Travel hacks and advice

[huckbucket]

Rocketmiles for Amazon dollars bitches ... check it out

[hawkgt]

been road jockey for years, international for many years, now mostly domestic. Some good advice here so hard to add BUT......

- imodium
- if you take prescriptions, don't leave them in the room.

[danmelon]

With regard to staying in shape, if you are ok with yoga, you can do yoga just about anywhere now and many studios offer at least a first class for free, if not a free first week. I’ve taken advantage of this on a few occasions. Also pack some light weight runners, hotel gyms may be shitty, but its super easy to bang out a quick 20-30 min run on a treadmill if you are crunched for time

[thommy21]

Going on 23 years of road warrior. US and overseas, mainly Asia travel overseas. As others said pick your airline based on hub. Was USair my early years switched to United when I moved to Denver.

Amex Platinum lounges are significantly better than the US United lounges. Overseas Star Alliance Lounges are pretty good. But if you follow the advise of others minimizing airport time then might be less needed inUS depending on cost and if your company will pick up the fees.

Global Entry gets you TSApre. You won’t need both if you go GE.
When you get status and can select exit row go for that. It’s poor mans first class. All the leg room none of the service. Be sure you don’t pick the row with limited or no recline.

Overseas Dreamliner the middle rows facing the bulkhead don’t have the angled foot wells. They are wider and better if you are tall or big feet.

If you get to Gold with Marriott that’s good enough if you aren’t staying at full on Marriott properties all the time. Some points difference but Courtyard room upgrades aren’t all that big a deal. You still get Concierge Lounge at the full Marriott and overseas with Gold. SPG merger has been pretty nice as well.

If you are close to next tier on the airline at the end of the year but no business trips scheduled consider doing a points run. Fly out and back somewhere. I work from home when not traveling so it’s not much different than an office day.

Over-ear headphones are great but for long haul trip they can start to get a little annoying especially if you are trying to sleep. Have buds or earplugs handy.

Get a good carry on bag. I prefer the 2 wheel style. Fits better in overhead vs the 4 wheel. My Ogio is going on 6 years one I had prior went 10 before a wheel finally broke. Good laptop bag as well with pockets laid out for chargers headphones ease of access to phone for going through security.

As others said when it hits the fan and it will, be nice. The people working the gate or helping you rebook didn’t cause the delay or cancelation. I’ve been given extra comps, vouchers, etc by just being mellow about the situation vs the asshole ahead of me going off on people.

[bagtagley]

I don't travel that much, but wear earbuds constantly, and I hate over-ear headphones. They're bulky and cumbersome and noise-canceling models require batteries or recharging. Ear buds fit in a pocket and can be whipped out at a moments notice. These are the shit, and if you put them in correctly, are comparable to noise-canceling headphones as far as noise isolation.

https://www.etymotic.com/consumer/earphones.html

[neufox47]

I’ve never found a good way to carry a big pair of big noise canceling headphones. Too bulky and in the way in my bag.

[frorider]

Most of my business travel is to W Europe. In fact I just landed in Geneva 2 hrs ago.

- The Bose active noise cancelling earbuds are great, and (for me at least) far preferable to the bulky OTE kind

- mid size airports can be great low hassle connectors. I avoid Atlanta, Newark, Heathrow at all costs

- specifying vegetarian usually avoids the cafeteria style airline ‘food’ and if you’re traveling a lot seems to help avoid that blah heavy food feeling

- find a knockout combo and get as much sleep as you can. Regardless of the time of arrival, sleep on the plane + as much exercise/walking as possible = minimal jet lag issues.

- power hydrate obv

- roller bags suck — not much internal volume, and comparably heavy. Some countries are very strict on the weight of carry on bags. My Victorinox soft sided expandable bag lets me do a week long Intl trip with business clothes & hiking clothes for the vacation days I tend to include. Bonus is that it fits in the overhead compartments on the smaller puddle jump connectors, since it’s soft sided. Turns into a backpack of sorts when your Frankfurt connection ends up being a 2 km trek.

