 right now, and First Class is $1243, so it's nowhere near the full price. Even though I'm just paying a relatively small fraction of the full fare I still get all the first class perks, which is more than just the nice seats - I get to go to the front of every line at the airport (including security).

The key is to get an economy ticket on a flight that's not going to be packed, and do the on-line check-in as soon as possible - the upgrades go very fast, usually not too long after the 24-hour window opens.

Even if there is an open seat in First Class after everyone has boarded, I'm sure the attendants wouldn't let anyone sit there unless they paid the upgrade fee. The flight attendants won't even let coach passengers use the bathroom in the first class section. I think it's still possible to pay the upgrade fee after boarding if there is an open first class seat - I remember someone doing that but it might have been a different airline. Also I have no idea what other airlines offer in the way of upgrades.

Are you registered with the airline programs? Unless you have some kind of elite status, I think your only hope is that the flight is overbooked. And even then its a long shot because they usually start bumping people based on their airline status (I think they also target solo passengers, speaking from experience).

I've also read that when asked, if you volunteer to get bumped off the flight, theres a small chance you'll get upgraded if you take them up on their offer.

Check out at discussions for the specific airline on Flyertalk.com for tips.

I did some couchsurfing when I was in France and Germany in 2011. I didn't bring gifts from the US, instead I would do something like take them out for a meal. I was backpacking, so I didn't have the space to bring things along!

For my host in Paris, after a long evening talking I found out that she was in the US for one year a few decades ago. I asked her if there was anything that she would eat in the US that she wasn't able to get in Paris and missed. She said cheesecake! So I made her a cheesecake the next day and she was elated when she came home to find it in her fridge.

I hope you have a good experience with couchsurfing! I've had a wonderful time hosting and while staying with other people. There is nothing as wonderful as having a local to show you around the city they live in.

Also check out the archives, I know we all threw down suggestions from someone else from Texas a few months ago. Dig through those responses then get back to us with the list offered ( especially car or mass transit as there are very different city experiences, we got alot of water here breaking up the city so if you can't go off the transit grid sometimes it's easier to get to different neighborhoods even if on the map they look right next to each other).

Do you know where you're staying? That can help us greatly

Also there's abig difference between not wanting to spend alot of extras and showing up with 50 bucks to feed, entertain, get around town. Maybe a better approach is to say I wanna spend under ten bucks a meal (and if you've got any dietary preferences/restrictions, this is a city full of them so the more we know the more tailored to your experiences we can get)

Unless you're dying to feel broke you probably wanna skip most of the space needle/emp type stuff, if you really want to get to know Seattle from the air get to the top of one of the hills, you'll get the same view without the 20 bucks

If youre intrest is music tell us what type or a few bands you like, that way the clubs thrown out make more sense

If your intrest is art and let us know what week you're going to be around someone can send you to the appropriate neighborhoods artwalk for that week. I think SAM is still pay what you can (Aka suggested donation when I was in school I'd give th a quarter an only get the stink eye half the time) for non block buster show
areas, but theyre not the greatest
collection in town. If you have a student Id you can get into the Henry for free, which is better than SAM most of the time. There is alot of art in this city in weird/out of the wayplaces so this is where knowing your neighborhood and transit is super helpful, also like the music if ya know what type of art you're willing to hunt for it helps qlanders not send you on a wild goose chase to the super rad video installation if you're looking for abstract painting. Check the strangers arts listing as well because even though it's only a page or two it's really the only thing in town ( the weekly never writes about art anymore and forget to put gallery listings in half the time, I don't even know if the daily paper even writes about anything that's real art since that entertainment heading is what pays the bills) there is city arts magazine ( free and online) which will give you some ideas as well but I go back and forth on them for people outside the city, lately it seems to be very much about cool people doing things than really what cool things are up right now, so it makes sense for people here who want to know about something someone is doing in 4 months, but doesn't help someone who wants to know what's up now

The weather is just starting to have some nice days so if you want to just walk around that's cheap and gorgeous if it's nice and it might make more sense to splurge on a ferry or rent a car for the day and head to the mountains ( especially if you wanna see some of the snow kicking around up there, being from Texas that was a big deal to me when I came up as a kid, we always had to hike somewhere we could throw some snowballs)

What are you into?
Art? Music? Scenery? Will you have a car?
Are you over 21?
More info!

