11. Airline travel the less stressful way

From the Southwest Christmas fiasco to the Canada wildfire smoke, air travel has been a bit challenging and frustrating over the past year. In today's episode, I'm sharing my best travel hacks to reduce stress before, during, and after your flight.

Information Referenced:
Travel gear:  https://twentytwowords.com/weird-travel-gadgets-you-actually-need/
Passports: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/unprecedented-demand-for-passports-antony-blinken-state-department/
The Points Guy: https://thepointsguy.com/
Seat Guru: https://www.seatguru.com/ 

Recommended Products:
Pluto Pillow
Alongza Charger
Universal Phone Holder
Phone Lanyard

Download my free Travel Hacks Guide  or connect with me on Instagram @michelevisitsmickey.

This episode was produced by The Podcast Teacher.

Transcript

Hello, friends, and welcome to episode 11 of Let Me Adjust My Years. And today, I have a very special episode for you because I'm hoping it's timely. We have just passed the 4th July, which was the most people ever to travel for a holiday weekend, and that is pre pandemic. 2019, again, pre pandemic was considered height of airline consumer travel, and now it is 2023.

So you may have read about a lot of stoppages. I think we'd be hard pressed to not have heard about the stoppages Southwest Airlines had in this past December. Probably, we all were affected or know someone who was affected. So I wanna take some time to give you some travel tips, tricks, hacks, whatever you wanna call them to make your airline travel -- more pleasurable. As my husband likes to say, I love to vacation. I am, in fact, a pro at it. and I hate the travel. And I'm a pro with that too. I mean, I fly a lot. I mean, a lot. At least once a month, if not more. Recently, I flew 4 different times on 3 different airlines in 3 days. So, yeah, I fly a lot. So here are some things that I do myself that maybe will help you with your travel. And, of course, I process all this by saying there is no substitute for using a skilled professional travel adviser who will help you with these things or at least advise you of these things to look for. 

So let's talk about pre travel, pre getting to the airport, pre Uber, or Lyft, pre fast park while you're planning your actual trip. Okay. So the first thing that you should do when you are thinking you're gonna plan your trip and your vacation is sign up for emails and loyalty programs from your preferred airline of choice. So I reside in Austin, Texas. Sadly, it means my preferred airline of choice that goes to most places Southwest Airlines. So every Tuesday, I get the Southwest Airlines email that tells me that The fare sales are on. They go Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. I also know by using the flexible date search on Southwest, is that it is least expensive to fly on Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday. Those are just the least busy travel days of the week. And therefore, they're gonna be the lowest fares. 

Now because Southwest the low fare carrier or as I like to call it the bus of airline travel, -- announces it self airs that date anywhere that, let's say, American Airlines, United, or Delta, fly that Southwest also flies, they will try and match those fares. So, again, sign up for the emails and the loyalty programs of your preferred airline of choice. And while you're at it, download and set up an account for the airline app that you will be traveling on. Gosh, forbid anything happens on your travel day, you can do anything you need on that app, even most have a chat function. -- which is a lot easier than standing in line with everyone else on your flight. You can even use that if you want while you're on the ground using a digital function before you, quote, turn off your phones or when you turn them on, If you realize you're gonna miss a connection, you can be searching that while you're even in the air with the airline Wi Fi. 

Okay. Another thing to do is if you are if you're trying to avoid getting stuck or missing a layover, Take the earliest flight in the day. The planes are already at the gates from the night before, and they have the least chance of getting delayed because weather usually tends to move in. Also, let's say there was a blizzard the night before or a winter storm, you're going to find out about it before you ever go to the airport. It's probably going to be listed on the app. or if you've signed up for text alerts, you're already gonna know. So take that early flight. And likewise, If your flight says it's delayed and only delayed, go to the airport anyway. Those things change very quickly. crews can make up time while they're in the air, make a flight less delayed. A new flight crew could be found sooner than what they anticipated. any number of situations. So still go to the airport if your flight only says it's delayed and it hasn't been canceled. Because if you miss it, because it's delayed. You miss it, and the airline is not responsible for helping you as much as if you were there already. 

