Although I was going to write an entirely different post, Chris’ recent return flight blunder (right after I hit purchase on a set of 4 movie tickets for tonight for us and the kids) connected the fact that everything that makes my travel go (generally) smooth comes from my Mom’s sage wisdom. And, since it is Mother’s Day tomorrow, I thought I would post this in dedication to my mom, Marianne Hunt.
Ten tips for world travelers:
- TIMING:
When calculating how much time you need to leave ahead of time to the airport, you need to take the following formula:
The average time it takes for your chosen mode of transportation TO the airport to get you from door to door
+
At least 45 minutes ahead of time for domestic flights or 90 minutes ahead of time for international flights (my mom would say 1 hour and 2 hours)
+
A cushion of 15-30 minutes for any unforeseen mishapIf my flight to NYC leaves at 5 pm from Oakland, I need to leave to the airport by 3 pm. I know the BART takes 45 minutes on average and I want to build in my 30 minute buffer (I’d rather sit for a couple of extra minutes in the lounge than be running, panicked).
- BOOKING:
We use a couple of different sites to get us the best possible rates, while avoiding the most awful airlines (from experience). Kayak.com is great, lightweight and gives me lots of flexibility. I also don’t get a gazillion annoying emails from them or ‘options for packages’ (hate those). We can book our flights through airlines we love like JetBlue (yes, they are still 1000x better than the others), Alaska, Air Canada and Frontier. We also heart Southwest Airlines a - lot. None of that guesswork in their ticket prices…it’s always good. And I have really got the hang of checking in online 24 hours ahead to get the A seating. When traveling overseas, I tend to err towards the airlines from that country. It’s not so much a problem flying over, but when flying back, it really helps as they have staff there to help out with issues.
Personally, we’ve had horrific times with all of the major American airlines like Delta, AA, NWA, etc.
- PACKING #1:
We all have the tendency to overpack (or at least, I do). One of the problems I’ve encountered is that I’ll pack things I WANT to wear, things I SHOULD wear and things I MAY wear JUST IN CASE.
The should and wants are where we can cut viciously. Go with the wants over the shoulds. Travel is uncomfortable enough as it is.
- PACKING #2:
Speaking of the ‘JUST IN CASE’ outfits…bring them! These include a bathing suit (must), one evening outfit (must) and workout gear (optional, but really good idea). Nothing is worse than having to buy overpriced hotel bathing suits or dress shoes.
We encountered this just recently in Vegas, when Chris didn’t pack anything but jeans and running shoes. He ended up buying shoes that cost way too much that killed his feet. My advice is to go shopping for shoes that are dressy enough to pass for dress shoes, but comfy enough to walk around in for a couple of days. Chris has a lovely pair of Rockports for this very reason.
- PACKING #3:
If you consistently find yourself overpacking, at the end of each trip, pull all of your items out of your suitcase and lay out in “wore” and “didn’t wear” piles. Photograph them and upload them to Flickr. Refer to them everytime you go to pack.
- JETLAG:
I suffer badly from jetlag. Especially when we head to Europe. Crashing at 6 pm and wide awake at 3 am. Like clockwork. The third day is always the worst. A couple of things will make jetlag worse, though: alcohol and caffeine. Avoid at all costs. Instead, drink lots of water. Set your watch to your impending timezone right before you leave, so you know when you should be sleeping. Don’t eat too much if you have to stay awake. Turn on your air jets as high as you can keep them. The fresh stream will totally help. And, from what I hear “No Jet Lag” is pretty good (although I haven’t tried it). Others take melatonin.
- HEALTH:
I’m not talking about airsickness, I’m talking about how those of us who get on planes full of germy, sniffly, rude not covering their mouths when they sneeze people get sick. I mentioned the benefits of that air jets that most planes come equipped with for jetlag, but it also helps for avoiding getting sick. Also, travel with a small bottle of Purell and avoid touching anything in the bathroom as much as humanly possible. As every surface in an airplane is teeming with germs, wash your hands before you eat and don’t rub your eyes.