I went up I-5 in feb coming from the south because I had hit so much snow going south from the east coast making a giant u across the country. It was a little slower around major cities but I didn't have to stop like I did on the other coast

Taking 395 all the way from Victorville to The Dalles would effectively avoid any major mountain passes. But it has the same problem as I-15, in that even though there's no particularly nasty passes, there's lots of high elevation and it can be snowy pretty much anywhere. I think you'd probably be best off just sticking with I-5 because even though there are some mountain passes, most of that route is pretty much at sea level. The I-5 passes also see a lot more maintenance and snow removal than some of the lonelier roads further inland.

It gets cold - and there's sometimes snow and ice later in the season - and of course, December is the start of rainy season. But I don't ever remember the Cajon closing on account of snow...and believe me, you'd know. Whenever it rains in LA, the local stations send out 18 reporters to various locations, sprayed and lacquered anchors asking, "Trish, seen any rain yet?" Not unlike what Seattle does when there's a snow threat.

I've never heard the Cajon Pass being closed for reasons other than fog and high wind. They're pretty good at keeping it clear. But a surprise storm might cause a major slow-up.

And yeah...the Siskiyous are another matter. They're a challenge a lot of the time. My sister and I drove through southbound on a sunny day in November and the wind kept wanting to blow us off the road.

Have you seen this?

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/video?id=6556113

It can, but is usually a once-a-year or less occurrence. The CHP sometimes even closes it, although that's probably more to do with the aptitude of So Cal drivers in the snow than with the severity of the weather. It'll be on the news if there's snow up there-- there'll be reporters from the LA stations wearing arctic-grade parkas against the 30 degree weather.

But Cajon is a pretty nasty pass even in the summer-- if I were towing something, I'd probably just go up through Yucca Valley and avoid the San Bernadinos altogether unless you have to go into LA anyways.

Airlines have different restrictions as to what "family" is. Most, I think, limit the bereavement fare to death of an immediate family member: Husband, wife, mother, father, son, daughter, brother, sister.

There was a death in my family in the early 90s. My nephew (whom I helped raise) died unexpectedly. I was in Seattle. He (and his mother/my sister) lived in Los Angeles. I have to tell you that Alaska Air was a real asshole about it all. It really was the only airline at the time that flew directly to either LAX or BUR. And to top it off, their bereavement fare at the time was 50% off full fare coach (nobody pays full fare anymore - full fare coach is like walking up to the counter and saying, "Give me a ticket to Los Angeles on the next flight out." You see it in movies, but the truth is very few can afford to do that anymore. Full fare LA from Seattle is about $1400). So, it's still a lot more than a ticket booked several days in advance...which wouldn't be applicable here. I was pretty hand-to-mouth back then and I couldn't afford that fare. They quoted me something like $600. I couldn't get the fare anyway because my nephew wasn't immediate family (although he was - he was like a son). I realize that airlines will call the funeral home to verify death, but Alaska (and most everyone else) treated me like I was trying to run a scam for a cheap holiday fare to LA using my nephew's death as a coupon.

Only Northwest would give me a bereavement fare for my nephew, but they didn't fly direct. I would have had to fly to (believe it or not) Minneapolis first, then back out west. So that fare was almost $1200 with the 50% discount.

I was needed in LA in three days. I wound up taking Amtrak which took almost 40 hours (I flew home a week later. I got a good fare back because I was able to book in advance). Amtrak was well under $200 one-way.

Things may have changed since then. My suggestion is to fly stand-by if you are leaving very soon (but you don't want to try standby closer to the holidays) or book as far in advance as you can (which is, I know, hard to do when we're talking about funerals). Bereavement fares are for people who have plenty of dough in the bank and/or a very generous credit line. They are certainly no bargain.

If he has Irish heritage you might consider getting him a book on the region where his family comes from or if not known getting him a subscription to ancestary.com.

I used Priceline some years ago when I had to get back East for a funeral. It is a bit of a gamble as to what you get but the price worked for me.

Probably Rick Steves 2011 Ireland guide:

http://travelstore.ricksteves.com/catalog/index.cfm?fuseaction=product&theParentId=156&id=50

My first thought was to say get a complete one that gives so many options he can find what he wants in it. Then I realized the best way might be to interview him about what he most wants to see/do and plan an itinerary together with that complete guide. Always have some extra options at various points in case energy is low, arthritis is acting up, or whatever factors arise that makes a lower stress activity the best choice for that day.

Lastly, my thought was to suggest getting information through books/video/website resources from Rick Steves. He seems to run the complete gamut of seeing a country from the aspects of cuisine, scenery, culture and people.

I had a few friends recently attempt to search for this, and agree with the rest who say they tried, and the airlines simply don't care these days.