Okay. So take the earliest flight, take the one with the fewest connections, and watch your layover time. A 30 minute connection no longer works for you. For example, -- daughter was coming home. She was on a nonstop flight. If she had had a connection, she wouldn't have been able to make it. because the Jetway door didn't work. And so they were on the tarmac at the gate and couldn't get off the plane -- for the same three hours that she was in the air. So watch your connection times. 

Along these same lines, please do not travel without travel insurance. You have made an investment in your vacation trip. -- protect it with travel insurance. Another thing, if you're delayed, if you miss a connection, if you have to spend the night in an airport unexpectedly, You can claim it on your travel insurance. Also, they have a 1800 help number. So, again, easier to call your travel insurance than it is to wait in line to speak with a gate agent with the airline. 

If you're traveling internationally a lot or even if this is a trip you saved up your whole life for, you wanna check your passport expiration date. Quit thinking that your passports are good for 10 years. They are not. They're good for nine and a half years. Most countries require that you have at least 6 months, 6 months before the expiration date to allow you to enter the country. So

nine and a half months, -- be sure that you have a brand new, renewed passport. And I'm gonna link to this article, but the state department and the travel and tourist Pete Buttigieg, our US Secretary of Travel And Transportation, has identified that Passport applications are out of control right now. Again, all that pent up demand from the pandemic. So you wanna allow at least 6 weeks for your travel processing time. So when you hit 9a half, years on your passport. Hopefully, you're not traveling right away. Get your new passport. Start that renewal process. which you can now do online. 

Some people to follow, and these links are in the show notes that can help you with your -- preplanning the points guy I do and seat guru. So I always look at the makeup of the plane and the pitch and the seat guru, like, what seats are recommended, what seats are potentially blocked, Before I go ahead and purchase my seat assignment, if I am on a flight that has seat assignments. So for Southwest, I will also always, always purchase that early check-in because that's the only way that they will check me in and that I am guaranteed a good boarding position. But I have also gotten to the point where I will pay the $40 to upgrade at the airport so that I can be between numbers 1 and 15. I am not a preferred traveler on Southwest, so that's why I do that. especially especially if there are already people on the airplane because they get a chance to move, and they're gonna take that exit row seat that I desperately want for myself. 

And for Goodness sakes. Everybody, please pack your patience. There are staffing changes due to climate change. We have weather situations in all four seasons. Right now, it's the smoke from Canada. We are dealing with outdated systems as both Southwest and United have coped to recently. So pack your patience, I would say at least 50% of my travel recently has been impacted in one way or another. And, again, that's monthly travel.

Okay. So for your day of travel, you have already downloaded that app for the airline that you are gonna be flying. Check-in online. That way when you do get to the airport, all you have to do is do the self check bag drop. That's if you're checking bags. If you're not, you can go right to security. Yay. So check-in online. Also, again, many airlines will not take your baggage if you have not checked in a full hour before flight time. So if you check-in online, 24 hours before your flight as you're allowed to, that saves you that problem. Okay. So, again, get to the airport and plenty of time. I have recently started getting to the airport at least and this is in Austin, which is a smaller size airport. I get there 2 hours in advance. And for other airlines and other airports, such as when I flew in and out of Miami a lot, it was a good 2 a half to 3 hours. And I'm gonna talk a little bit about how to make that experience a little bit nicer in just a minute.

I can never just travel with a carry on. It just doesn't work for me. If you can travel in a carry on, more power to you, it makes your airline and airport experience that much better. But for those of us who can't do it and we're gonna check our luggage, I always go to the self check-in kiosk and then write to bag drop. I make my luggage easily identifiable. I've got my Disney bag tags. to go on it. They're Disney themed. I always know in my life it just kinda come out. I also take a photo of it once it's got the bag tag on it, I take a photo of my type of luggage in the bag tag because if my luggage gets delayed, lost, n as in available, that helps me put in the report to baggage services with the claim check, -- the number and the type of luggage that it is. I have a photo to show them. It helped me so much when I flew into a foreign country, waited an hour and a half in immigration, and thought for sure that someone had taken my luggage by accident or not by accident, but I was able to show the baggage services, my actual luggage, the claim tag, and she was able to track it down to the Fort Lauderdale Airport. where it hadn't made my connection course. 

