April 28, 2011 86 Comments

Tips for Flying

Chris Brogan Finally Flies a Plane

I travel every few days. On the day this posts, I’ll be flying to Chicago. A few days later, off to the west coast. Then, Chicago again. Then home. Then, Latvia. Yes, I fly a lot.

I thought I’d offer some tips for flying.

Tips for Flying: Planning Your Flight

  • Airline rewards programs are important. However, I sign up to them all, and then just try to use one or two airlines more than others. Lots of people want to stick to one airline. I think this isn’t advisable these days.
  • When possible, try to fly in the night before. Travel is always messy these days, and hoping that you’ll get in when the ticket says you’ll get in is right up there with hoping the tooth fairy will bring you that quarter she owes you from when you were six.
  • Use services like SeatGuru to understand the best potential seat for your flight. I forget this step sometimes, often to my detriment.
  • Obviously, leg room is important to most folks. Most flights now charge for the good leg room seats. Decide ahead of time by distance traveled and activities planned whether that’s what you’ll want to do. Also, and this is personal preference, I prefer the window seat for one reason: carts and people having to pee don’t bump and jostle me as much. Mind you, I’m very broad across the shoulder, so maybe that’s a personal preference.

Tips for Flying: Packing

  • Learn to pack light and compact. My friend, Ben, showed me One Bag a year or two ago, and it’s made a world of difference.
  • Pick up the Monster Portable Power Cord with USB. I call this the friendmaker. Every airport has too many people seeking power from too few plugs. Offer to help with this and you’ll meet a few friends.
  • Pack a few energy bars or other dry snacks in your personal bag or laptop bag. It fends off really bad food purchases at the airport, and bringing bars from your grocery store saves you that ouchy moment when you pay $3.79 for something you know costs $1.49 anywhere else in the world.
  • Pack a few extra quart-sized plastic zip bags in your case. They are always useful.
  • If at all possible, carry your luggage onto the plane. I use the Eagle Creek Tarmac 22, but Mitch Joel (who recommended this bag to me) has recently upgraded to the Eagle Creek Traverse Pro Daypack (amazon affiliate link), and I have looked it over and plan to buy the same one when I’m next in the market. Why carry on? Because waiting for your luggage at the carousel adds another 15 minutes to your time at the airport.

Tips for Flying: Airport Experiences

  • Always ask someone upon arriving at the airport whether the good food is before security or after security. They’ll know. In some airports, everything worth doing is before the security line (Orlando in Florida comes to mind, as does Kansas City). In others, what’s before is slender pickings and what’s after is where you’ll find the fun (DFW comes to mind).
  • Stick your boarding pass and your ID somewhere really obvious and always the same place. I use my right front pocket. You can use your suit jacket pocket, or whatever you want. But make it REALLY easy to access.
  • If you’re wearing a jacket when you travel, it’s easy to plop the things you need out of your pocket into your jacket pockets, including your watch and whatever metal jewelry, and then lay that in the tray, instead of dumping it all in the tray. It’s easier to fish things out of your pocket while walking instead of having to scoop it all back out of the tray.
  • I try to put my things on the scanner belt in an order that makes sense on the other side of the screening. So, I put my shoes down first, my jacket over my shoes, and my toiletry plastic zip bag on top of it all. I put my laptop in its own tray, and then my luggage follows these two trays. When I get through the metal detectors (or those joy-sucker xray devices), I scoop up the bag of toiletries, put on my jacket, put on my shoes (I try to wear slip-on shoes for flying), and then tuck that zip bag into my suitcase. I put the suitcase down on the ground, scoop the laptop back into my laptop bag, and I’m off with my luggage. (If anyone else is thinking about Up in the Air at this moment, it’s very much like that).
  • Personally, I like finding my gate sooner than later for two reasons. One, quite often I misunderstand where the gate it in comparison to where I am, so if I actually set my eyes on it, I’ll know how far I am from it, so I can judge when to get back there to board. Two, no matter what the signs say all over the airport telling you which gate you’re at, things change at the last minute quite often, so I like to see what the gate actually reports will be leaving from it versus what the boards say.
  • People not to argue with: TSA. They don’t care. Gate Agents after reporting a delay. They can’t change much. Instead, with TSA, simply know their system and navigate it with the least amount of annoyance you can muster. For the gate agents, think of intelligent questions related to your delays, such as whether your connecting flight is delayed as well, and whether the other airport has later flights matching your final destination, etc. Neither of these groups are worth fighting with.
  • Most airports are starting to offer free wifi, or at the least, Boingo. I’ve found that having a Boingo account has been very useful, even though I also travel with a 3G card. Sometimes, airports don’t have the best cellular reception, and to me, connectivity matters. Having a few ways to connect is easier than one.
  • The airport is the single best place to answer all those emails you’ve been neglecting. Doing this at the gate instead of diving into the magazine you bought for the flight saves you twice. If you’re a gmail or other online mail user, use an offline mail client that supports POP3 or IMAP like Thunderbird (free for Mac or PC), so that you can work on these mail messages even while you’re on the plane (if you have room).
  • Boarding in order is vital for Southwest. For everyone else, it’s up to you. The risk of boarding last is that the overhead bins get filled up and you have to gate check your carry-on. The reward is that you can just hang out, not stand in an awkward line, and get more laptop time before standing around on the jet bridge feeling like cattle.

