45 travel tips from a frequent flyer…

I mentioned in my pervious article that traveling will test your patience and tolerance for stress on a regular basis. Here is my running list of tips to make business travel more enjoyable:

• Get a passport with Global Entry (better to be ready)
• Get qualified for TSA Precheck (skip the lines, keep your shoes, avoid over exposure to scanners)
• Complete Global Entry and TSA Precheck applications on the TSA website; there are many imposter websites that charge extra fees
• Save money by applying for both at the same time. Read this CNET article on Global Entry & Pre Check
• Pick an airline and hotel chain and join the respective rewards programs (join all of the leading services)
• Always sign up for rewards programs when using a new airline or hotel chain (those one-time uses can add up over time)
• Watch for special offers from hotel and airline rewards programs, beyond the credit card and lounge access programs, they often have promotions to help maximize earning and spending points.
• Schedule travel 3-4 weeks in advance but avoid booking out further than 6 weeks for domestic travel.
• Don’t overlook obscure holidays when booking travel (for example MLK Day). This is also true for international travel; foreign countries don’t all celebrate the same holidays (who knew?).
• Consider that your customer may have down-days or internal holidays (avoid showing up to a locked door)
• Consider special events held at your customer’s location (no visiting San Diego during Comic Con week)
• Avoid booking layovers under one hour (gates change and layover airports are big)
• Most airlines begin boarding 30 minutes prior to departure (45-60 minutes for international flights)
• Most airlines close the gate 10 minutes prior to the departure time
• Board as early as possible to snag nearby overhead storage and to give yourself a few extra minutes to get settled
• Be considerate when using overhead storage (turning your bag to use less space, placing your second bag under the seat, etc.)
• Pack a party pill bag (Tums, Advil, gum, Beano, cough drops…whatever you need to take the edge off)
• Make sure all liquids and gels in your carry-on bags are under 3 ounces (3.4 is the limit but 3 to be certain). An unopened gel deodorant container is often 3.8oz.
• Often TSA attendants will bark for passengers to remove toiletry items, batteries, and food. This is a suggestion; not a rule. If you are confident you are under 3oz just ignore them and move one.
• Keep tabs on TSA rule changes obviously.
• Learn to live in the moment of your delay, There will be delays so learn to make the best of them (reading, work, study material, downloaded videos, games, audiobooks, music, puzzles, etc.)
• Learn to find inner peace in the face of delays, mean people, and unfair situations (rarely can you change the situation by getting angry; don’t let it ruin your day).
• Suit up for a comfortable flight (pillow, noise cancelling headphones, foot rest, battery pack, earplugs, etc.)
• Slip a dust mask in your bag in case you get sick before the ride home (also cough drops and pressure equalizing ear plugs)
• Direct the air vents to your face to keep cool and help combat bad odors or when you get stuck next to “patient zero”
• Avoid checking bags to avoid lost luggage and baggage claim delays
• Consider checking baggage if you are expecting a brief layover; especially if your first flight requires bags to be gate checked
• Checking your bags will add 30 minutes or more to the end of a long travel day (so will picking up a rental car at most airports)
• Use taxi and ride sharing services if you want to avoid rental pickup/dropoff delays and local navigation
• Get a rental car when visiting a new location to better explore and avoid unexpected issues
• Remember that you may have to pay for parking at the hotel and customer site if you are driving. Parking may cost more than a rental
• Always, always , always get the toll box. If you run a tool (which is easy these days) it can take many weeks for the fees to find you; by then it is most certainly a personal expense and possibly a ticket.
• Always get the GPS with your rental car when traveling internationally. If you are accustom to using your phone; consider that international data charges may not be reimbursable. Your international roaming plan will also be painfully slow to download maps and may be unusable.
• Google maps work wonderfully for international navigation and you can download maps and routes for offline use.
• If you are working internationally for an extended period of time (say more than 10 days); consider purchasing a local pay-as-you-go SIM card or burner phone upon arrival to reduce calling and cell data charges. International roaming often runs over $20 per day.
• For IOS phones you can turn off cellular data on a per-app basis. I recommend limiting cellular enabled apps while traveling internationally. Also consider using a VPN service.
• Prior to traveling take a few minutes to download your offline movies, music, audio books, training, large files, and etc.
• You may find yourself using a mobile (cellular) hotspot or tethering your laptop to your phone when traveling. Make sure to set your connection to “Metered” to prevent large updates and file synchronization.
• Get a mental picture of the major hub airport layouts to ease transitions between flights
• Major hub airports like Dallas DFW are impossible to make terminal changes in under 20 minutes
• Always be ready to hustle to make a tight connection. Don’t give up until you are standing in front of a locked gate. The exercise far exceeds the inconvenience of log delays or spending the night waiting for a connection. Often the connecting flight will also be delayed.
• Use seat review websites to help with seat selection if you book your own travel
• Avoid sitting near toilets, congestion areas, and isle transitions
• Bulkheads and emergency exits provide more leg room but have limited storage, unusual amenities, and unique seat designs (unless you are tall these may not be ideal choices)
• Test noise cancellation before buying expensive headphones; may cause uncomfortable ringing for some users (the sensation goes away eventually)
• Larger folks may not be able to use laptops in economy seating and may have difficulty with unusual emergency exit seats
• Get your downloadable content for training and movies in advance
• Never take the free hotel shuttle; never worth the 45-60 minutes lost
• Be willing to say no when someone asks to change seats (no good deed goes unpunished)
• Generate good Carma by keeping your seat upright when you are not sleeping (recline slowly if possible)
• Delays often have a way of working themselves out. Lost time is made up in flight. System-wide delays like bad weather or seasonal peaks often carry over to connecting flights. Avoid proactively rebooking when faced with delays; especially if the alternative is far less convenient. Rarely will you be disadvantaged for waiting to rebook until you are certain of a cancellation or missed connection
• Don’t become an entitled jerk just because you are experiencing a delay. Most of those around you are also delayed. Pushing past others only makes the situation worse. Do ask politely to cut ahead if you are splitting hairs on making a connection.
• Make a realistic estimate for making your connection in the face of a delay. You may be less inclined to be assertive and more courteous depending on the situation. Nothing like tripping an elderly person to arrive 20 minutes early (or late) because of unrealistic expectations.
• Airline call centers may be limited in their ability to assist you with last minute flight changes; often the airline employee at the check-in desk is the best person to assist you
• When flights are cancelled everyone rushes the check-in counter to rebook. Despite the hassle this may be the best and fastest solution. I recommend getting in line and calling the support line while you wait
• Check your airline app if your flight is cancelled; you may be able to rebook your next flight from your phone but be very cautious about your choices; I prefer to talk to a person when rebooking
• Do not delay arrival just because your flight is delayed. Airlines do occasionally retract delay announcements. Boarding often begins earlier and runs faster for delayed flights. Arrive on time and stay nearby. They will cancel the flight if the delay runs too long.
• If you do arrive early and there is a gate change; don’t rush to change gates (if you have time). Gate changes sometimes have a rolling effect; I have seen 5-6 gate changes in under an hour.
• If the plane is not full; don’t be afraid to change seats (or ask to change seats) if you in a bad seating arrangement.
• Don’t forget to check your email spam folder for receipts; for some reason travel receipts from travel companies look like spam.
• Talk to the person next to you for 5 minutes before politely retreating to the bliss of noise cancelling earphones. Establishing a friendly rapport will reduce the awkwardness and the silent combat for space.
• Check in to fights and hotels as early as possible. Higher tier rewards ranking often includes earlier check-in times. The best seats and rooms go fast (within minutes sometimes).
• Become an expert on your company’s policy surrounding travel, expenses, credit card usage, etc.
• Don’t get too creative when booking flights to save money or maximize points (like making separate bookings for each leg). This usually backfires. Avoid checking bags if you do have an unusual travel arrangement. A single end-to-end booking is the safe bet.
• If you book your own travel; check your booking confirmation carefully for changes. It is not uncommon to loose your seat selection during the final ticket processing.
• If you are lucky enough to be traveling business class internationally; consider adding a 3-5 hour layover to take advantage of the shopping and business class lounges at major international airports. The airports and high-end lounges are an enjoyable experience.
• If you veteran be aware of nearby military bases. Bring your ID and consider the base resources that may be available. For example, when traveling internationally you may be able to receive free medical attention from a English-speaking doctor.
• Roll up the shade and enjoy the view! Don’t be afraid to act like a nube when is comes to appreciating the amazing views.

