Travel warriors dread having to travel with travel novices. Yes you know how I am talking about. It is people like my kid sister who after waiting for and hour and a half to secure our spot in line for a Southwest flight (under their old set up) only to decide to use the restroom AFTER they announce that they will be boarding in five minutes. Yes she leaves you with all her carry on luggage to try and carry it all and hope she makes it back before you get to the front of the line. She of course does not and you end up having to board much later. These are the people who do not know the basic rules of travel. Really they are not hard to learn, so listen closely my travel impaired ones.
Online travel agencies are not always your friends. Yes, they may yield you some great savings. However, you need to read the fine print. You always have to agree to their terms of service before you complete your purchase. They are not under any obligation to refund your money or do any of the things you think you are entitled to. Make sure you actually read the rules before your commit.
The airline can promise you they keep families together when you book, but that isn’t always a reality. I’ve played that game before, and it just doesn’t always work. Lets look at the facts. The airline makes more money if you pay to pick your seat anyway, so why would they promise you anything close to that for no additional charge. No matter what they promise, chances are good that you will all end up scattered all over the plane. Yes it will cost more, but just pay the extra and pick your seats when you book.
Those newfangled kiosks for airline check in are not all that scary. All you really need to do is be prepared. Have your photo ID and boarding passes all ready to go. If you are all booked as a group, have one person in charge of getting all of you checked in. Do not expect the people “helping” at the kiosks to be helpful. Many times they are impatient and even rude. If you do not know what you are doing, they can be extremely rude. The best rule of thumb is to follow the directions on the screen explicitly and make sure you have everything ready to go.
Once you have found your gate, please stay there. Yes it is okay to go back to the coffee place or get food. However, do not wander far from the gate. Keep listening for announcements for your flight. I was once at the gate 90 minutes before my flight and the gate was changed three times. It is always better to stay informed. As it gets closer to your flight time, this is crucial. Bad weather sometimes prompts airlines to stick strictly to the boarding rules. If you are not on board by a certain time, the airline will not give the courtesy of additional final boarding calls.
There is no shame is being a tourist. I try not to be an overt tourist myself. I try to blend in to the city I am visiting, but there is no harm is being a blatant tourist and doing touristy things. Now what is bad is stopping in the middle of a crowded street to gawk at something. Yes, be a tourist, but also try to adapt to the culture of where you are visiting. If you are on the EL in Chicago, do not wait until the trail is stopped at your stop before jumping up and walking to the exits. Follow the flow of foot traffic. Basically, use common sense, be aware of the new rules in your destination and try to follow them.
Travelling really isn’t that hard, all you need to know are some basics of the trade. Do you have travelling pet peeves or rules to live by? Let me know! I’m always looking for new angles to look at and solutions to find. You can contact me at Jennifer.hammitt@gmail.com or leave a comment here.