- ABC — Always Be Charging. Many airports don’t have functional charging points right at your seat, so it’s nice to charge your extra battery at that one working wall socket 10 yds away from where youre sitting.

- lot of travelers going with google Fi plans...same rates regardless of which country you’re in, no fucking around with SIM cards. Makes AT&T and Verizon look like shit by comparison. But you have to buy one of their phones...

[booner]

I’ve never found a good way to carry a big pair of big noise canceling headphones. Too bulky and in the way in my bag.

Prison purse

[Viva]

I have credit card through PenFed that gets me 4.25%...]

Federal penetenturies offer credit cards now?

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[The AD]

I've applied for global entry, TSA Pre, and Nexus

Hopefully you didn't apply for all of them separately because Nexus includes all three automatically.

[RShea]

While charging stations and ports are more and more common, a good 10K USB booster battery (Anker or similar favorably reviewed that you can use if you carry a cell phone, bluetooth headphones, tablet etc. Do not have to find a wall outlet or stand around a charging station. Plug it in at night before you leave, or at the hotel to give it a charge then feed off it as needed for USB devices. Also of course a small pouch bag that has all the road warrior items- charging cords, power adapters, etc. for the devices. Saves on relying on going around and collecting up all your regular chargers you use at home.

[thedude2340]

Skyroll for carry on. 400k+ miles, best purchase I ever made.

Can easily travel a week w carry on, dentist dress and no inside out undies

[Supermoon]

Seems obvious to most people but took me years of regular travel to figure out: buy two of all of your toiletries and have a dedicated toiletry bag you only use for travel. Then there’s no thinking about what you need to bring, just grab and go.

With pre check you don’t have to remove your liquids so they can stay in a nice bag.

[nickwm21]

Buy an extra set of all your essentials so you don’t have to pack/unpack every time you travel: toiletries, phone cord, computer cord, mouse, headphones, sunglasses, running shoes, etc...

Buy a Nintendo Switch.

Toiletries: Avoid the travel size shit. TSA doesn’t care about full size deodorant or toothpaste. Buy nice high quality 3.4oz squeeze bottles, fill with your favorite soap/shampoo at home, refill with the nice product in the better hotels.

Stuff an old swimsuit and goggles in that unused pocket of your bag. Takes up almost zero room. Only a percentage of business hotels have aquatic facilities but a few laps or a quick hot tub dip is pretty great after a long day of traveling.


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[El Chupacabra]

I could go on about points etc, but there are plenty of resources on that online.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet: bring your own surge protector. If you don't have lounge access, this way you'll always be able to plug into any outlet in an airport, even if it's already "full." I use this one:

https://www.amazon.com/Belkin-BZ1030...16274448&psc=1

[hutash]

Avoid international connections at LAX. The international terminal and domestic terminals are separate buildings poorly connected with over crowded buses. Not to mention customs at LAX can take an hour (GE helps here, but on my last trip they were still screwing it up.) LAX is my home airport, so no connections, but The disasters I've seen from people with hour connections in a two hour line are heartbreaking.

[plugboots]

Mrs. plug and I use the bags that skins come in as our toiletries bag. BD’s are mesh on one side now, so you can see what’s inside. Bonus.
We also travel with our own coffee mugs and I will say that 999 times out of 1000 we are the only people in line that don’t get a cup, ring, and plastic lid from Starbucks or whatever.
Morons.
Don’t grab the plastic water bottles they give you, ever, or any plastic single use items at all.
Bring a water bottle that you can refill after security, and carry that on with you.
Morons.
I started traveling for business before electricity, so when I started, we had budget issues so we stayed at Holiday Inns. Sounds crappy, but they are way more prevalent in Europe than the other chains. This is a long way to say that picking the chain depends on which chain is prevalent in the town you visit and then where you like to use points.
Now we stay at Marriotts because that’s where the boss likes to stay. (The jerk.) Maybe the hotels.com points system is the way to go these days?
I used to go to the local gym to work out but it’s just too much of a pain in the ass. Now I’ll even pick the hotel (within the pre-chosen chain), that has a decent gym and I workout in there. I travel with nylon work-out shirt and shorts and lightweight collapsible style running/kayaking shoes that I can wash in the shower. I used to just run in whatever city I ended up in, but skiing killed my cartilage. I miss that.
Lots and lots of dead time. Work during that time as much as possible.