Tips for Flying: On Board the Plane

  • Those really good headsets are worth it for soothing the roar of an airplane. I went with Beats by Dr. Dre Beats Solo HD Black On-ear Headphones with ControlTalk (amazon affiliate link) after buying the very low end Bose and not finding them as nice for music. Even if I wear these but don’t plug them into music, they make my flight a lot nicer. On-ear drowns out a lot more than earbuds, I’ve learned.
  • I bring a bottle of water or juice onto the plane so that I’m never stuck in that “drythroatneedadrinkbuttheattendantisn’tcomingforanother20minutes” feeling. Anything I can do to eliminate discomforts or frustrations, I’m going to do. This one helps a lot.
  • Quick note: parents can’t usually do a lot to help that their kid is crying. Give them a break. Smile politely.
  • Quick note 2: if someone looks like they need help (like getting a bag into or out of the overhead), then offer to help.
  • Quick note 3: if someone’s in your seat, don’t make a big stink. If you must have that seat over what they’ve left you, just ask nicely. If they don’t comply, a flight attendant will fix it. No worries.
  • Upon landing, your only job is to get your stuff and get out quickly. Never EVER stand still the moment you exit the jet bridge and stand at the mouth of the terminal. This is the single most worst part of the flying experience, because there’s inevitably one person mucking up the line (see Quick Note 2 above).

    Tips for Flying: Getting Out of Dodge

    • When you deplane, go pee. You might think, “Oh, I’m fine. I can make it to the _____,” but what almost always happens is that traffic snarls or something else happens, and you find yourself really having to pee. I’m only telling you this because it happens quite often. (And wash your hands.)
    • I sometimes stop and get a second bottle of water on the way out of the airport to go with one of my energy bars, in case I get stuck in traffic and in case I’m going to be a while before dinner.
    • If you’re taking a cab to your destination, always have the address ready when you get into the cab. I use my calendar software for this and not only do I have the hotel name and address, but I have the telephone number, in case there’s a question about directions, or in case I arrive VERY late and need to ensure I still have a room reservation.
    • And from here, the adventure is up to you.

    You Know Most of This

    A lot of travel tips are somewhat self-evident, but maybe you don’t travel as much and the refresher is good. In other cases, maybe you’re a frequent traveler but are always looking for tips to keep things fresh. In fact, that gives me an idea.

    What if YOU wrote YOUR travel tips post and linked it back in the trackbacks to here? What if we could see via the comments your tips added on your site, so that people can come and find the best advice through a simple exploration? (Remember: posts in the comments with a URL take a day to get through the filter. Don’t worry and repost. We’ll get you settled.)

    What do you think?

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    • http://www.marketingmy.co.uk/blog Katherine Salt

      Some great tips to help me look slightly less chaotic and harassed while travelling. However I was hoping that when I clicked the one bag link I would be taken to a site offering Mary Poppins style bottomless luggage :o)

      • http://raulcolon.net Raul Colon

        Hmmm if they make that bag let me know so I can get a few of my ex-coworkers and my girlfriend one. Just make sure it becomes weightless too if not the airlines will charge you so much you rather buy the same things on the other side. :)

    • http://www.marketingmy.co.uk/blog Katherine Salt

      Some great tips to help me look slightly less chaotic and harassed while travelling. However I was hoping that when I clicked the one bag link I would be taken to a site offering Mary Poppins style bottomless luggage :o)

    • http://www.secondhack.com/ Madhav Tripathi

      Some of these tips I will try for myself when I take off (!) first time.