- WHERE TO SLEEP:
We really hate the standard hotel fare and I don’t consider W to be a boutique (sorry…it’s just too much of a chain). We really like the actual local boutique hotels that are either decorated by artists and are well below the cost of the main chains. I have yet to find a central place that lists these specifically, but I’ve been having great luck finding gems through Wikitravel.org for finding those ‘out of the way’ places. If we don’t need a hotel, we have had great luck with Couchsurfing. Yahoo!Travel has great stories by travelers that have been most helpful.
- WHERE TO EAT:
If you have your own business, being on the road is the time to order the better cut as the percentage of the write-off is way higher. Even so, you want something good, not just well advertised. The best way to do this? Ask a local! And not just any local, why not see if there is a BarCamper around? There seems to be a direct correlation between BC and good taste in cuisine whereever we go. Really, they are 99% of the time more than happy to hear from you. Hell, organize a geek meetup while you are at it!
- FINANCES:
Buy manilla envelopes. Pack one with you, labeled with the dates and place you are traveling. Put receipts in this envelope as you go. It will save hassles when you get back.
Thanks to my Mom, though, I grew up to be a pretty adventurous and well-organized traveler.
11 Comments
Great post Tara! I always like to think I enjoy traveling, until the actual traveling, when inevitably my flight gets delayed, I’m stuck between two large japanese men on a 5 hour flight, or I forget that San Francisco really does require special light layers that don’t work anywhere else.
I don’t anywhere near as much travelling as I used to, but I really wish I’d had some of these ideas when I did. Personal organisation has never been a strong point of mine.
The one thing I have always got right is the time planning for getting to the airport, etc. I just hate being late for things.
Yet another fantastic post!
- Neil.
At least I am not the only one who travels with manilla envelopes - if it’s a multi-city, each city gets a different envelope.
The only one I would kind of disagree with is the “where to sleep”. While it’s great to sleep at local hotels and so forth, the chains can give you better benefits for the long run. For example, last year I spent 30 days in Europe completely free because of my points and bonuses. This becomes critical for someone who is making little money while trying to live out a dream.
That is generally good advice, though my experience with WikiTravel has been that is blows. Mind you, I do most of my travel outside of North America, so I haven’t tested its domestic advice.
Another invaluable tip for packing: you will always pack your luggage as full as possible. So, if you want to take less, buy a smaller bag. It sounds simple, but it’s extremely effective.
Also, on health: when I’ve been travelling recently, I’ve been popping the Cold-fx (http://www.cold-fx.com/) as a preventative measure. So far, so good.
Tara, I saw you post on Scoble’s and posted this comment there as well…us customers need to scream more…read on
I did 30K miles in April, have another 30K in June…I would give up on travel if I did not live in Tampa. From my door to airport gate, I can still on a good day make it in 30 minutes (and we live in a quiet neigborhood, on a canal, so enjoy the reason to live in Tampa - not in an apartment right next to airport). Only on certain times like Monday mornings, the TSA crawls. Certain terminals like that of Southwest seem to move more efficiently than Delta’s. I print my boarding pass at home. I have the security routine down - the quart bag and all. And Tampa airport has free WiFi.
Yes, I am bragging about our airport. It is consistently rated in the top 5 airports in the country. Because they constantly innovate and are always investing in new screening, baggage and other technology.
But also to point out other airports, TSA and airlines can do much better…
…and that each of us can make a difference. Once at LAX only 2 X-Ray machines were open when 4 should have. I called for the TSA supervisor and showed him the $ 2.50 charge on our tickets and said there was no reason the other lines should not be open given the money we were all paying for the additional security. He opened another line. Another time the line was so long that I called SW reservations and had them connect me to their airport ops and told them half their planes would be delayed if they did not investigate what was wrong.
I was recently at Heathrow and the process is so broken - they only allow one hand bag (so add even more time at the arrival airport), you go through 2 passport checks, and 2 X-Ray’s (one specifically for shoes). Last year I transited through Paris Charles de Gaulle twice - flew in on Delta, flew out on Delta. Ended up, we flew out on same equipment. Yet we were bused to a satellite terminal 25 feet away, made to go through security again, then walk back on tarmac onto same plane. Tell me that busing, and worse the walking back adds to security.