Man, I'm VERY sorry for your loss.

Sadly, bereavement fares are almost nonexistent at this point, just one more thing the carriers have hoovered up in their quest to provide minimum service at maximum dollar.

Soundslikepuget had lots of good advice, especially with regard to speaking face-to-face to a human at the airport. That said, you may not want to invest a bunch of time into this process, especially when you're grieving. Philosophically speaking, this may be a time where it is wise to just purchase the best routing and fare combo that you can find online.

All the better if you can do it with an airline where you have enough miles to upgrade yourself to first class. Penny for penny, you get much better value for your miles using them to upgrade as opposed to securing a coach class ticket. And given the stress of the situation, carrying/wearing nice clothes etc, you might really like flying up front with the 1%.

Lastly, be sure to pick a carrier with multiple flights into Buffalo, and try not to pick the last or second to last arrival of the day. At this time of year you might fly into weather and need to maximize your flexibility. God forbid you travel only to miss the funeral.

Best wishes.

First of all, *hugs* Secondly, while there are some bereavement discounts offered, in most cases they're not very much and you'll possibly have better luck using miles, finding an online deal/package, or flying a discount carrier. And now, I shall expound.

I think talking to a human is going to be your best bet, but also check the online regular fare deals, as bereavement fares are becoming more scarce.

Here's an article by the FareCompare guy, talking about ways to save on last minute fares. The whole article is helpful, as there are a few different ways to save these days, and the actual "bereavement" fares are not always very good deals at all. http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/bereavement-airfares-cheap-emergency-flights-death-illness/story?id=9922168#.Tt_rHvJ7TTo

But specifically item #5 applies, and I'll just copy and past that for you here. "Do any airlines still have bereavement fares? Yes, indeed, although sometimes the discounts are all but meaningless. Face it, 10 percent off a next-day $1,000 fare is still a hefty fare in anybody's book. Of the "Big Five" airlines, only US Airways does not have bereavement or "compassion" fares. Here's what you get from those that do:

American Airlines: The Web site says they "may" offer emergency or bereavement fares but you have to call their reservation departments to find out.

Continental Airlines: Discounts are available in the event of a family member's death or serious illness but you must provide documentation (such as a death certificate); discounts are 5 percent on fares up to $499, 10 percent for fares up to $999 and so on.

Delta Air Lines: Discounts are available in the event of a death or imminent death, but you have to call reservations for details.

United Airlines: This may be the most generous policy, in terms of what is covered (death of a family member, attending a seriously ill or injured family member, or to obtain medical treatment). The discount is 10 percent off of "any published fare for tickets purchased within six days of travel."

Bottom line: Most discount airlines, including AirTran, JetBlue and Southwest, do not offer bereavement fares. As JetBlue says on its site, that's "because our fares are already discounted to all customers.""

(Okay, now it's Tracy typing again) I'm subscribed to farecompare's travel memos and remember an email a few years ago talking about how bereavement fares are mostly a thing of the past. Tried to find it on their website, and found this article about mistakes travelers can make when trying to book a flight at the last minute.

"3. Assume Bereavement Fares Still Exist
If there’s a death in the family or a similar emergency, you might catch a break and find one of the few airlines that still have these somewhat anachronistic airfares; the big surprise however, is how little such fares will save you. United, for example, has “compassion” fares that discount steep last minute fares by a mere 10 percent. It’s better than nothing, but try these alternatives:

Look for package deals: Even with an added hotel, it may be cheaper than last minute walk-up airfare prices
Use your miles: When airfare is expensive, your loyalty points are at their best redemption value
Check alternative airports: Big hubs are usually cheaper than medium-sized or regional airports"

When my Uncle passed away, I had to get down to Dallas pronto. I went to SeaTac and talked to a human at the US Airways counter. I had one of those free ticket vouchers that technically wasn't valid for the flight, but pleaded that I needed to get to DFW. He made some calls, and found empty seats, and managed to convince the airline brass to let me onboard. The only way to do it was to send me through North Carolina, which they weren't technically allowed to do (it would have been two tickets - Seattle to Charlotte and Charlotte to Dallas), but he talked them into doing it.

I got on the flight to Charlotte the next day, and made the connection to Dallas to get there in time for the funeral. They treated me like a human and I will always be grateful for that.