    • Pingback: International Flights as a Vegetarian. | Peas in a Blog

    • http://www.solobizcoach.com SoloBizCoach

      Wow, great tips Chris. A question for you. I am in need of new travel luggage. Why do you like the Eagle Creek bag? I went to Amazon to look at reviews, but there weren’t many. I would love to hear your thoughts about using this bag for business travel.

      • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

        If you Google chrisbrogan and eagle creek, you can see a video review of my current bag that explains it well.

        Great wheels, durable, lots of packing space, great handle. Things most folks don’t think about unless they have to use it every 2 days.

    • http://twitter.com/susangiurleo susangiurleo

      GREAT tips and I do most.

      Another, not-so-obvious, but saves so much time and stress: have your license and boarding pass ready at TSA. And if you’re trying to get all your stuff on the belt and someone behind you is hot to trot and glaring, tell them to go ahead of you. It’s not a race, even if it feels like one.

      Oh, and smile at people. Everyone’s stressed, everyone’s in a rush. I smile at the check in folks, TSA attendants, parent with whiny child. We’ve all been there, a smile breaks the tension and makes the whole process more pleasant.

      • http://raulcolon.net Raul Colon

        I have to agree smiling does help…. Except with the TSA :)

        • http://twitter.com/susangiurleo susangiurleo

          I make it a mission to get a smile out of TSA…Sometimes it works. I’ll see what I can do today and report back : ).

    • Kevin

      Hi Chris, Nice article. What model and size laptop do you use when traveling? Do you see a tablet in your future when traveling? Thank you.

      • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

        I use the MacBook Air and no. I’m not a fan of tablets, as a creator. Great consumption device, but not useful to most of my creative efforts.

    • http://raulcolon.net Raul Colon

      I have to agree with the Airline Program. Sometimes you are better off with grabbing the least expensive ticket. In my case flying out of the Island I prefer to use Jetblue but they travel to few places. I trust Jetblue on doing the right thing when something goes wrong.

      Another option is donating those airline miles you are not going to benefit from to an organization that will.

      The multiple power cord I use has saved my life a few times.
      Packing snacks is key even when you fly on an airline that gives you free snacks you never know what can happen to get access to them.

      In my case being vegetarian it is key to ask if there area vegetarian options inside the Terminal. When I have to layover in Fort Lauderdale they have no vegetarian options inside the terminal I make sure I grab a sandwich at San Juan airport.

      As to putting your bag into the tray. Maybe you need to buy a bag that you can keep your laptop in. I made the investment last year when traveling the full month of September on the JetBlue All You Can Jet. It gave me one less thing to put together and took the stress out of someone grabbing my laptop and going (having worked in the IT Security field for quite some time I have had nightmares about losing my laptop).

      I agree with helping people boarding. I try to go pee every time I get chance I have been in too many situations where I could not get out of my seat even on the plane (turbulence or security reasons) and it has been a painful experience.

      A bit more than a week ago I wrote a post on how to travel using an awesome presentation by Ann Handley. Will create another comment with links!

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    • http://twitter.com/PlacesFirst Tobey Deys

      Chris – this is super. I’m one of those people that gets to the airport four hours early and still stresses ;-)
      The only thing I would amend – go pee on the plane at your latest available opportunity ;-) I learned this after de-planing at Heathrow and waiting for over 1.5 hours in the passport control line. By the time I reached the inquiring mind at the end, I was almost in tears (not the best ‘impression’ to give a passport control officer LOL)
      Great stuff – and so true that everyone is trapped in that metal tube with you so smile & be kind.
      Thanks for this!

    • Anonymous

      Great tips and as someone who is away more often than I am home, I agree with almost everything you wrote. A few additional suggestions:

      To add to on board list relating to flying etiquette: I suggest not reclining your seat unless the seat behind you is empty. But if you feel you must, at least look behind you before doing so! I’ve had meals dumped in my lap, hot coffee/tea spilled over me, a monitor screen cracked on a laptop as it slammed down – all because of rude people who just put their seat backs without looking.

      A tip for asthma sufferers I picked up from a flight attendant years ago: Have asthma issues when flying? I often do from a combination of the dryness plus dust (I’m allergic to dust.) Inhalers don’t work as well in-flight. A quick fix is having some hot coffee.