Remember to never use single-use plastic.

[EWG]

Buy this bag. Don't think, just do it. It's so far and away better than any other carry-on out there. It hold so much it's incredible compared to other wheeled carry-ons, and it fits perfectly in the overheads. Lifetime warranty.
https://www.osprey.com/us/en/product...OINT5_680.html
check out the Amazon reviews.
https://www.amazon.com/Osprey-Ozone-...ustomerReviews

The only car company I will ever rent from is Silvercar. App based, they are awesome. Other than that, I will only do Lyft.

If you stay at a hotel you like and get a room you like, make note of the room number (I have it in my iphone "notes" app.) Then I request that room every time I book there.

Wired over the ear headphones are lighter and don't run out of juice.

[Art Shirk]

If you are in a hotel for more than a day, get a fridge and stop by a local market. Get some fresh stuff so you aren't eating restaurant food all fucking day everyday.

Not sure why the hate for rental cars. If you are moving around a lot and its not always in a large city, I like having my own wheels. With Avis preferred, I just walk straight to the car and drive away. Drop it off with the keys in it and hit my flight home.

And the Filson collapsible canvas roller bag is indestructible and will fit into overhead no matter the plane.

[MontuckyFried]

Buy a Nintendo Switch.

YES! Solid advice. As an entrepreneur and dad, I get little to no time to get my game on anymore, so when I have to fly for business is now the best time to squeeze in some long overdue entertainment. I missed out on the whole Skyrim craze, so now I can play it here and there. Between Skyrim, Zelda Breath of the Wild, and Mario Odyssey, I. Am. Set. Now I don't mind flight delays WHATSOEVER. Haha. Pair that with a nice Delta member lounge and I'm golden. IF you fly a ton, the airline lounges are totally worth the fees FWIW, that is if your company's picking up the tab on that. Well, mostly. I've been in some lounges that were a total zoo and kind of obnoxious, but for the most part they've been great places to eat, drink and relax without the general chaos of the airport.

Some great advice all around in here so I don't have too much to add other than seconding Nick's suggestion.

[Benny Profane]

Last I heard she adopted a dog, moved to LA, killed herself.

Jezuz, that's kinda sad.

[huckbucket]

Backpack for your laptop bag saves the back and shoulders. I go backpack and a Travelpro wheely that fits comfortably overhead. Anything two days or less and I go backpack only.

[booner]

I just learned a new trick last week.

Checked in to Doubletree on the Hilton app and selected "pick my own room"

Map comes up and I see one of my options is a fucking monster corner room.. 3 times bigger than the rest, so I picked it

Stopped by the desk and told her I picked the Charlie Sheen suite and asked if there was an up charge.

No up charge...biggest room I've ever had

[plugboots]

I just learned a new trick last week.

Checked in to Doubletree on the Hilton app and selected "pick my own room"

Map comes up and I see one of my options is a fucking monster corner room.. 3 times bigger than the rest, so I picked it

Stopped by the desk and told her I picked the Charlie Sheen suite and asked if there was an up charge.

No up charge...biggest room I've ever had

I get pissed now if the app doesn't let me choose the room, or if the door doesn't open with my phone.
Did I mention not to use single use plastic?

[riser4]

As others said when it hits the fan and it will, be nice. The people working the gate or helping you rebook didn’t cause the delay or cancelation. I’ve been given extra comps, vouchers, etc by just being mellow about the situation vs the asshole ahead of me going off on people.

This.

Guy in front of the line once in ATL was being a grade A+ psycho-douche, all he accomplished was making a spectacle and holding the rest of us up so that we then had no hope of making alternate flights that night. When I got to the counter, I smiled my best smile and was super nice. They gave me more than they had to. An awesome free room, coupons for a bunch of free meals and drinks, and a great connection the next morning, on a competing carrier.