It is common, especially on international flights, for people with poor seats to go after nicer economy seats after takeoff (or during boarding). If you are seated in a premium-economy seat with an empty neighboring seat and wish to avoid unwanted company; be prepared to protect your seat. Put your bags in the empty seat after takeoff. Challenge someone who shows up unexpectedly or someone that seems out of place. Lie and say the seat is taken. This may sound rude but in my experience, people willing to jump seats are usually poor neighbors. You (or your company) paid extra for additional comfort; don’t let someone else ruin your good fortune.

Always carefully inspect the inside and outside of rental cars at pickup and drop off. Pay close attention to the tire rims. Photograph any damage. Check for engine lights and other signs of poor maintenance. Never accept a car with unrecored damage or maintenance issues. Always inspect valet parked cars for damage at pickup. Damage charges may not reach you for several weeks. Disputing damage charges can be difficult; especially if the damage was caused by a parking attendant or during international travel. Also consider than rental cars commonly do not have include a spare tire. If you trip takes you far from a rental office you may consider requesting a car with a spare tire.

Protect your ears. Standard earbuds need to be cranked to unhealthy levels to drown out the ambient noise. You may not even realize how cruel you are being to your ears. Noise cancelling headphones allow you to listen to entertainment at a lower volume. They also blissfully drown out the talkers, crying babies, airline credit card sales pitches, mind numbing safety demonstrations, and send a gentle signal that you are not to be disturbed. Many headsets can also play ambient noise for sounder sleep.

Finally, you’ve heard the tale of the professional skydiver who jumped without a parachute. The activity became so routine that he simply forgot. When you fly regularly, try not to become complacent. Remain focused on checking and rechecking your booking details, bags, necessary IDs, and medications. I once flew half way around the world and forgot my facility badge. That also means not cutting arrivals too close. Always plan to arrive 30 minutes or more than your first estimate. Many of those overly cautious steps like printing paper tickets as a backup and arriving early begin to feel amateurish over time.

Please share tips of your own if you like.