Dhani Jones Premieres on the Travel Channel Tonight

As some of you may know, I'm a bit of a sports nut. Sports, travel and reality television, to a certain degree, are three of my favorite things. 

So imagine my surprise (and excitement) when I found out that Dhani Jones (linebacker for the Bengals -- sports) was appearing on the Travel Channel (self-explanatory) for his new show (again) "Dhani Tackles the Globe" a show that premieres tonight.

The premise is this: Dhani travels around the world, competing in new and different sports.

He learned about rugby in England; the martial art Muay Thai in Thailand; hurling in Ireland; dragon boat racing in Singapore; Schwingen (wrestling) in Switzerland; pelota in Spain; sailing in New Zealand; and surf lifeguard competitions in Australia.

Part reality TV, part travel show, each episode chronicles his weeklong attempt to master a new sport, interspersed with sightseeing trips and forays into the local culture.

"It allows the entree of, 'I'm an athlete, you're an athlete, we both compete. Let's meet each other on those terms,"' Jones said in a telephone interview from Ohio.

It also allows us to see more reality television! WOO. No, seriously -- if there was one more reality television show that you should add to your "to watch" list ... Dhani Jones bouncing around the globe, swimming with sharks (kind of) and dragon boat racing(!) is definitely the play to make; by all accounts it's going to be one of the best new shows that the underrated Travel Channel drops. Oh, also, you can follow him on Twitter for more info.

WANT: Jacket With Inflatable Hood

Not gonna lie -- I don't own many hoodies. Some of my jackets have hoods, but for the most part, I steer clear for various reasons.

However, Gizmodo has a hoodie that I'm pretty interested in, at least for traveling purposes anyway. It brings to mind specifically a flight from Vegas -->Winston in which the lady next to me did a good job of, ahem, filling her seat and therefore ruining my sleeping ability. (She also ate Cheesy Poofs at 4:30 in the morning, which was not "awesome.")

The jacket, confusingly dubbed "Never Stop a Rolling Stone" by designer Rahel Ritchie features a fully inflatable hood that can be manually adjusted via a mouthpiece tucked away in the fabric. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that this concept is available for sale. However, the snowboarding experts at Burton have have had a similar product on the market for a while now. The latter is actually a hoodie and it doesn't feature a fully inflatable hood—but it does have a built in eye mask and earplugs for lullaby listening.

Now, the downside is, well, that you have to wear a hood. Outside of that, though, this is pretty perfect for traveling purposes.

Travel Gear: The Best Luggage Your Money Can Buy

Everyone always asks me how I pack for such long trips; a conversation that usually ends with shock when I say my travel companion is one standard roll-aboard. With airlines charging to check a bag, I have seen more people carrying on their luggage. My favorite roll-aboard is my Swissgear by Wenger, Lugano Collection 21” Expandable Pilot Case.

These days, I find myself traveling on more regional jets with smaller overhead bins resulting in carry-on bags being gate-checked. Luckily, my bag has held up every single time to the jostling, throwing, and stacking that carry-on bags endure in transit from the jetway to the cargo hold. It has a sturdy handle, two thick wheels, and plenty of pockets. My favorite feature is that it has an expandable zipper (perfect for when I pick up one too many souvenirs)!

The worst part is that I am not a good friend to my luggage. I drag them along cobblestone streets in Portugal, through the sandy shores of Honduras, and even on splash-prone boats across the bays of the Seychelles while reviewing hotels for ProfessionalTravelGuide.com. My bag has held up with hardly a problem.

I like to stuff my dress shirts in a jumbo Ziploc bag before sealing it tightly to keep them from wrinkling. All of my smaller items from socks to camera charger go in another Ziploc bag so that when I open my bag for airport security or on the train, the contents don’t go pouring out. Not terribly glamorous, but it’s a fail-safe tip to arriving organized and presentable.

Once while traveling on an unnamed airline, the baggage handlers managed to lodge a piece of metal into the wheel rendering it unusable. I dug up the 10-year warranty that came with the bag, contacted Swissgear, and voila, a new bag was on my doorstep.

I recommend this bag (which by the way, only cost me $69 at Target) to everyone who asks me. Not because I feel the need to become a traveling salesman, but because I believe that traveling should be more about taking in the sights and sounds of our exciting world rather than picking up undergarments from a rolling baggage claim!

Tricks of the Trade: The Last Minute Seat Change Request

Ramsey Qubein is Travelin' Light's on-the-road correspondent.