So making that airport day of travel easier, global entry for the win. with global entry, it lasts for 5 years, and that's if you're traveling internationally, you can go through global entry when you come back to the United States. going back through immigration. But it also comes with TSA PreCheck, which means when I go to the airport, I get to go in the TSA security line that allows me to keep my shoes on. I don't have to show my 311 bag. I don't have to get my laptop out. It makes life much easier. It's much quicker to get through. And, typically, the lines are much shorter than the regular TSA security. Another way to do that is to use clear They get in front of even TSA at some airports, and they annoy me greatly. It's also a lot more expensive. It's an annual fee. However, It does also work at some sports stadiums and other places where you may want clear. So TSA, clear global entry. always make my day of travel slightly less stressful. 

Okay. I already talked about arriving early. So because I do arrive early, I have a premium priority pass that I get through one of my credit cards, which I follow the points guy so I know which travel credit cards I really should be using. And that priority pass gives me lounge access. Or if I'm traveling internationally, I tend to travel business travel, so I get lounge access on that date. for that day. Also, I have been known to purchase a day pass. If I have that layover, that's 3 hours because I was concerned about Clearing customs in Miami and rechecking my luggage. And so I've got a 3 hour connection a $40 pass means it's just slightly more than $10 an hour, and it gets me out of the crowded concourse. I have free Wi Fi that's secure, meaning it's password protected Wi Fi, and there's drinks and sodas for free. You can purchase alcohol, although we're gonna talk about that in a minute. And there are snacks. And, again, you can charge your electronics, but mostly it's nice and quiet. And, again, you're not traveling with the plebeians who are down in the concourse. It just makes it less stressful. One thing is they usually don't make airline announcements, so you have to watch that app. You have to get text applications, or they'll have a screen that you wanna watch in case you have a gate change. Again, I'm talking to you, American Airlines in Miami. or a flight becomes an early or becomes delayed. They also have someone, like, a concierge that you can talk to. If you find out your flight's delayed, instead of being in the concourse below where everyone is trying to talk to that gate agent.

Okay. So I said one of the things about lounge access is that it has password protected Wi Fi. Beware that free Wi Fi that is free Boingo that doesn't have a password required to log into. It's very easy to get hacked that way, so don't log in to any personal accounts or conduct financial transactions while using that free airport WiFi. And if you have to use it, then switch to a cellular data connection. I tend to use my phone as a hot spot instead of using that free WiFi. That way, I can check email or get on my socials to post something during the layover. without worrying about getting hacked.

Okay. I'm probably preaching to the choir on this one, but please wear socks, You have to take your shoes off. You do not wanna be walking through security or really anywhere on the airport and bare feet. So wear socks. I always dress in comfortable layers that are not too constricting. So for me, I will wear athleisure, or, you know, in a sweatshirt with a shirt underneath. I dress some layers so that I can take a top layer off when I get on the plane and it really hot, and I can put that top layer back on when you're up in the air, and it's really cold. Bring a water bottle so you can fill it up on the other side of security. I also bring electrolytes to avoid getting dehydrated when I travel. 

I have tried every travel pillow under the sun, and I'm gonna go through a few that are different types of travel pillows that you might want to consider if you travel frequently or you travel long distances, There's memory foam neck pillows, inflatable neck pillows, wrap around neck pillows. So my issue with most of the wrap around neck pillows is they're really, really hot, and I feel like I get claustrophobic. So there's a j pillow, an infinitely pillow, a very it expensive bamboo evolution pillow and the travel rest ultimate travel pillow. So the latest and greatest that I am about to try, and I am not an affiliate for any of these, by the way. These are just a list of the most common types of pillows. And, obviously, every pillow is gonna be different for every person. So I'm gonna try the brand new Pluto pillow, and I'm gonna see how that works. It's a neck pillow, but it's also got a hoodie type thing with a sleep mask so that I can basically be in a sleep deprivation state. this summer when I'm traveling to Europe. 

Okay. Entertainment options, download those in advance. So, yes, JetBlue has free Wi Fi and enter they call it free fly entertainment. Southwest has entertainment. American Airlines has entertainment. Sometimes those don't work, or there's nothing to watch, or you get over c and the connection isn't great if you're not over land. So download those Netflix things in advance so that you can watch what you wanna watch. Podcast is another great way that I download in advance or even a book to your Kindle. Great things to have. 