      As a woman, I always have a purse with me. I find it a lot easier to take a small purse when flying and put it inside a knapsack bag. It gives me some extra mileage on baggage allotment this way.

    • J8nd

      Good list, thanks. Another point of courtesy is NOT to dump your bag in an overhead bin far forward of your seat assignment on full flights. While the practice is convenient for you, it makes loading slower and a little more miserable for others.

      • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

        Oh that makes me want to throw their bags out the windows. Good point. : )

    • http://nateriggs.com nateriggs

      Really great tips dude…and you’re right about KC. Food after the gate is really not that great but it is one of the easiest airports to fly in and out of. Pee comment = win. There’s nothing more embarrassing than having to ask your cab driver to pull off to a gas station because you aren’t going to make it to the hotel… You get weird looks if you do that. :)

    • Patti Digh

      Hi Chris, thanks for this – I’m also a frequent flyer and you’ve covered a lot of great ground here. I’m a fan of Tom Bihn bags myself, and the Tri-Star and Aeronaut both allow me never to check luggage – love them! Are you buying bottled water when you talk about grabbing a bottle of water? If so, would you consider carrying a SIGG bottle to fill up, or a Vapur collapsible anti-bottle? Bottled water is evil for the environment. E-V-I-L. Thanks again!

      • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

        Just saw a review of a Tom Bihn bag, so definitely going to look it over now you said it, too. : )

        As for bottled water, I really might try the second option. I never seem to bring my SIGG bottles. I have them but forget them.

    • http://twitter.com/adrielhampton Adriel Hampton

      Thanks, Chris. Useful topic! I love travel, but boy can flying – especially domestic – be a pain. My add would be – travel international over domestic if you have control over how your structure your business – they’ll get you there faster and it will be more interesting ;)

    • Anonymous

      If you are skier you can fill your ski bag with dirty laundry on the return trip (week long ski trip… laundry is the furthest thing from your mind) to add a little extra protection to your ski equipment and will free up space for the goodies you bought for your family and friends at home.

      Burton DJ Bag’s also make great traveling bags with multitudes of well designed pockets and solid protection for your electronics… because not everyone uses an iPad ;)

    • Miraclecor

      This is one of the most useful posts I have seen, Chris.

      I have a couple of things to add:

      If you check your bag, make sure it is tagged to the city you are going to. Lots of mistakes there.

      This is the most important point.-

      “For the gate agents, think of intelligent questions related to your delays, such as whether your connecting flight is delayed as well, and whether the other airport has later flights matching your final destination, etc. Neither of these groups are worth fighting”

      You will also get more information from the airline if you call. If you are going to miss your connection, book a “protect” flight immediately. They take people with reservations before a person who has missed a flight.

    • http://twitter.com/silenteyes24 Helen Hayward

      Some really great tips here! Thanks! I have a couple more, although I have a feeling that they relate more to longer flights:

      - Make sure you get up out of your seat a couple of times at least during the flight, even just to loosen your legs a little. It’s important to keep the blood flowing, but try not to annoy the people around you by getting up too often.

      - I find the recycled air the worst part of flying, so I like to carry a small bottle of lubricating eye drops and perhaps some cleansing wipes to freshen up towards the end of a flight. These simple things can go a long way towards making you feel more human again!

    • http://twitter.com/silenteyes24 Helen Hayward

      Some really great tips here! Thanks! I have a couple more, although I have a feeling that they relate more to longer flights:

      - Make sure you get up out of your seat a couple of times at least during the flight, even just to loosen your legs a little. It’s important to keep the blood flowing, but try not to annoy the people around you by getting up too often.

      - I find the recycled air the worst part of flying, so I like to carry a small bottle of lubricating eye drops and perhaps some cleansing wipes to freshen up towards the end of a flight. These simple things can go a long way towards making you feel more human again!

    • http://www.internetmarketingsource.net Sam Beamond

      On a related note, where do you got to find the best international flight prices?

      • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

        I use Orbitz. Not sure it’s the best. It’s what I use.

    • http://jeremyvaught.com jeremyvaught

      I’ve had a Monster To Go plugin thingy for a few years now and I swear by it. Mine has no USB slot though and until just now I had no idea it was made buy Monster. It was an impulse buy in the checkout line of Fry’s Electronics. It is always in my backpack. I originally got it for traveling so I could share a rare plugin in the airport, but it comes in exceedingly handy in coffee shops as well.

      I guess I mean to say, I second that suggestion.

