Surviving Summer Air Travel
With Justin sunning himself up at Lake Wobegon, I find myself tasked with the responsibility of updating the Spotoblog. Initially, I was excited to pinch-hit but when this morning I realized I had to produce, nary an idea came bubbling up to the surface of my consciousness. Fortunately, in my efforts to post more events and performers on Spotobe, I somehow (don't ask me how), stumbled upon the most remarkable site for air travelers: OneBag.com. If you are flying here for a visit or flying elsewhere for a vacation, I strongly recommend you give this site a thorough read. It's extremely detailed, but well-organized, highly lauded and chock full of surprises (like why not to use a wheeled bag!). Having a two-year-old, my husband and I have more or less sworn off air travel for a while, at least with the kid, but it's easy to remember how taxing those checked bags can be. Not to mention the current situation of paying for each checked bag, regardless of weight. While I'm on the topic of air travel, here are some other random tips:
For starters, you need a passport to go just about anywhere outside the U.S. now, so make sure yours is current at travel.state.gov and, while you’re there, you can see if the Department of State has any suggestions for traveling (or not) to your desired destination.
To comply with the restrictions on liquids in your carry-on (since, after reading OneBag.com, you will only have one carry-on), check out this handy-dandy site for miniatures and sample sizes: Minimus or get this inexpensive solution from The Container Store and fill it with your favorite potions.
If you find two flights that are similarly priced, don’t assume all things are equal. I learned from this AirfareWatchdog.com blogpost that seat sizes, legroom and seat pitch can vary greatly depending on what aircraft the airline flies, so be sure to check up on that...unless you are very petite and can comfortably sit for long periods in very confined spaces. I’m almost six-feet tall, so I’m usually at the airport early, begging for exit-row seating.
My last piece of wisdom is this: Try to fly in and out of HIA, better known as MDT in airline abbreviation terms. Sure, you can sometimes get a cheaper flight out of Baltimore (BWI) or Philadelphia (PHI), but who wants to come home from a vacation, pay an exorbitant amount for parking and then still face an almost two-hour ride home? Oh, and don’t forget to add in the cost of a round-trip drive, which anymore, is not nominal. Consider the beauty of the regional airport—you’re in the garage, into the terminal, through check-in AND through security in less time than it takes to get to the airport. You are relaxed. You are in a clean, quiet, comfortable place and, in the unlikely event of a major flight delay, you are still close to home. There’s nothing worse than having a great, relaxing vacation and having all that positive energy wiped away by the hassles of getting into and out of the big, crowded, inefficient airport. When I lived in Fairfield County, CT, outside NYC, I would go out of my way to fly in and out of White Plains (Westchester) regional airport for these very reasons, even though LaGuardia was within a 45-minute drive (theoretically anyway). The only exception I made was to go to JFK for Jet Blue—nothing beats a nonstop flight to Las Vegas on Jet Blue. Except winning big at the Bellagio poker tables. Sigh, those careless, pre-parenthood days.
14 comments so far. Sweet.
Thank you so much for this post! I'm going overseas for the first time in September and bookmarked all the sites you linked. Great job filling in for Justin on the Spotoblog.
Great site that onebag.com. I really enjoyed your post on travel as I usually drive close to two hours to phila for all my flights. However, with nearly 7 bucks in tolls each way and $14 a day parking fees (at least) it makes a great deal of sense to pay a little extra and fly direct from HIA. Not to mention the gas costs of driving to philly! Thanks for the tips!
why do anyone have to go to travel.state.gov to see whether the pasport is current or not? every passport has an expiratioon date on it. top travel directories
Top travel directories, thanks for the comment, however, I think you misinterpreted the point. Obviously, you can find out when your passport expires by looking at it. You need the government site to get forms for renewal. Sorry if I wasn't clear.
WOW! thanks for this wonderful post. Well, i was planning to to have my first travel this coming fall and i am very excited. This post is very useful. I have come to some site about travel such as viator tours but thanks for this site. Gives me more tips.
Another great resource for super slim toiletry packing: http://www.mysmartpac.com -- only $9.95 per pouch of "hers" or "his" mini personal care products. Made in the USA, it's touted as earth-friendly because it's biodegradable, but it is disposable. Usually things don't biodegrade in landfills. Maybe you can save 'em and compost 'em?
I have found if you can get a group of people together lets say 8-10 flying via private jet charters can sometimes be cheaper, faster, and a whole lot of fun. You feel like a star. Its one of those things that can happen if you can really plan it our right. Other wise coach is the way to go.
I agree with Chris on the whole private jet charter thing.
I also agree with you, this would ce essential to toursist who would be planning a labor day travel this September.
How do you get to know what is the leg room of the flight you are booking? Is every airline different or is it the length of the flight? For example I traveled from Toronto to San Francisco with AA and Air Canada. Air Canada had lots of legroom not to mention that every seat was equipped with personal TV. I will not fly with American Airlines again.
To Travel...when you're booking, look at what aircraft you'll be flying on any particular leg of a flight. Usually, this info is provided with the departure and arrival times and other pertinent info. Then you can look up which planes are better for legroom. If you are really worried about it, call a customer service rep and ask, though, because sometimes airlines order aircraft that's adapted to their specs (i.e., adding or removing seats, which would impact legroom measurements). You can always get to the airport early and shoot for exit row or bulkhead seats, too.
When traveling by air, you should be well prepared for any possible misfortune. You'd better dress warmly as possible as you can. Wear long pants, long-sleeve t-shirt and comfortable lace-up shoes as there may be chance of an airplane crash. You have to stay warm if you survive the crash and then you'll be less likely to be hurt or burned. Tightly fastened lace-up shoes can avoid falling off when you running and thus keep your feet warm and protected.
Thanks for your great advices. Will travel to Australia next week, just bought some new sturdy luggage, the previous box-like bag was used for storing my kid's toys. Also got some useful travel tips on Luggageguides, quite useful too, I should say. Can't wait to see the kangaroos.
I have to say I have been to Australia and what a long flight!! IM 6'3" and its not the best for flying. I have flown via jet charter before and it is the best way to fly. I think a trip to Australia via jet charter would be way too much $$$$