"Offering customers the option to improve their boarding position on day of travel is one more way we can offer the travel experience that best fits their needs, " said Kevin Krone, Southwest Airlines vice president of marketing, sales and distribution, in a press release.

CNN: Southwest charges extra to board first

Using a travel agent is one additional way to safeguard against mishaps.

FORBES: Hurricane Sandy's Lesson to Travelers: Use A Travel Agent

Premiere Travel said fewer people were using its Nottingham to Long Eaton route after one-way journey times had doubled to more than an hour.

BBC: Premiere Travel anger over Nottingham roadworks

Earth and Mars are so far apart that radio signals, which travel at the speed of light, take 13.8 minutes for a one-way journey.

MSN: NASA rover closing in on Mars to hunt for life clues

But in writing about culture and travel, and learning to experiencing a destination through its cuisine, I found one along the way.

BBC: How I quit my job to travel: The corporate lawyer

One way points to despair, the other to bliss, and Farmiga, as actress and director, is equipped to travel in both directions: down to the pit, or, once more, up in the air.

NEWYORKER: Devotions