    • http://www.google.com/profiles/jeff.harbert#about Jeff Harbert

      I like to wear a multi-pocket photojournalist vest when flying. It’s like a wearable carry-on. It keeps just about everything you’ll need both at the airport and in your airplane seat within easy reach right on your person. Wallet, phone, boarding pass, Kindle, iPod, ear plugs, etc. It also slips right off to go into a bin at security.

      If you’re going to be renting a car to, say, drive to a client’s location, pull the directions up on Google Maps and follow them while sitting at your desk. Make a note of the name of the street that’s right before where you need to turn. If you need to make a turn on Jones Ave and the street just prior to that is Smith Rd, keep an eye out for Smith Rd and you won’t miss your turn.

      I keep two printed hardcopies of every relevant phone number and address I might need in a pinch or emergency. Family back home, airlines, local hotel, client, etc. One copy goes in my bag, one stays on my person. I also take a few minutes to put this info into my phone.

      I have two batteries for my phone. It’s easier than stressing about finding a wall outlet to recharge. Two batteries will last me a full day of heavy use.

      Reduce unnecessary gear. The charger and cable that came with my cell phone also works with my Kindle. No need to take a charger for each. The same charger with a different cable will also charge my Zi8 video camera.

      Good stuff, Chris. I love reading other people’s travel tips.

    • Anonymous

      Great tips indeed! As a pretty frequent traveler myself, here are my tips:

      ~Give yourself an overview of the airport where you’re making a connection. There’s nothing worse than getting lost or taking too much time to find where to connect, and missing it.

      ~Keep sanitizer in that bag of liquids. ‘Germy’ place, those airports AND seats on airplanes. Do you know the most germed part of the plane? The top of the seat from when everyone gets on and off board…they’re all touching the tops as they walk by.

      ~Have whatever you’ll be using accessible. Nothing more annoying that watching someone put their bag into the overhead, then get back up WHILE people are boarding to grab stuff they want to keep in their lap.

      ~USE the loyalty/reward programs. I am a Platinum Advantage member with AA and almost always get upgraded to 1st class. Also scores me extra attention on board…

      ~With AA, you can go in and actually pick your seat. I always login and pick my seats for every single flight, using SeatGuru as well for reference. I know that I rarely need to pee on the plane so I try to pick window seats for long flights to avoid having to let folks out.

      ~If you know that your luggage won’t fit in the overhead…and many of you DO know this. Just Valet check it, please.

      ~Keep some sort of refreshing gum or breath mints for after long flights. Trust me, you need it.

      ~If you’ve read your magazines, consider leaving them on the plane for the next traveler.

      ~Since I’m a Mom, I often keep little suckers in my bag for those crying kids….I’ve also offered my ipad to a screaming child, who watched a Disney movie I had downloaded for Truett.

      ~Consider online check in or at least use the machines that are available to you. Prevents you from standing in LONG lines.

      ~Have patience. I notice that everyone seems so stressed or in such a hurry to sit down or whatever…..make the best of it and shrug off the small stuff.

      Lori :)

    • http://www.davidleeking.com davidleeking

      Trying again – something ate my comment the first time around :-)

      I’d add three things:

      1. use your cameraphone to take a pic of where you parked your car (if you drove to the airport). Especially if there’s some type of sign or numbered marker in the lot – this has saved me a number of headaches!

      2. I use TripIt (pro version) – TripIt sends text messages of gate updates and delays, usually before the airport announces them.

      3. Another bag suggestion – the AirBoss by RedOxx. Awesome carry-on bag that holds a TON of stuff.

      Good stuff!

    • http://www.davidleeking.com davidleeking

      Trying again – something ate my comment the first time around :-)

      I’d add three things:

      1. use your cameraphone to take a pic of where you parked your car (if you drove to the airport). Especially if there’s some type of sign or numbered marker in the lot – this has saved me a number of headaches!

      2. I use TripIt (pro version) – TripIt sends text messages of gate updates and delays, usually before the airport announces them.

      3. Another bag suggestion – the AirBoss by RedOxx. Awesome carry-on bag that holds a TON of stuff.

      Good stuff!

    • http://www.davidleeking.com davidleeking

      Trying again – something ate my comment the first time around :-)

      I’d add three things:

      1. use your cameraphone to take a pic of where you parked your car (if you drove to the airport). Especially if there’s some type of sign or numbered marker in the lot – this has saved me a number of headaches!