Hardly one of my signature moves, but one of my smartest decisions when I travel is to never give up on perfecting my seat assignment. Yes, I said it, "perfecting" my seat assignment.

Okay, so I snagged an excellent window seat near the front or a popular aisle exit row in advance. But, these days with new fees in place for premium seats and tools like seatguru.com giving travelers more informative choices on where to sit, you can hardly risk it.

Say for example, you're on a long-haul Tokyo-New York flight like I was recently. You scour the seat map for days and weeks ahead of time plotting your move like a football coach before the big game. As the players move around on the map and the seat choices fill up, a disheartening feeling can quickly settle in that you will be squeezed between Big Bertha and Pa Kettle for a 13-hour flight.

Or, you can pull this trick of the trade move. As they call for boarding (and with your most polite and gentle demeanor), ask if there is anyone sitting next to you or if there are any seats with open seats next to them. By this time, most people have received their assigned seats. You stand a really good chance of scoring some of the best seats in the house. The agent will remember your friendly smile and do their best not to assign those seats at the last minute to anyone else.

Sure, this doesn't work on a full flight or a busy gate with lots of agents. But, it worked on my Tokyo-New York flight where I scored three seats by a window on which I proceeded to create my own First Class bed for the 13-hour flight.

You would be surprised at how often blocked seats go unassigned or entire rows remain empty until right before the door closes and then only those passengers seating nearby notice them or have a chance to make a run for them. Do your homework in advance and with the agent at the gate to benefit without paying a fortune.

Atlantis Airlines Flight Missing Near Bermuda Triangle

An Atlantis Airlines flight en route from the Dominican Republic to New York City disappeared near the Bermuda Triangle today. The U.S. Coast Guard is searching the area west of Turks and Caicos for signs of the plane. According to the Dominican Civil Aviation Institute, the plane sent a distress signal shortly after takeoff.

An Atlantis Airlines plane headed for New York disappeared after taking off from the Dominican Republic, according to the Associated Press. Eleven people were onboard.

The plane, expected to stop for refueling in the Bahamas, sent an emergency signal before disappearing from the radar 35 minutes after takeoff on Monday afternoon, said Jose Tomas Perez, director of the Dominican Civil Aviation Institute.

The U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies are searching for the plane, a Britton-Norman Islander, reported the AP.

At this time no other news has been reported. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the passengers and crew aboard the Atlantis Airlines flight, as well as their families and friends.

Northern Lights for Two

According to a recent article, the Northern Lights are gaining popularity... and not just among photographers and nature enthusiasts. Couples are increasingly visiting Canada, Alaska, Iceland and other far-north destinations for viewing the Aurora Borealis. The lights' unique formations and stunning beauty help set a romantic mood for travelers.

Winter travelers trek thousands of miles to the frozen north each year seeking the sky's "dancing lights," which provoke awe, excitement and, some say, sex.

Tour operator Torsten Eder likes to tell a story about a marriage that was forged under the glowing curtains of light.

"I had one guy from Mexico, and he wanted to surprise his girlfriend by proposing marriage with a ring under the northern lights," said Eder from his office in Whitehorse.

Despite their growth in popularity as a tourist activity, the Northern Lights still may not be for everyone. Travelers frequently endure temperatures 20 and 30 degrees below zero and treks to remote locations to catch a glimpse. If the temperature is a dealbreaker for you, try the Hotel Ranga in Hella, Iceland. The lights are often visible from the hotel itself, and the 50-bottle wine list is enough to keep anyone warm on frigid night.

Snow in New Orleans Provides Rare Weather for South

Snow in the South is a funny thing -- sometimes it shows up on Christmas (rarely) and other times it shows up on the baseball field in April while your Little League team is warming up. The latter, of course, is just bizarre.

Much like snow in New Orleans. And, yeah, that happened today.

A rare snowfall blanketed south Louisiana and parts of Mississippi Thursday, closing schools, government offices and bridges, triggering crashes on major highways and leaving thousands of people without power.

[...]A heavy band of snow coated windshields and grassy areas in New Orleans, where the National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning.

Office workers stepped out of high-rises to catch a snowflake, snap pictures with cell-phone cameras and swap snow stories.

Look, if you live in the North, you don't understand -- Southerners totally freak out about snow. When a few flakes hit North Carolina, the entire area starts scrambling for tire chains, snow plows, bags of salt and budgetary clearance for these items ... since they got cut the previous year because no flakes hit the ground.