The Orbitz website is correct, you need to contact the airlines directly. If you can just go to SeaTac and speak to a human at the counter, that might be your best bet. Absent that, call them and speak to a reservations agent. Your best bet is to start with an airline that has a lot of flights to your destination (ie, call Alaska if you have to go to Anchorage, call Delta if you have to go Atlanta). Airlines with more flights to where you are going have more wiggle room to be human. Be prepared for the fact that bereavement fares are still very expensive.

EDIT: Also, check if Southwest flies there. The "regular" last minute Southwest fare is sometimes cheaper than the beauravement fare on a different carrier. Southwest has lower "highest" fares.

Where do you need to go?

No. My partner went to B.A. On a last minute trip and didn't need to take anything.

We also went on a trip to the Ecuadorean rainforest and while he did a few of the tropical ones they didn't have any recent (like 20 years plus) of anything where we were visiting. As I was recovering from surgery I didn't get any shots and I was fine -- though I did get a mean case of food poisoning in Quito.

I'm going to echo other folks on here in that you're going to want to bring two pairs - at the very least, a pair of chacos and a pair of short tennis shoes.

i know, i said tennis shoes. not hiking boots. i've started to realize that all the hiking and running around i do in the woods and in parks around seattle is really not that different than the running around i do when i'm on a trip. a 4 hour hike in monteverde is really not that different from a 4 hour summer hike in the north cascades from the point of view of my feet, and i can do that just fine in my sauconys. my sauconys are also a lovely shade of neon yellow and charcoal, which goes with everything. yes, everything.

also, you're going to the rainforest! that's awesome! but rainforests tend to be rainy forests. your shoes are gonna be sopping, no matter what kind you bring. chances are you're not going to want to stop even when trench foot starts in, so at least bring a pair of chacos so you can switch out your shoes still get through mud puddles without caring too much.

have fun!

UW Medical Center's travel health clinic is great for getting some last minute shots (I've always been able to get an appointment within a week or two). Definitely worth attempting (vaccinations are not required, but if you can get a shot for prevention, why not get it? Also, MALARIA PILLS are massively worth it. There are many different types (As keshmeshi points out, some start 1 week in advance, others you take daily, or weekly, and continue afterwards. The doctor she sees can discuss which makes the most sense for the trip). My ex got malaria in thailand (he even had pills, he just didn't take them...after having lived 3 months in sub-saharan africa, he was cocky and thought he was immune to mosquito bites). It is VERY unpleasant. So, by all means, get a prescription. There's still time. (Hmmm, going to their website briefly, it keeps sending me to the neighborhood clinics for travel medicine, not the medical center. Maybe it moved/changed in the last year and a half? In any case, this website has contact info and you can go from there. http://uwmedicine.washington.edu/patient-care/locations/uw-neighborhood-clinics/clinical-services/travel-medicine/Pages/default.aspx )

Additionally, the polyclinic on Capital hill has a great travel medicine team, but it's sometimes harder to get an appointment (although always worth calling). I love them a bit more than the UW experience, because I feel like you get a bit more information. UW just gives you your shots and hands you a bunch of pamphlets. I really like their approach...on your intake paperwork, you decide from 3 levels of care: bare minimum, moderate, or ALL OF THEM (give me all the shots!!). I always pick the 3rd, because I'm a worrier. Also, when traveling to a non-yellow-fever country that borders a yellow-fever country, I'm not convinced the mosquitoes will respect that boundary. And the difference between 2 shots or 3 is miniscule. http://www.polyclinic.com/travel-center-visit-immunization-vaccinations

Bartell Drugs even offers some travel clinics/vaccination sites. So if she can't get into UW Travel Medicine, or Polyclinic, try them. I've had some pals use them, and they say it's pretty convenient. http://www.bartelldrugs.com/health/travelclinics And I've heard that they're a cheaper option for those who don't have health insurance.

In summary: there's still time, and it's a good idea to get some vaccinations. However, it's not a super risky location and she'll probably be okay without, but why take that chance, as there's still time to take some precautions. And, if you really do stay within the city for all of those days, risks are lower...but if you're taking a day trip into the countryside, risks increase, so get some shots/pills before she goes. *smile*

I think it's only too late if she can't get an appointment somewhere. The UW Medical Center once got me an appointment at their travel clinic at the last minute, although that was ten years ago.

Looking at the CDC's list, the only thing that jumps out at me is typhoid. I honestly think the Hep A and Hep B recommendations are kind of ridiculous. You can get both in the U.S. too.

Malaria and Yellow Fever aren't going to be an issue if she really does stay in Buenos Aires, but it's not too late even for Malaria; you need to start taking the meds a week before exposure.