      2. I use TripIt (pro version) – TripIt sends text messages of gate updates and delays, usually before the airport announces them.

      3. Another bag suggestion – the AirBoss by RedOxx. Awesome carry-on bag that holds a TON of stuff.

      Good stuff!

      • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

        URLs do. I approved it, so we might have a double. : )

      • Anonymous

        David, I guess I should have read all the comments before commenting myself. I mentioned Red Oxx too. I bought an AirBoss years ago and it’s the only bag I travel with now. LOVE IT.

    • http://ajleon.me ajleon

      Wow, great tips, Chris and thanks for the link to monster cable, I keep on forgetting to pick one up. But I just ordered. :)

      • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

        Excellent! It’s such a great tool for workshifters. : )

    • Mike

      As a frequent flyer and dad, I can safely say that using the restrooms during down times can often make or break a deadline. Awesome tips, Chris–happy travels!

      Mike
      http://www.jmfieldmarketing.com/

    • http://www.thinkblotcommunications.com Christy Smith

      There are a ton of great ideas/tips here! I travel on a fairly regular basis, and the only thing I’d add is if you are planning to take a taxi once you reach your destination and are planning to use a credit card- make sure the cab takes them before you get in. I rarely have cash on me, and while this happens less frequently now, I still run into this on occasion. While asking the question doesn’t make me popular (there is definitely a preference for cash), it has saved me a lot of headache.

    • http://www.ifroggy.com iFroggy

      Helpful post, Chris.

      I’ll never be able to just do a carry-on, though. My toiletries are too much of a pain. Heh.

      Patrick

    • http://www.alanweinkrantz.com Alan Weinkrantz

      When you travel, it’s an opportunity for story telling. Get a great pocket camera – something like a Lumix that Chris uses. Shoot photos and video. Think content developer, media company in the making…. you are changing venues and being introduced to new backgrounds and people you capture their story with. Use the airplane quite time to go through photos, think of a blog post that reflects on this experience, the person you met who inspired you, the up and comer who’s disrupting and doing amazing things in a community you dropped into for the day. Use travel as your back drop to inspire and do great things.

    • http://www.IntegrityVASolutions.com Katie Simmons

      Thanks for the great tips, Chris! I don’t fly very often but I foresee that changing soon. I’m bookmarking this for future trips!

    • http://11in6.com John Richards

      What are you going to be doing in Latvia?

      • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

        Chat with people including the Latvian government on social media stuff. You know. The usual. : )

    • http://davezilla.com/ Dave Linabury

      Wow, just for Seat Guru and the Monster Portable, this post made my day, having just landed in Atlanta after a harried flight from the D. Wish you were here at LessConference, Chris,

    • http://changetheworld.me Kevin @ ChangeTheWorld.me

      Wow, blown away by this list. This goes straight to Evernote. Thanks Chris.

    • http://www.realestateactive.com/ Michael Real

      Tip: While on-board of plane with someone who snores – Bring your something to cover your ears for you to have a great time and a peaceful time for sleep. lol Thanks for sharing these tips here.

    • http://www.thesacredseduction.com Rumio

      Excellent tips Chris. Some years ago I used to have ear pain while in flight. Recently my wife suffered from it too. My remedy is to always have something to chew that keeps your jaws moving.

      1 of my greatest annoyances during flight is people don’t push their chairs back after reclining even while food is being served.

      I love “drythroatneedadrinkbuttheattendantisn’tcomingforanother20minutes.” I’m sort of shy of calling flight attendant. That’s why for long flights I usually keep at least 2 liters of juices + ample food supplies. I do get sort of weird looks, but that’s a very little price to pay to keep your health first.

    • http://locationvillapals.locationvillaespagne.com/findAllVillas.php?filter=Pals&lang=fr location pals

      Wow..This post includes everything that a traveler needs to know before going on a flight or on a trip or to do the packing….There is nothing left to be added to the list..

    • http://www.dogwalkblog.com/ Rufus Dogg

      Never check bags. Never fly with anyone who does.

    • Susan

      Thank you, Chris, for comments about flying with children. Having flown with babies as young as one week, it is more nerve-wracking for mom and dad than the other passengers,

      Infants ears will plug and hurt on take-off and landing, and crying relieves it.

      Attention parents: Let your infant and young child suck on a bottle, pacifier, or chewing something during take-off and landing. It helps relieve the ear pressure as well.