I am all for better security. But most airports the actual security takes a minute or a minute or a half. I wish it was 5 minutes. The rest of the lines can be fixed with better process and technology. But till us customers scream, all the waiting around will be sold as “security†time…
BTW - there is plenty of technology that can be deployed - see link below (and I wrote this 15 months ago, so things have evolved even more..at San Jose this week, I saw the Clear program machine but hardly anyone was using them.SFO has had it for a while now)…
http://dealarchitect.typepad.com/deal_architect/2006/01/technology_in
Finally, the photo above shows a plane without a wingtip (otherwise it would have blocked the sun). That’s another thing us customers need to push for. Most planes in the last few years have wing tips (and the 747-400 has had it for over 15 years). If you are flying a plane without one, it is probably too old and should be retired…us consumers should push for visibility on age of equipment (like we can see average data on delays on specifric flights) in reservation systems…the airlines will bitch and moan but that data is readily available to display as they have to log maintenance detail even more than delay detail…
BTW - another piece of advice. Passengers have access to more weather and traffic technology available today than does the average airline employee. Use it to advantage…I wish I had on trip below
http://dealarchitect.typepad.com/deal_architect/2006/12/all_this_techno.html
I made 17 international flights in 06 so have my fair share of experiences. You should always take up frequent flier programs and have a fav airline - mine used to be United, and Qantas actually gave me a free flight to switch over. Once you establish yourself as a return customer all the airlines treat you very differently - being more flexible with changing flights (something I do *very* often - to the point where a month ago I just showed up to the airport for a flight to Sydney and got on) as well as prices. Some airlines have an ‘economy plus’ section which you can get for free if you are a FF
As for jetlag, best is to put yourself on the destination time before you leave - the biggest part of jetlag is getting accustomed to when the sun is up and when you have natural light, so you should stay indoors before you leave and nap in the afternoon if you have an evening flight across continents. The new airbus a380 will actually adjust the internal lighting in the cabin to match the light levels at your destination to help reduce jetlag. The other thing is to knock yourself out using a sleep aid to force your body into your destination time. With my SydneySFO flights I can work on both days at either end of the flight and only feel a little bit laggy
As with germs in the cabin - it is a common myth. The air in the cabin is much much cleaner than if you were at a common restaurant or anywhere else with a group of people. This is because of how frequently they cycle and clean the air out in the cabin (IIRC the whole cabin is cycled once every 9-10 minutes). I have sat next to sick people on flights many times and never caught anything
As for the best seats - I use seatguru.com (I know it by heart now) and most airlines in their online FF section can let you pick a seat. If you are a FF, depending on your level, you can usually get middle seats ‘blocked’ where they will be allocated last
Great post Tara… one other thing with Jetlag. Sunlight! Try and arrive at your destination in daylight if at all possible and spend some time out in the sun (quick walk etc.) - it’ll help get your body naturally in sync with the new time.
Good points. As much as I travel my best travel tip is to reduce literally every ounce of weight you can. Don’t take a full tube of toothpaste. Take a thinner jacket, or no jacket at all (if you’re simply going to be going from aiport to car to hotel to airport). I used to take a lot of extra just in case stuff, but every trip I would try to reduce an extra few ounces and before I knew it was down to nothing.
As far as jet lag, my crucial suggestion is that you never ever ever go to bed off schedule. When I flew from Dallas to Denmark, I’d usually get in about 2p. I’d immediately checkin and take a cold shower to wake me up. Then I’d force myself to stay awake until at least 10a that night, then go to bed, wake up on time the next morning. I might be a little groggy, but the jet lag would be gone.
The only other tip for Europe that I’d add is that everywhere you go it’s cig smoke saturated. Don’t expect to reuse clothes without washing them.
Great tips! I also have one.
If you get around London, there are a lot of guest houses that offer you great service and you get more privacy since it feels like you’re staying at your own home. You can try a Blackpool guest house.
Good post!
On some accounts, travelers rant on why the airport security and management is so strict, but they don’t have the effort to come in earlier as to avoid problems. This is a post to remind all travelers that it is better to be early.
I have one travel tip (if you’re going abroad) that works well when you’re in the planning phase:
Browse the Internet for references in hotels, places, and tips.
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