Bring a universal phone holder I'm going to link to that. It's the kind that sits on the seat of the seat back. of the seat in front of you and hold your phone so you don't have to hold it or you don't have to look down if you can look straight ahead. A portable charger. Don't wanna be in an airport or a theme park for that matter or really anywhere lost in a foreign country without having a portable charger, a long alongza. Alongza is Amazon recommends just because of its thinness. It's about the size of a credit card, and it fits nicely. There are also those that come as part of a lanyard that hangs around your neck, which is great for security when traveling at a foreign, well, really traveling anywhere. It's really great to keep your phone around your neck so that nobody skates off with it. It's very easy to get a phone sort of pick pocketed, so that's a great thing too. Again, all links to these gadgets are in the show notes, and I'm not an affiliate of any of them. But if you want a copy of these travel hacks, You can go to my website, and you can download a copy of all of these hacks. 

Okay. This is where I get my freak flag on you can call me Karen, but I fly a lot, and my patience runs thin. I know I said pack your patience, but I do, and I still it runs really thin with other people who are just rude travelers. So here is my diatribe soapbox, whatever you wanna call it, on courtesy to your fellow pass centers. Please. Please. I beg of you. Do not bring your cheeseburger and french fries on the plane with you. I know. Southwest serves you nothing. I know unless you're traveling in premium economy, business, or 1st class, you don't get food service anymore unless you're on a long call flight. How about anything but tuna fish, a nice turkey sandwich, anything that doesn't smell? because you're gonna bring on your hamburger and french fries, and you're gonna sit in the middle seat next to me, and it's gonna smell that way for the entire flight. And I am gonna be mad. So please just don't do that. 

Please do not over indulge in alcohol either at the airport lounge, at the bar in the concourse or on the plane. You will be that guy. I promise I've seen it happen. It also causes you to be very loud. Hello. Can we all please use our inside voices while we're on a plane where I am trapped? in the same space with you. Along those lines, using your inside voice, are you listening to a podcast? Are you watching a movie? Are you watching the airline entertainment? Hello, headphones. Thank you very much. I will press my call button and have the flight attendant remind you You cannot talk on the phone. Hello. And you cannot listen to entertainment without headphones. That's just rude. 

Be nice to the crew and the flight attendants. Flight attendants especially are there for your safety. Well, the crew's there for your safety too, but they're up in the pit. Flight attendants are there with us roaming around, helping us become more comfortable on the plane, and they are therefore our safety, 1st and foremost, be nice to them. They are overworked, understaffed, and dealing with outdated scheduling systems. as we know from what happened to the south was meltdown in December. So be nice. 

Window seats, You get to control the window and whether the shade is up or down except for takeoff and landing on American Airlines, where they make you keep it up. Otherwise, it's your domain. Take the aisle seat if you think you're going to have to get up and down frequently. Need to use the restroom because you're staying good and hydrated. Please sit in the aisle. And that middle seat, they get both the armrests. That's just courtesy. 

Oh, and finally, please wait until it is your turn to be plain. You do not get to stand up as soon as the fasten seat belt sign gets off and run to the front of the plane. Unless, There is a caveat. You have a very tight connection, and you have told the flight attendants so that flight attendants say Please let everyone with a tight connection come forward. Otherwise, you should have checked that connection when you made your airline reservations and bought your ticket. see a pretravel for that. And also, yeah, there's no reason for you to run the aisle. You will get off the plane, I promise. 

So for those of us who are used to traveling, in the back of the plane, but we're going to Europe this summer. Thought might be me, by the way. Let's talk about how to get some upgrades. aside from paying for them, which I do. But, anyway, here is ways to potentially get upgrades. None of these are guaranteed. So dress the part. So if you dress smartly or professionally or just not in shorts where I can see your cooter. Your neat and polished appearance may catch the attention of the airline staff when they're considering upgrade candidates. pay attention to the fare class that you have, some fare classes. And, again, this is where a travel advisor can help you Some fare classes have better upgrade eligibility than anybody who booked a discount fare on Expedia. Like, that's just a fact. And so book flexible Economy Fairs or premium economy, discounted business class fares, Those can all increase your chances of being selected for an upgrade. 

