More flight travel tips ✈️
How to get there with less hassle
Last month I flew almost 17,000 miles, that’s eight flights on four different airlines, on an epic trip to New Zealand and Australia.
As always, lessons were learned.
If you want to find out more about the trip, check out the video re-cap on my Facebook page here.
I’ve shared some flight tips before, and this journey definitely reinforced the value of those best practices. It also gave me some additional do’s and don’ts.
Here are my top five takeaways from flying 17,000 miles in a month
Changing planes? Try to book every leg on the same airline
Even if you can book them all in one itinerary, adding in a second airline increases the odds of something going wrong. If it’s possible for you to connect to a flight on the same airline, choose this option.
For example, if you’re flying to Paris and have to stop in SFO to connect to the overseas flight, try to book both flights on the same itinerary with one carrier.
When your flights are all on the same airline, that airline knows where you are. If the first flight gets delayed and you might not make it to the second one, the airline is more likely to hold that second plane for you.
Ticketing snafus are also MUCH easier to fix when only one airline is involved. And your luggage is more likely to get to the final destination with you too.
Flying international? Go to the airline check-in desk even if you’re not checking a bag
The online boarding pass might say you can go straight to the gate, but don’t believe it. The airline’s going to want to verify your passport before you get on the plane, and it’s much better to make sure everything is in order when you first get to the airport.
If you’ve flown in from somewhere else and are connecting to your international flight on another airline, go to the check-in desk at that airport too. The carrier who is taking you overseas will probably want to see your passport even if you showed it to the other airline when you checked in for the first flight.
This is the best time to catch any glitches that might prevent or delay your boarding.
Make sure you have at least 3 hours between connecting flights
This is especially important for overseas travel, because boarding can start an hour before the flight time. And you may need to talk to airline personnel in between flights, as mentioned above.
Don’t check any bags
Make flight connections, going through customs, and just getting to your hotel, a lot easier by skipping baggage claim and packing light.
Find a way to upgrade
Flying closer to the front of the plane isn’t just more comfortable on-board, it can make the entire experience easier. Even for premium economy, most airlines offer earlier boarding and quicker check-in lanes at the airport.
Mileage plan credit cards can be a great way to earn miles for upgrades, or even rack up elite status perks. And a lot of these cards also include priority boarding. I really like The Points Guy website for this type of advice.
Enjoy the trip
Hopefully these tips will help make your next flight experience a little easier. Do you have a favorite flight hack? Let us know in the comments!
Totally unrelated, but fun fact
Last month, I was on the Test of Time Podcast talking about the movie “Mean Girls”. Does this movie stand the test of time?? Listen to find out what we think.
You can catch The Test of Time wherever you get your podcasts, or directly on the website here.