      Other passengers: As Chris says in tip #2 — offer to help. Hold the baby so mom can go to the restroom, offer to entertain for a few minutes, or just give a kind word of encouragement.

      Parents of children are well aware of the disturbance a crying child can be. Please don’t make it worse.

    • Susan

      Thank you, Chris, for comments about flying with children. Having flown with babies as young as one week, it is more nerve-wracking for mom and dad than the other passengers,

      Infants ears will plug and hurt on take-off and landing, and crying relieves it.

      Attention parents: Let your infant and young child suck on a bottle, pacifier, or chewing something during take-off and landing. It helps relieve the ear pressure as well.

      Other passengers: As Chris says in tip #2 — offer to help. Hold the baby so mom can go to the restroom, offer to entertain for a few minutes, or just give a kind word of encouragement.

      Parents of children are well aware of the disturbance a crying child can be. Please don’t make it worse.

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    • http://tijuanabecky.livingproof.us Becky

      These are great tips, thanks for sharing!

    • Craig

      I’ll add a couple for people who travel international a lot.
      Customs will frequently not let you take foodstuffs into a country, especially countries like US, UK and Australia. Only pack enough for your trip and be prepared to bin anything you haven’t eaten.
      Know what customs in each country want you to declare and avoid travelling with them. You’ll go through the customs line much faster. Food is the number one thing to avoid carrying, even in your luggage. Some countries make you declare anything wooden.
      Read the immigration and custom forms. Always answer truthfully and NEVER fail to declare anything. These people are pretty good at their jobs and the costs of getting caught can be huge. Fines, jail or even deportation can really put a dampener on your trip.
      Use a backpack for your carry on luggage. When you have a briefcase in one hand and a suitcase in another, you are constantly putting something down so you can find your passport for the dozens of officials that seem to want it. Backpacks ensure you have a free hand.
      When there is a significant change of time zones, try and do the things you would do at the time of day at the destination time. For example, if it is early morning when you leave home but afternoon at your destination, have dinner, avoid coffee and then try and sleep. It will minimise jet lag.
      Eliminating alcohol from your travel schedule will also minimise jet lag.
      If you have a layover of more than two hours on a long journey, try to take advantage of the showers at most large airports. You’ll feel fresher when you land and the person sitting next to you wont have a travel horror story about odours.

    • http://twitter.com/eoalchemy EO Alchemy 2011

      GREAT list of tips! For those who travel a lot, time is of the essence and Chris really brings home some good time-saving thoughts.

    • http://www.restlesstech.com Jeff Mac

      Hey Chris,

      Great points all! One thing to add on not checking bags is that it give you lots of flexibility should mayhem strike. Recently was flying to Pensacola through Atlanta (ACK!) and they canceled my flight and booked me on a flight 12 hours later! Since I had everything with me I was able to cancel the back half of my flight and book a car and get there in about 5 hours.

      Also, the first question a gate agent ALWAYS asks you when you are trying to rearrange stuff is “Did you check any baggage?” when you say no, they almost always come up with a plan B for you.

    • http://www.gossipchips.com Clean adam

      Very nice :)

    • Barcelona Hen Weekend

      I fly alone all the time and it is actually fun having some independence. I would check a big luggage and bring a small backpack w/ the essentials (phone, wallet, ipod, nook, emergency numbers, makeup, etc. whatever you need). Don’t talk to anybody that doesn’t work at the shopping places or lane number. The flight attendants will sit you next to a kid younger or older than you, but not by much. Sometimes they will put you next to a well none responsible adult. When you get off the plane you want to look for whoever is picking you up immediatly or at the baggage claim. REMEMBER: don’t go anywhere with a stranger.

    • Patty Juan

      Fantastic — lots of information packed into an entertaining read. @Susan — yes, I agree. As a mother who traveled now and then with her children, I was always so conscious of my kids — well, simply being kids. The truth of the matter is babies will cry when they are uncomfortable. It was lovely of Chris to point out that parents often feel terrible when their kids are cranky. Thank you, Chris. In addition, your manners and upbringing totally are brought to the surface when you advise to simply “offer to help.” Hello … can we all be human once in a while? You nailed this article. I loved it.

    • http://www.simplyzesty.com Niall Harbison

      Some good tips here. I think the biggest one being for people to just chill out! We are all in the same plane, all just as tired and hungry etc but don’t take it out on others. I really always see the worst in people when I fly!

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