As the summer travel season starts for us Northern Hemispherians, some random tidbits of good advice to make the trip itself go smoothly

• Pack as little as possible. Ask yourself three questions about every item you pack: Could I manage without it on this trip? Will it cause any hassles at security? Is there a lighter-weight and/or more versatile alternative? Remove any item that gets even one yes.
• Keep passports, tickets, and travel documents on your person (in a hidden money belt or at least a fanny pack). Keep prescription drugs, eyeglasses, hearing aids, computers, cameras, and cell phones–or anything else that would be very hard to replace–in your carry-on.
• Make a mental list of everything you’re putting through the X-ray machine, and make sure you have it all (including your laptop and your shoes) before you leave security.
• If crossing more than two timezones, begin adjusting your schedule a few days before you leave, an hour or half-hour at a time.
• Take a quick nap or two on the plane, but save your deep sleep for when it’s starting to be evening at your destination.
• Drink a lot of water during the flight, and don’t drink alcohol. Don’t bring in bottled drinks from outside the security checkpoint; you’ll have to dump them. You can, however, bring your own water bottle and fill it up from a water fountain or bathroom tap once you’re past security–or just do what I do and get the flight attendants to bring you some.
• Use the bathroom an hour before landing, before the last-minute rush.
• Bring your own high-energy, very portable snacks, but make sure they’ll pass the TSA inspection (trail mix is good, but leave off the chocolate chips; they can get pretty messy)
• Always at least pack a pair of clean underwear and socks in your carry-on, possibly a full change of clothes–we’ve had luggage delayed on several occasions.
• Know where you’re staying the first night, and the best way to get there by public transit (often the best and almost always the cheapest option), pre-reserved rental car, or taxi/car service
• Leave time in your schedule for the unexpected, including a very light first day back home–for recovery, or to take advantage of an opportunity to get bumped

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 2nd, 2009 at 8:51 am and is filed under Frugal Fun. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.