If you plan to fly during the holidays, the chance of losing your luggage increases sharply. The rate of mishandled luggage in December was as much as 35 percent higher than the annual averages for 2008 through 2010, according to a study by NerdWallet, a personal finance website. In January, the lost or damaged rate was as much as 43 percent higher than the annual averages for 2008-11. Alicia Jao, NerdWallet VP of travel media, suggested a simple reason: Travelers carry more luggage around the holidays, increasing the likelihood of lost bags.

LOS ANGELES TIMES

Chicago mobile app offers info, discounts

Chicago's official tourism site gives up-to-date info on dining, shopping, arts, tours and attractions, events and more on its mobile app, Choose Chicago (for iPhone and Android; download at www.choosechicago.com/mobile-app). You can check by location, a useful tool. It also has a deals and discounts page.

DETROIT FREE PRESS

Making sure kids can cross the border

Kids who are traveling across the U.S.-Canadian border with just one parent should carry a notarized letter authorizing travel from the other parent. While a child under 16 needs only a birth certificate and not a passport to cross, customs officials concerned about parental abduction and sex trafficking want to make sure the border crossing is OK with both parents. For details, see help.cbp.gov/app/home and click on "Traveling outside the U.S."

DETROIT FREE PRESS

Readers suggest ways to improve air travel

The nation's airlines would be best improved if they allowed disabled travelers to board first, created child-free zones on planes and stopped charging extra for seats with a few more inches of legroom, according to SmarterTravel.com's recent survey of 1,191 readers.

LOS ANGELES TIMES