Check for those when you check-in whether that's on the app or in person. Sometimes when you check-in on the app, it will tell you you can upgrade for a hundred bucks or 250. And have that budget figure in mind for yourself, like, what am I willing to pay for an upgrade? You can also sometimes bid for upgrades that are auction style programs, and so it allows you to bid for premium seats. Again, have that budget number in mind what you're willing to do. See number 1, again, for things to do pretravel. I follow the points guys, and I look at what credit cards they potentially recommend where I might be able to upgrade with miles or bonus points. Sometimes if you let them know that it's a special occasion or a celebration, if there's room in 1st class, which, by the way, There really isn't anymore on domestic flights because airlines have made 1st class much smaller. Like, I was on a recent flight, which had literally eight seats, like, two rows of two seats each. There's gonna be very little availability to upgrade for that. because it's your birthday. But it never hurts to ask. Again, it never hurts to be polite and gracious. I guarantee you, you catch more bees with honey than vinegar. My grandmother used to tell me that if you are rude and demanding an upgrade, They have the power to even not board you, so just don't be rude. And then just book, premium, or business cost directly so that you don't have to worry about an upgrade. If you are flying a long haul flight, say, the far east, Australia, New Zealand. It may be worth it to you to just purchase that, and it depends on what long haul is to you. Like, if Europe is long haul for you, then by all means, look at the price difference or traveling on some less expensive days, it may be worth it for you to just purchase that upgrade. So there are some interesting things about how to get upgrades. So other things on international travel that I tend to think are worth the splurge, but we all know that I'm the bougie traveler and the group. Right? 

So Expedited arrival and departures. A lot of the countries in the Caribbean have this where For an expedited arrival, they will meet you at the Jetway with a sign with your name on it, and you don't have to wait in line for customs. Same thing with departure. Of course, these are at a fee, but if you think your time is worth the fee, it can save you 2 hours in immigration lines. It's so worth it to me. Investing in a good pair of tennis shoes, good luggage, private transfers to and from the airport, especially from I get off a plane after spending 8 hours. I, of course, have to wait in immigration and baggage claim. Like, I don't wanna wait on a shuttle, and then have to stop at three people's other hotels other than mine. So private transfers to me, Worth the splurge. Also, the other way around, I want to know that I'm going directly to the airport and that I'm gonna get there at the time that I request because I'm anal retentive about getting to the airport very early.

I also splurge on making sure that I get the hotel with the amenities that I want. So I look at all of the amenities before I book my hotel. Again, discussion to be had with your travel adviser so that your travel adviser knows what kind of amenities you want. And then this, I call it the off cruise excursion, but it works for land based vacations as well. I invest and private guides, I always look at tours by local because and then I can identify exactly what I wanna see and a tour guide who is experienced or licensed in that country, in that city can tailor the the private tour to me. So I think private guides are worth the splurge in international travel. 

Also, please remember that you do not have TSA pre check or a global entry when you are traveling in the other country. So when you are leaving London, for example, their security line, no joke. you have to show your 311 bag. You need to have your laptop easily accessible because you are gonna have to put it in a different bin. Separate bin. 

You want to make sure that you have a radio frequency blocking passport holder when you are traveling internationally. That's just for your safety. Also, you should put it in the safe in your hotel room and not carry it around with you. Let your credit card companies know that you're going out of town so that you don't end up in a foreign country, and your credit card will not be accepted because they think it's fraud. And determine early on in your trip, this should be back under number 1 planning before your trip about currency exchange. 

For example, when I go to Mexico, I do not exchange for pesos. I just make sure that I'm using a credit card wherever I can. and American dollars because I don't want to have to spend any pesos or risk having to come home with them. Same with most of the Caribbean, the Dominican Republic paces. I don't want those. So I make sure that I have enough American cash for tips. Drivers, taxi cabs will take that. and then that I have a credit card that doesn't charge me exchange rates. When I am going to Europe, I will invest in some euros. Typically, no more depending upon how long I'm gonna be in the country that takes euros, United Kingdom. I hate you now for not taking euros and you only take pounds, which means more currency exchange. But watch those exchange rates, and sometimes your bank doesn't have that currency readily available. For example, I'm going to Budapest. They don't keep a Kronar, I think it is. Currency on hand, so I have to order it in advance. 

Those are my down and dirty airport hacks for you. If you have some that I have missed here, I would love for you to tell me on Instagram what those are, and I look forward to talking to you next week.